Silva’s Anti-Tax Stance ‘Irresponsible’

Supervisor Jim Silva abandoned common sense in favor of blindly following a no-tax ideology when he threw his support to the anti-sales tax campaign (“O.C. Supervisor Silva Joins Measure R Foes,” May 5).

Supervisor Silva does not have a viable alternative plan in mind if the sales tax increase initiative fails on the June ballot. However, this does not stop him from pulling the rug out from under his fellow supervisors and those of us in the county who realize that increasing revenue to the county is key to county’s ability to make payments on current bond indebtedness, pay off the county’s vendors and keep the school districts afloat.

Silva’s highly irresponsible actions risk further county collapse and inevitable bankruptcy of a number of school districts.

Should the school districts now teetering on the edge of insolvency fall into bankruptcy and the county’s vendors not receive money owed them because the sales tax does not pass, Supervisor Silva’s ideology will remain intact, but the suffering in our county will multiply beyond our imagination.

The actions of Supervisor Silva show the foolishness of following an ideology to an extreme, even when it stops making sense.

ROBERT W. BALEN

Vice President, Board of Trustees

Santa Ana Unified School District

* I dislike the vast waste of taxpayers’ money by government in general. I would like to find a good way to pay the bill without taxes.

To take Supervisor (Jim) Silva’s position without an alternative is self-serving and irresponsible. We saw what the supervisors are capable of by their non-action regarding the irresponsible action of the old treasurer.

Measure R, although painful, is the only way I can see. The only supervisor with guts to bite the bullet is Marian Bergeson. I salute her.

JACK WINNICK

Anaheim

* I have only one question regarding the May 7, editorial entitled “For Silva, Expediency Over Leadership.”

Wasn’t it the Los Angeles Times that issued an editorial last spring endorsing Orange County Treasurer Robert L. Citron for reelection?

JEAN JENKS

Laguna Beach

* Could someone, like Mr. Jim Silva, explain to me why he voted to spend (money) on a special election in which he plans to vote against the only measure on the ballot? As a resident of Huntington Beach, I know his record of “no new taxes.” He won’t increase your taxes but he still knows how to spend money. I am not wild about the idea of increasing the sales tax but I haven’t heard Mr. Silva leading the way toward black ink! Remember his “no” to his staff reductions?

As I sit here in red ink waiting for election results, I am thinking maybe the Orange County Board of Supervisors is obsolete! I don’t suppose we could have a special election on that issue. The savings would more than pay for the election.

FRED B. PROVENCHER

Huntington Beach

* Dana Parsons is expecting too much from Jim Silva. After all, Jim Silva is a Republican and Republicans over the past two decades have always put their reelectability first and the good of the country (or of the county) second.

If you think Orange County’s debacle is bad, look at the federal deficit. It was caused by Republican anti-tax voodoo economics. (Also known to Republicans as Those Wonderful Reagan Years.)

And this is the very same path that Jim Silva tippy-toes down today.

JAMES R. GALLAGHER

Huntington Beach