Stanislaus County should use taxes first for safety

We seem to have money for a new city hall in Turlock (that is over-budget) and a walkway to nowhere over Briggsmore Avenue in Modesto, but we don't have money for police or fire. We just had a new sales tax for education, another city tax to shore up the retirement fund and now the mayor wants more taxes for our safety?

I thought cities were formed to provide us with safety and education — where are all of the sales taxes, property taxes, state taxes and federal taxes going? All of the money seems to be going to "other" projects — not to the ones we need for our public safety.

The crime rate is out of control, yet we are cutting the safety budget. The sheriff has cut his staff and suggests that we arm ourselves. That is not the answer — get more officers on the streets and stop spending our tax dollars on "special interests" until we get the budget in line with our revenues, with safety our first priority.

What is next, a tax for flushing our toilets? We have enough tax dollars for our basic needs. Send our elected officials a message: no more taxes until we have our house in order.

JIM MENARD

Turlock