Letter: Funds help pay for the general welfare

There has been a spate of letters, petitions and even a lawsuit questioning the appropriateness of transferring utility funds to the city of Glendale. I am disturbed by this activity. Starting with Proposition 13 we have seen an erosion of funds to provide city services at a level consistent with the wealth of our nation. The impact is seen in reductions in services which might not be important to the people leading this charge against the city, but certainly matter to the broader demographics that make up the city.
I am tired of watching our nation and its infrastructure undermined by those going to great lengths to deprive our various levels of government from the funds necessary to provide services which support the general welfare of the people.

I fully support the city receiving utility funds to augment its resources to provide services. This seems a fair and equitable means of obtaining revenue, the cost being spread over all utility users. I have made inquiries about such use of funds and have determined that this practice is common among other cities that also own their utilities. Moreover, Glendale’s utility rates are competitive with other utilities. So what’s the beef?

The knee-jerk antigovernment mentality that resists government funding of any stripe does not serve the interests of the citizens of Glendale or the nation.

Fred Fox
Glendale