Facing the Facts: One-Party System for Orange County

The condition of the Orange County Democratic Party does mean fewer choices and less discussion for all voters, as described in your Dec. 10 editorial. However, this condition is not only caused by the party’s inertia, it seems more like a deliberate choice.

Prior to the November election I received lots of direct mail from Orange County politicians and bureaucrats, sponsored by the builders and real estate developers, asking us to vote for an increase in the sales tax for construction and improvement of freeways and highways. I was amazed when one of the mailers came from the Orange County Democratic Party, signed by its chairman. Why does the Democratic Party choose to spend its resources on this nonpartisan election, urging support for an increase in the most regressive of taxes which falls most heavily on those least able to pay?

The Orange County gridlock problem is real, and it results from the policies of present and past administrations in Sacramento and Washington, which chose to reduce the tax base and cut the heart out of domestic programs and infrastructure. The problem will be solved just as soon as these policies are changed. On the state level some appropriate changes seem to be on the horizon.

Meanwhile, with hundreds of homeless roaming the streets of Orange County, thousands who cannot afford medical insurance, local sweatshops exploiting women and children, and the public school system vastly underfunded, surely the Democrats can find some issue to espouse that’s worthy of their progressive tradition. When they choose the “me too” position as they did in November, the voters are truly left with fewer choices.

DON CRAWFORD

Anaheim