To All --
The above attachment can give you lots of ideas for Letters to the Editors, not to mention fodder for the blogs. It is a wonderful 6 pages, friendly, put together by dedicated Friends of ARRRG who currently wish to remain anonymous. We need ongoing letters to the papers and the blogs from now until November 6th. The more favorable, knowledgable, understandable "pro" letters people see, the more they will be inclined to vote for the Charter.
Letters do not need to be long. One effective type of letter is just a series of questions leading the reader to some inescapable conclusion. Humor is okay. Comparisons are great. Calling them out for the idiots they are is not, generally, a good idea....
We want a LARGE victory, a BIG message to the bureaucrats that the voters here have had enough. And they have! Didn't they say it enough times when we were doing signatures?
Let's go for it!
Ronnie
The above attachment can give you lots of ideas for Letters to the Editors, not to mention fodder for the blogs. It is a wonderful 6 pages, friendly, put together by dedicated Friends of ARRRG who currently wish to remain anonymous. We need ongoing letters to the papers and the blogs from now until November 6th. The more favorable, knowledgable, understandable "pro" letters people see, the more they will be inclined to vote for the Charter.
Letters do not need to be long. One effective type of letter is just a series of questions leading the reader to some inescapable conclusion. Humor is okay. Comparisons are great. Calling them out for the idiots they are is not, generally, a good idea....
We want a LARGE victory, a BIG message to the bureaucrats that the voters here have had enough. And they have! Didn't they say it enough times when we were doing signatures?
Let's go for it!
Ronnie
| Final Home Rule Charter by AAARG May 9, 2012 |
CHARTER NOTES
In view of all the misleading articles, editorials & letters to the editor in The World, Why should we vote YES for the Charter?
The World says the charter is like a Constitution and would tie the hands of
elected officials
They’re right, it will put some restrictions on elected officials, and that’s a good thing. With the Charter, there is less likelihood for conflicts of interest like the Winter Lake Project; less likely that stealth candidates, especially unelected ones, will exercise unrestrained power to radically change government without the consent of the people. Did you know that the only limitation on our county commissioners is the Oregon Criminal Code? Our commissioners make & break the rules as they go and the only accountability is at election time, which means if they ram through an unpopular increase in taxes, fees or bonding authority we’ll end up paying even if they are voted out.
It means if they endorse some UN proposal affecting building codes or environmental restrictions, we’re stuck with them even if they’re voted out.
The World also says we should have an administrator so we can be as efficient
as schools, cities, hospital boards, ports, etc.
How many of these "efficient" groups are currently bankrupt or close to it?
Where is the "proof" of better efficiency. The truth is that in too many instances these administrators are less responsive to the people than elected officials because they can’t be terminated by election and unless they commit a
crime, can’t be fired without an expensive severance package (golden parachute). Administrators have no loyalty to the taxpayers, only to the politicians who hire them. Administrators generally provide little continuity because they use
their current job as a resume to their next higher paying job, and while an exceptional administrator can be a real asset, they don’t come cheap. Administrators also provide "cover" to politicians who don’t want to take the
heat for unpopular decisions, and they are expensive, using staffs or consulting firms to do the real work & provide expertise.
The World says we shouldn’t vote for the charter because it has flaws.
They’re right, there are flaws. I’m not happy with every single word in the charter, either but I’m still going to vote for it. The United States Constitution had flaws in it, but it passed and we should be grateful it did. By my last count there have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, and there probably will be more as time goes by. Fact is, the first 10 amendments were passed about the same time as the Constitution itself passed.
Do any of you think the founding fathers should have waited until every flaw was ironed out to pass the Constitution?
A number of people have talked about the cost associated with enacting the Charter.
From what I’ve read, they must be prophets, able to see the future. What I haven’t seen from the naysayers is the true cost of hiring an administrator, what his job description is going to be, what qualifications he is going to require to be able to single-handedly do the job that 3 commissioners cannot do, and what his benefits package will be.
The World keeps yapping about allowing our elected representatives to do their jobs, and that we should follow their lead on things like an administrator.
I would remind The World that 2 of those commissioners were appointed, not elected and since the people they replaced were not talking about turning the county government upside down with an administrator & changing the rules every meeting on citizen input limitations, it would behoove those 2 commissioners to settle down, behave like the caretakers they are, and unless there is a life or death emergency, stick to the business of running the County
and limiting their creativeness to tweaking it for efficiency & economy.
