The Morning Report
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This week, we’re highlighting some comments about funding for schools, gas prices, Balboa Park and the Chargers stadium search. Are you joining us in the discussions? Sign up here — I hope to see you there!
• Kelly Donivan on “Parents’ Election Guide Part III: Five Questions (And Answers!) on Dueling Education Propositions“:
No. Voting no on all bond issues for schools. I am done paying for the ridiculous game that is called public education in this state. My local elementary district wants MORE money and my local high school district STILL hasn’t built the high school that the bond was passed for YEARS ago!
• John Stechschulte on “The Taxes You Pay at the Pump: Fact Check“:
Even still, the tax isn’t high enough to cover road maintenance–we have sales and income taxes which have to pay the rest. So, as drivers, even with the gas taxes we pay, free roads are still a net subsidy. This doesn’t even address the amount of military spending that goes into protecting our oil interests abroad, paid for from federal income taxes.
And that doesn’t even begin to address the subsidy of free or cheap parking, which economists have estimated tops $100 billion a year. This subsidy is enforced in the form of zoning codes which tax developers by requiring them to build copious amounts of parking.
Ask any engineer or physicist — the personal automobile is just about the least energy and space efficient (and labor-intensive) method of transportation. It couldn’t possibly have become the dominant mode of transportation without a massive government intervention in the market.
• Don Wood on “Baby Steps for a Highly Anticipated Balboa Park Savior“:
So far, the Conservancy has been a big bust. Its original purpose was to find and convince private donors to contribute more funding to address the multi-million backlog of deferred park maintenance projects. Unfortunately, the group has been stacked with park institution shills who are now jumping into proposed new projects like the Jacobs’ bridge plan and the Zoo’s scheme to get the city to float $200 million in new bonds to build it a new paid parking garage. Several key original members of the group’s board have resigned in disgust. The Conservancy needs to back out of supporting proposed new projects, and get back to its original charter to find donors to help fix all the deferred maintenance the park needs.
• Bill Mitchell on ” Manchester: ‘Give Me $200 Million And I’ll Fix Qualcomm Stadium’“:
I don’t often agree with Doug Manchester, but he has the right idea here. New Orleans spent $320 million to rehab the Superdome. Some of the money was to repair Katrina damage. New Orleans has the 2013 Super Bowl. On location alone Qualcomm is well worth consideration for rehab.
• Chris Brewster on “U.S. Attorney: Members Felt Filner ‘Embarrassed Himself’ at Temple Forum“:
I cannot comment on what happened in this instance as I do not know. I have served as a public official in San Diego and what I believe is that if you do not want to distract from the mission of your agency or to tie it to particular political beliefs, you avoid getting involved in political issues as an individual. Ms. Duffy may be completely right, completely wrong, or somewhere in the middle; but by allowing her personal opinions of a candidate or candidates to become public, as a public official, she has erred. I have the impression she is a highly professional individual. I hope this is a learning experience for her. I doubt that the agency she serves wants to become involved in the mayoral campaign.
Statements have been lightly edited to fix spelling errors and typos.
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Dagny Salas is the web editor at Voice of San Diego. You can contact her directly at dagny.salas@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5669.
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