Is it just me, or does America seem really weird these days? By “weird,” I mean off, out of whack, lost. Take rule of law—the political ideal that all citizens and institutions are accountable to the same laws. That used to mean something. Now the rules seem “made to be broken,” as Five-Star Gen. Douglas MacArthur quipped. Of course, that’s coming from a guy who disobeyed orders and was fired for it by President Harry S. Truman, so grain-of-salt that idea for now.
So, what does this have to do with local politics? Well, apparently three of the five members of the SLO County Board of Supervisors—conservatives John Peschong (1st District) and Debbie Arnold (5th District) joined by moderate fence-rider Dawn Ortiz-Legg (3rd District)—seem to agree with MacArthur. They recently voted to break their own rule regarding sharing property taxes with a community services district. The decision, which still must be agreed upon by the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) board before it goes into effect, will result in a loss of between $139,707 to $882,518 a year to the county’s general fund—and an equivalent gain to the NCSD.
You’d be forgiven for not giving a flying you know what about two government bodies arguing over who gets to keep and spend our tax money, and maybe you don’t even care if politicians make rules and break them because your trust in government is in the dumpster, which is on fire, rolling down a hill and heading straight for an underfunded animal rescue filled with helpless kittens. That’s how weird America is. Everything seems like an existential threat, like we’re heading to hell in a handbasket, and we’re frozen like deer in Satan’s headlights.
This is boring, so take another swig of coffee, but the county’s rule states that funding for independent special districts should not result in a net fiscal loss to the county. In other words, these districts are independent governing bodies that should fund themselves and not expect the county to subsidize their existence. Seems simple enough, but rules were made to be broken, especially when housing is on the line.
The Dana Reserve, a 288-acre housing development (the one that’s chopping down a shit-ton of trees, but don’t worry, they’re going to plant more), is being overseen by the NCSD, which says the extra 3.7 percent in property taxes the development will generate should go to it, not the county. It has its own rule, see? And it’s “gimme our money.” The deal county supes came up with, which breaks their own rule, is to give the NCSD 2.36973 percent of the generated tax (oddly precise).
Supervisors Jimmy Paulding (4th District) and Bruce Gibson (2nd District) believe this will set a dangerous precedent and lead to more tax revenue losses for the county. In fact, the San Miguel Community Services District has a big housing project coming up called River’s Edge. I bet they’d like to pocket the project’s generated property tax.
Man, it always seems to come down to money, filthy lucre, unholy mammon—as 1 Timothy 6:10 says, it’s “the root of all kinds of evil.” Matthew 6:24 says you can’t serve God and money. Of course, Liza Minnelli sang “money makes the world go round,” and Trump said, “Money was never a big motivation for me except as a way to keep score,” so who you gonna believe? The convicted felon, sexual abuser, and God’s anointed one, right? Trump! Trump! Trump!
One unfortunate group of victims is about to get victimized again thanks to a lack of money. Due to dwindling federal funding, crime victims aren’t going to get the support they used to receive, and you can blame the Trump administration.
Under Obama, prosecutions of white-collar crime were robust, leading to collection of large fines and fees, but under Trump, prosecutions of white-collar crime went down, as did the coffers that fill the federal Crime Victims Fund, which since 1984 has funded state and local programs, such as SLO County’s CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Lumina Alliance, and SLOLAF (SLO Legal Assistance Foundation). Now the work they do help foster kids, domestic violence victims, and crime victims is at risk. Is it because Trump, arguably the king of white-collar crime, was soft on white-collar criminals?
Everyone’s got a conspiracy theory these days. Morro Bay resident David Yohe said at the July 17 SLO City Council meeting, “Recently, there’s a lot of discussion about a bullet that grazed Donald Trump’s face. I’m pretty sure that’s all Hollywood theatrics. I don’t believe any bit of that.” He went on about how Zionists brutally gunned down a family evacuating from north Gaza in a Kia. A Kia for God’s sake!
Doesn’t Morro Bay have a City Council you can complain to?
America, what’s going on with you? Some 20-year-old shoots Trump’s ear and kills a bystander, and then Trump’s “slam dunk” mishandled sensitive documents case is thrown out by Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. Rule of law … poof! This is not normal, America. Get it together.
Oh, and for the record, MacArthur’s full quote was, “Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind,” the message being, if you don’t break the rules, you’re just lazy. Keep up the hard work, politicians!
The Shredder suffers from malaise. Sympathize at shredder@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 18-28, 2024.
You’re worried about victims? Let’s start in CA and not allow our retailers to be the victims of the stupid shoplifting laws.
Sat, May 17 at 12:21 PM
Dear Shredder, it is obvious that not many people read your article, or cared enough about your opinion to comment. I made reference to the Murder of IGF (Izraeli Genocide forces). Hind Rajab, was a five-year-old Palestinian girl, in Gaza. As her family sought to escape the relentless bombardment in Tel al-Hawa, their car was mercilessly targeted by an Israeli tank in an attack that can only be described as a war crime. Hind survived the initial barrage, only to be left alone in the blood-soaked car, surrounded by the bodies of her loved ones. Her desperate cries for help, as she begged for rescue on the phone with emergency services, moved hearts around the world. The ambulance that was sent to save her, after hours of negotiation, was obliterated by the Israeli army, ensuring that Hind’s life was cruelly and deliberately extinguished. Two Rescue Workers were ambushed and gunned down as they approached the Kia that Hind Rajab was in. 336 bullets hole were found in the car, along with Hind Rajab’s Body, several Days later. Hind Rajab 3May2K18 – 29January2K24. REMEMBER HER NAME
-David Yohe