I’m getting a little sick & tired of hearing about the committees who are the source of some of these radical concepts.
First off, the committees were handpicked by the very people they’re advising. I’ve been on enough committees to know that committees are often formed to provide the rational for a decision already made. Odds are most of the
committee members are directly or indirectly involved with government jobs.
Our representative republic, founded by the people with a constitution designed to restrict the power of our elected officials, has been undermined these past 50-60 years by a bureaucracy which is usurping our freedoms as surely as kings, tyrants & dictators of old.
When the welfare state was inaugurated by Pres. Roosevelt in the 1930’s, the first recruits to the bureaucracy were people instilled with the founding principles of freedom and limited government power who acted with restraint to a
large degree. During WWII, the great expansion of government bureaucracy brought in, of necessity, men & women of the business world, people who were doers, still instilled with founding principles of freedom & limited government
power but who recognized some freedom had to be given up to counter the foreign threat. By the time of Johnson’s War on Poverty, these founding principles were beginning to be forgotten and bureaucrats began to think they
had all the answers despite the lessons of history. They began to think those others, those kings, tyrants, and dictators failed because they were unenlightened, but they can make it work if only we can get these uneducated,
stupid, troublesome taxpayers to shut up and let us do our jobs. Administrators are bureaucrats! We don’t need one if our elected officials are doing their jobs & letting their employees do their job.
If the County Commissioners stopped micro managing, they’d have time to do their job.
If the Department heads were given clear goals & authority, and held accountable, I’m confident they could do their jobs without micromanagement. If not, why are they Department heads? Are they just gofers, commissioner’s
personal servants? I’ve run a large department. I knew well in advance when I had major expenditures coming for projects, equipment, repairs, maintenance, contracts, manpower changes, etc. and planned for it. There’s no need for
"hundreds" of special elections, these things can be rolled into the current election cycle at no additional cost. In a genuine life & death emergency, I doubt the charter will prevent taking emergency action.
Finally, here are 5 reasons to vote YES on the Charter
1. Limits the power of county government to spend us into oblivion.
2. Forces County government to be open, accountable, and impartial.
3. Allows a County Administrator if a case can be made, publicly and
completely in the open, that it’s in our best interests.
4. Ensures all qualified suppliers have an equal chance at bidding on
contracts.
5. Prevents the erosion of freedom that occurs when employees
(administrators) exercise the power that belongs to elected officials.
Related Posts:
Important Dates:
Letter to Editor About the Home Rule Charter
Home Rule Charter is officially on the ballot
Americans for Prosperity Presents the Panal on the Home Rule Charter
"Voice of the Voters" Home Rule Charter 8-7-12
BOC Meeting discussing Governance Advisory Committee
BOC Watch...Aug 14 & 15, 2012
The BOC will decide on the county Administrator and the Urban Renewal Amendment
SOS OR Counties 2012 Financial Condidtion Review 2012-17
COOS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Board of Commissioners Meeting
Board of Commissioners Meeting the Sturcture Committee
Does Portland employ one manager for every six non-managers?
In view of all the misleading articles, editorials & letters to the editor in The World, Why should we vote YES for the Charter?
The World says the charter is like a Constitution and would tie the hands of
elected officials
They’re right, it will put some restrictions on elected officials, and that’s a good thing. With the Charter, there is less likelihood for conflicts of interest like the Winter Lake Project; less likely that stealth candidates, especially unelected ones, will exercise unrestrained power to radically change government without the consent of the people. Did you know that the only limitation on our county commissioners is the Oregon Criminal Code? Our commissioners make & break the rules as they go and the only accountability is at election time, which means if they ram through an unpopular increase in taxes, fees or bonding authority we’ll end up paying even if they are voted out.
It means if they endorse some UN proposal affecting building codes or environmental restrictions, we’re stuck with them even if they’re voted out.
The World also says we should have an administrator so we can be as efficient
as schools, cities, hospital boards, ports, etc.
How many of these "efficient" groups are currently bankrupt or close to it?
Where is the "proof" of better efficiency. The truth is that in too many instances these administrators are less responsive to the people than elected officials because they can’t be terminated by election and unless they commit a
crime, can’t be fired without an expensive severance package (golden parachute). Administrators have no loyalty to the taxpayers, only to the politicians who hire them. Administrators generally provide little continuity because they use
their current job as a resume to their next higher paying job, and while an exceptional administrator can be a real asset, they don’t come cheap. Administrators also provide "cover" to politicians who don’t want to take the
heat for unpopular decisions, and they are expensive, using staffs or consulting firms to do the real work & provide expertise.
