Election Day in Mecklenburg

Well today is the big day in Mecklenburg County. The people are supposedly voting to decide whether to raise taxes in order to pay for a train set. Of course, in reality, they're not -- because the uptown boys' club IS building a train, no matter what any of the ~~scum~~ ~~peons~~ voters want. If you don't give them the money in the form of sales taxes, they'll just raise some other taxes. And of course, the campaign to raise taxes has been HUGE -- paid for by corporate interests and yes, giant contributions from taxpayers. Yes, taxpayer money was used in large amounts to fund the campaign to support higher taxes. But well, that's the way government works today, whether you like it or not.

Just a few examples:

With the willing assistance of the Charlotte Observer, they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, including an out of state PR firm in an attempt to overwhelm the voter with an avalanche of television, billboards and mailings filled with misleading information.

DECEIT: By calling itself a Grassroots campaign, they were mired in deceit from the beginning. A look at their contributors shows that over 90 percent of their funds come from two sources: (1) large uptown corporations, developers, builders etc who stand to gain from the expenditure of billions of tax dollars----for example Bank of America gave $60,000, Wachovia $60,000 and Duke Energy $50,000 and (2) companies who are in business to plan, engineer and build mass transit lines, including companies who have sold these services or equipment to CATS---- for example Siemens builds light rail cars that are being used on the South Line. Siemens contributed $50,000, which at best shows a conflict of interest and comes close to being a bribe. In order to appear ‘grassroots’, the employees of many of these large contributors were solicited for small contributions---another example of deceit. Several employees of uptown law firms who do business with city/county government or these same big corporate givers, gave small amountsl

CORRUPTION:

1. This ‘against repeal’ campaign was involved in a conspiracy involving the head of Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, the president of the University, officials of the University’s transit department and executive in residence, Dennis Rash risking besmirching the good name of UNC-Charlotte.
2. Several instances where government employees risked breaking the law in an effort to aid this campaign. For example, members of the hired PR firm met with employees of County Department of Social Services, most likely an illegal activity, which resulted in threats to senior citizens that repeal of the tax would mean reduction of their much needed bus service.
3. The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority made an illegal contribution of $5,000 to this corrupt campaign. The money was returned after the CRVA was confronted and the city attorney ruled the contribution to be illegal.

THREATS: This campaign verbally or through written material has threatened reduction in bus service to the handicapped, the aged and the Black communities. A Westside community gathering was told that repeal of the tax would mean reduction in bus service to folks who work uptown, especially those who work uptown at night. Bus drivers were told that many might lose their jobs. Taxpayers throughout the city and county have been threatened with property tax increases. They say that economic development will be threatened.

FALSEHOODS/HALF-TRUTHS:

1. Cost of the South Line: This campaign tells the voters that the cost is about $462 million dollars, but this figure does not include $73.2 million which came from budgets outside the transit budget. At least

$50 million came from 2002 and 2004 bonds that you, the voter, approved for infrastructure throughout the city.

2. Their advertising states that repeal of the tax will mean worsening of congestion and air quality, which is simply not true.

3. Their advertising misleads by implying that light rail will relieve congestion----also not true.

4. This corrupt campaign has labeled those of us in favor of repeal, as being opposed to public transportation-----absolutely not true.

5. This campaign attributes all the development in the South End to the light rail/trolley line. This of course is absurd.

tAll the above are just a few of the many examples of the willingness of the ‘against repeal’ committee to deceive the public in their desperation to continue this mammoth waste on light rail. Our mayor and his political friends are ‘sold out’ to powerful uptown crowd that contributes to their campaigns-----a crowd that will benefit from continued light rail spending. Light rail is not about a solution to transportation problems. It is all about land development and lining the pockets of those involved in this development.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:24 PM

Comments

1 Are you originally from the Charlotte area? I'm just curious if this level of corruption goes way back to the start. I've seen the tactic before. If you can scare a group into thinking they will lose something of value to them... they will blindly vote for that candidate out of fear. Sad... but oh so true.

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 06, 2007 04:30 PM (eaqGd)

2 I used to live there until I learned how the politics there worked. I left the area as quickly as I could for an area with less crime and lower taxes. I still work in Charlotte, unfortunately.

But yes, the threats on this vote were vicious, as outlined above. The city council openly said that if the property owners DARED to vote down this sales tax that they were going to raise property taxes. The message was clear: we're building this damn train come hell or high water. It doesn't matter what the people want, this corrupt government IS going to build that damn train.

