Don’t raise taxes, fix government

Tax laws may be convoluted — see "When most vote to raise tax, raise it," Jan. 8, editorial — but the problem lies not with the inability of local governments to raise taxes but with the Sacramento politicians' worse-than- poor performance in not returning funds to local governments.

The comments from legislative leaders on how they intend to spend money from Proposition 30, which was sold by the governor, et al, as a classroom panacea, is a prime example of their thought processes.

Ever since Proposition 13 was passed, we have heard gloom and doom from all levels of government, while at the same time we have seen innumerable examples of waste and mismanagement at all levels.

Rather than overturn a law voted for by the people as a self-defense measure, change the laws regarding unionization of government employees, jacking up retirement pay and examine more closely the costs of maintaining an ineffective Legislature.

And keep in mind our own local debacle regarding Mello-Roos taxes (or overtaxes) collected from Village I residents. What happens if the courts side with the residents who then seek and are granted refunds?

CLIFF NAGLE

Riverbank