Reforming Local Government’s Political Culture
Posted: Sunday, September 4th, 2011 at 8:06 am
By: SATP
by George H. Rodriguez
SATP President
In light of the recent VIA plans supported by the Bexar County Commissioners’ Court and San Antonio Mayor Castro’s proposal to extend employee benefits to domestic partners, the SA Tea Party feels there is a critical need to change the political culture in Bexar County and San Antonio. We feel a small group of liberal elitists, supported by some big-money developers, hold sway over our local governments as they see fit without much voter input or consideration.
The county held two referendums on mass transportation, and both were soundly rejected by the voters. Yet four county commissioners support a new VIA plan which will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. The arrogance of the commissioners was on full display when Commissioner Paul Elizondo said it was time for Texans to “give up their trucks.” County Judge Nelson Wolff stated that he “doesn’t need someone to tell him what’s good or not,” as if to say that he doesn’t respect the views of the local electorate.
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro shied away from open dialogue while campaigning for his second term. The SATP submitted questions to the mayor requesting he clarify his positions on several issues during the campaign in March and again in May after his re-election. However, he never responded to our specific questions.
The SA Tea Party has serious concerns about the Mayor’s SA 2020 plans that call for downtown development but do not elaborate on costs. The planning process has not included suburban, county, or regional input; and there are concerns about the tools to implement the project, such as eminent domain. Some of us also fear SA 2020 could infringe on our freedom to choose where to live and what to drive.
The Mayor’s latest proposal of benefits to domestic partners comes as an out-of-left-field surprise to the voters, because he never mentioned it during his election campaign. He apparently refuses to consider a popular vote since the “elites” have decided this is good for San Antonio, regardless of how the majority of citizens may feel.
Finally, we believe our local government should not fund expensive projects or extend new entitlements during times of fiscal austerity. We view these discretionary projects and actions as calculated stepping stones for professional politicians seeking higher office.
The position of the SA Tea Party is the county and city elected officials work for the voters and therefore should represent and carry out the “will of the people.” The Mayor, City Council, and County Judge and Commissioners are trusted servants of the people and must listen to their voices. Yet, with deaf ears and arrogance, the elitists are leading us into expensive “progressive” projects without asking for voter input.
The SA Tea Party affirms that God grants to all people certain unalienable rights, that people in turn grant to governments their consent to be governed, and that the role of government as defined by the people is to preserve those rights. We feel that a “reformation” is needed in the political culture of City Hall and in the County Commissioners’ Court.
San Antonio Tea Party
I found it entertaining that you will push against equal benefits that LGBTQ taxpayers pay for and THEN some. But have no problem paying for wars, spending on “protecting” our borders (mexico only) and enforce “english” as the standard language and other forms of discrimative guises. I also find it interesting that you push to not to have big government to interfer but have no problem interfering in the lives of anyone that doesn’t fit your narrow ideology…this party was found on prejudice and follows a format of facism that creates unnessisary divisiveness and ironically came to be not after Obama’s actions but before and during his inauguration with lynch ropes with doll version of him in it and pictures of him eating watermelons and fried chicken at hand. Your facade of small government agenda is hallow your true intentions reeks through.
The problem is that all of these policies are based on lies.
First and foremost, we completely REJECT the premise that CO2 is causing “global warming” (based on Climategate revelations of fraud and recent science showing much greater heat release from the atmosphere than their models assumed and naming solar activity as the primary cause of global climate change, duh!). So, if CO2 is not a “pollutant” as the EPA claims and is not the cause of planetary destruction, then all policies restricting or reducing CO2 are totally and completely unnecessary. Period.
– We don’t need to reduce our “carbon footprint”. (what a joke)
– We don’t need to stop driving cars.
– We don’t need “light rail” or trolley cars.
– We don’t need to stop heating or cooling our homes.
– We don’t need to live on top of each other in “high density human settlements”, so we can walk to work or the store. Because CO2 IS NOT A POLLUTANT!
– “Green jobs” are illusory at best. They only exist as long as they are subsidized.
Forcing us to change the way we live is destructive of our rights. Wasting our hard-earned tax money on any one of these during times of economic stress is just plain stupid. The problem with that is that “you can’t fix stupid.”
Remember: politicians first priority is to secure their jobs with give away programs. When politicians ignore the will of the people,they become “parasites.”
Americans must come to the painful realization that their ancestors were philosophically correct:That the taking of money from one person,through the political process and giving it to another person is evil,immoral,and destructive;and that political interference with how a person chooses to peacefully live his life,and dispose of his wealth,is equally evil,immoral,and destructive.
The answer is not to engage in a futile quest to eliminate waste in government programs. The solution is to constitutionally prohibit the programs themselves. No,the answer is not to get “better people” into public office. The solution is to constitutionally probit public officials, whoever they may be,from plundering the citizenry and doling out money to others. No, the answer is not to reighn in the bureaucrats. The solution is to dismantle the bureaucracy and return the bureaucrats, kicking and screaming, to rewarding and productive lives as private citizens. No, the answer is not tax reform. The solution is to repeal the sixteenth amendment.
I certainly agree and it is time to begin collecting signatures to demand a Public vote on benefits to domestic partners mass transit.