While opponents of Measure X continue to gloat about their narrow victory as though it were a landslide, another narrow victory may in the end prove as significant as the defeat of Measure X. Jenny Kenoyer’s upset of Stephanie Burnside helped bring about a gravitational change in the Modesto City Council, and may well stymie the Chamber of Commerce’s plans for another growth boom in Stanislaus County. Given her trouncing […]
Modesto Measure X
Measure X Will Test Modesto
The two most consistent criticisms of Modesto’s Measure X involve distrust of government and concern for the poor and middle class. Both display a willingness to ignore facts. Distrust of government is as old as the Constitution. But when the founding fathers settled on a democratic republic, they emphasized the need for an informed citizenry. In fact, James Madison wrote that, “a popular government without popular information or the means of […]
All You Need to Know for Yes on X, Part II
In Part I, we argued that anti-government and anti-tax hysteria promoted by the likes of Grover Norquist have resulted in failures to provide the very services governments were formed to deliver, especially public safety. Ultimately, the Norquist arguments have resulted in the kind of madness that has shut down the federal government and threatens democracy altogether. Here, we address much more serious arguments against Measure X. While these arguments are […]
All You Need to Know for Yes On X, Part I
Arguments against Measure X fall into two categories. The first category consists of those who are against taxes and against government, period. Call them the Grover Norquist crowd. Norquist’s wish to reduce government, “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub,” has come true in many places, especially California cities hard hit by the Great Recession. As government continues to shrink, however, many Norquist supporters have […]
Modesto Primed To Outsource Police Services To County Sheriff, by Bruce Frohman
Riverbank and Patterson: A number of years ago, prior to election to the Riverbank City Council of a family member of a locally owned grocery store chain, the city provided police services to its citizens. Riverbank had its own police department. In the grocery business, an expanding population is good for business. Coincident to the grocer’s election, the City of Riverbank experienced a residential housing boom. The housing boom was fed by infrastructure subsidies provided by Riverbank taxpayers. To enable greater subsidies […]