As the melodrama surrounding City Hall unfolded this week, one thing became obvious to all observers of city and local politics. Jerry Sanders has shown himself to be a R.I.N.O. (Republican in Name Only) who lacks the ability to lead this city. His commitment to Republican principles has been whispered about for years. This week has shown Jerry to be nothing more than a tax and spend opportunist who is more interested in grabbing money from taxpayers than doing what’s best for them.
This week alone Jerry Sanders celebrated the groundbreaking for a library that still needs $32.5 million to be raised to pay for the place. The most embarrassing image from that event was a collection box where attendees could donate to the building costs of that edifice of arrogance. On Thursday he vetoes a bill for a $300 million project for a new city hall. He vetoed it not because of the extravagant expense, only because he’s afraid voters are going to rightfully reject his monument to incompetence.
And then there’s the zombie sales tax. Several weeks ago, his office “floats” the idea of a sales tax. When responsible politicians and organizations opposed it, Jerry sent his press secretary to say that “now’s the wrong time” for a sales tax. Fast forward through a couple of weeks of silence as the Zombie sales tax keeps rising from the dead. Finally, the RINO decides to speak. Our not so Republican mayor holds with unions hacks Todd Gloria, Donna Frye, Marti Emerald and Sherri Lightner to support a sales tax that burdens San Diegans and does nothing to fix the real problems of the city.
Even the most fervent Sanders fans must now realize what many of us have long suspected: We have a RINO Republican leading the city as it heads further down the road to financial ruin.
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My wife and I had dinner tonight with another couple, long time friends of ours, whom we have been talking about starting a new business with. Tonight we decided to go for it. The other couple has already traveled to several cities in other states, and we’re now all taking the next few weeks to research them further and then pick one. My wife and I already own three other small businesses…they will be going with us. Our friends also own a few other small businesses, which they will be relocating as part of the move. We are sick and tired of the $98 here, half a cent there, crooked $800,000 city managers with pensions of that amount for life, and on and on and on. The politicians in this city and state (and fed too, but we’re not moving to France!) are completely out of touch with the challenges of the real world, and simply see us taxpayers as donors for their campaigns and financiers of their $300 million libraries and billion dollar bullet trains. Oh, and when we come back to visit we’ll stay with friends and family so we won’t be paying any TOT either. I’ve been in San Diego since I was a little boy, and I will miss it…but America is a big place and there are many other locations more welcoming to those working to achieve the American Dream.
D7, assuming you all DO leave, consider writing it up as an op-ed to be distributed to the media. I can help with the editing. Some press outlets will either run it, report it, or perhaps at least learn something from it.
Several on this blog site (including myself) can help you with the distribution of the op-ed. Your job is to detail why CA is no longer the place for you, and why your departure is NOT a good thing for the remaining taxpayers.
I can be reached at RRider@san.rr.com.
Richard, I may very well take you on your offer. Right now we’re studying the options to see what/where makes the most sense. We’ve also started talking with family and close friends.
Yesterday I spoke at length with my uncle who is a CPA & tax/business advisor about what would be the most efficient way to move. BTW, my uncle is a Libertarian. Aren’t you also a CPA? Maybe those who work day in and day out with the IRS and state/local tax collectors are just smarter than the rest of us, which is they register Libertarian!
Once we’ve made our minds up about where/when I’ll let you know.
D7, I am in the credit and collection industry and hear what you are saying every day. I posted comments similar to yours yesterday at another publication. Our industry is the 1st to notice rough times and the 1st to notice recovery. In my 40 plus years in this industry I have never seen it this bad nor do I expect any change in CA in the foreseeable future. People like you are leaving this State in droves, while we maintain our population with the birth rate and immigration from other countries. I have lived here since 1950 and my beloved San Diego now has nice weather to offer. There is no other reason to live here unless you are a government worker.
Cost of living continues to increase while wage deflation is taking place. I advise my colleagues to get out of here as fast as possible and out of state colleagues to write this entire state off for the foreseeable future. Many in our industry left long ago for AZ, NV, the Midwest and TX. The primaries in June told us that Californians aren’t ready to change and the same old irresponsible elected officials will be with another election cycle.
I suspect that November will be the last election I vote in, in this State as I too have started the search to take myself and two business’s out of here to a more prosperous area. Good luck to you wherever you land. The land of the Golden opportunity is no more. If people think it is bad now wait until next wave of ARM loans refi dates. The worst is yet to come. I do think San Diego can enjoy a lower unemployment rate in the future. Not because of added jobs, but because so many people will leave that the remaining people will take there jobs as San Diego drifts towards a Wash. DC type of economy. All government workers, living in the suburbs while in the City the very rich and very poor as San Diego will continue to drive productive members of society away.
P.S. I just read this article in the U-T: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/01/making-sense-proposed-sales-tax-increase/
What irks me is not the extra $122 for a Honda Accord, which I would gladly pay if I knew those extra funds would go to people that would use it responsibly. The problem, which the media doesn’t focus on, is that government just pisses the money away and then claims they need more. They don’t value the money we give them.
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What they want to do is akin to paying the minimum amount on an outrageous credit card bill to continue on a spending binge.