The World says we shouldn’t vote for the charter because it has flaws.
They’re right, there are flaws. I’m not happy with every single word in the charter, either but I’m still going to vote for it. The United States Constitution had flaws in it, but it passed and we should be grateful it did. By my last count there have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, and there probably will be more as time goes by. Fact is, the first 10 amendments were passed about the same time as the Constitution itself passed.
Do any of you think the founding fathers should have waited until every flaw was ironed out to pass the Constitution?
A number of people have talked about the cost associated with enacting the Charter.
From what I’ve read, they must be prophets, able to see the future. What I haven’t seen from the naysayers is the true cost of hiring an administrator, what his job description is going to be, what qualifications he is going to require to be able to single-handedly do the job that 3 commissioners cannot do, and what his benefits package will be.
The World keeps yapping about allowing our elected representatives to do their jobs, and that we should follow their lead on things like an administrator.
I would remind The World that 2 of those commissioners were appointed, not elected and since the people they replaced were not talking about turning the county government upside down with an administrator & changing the rules every meeting on citizen input limitations, it would behoove those 2 commissioners to settle down, behave like the caretakers they are, and unless there is a life or death emergency, stick to the business of running the County
and limiting their creativeness to tweaking it for efficiency & economy.
I’m getting a little sick & tired of hearing about the committees who are the source of some of these radical concepts.
First off, the committees were handpicked by the very people they’re advising. I’ve been on enough committees to know that committees are often formed to provide the rational for a decision already made. Odds are most of the
committee members are directly or indirectly involved with government jobs.
Our representative republic, founded by the people with a constitution designed to restrict the power of our elected officials, has been undermined these past 50-60 years by a bureaucracy which is usurping our freedoms as surely as kings, tyrants & dictators of old.
When the welfare state was inaugurated by Pres. Roosevelt in the 1930’s, the first recruits to the bureaucracy were people instilled with the founding principles of freedom and limited government power who acted with restraint to a
large degree. During WWII, the great expansion of government bureaucracy brought in, of necessity, men & women of the business world, people who were doers, still instilled with founding principles of freedom & limited government
power but who recognized some freedom had to be given up to counter the foreign threat. By the time of Johnson’s War on Poverty, these founding principles were beginning to be forgotten and bureaucrats began to think they
had all the answers despite the lessons of history. They began to think those others, those kings, tyrants, and dictators failed because they were unenlightened, but they can make it work if only we can get these uneducated,
stupid, troublesome taxpayers to shut up and let us do our jobs. Administrators are bureaucrats! We don’t need one if our elected officials are doing their jobs & letting their employees do their job.
If the County Commissioners stopped micro managing, they’d have time to do their job.
If the Department heads were given clear goals & authority, and held accountable, I’m confident they could do their jobs without micromanagement. If not, why are they Department heads? Are they just gofers, commissioner’s
personal servants? I’ve run a large department. I knew well in advance when I had major expenditures coming for projects, equipment, repairs, maintenance, contracts, manpower changes, etc. and planned for it. There’s no need for
"hundreds" of special elections, these things can be rolled into the current election cycle at no additional cost. In a genuine life & death emergency, I doubt the charter will prevent taking emergency action.
Finally, here are 5 reasons to vote YES on the Charter
1. Limits the power of county government to spend us into oblivion.
2. Forces County government to be open, accountable, and impartial.
3. Allows a County Administrator if a case can be made, publicly and
completely in the open, that it’s in our best interests.
4. Ensures all qualified suppliers have an equal chance at bidding on
contracts.
5. Prevents the erosion of freedom that occurs when employees
(administrators) exercise the power that belongs to elected officials.
Related Posts:
Important Dates:
Letter to Editor About the Home Rule Charter
Home Rule Charter is officially on the ballot
Americans for Prosperity Presents the Panal on the Home Rule Charter
"Voice of the Voters" Home Rule Charter 8-7-12
BOC Meeting discussing Governance Advisory Committee
BOC Watch...Aug 14 & 15, 2012
The BOC will decide on the county Administrator and the Urban Renewal Amendment
SOS OR Counties 2012 Financial Condidtion Review 2012-17
COOS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Board of Commissioners Meeting
Board of Commissioners Meeting the Sturcture Committee
Does Portland employ one manager for every six non-managers?
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