County Is Accountable, Not Taxpayers

* Your editorial “Where Did Responsibility Go?” (July 7) brings back old feelings of hurt and resentment over our county’s problems.

When I pay for stamps at my local post office, my check is payable to the postmaster. For settling late-return fines at the local library, I issue my check to the O.C. Public Library. My income tax payments are made to the IRS and also to the Franchise Tax Board.

In contrast, I wrote my real estate tax payments specifically to Mr. Robert (Bob) Citron. (I admit being amused five years ago when I issued my first real estate tax check, writing the “friendly” nickname and all.)

Thinking about it now, this was indeed a unique way of driving home the point of ultimate “personal” accountability for public funds.

In the next few months, real estate taxes will be due for payment again. Hardly amused, we shall then be reminded that we no longer shall be paying to Mr. Robert (Bob) Citron. Instead, we will be making our checks to a generic O.C. tax collector.

I hope that this subtle change does not in any way obscure the identity of those entrusted with the public trust.

MARIA B. FIELDS

Lake Forest

* This letter is in response to the editorial “Where Did Responsibility Go?”: Whose money is it anyway?

Let me see if I understand.

Orange County has a pile of about $5.4 billion of taxpayer money.

Orange County taxpayers owe about $100 million to suppliers of goods and services to the county (the vendors).

Orange County taxpayers owe about $600 million to lenders who loaned the county money (the bondholders).

Orange County taxpayers reject a new tax to pay the people that are owed the money (the vendors and bondholders).

Therefore, Orange County taxpayers are deadbeats!

What happen to the $5.4 billion? Well, it seems the water districts, the school districts, the city districts, the Orange County Transportation Authority, even the county itself claimed the money was theirs and would not share it with the vendors and bondholders.

I fully agree it is unthinkable to “stiff the little folks” or to “waffle on obligations.” I just think it must be made clear who is doing the stiffing and waffling. Your own articles described the difficult time the districts are having investing their funds.

It seems clear to me that the districts are the deadbeats, not the taxpayers. Orange County has plenty of money to meet its obligations. Government must stop thinking in its self-serving manner and remember whose money it really is.

ROBERT DeVITO

Orange