Posted by: Ogre at November 06, 2007 04:33 PM (oifEm)

3 Trains just create more congestion on city streets. Not to mention Charlotte, if I remember right, doesn't have a by-pass or an interstate system going around the city, so that would mean even more congestion waiting on trains to pass.

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 06, 2007 04:50 PM (eaqGd)

4 They're working on a by-pass. It's current completion is scheduled for around 2012 -- it's been delayed by spending money on the trains...

Posted by: Ogre at November 06, 2007 04:57 PM (oifEm)

5 ROTFLMAO!!!! They need to focus on the by-pass and forget about the trains! This ain't Europe you know. What a bunch of Cretans! Corrupt Cretans I might add.

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 06, 2007 05:32 PM (eaqGd)

6 It's about power and money. These people need trains because it will give them power. It will let them create jobs for their friends -- with high salaries. It will let them create jobs for the scum -- getting them more votes and more power. And it will require a literally endless supply of money to keep the train running which gives them the means to demand even MORE money for them to spend. Welcome to politics today.

Posted by: Ogre at November 06, 2007 05:41 PM (oifEm)

7 Yes and it does take a lot of money to spead lies and propoganda at election time, which I'm sure Siemens and whoever else makes money from the rail system is happy to provide. And yes, we have ole boy networks here that are happy to provide things no one needs in the first place and let other important things like schools go down the tubes. I'd love to see the stats on how many more are home schooled in this state now compared to 10 years ago!

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 06, 2007 05:59 PM (eaqGd)

8 Charlotte now has near to 100,000 kids that are home schooling. That should say quite a bit about the education system in Mecklenburg. 10 years ago, I'm pretty sure it was still illegal (or at least strongly discouraged by officials).

Posted by: Ogre at November 06, 2007 06:04 PM (oifEm)

9 That is a lot of children being home schooled.
It seems your politicians don't feel schools are important either. Really it is a blessing for those who can home school. Indiana is so messed up, funds come from the state to print tax bills usually in February and then mail them out, plus the school get state funds at the time for the next school year... this year, I still haven't got my tax bill and the school have had to do a bond issue at last I heard, in order to meet payrolls and stay open! This is every county in the state hasn't gotton tax bills. I would bet plenty that by the time we get them, they will be at a substantially higher rate than was paid last year! It's a rip off.

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 06, 2007 06:37 PM (eaqGd)

10 Well, DUH. There's almost NO politicians that feel schools are important. Instead, schools are just a jobs program for the unemployable. It's always about control and money. Schools are a GREAT power item because in mosts places, "It's For The Children" STILL works. Today, on the ballot in Charlotte, at hundreds of millions of dollars in "bonds" -- so politicians can spend millions!

And under this government, taxes ALWAYS go up, and never down.

Posted by: Ogre at November 06, 2007 06:50 PM (oifEm)

11 I can't wait for the returns. I would SO love to see the tax repealed. I think the powers that be have spent so much, lied so much, and threatened so much that they will win -- but I can hope. Of course, if they don't win, they can just change the results, too.

Posted by: Ogre at November 06, 2007 08:12 PM (oifEm)

12 The joy of crooked politics. The bad thing about Dems always being in control, it is spend, spend, spend, and no one ever get's in that will clear up the debt and make taxes go down!

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 06, 2007 09:16 PM (eaqGd)

13 And it's so filthy here that good people don't want to get in, and when they do, they get driven out of politics REAL fast. You go along to get along, or they throw you out quick.

Posted by: Ogre at November 06, 2007 11:59 PM (2WD8n)

14 Well, we got a Republican for mayor 4 years ago after 16 years of a corrupt, good ole boy, Democrat mayor who darn near raped the ravaged town of everything he could. The new mayor in the last 4 years has done a good job of trying to rebuild the town. Last night a Democrat won the bid for mayor. I voted to the incumbant because the Dem was stressing that in the last 4 years jobs decreased along with population.
What he did not say was that the loss was attributable to the 16 year term of the corrupt mayor, and not the newer Republican. We have some good companies moving into the area, but they are still building. These people slide in based on lies or reinventing the truth. I consider this a major set back and can't believe how dumb the voting public can be.

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 07, 2007 11:53 AM (TzKlC)

15 Lying is part and parcel of today's political system. If you tell the truth, you will lose.

Posted by: Ogre at November 07, 2007 12:23 PM (oifEm)

16 It's the bending and twisting of the truth until it is no long recognizable as such that gets to me. It is an insult to one's intelligence that they do that, then you realize, their lies got them elected, so there are way too many stupid people out there voting!

Posted by: HoosierArmyMom at November 07, 2007 03:40 PM (TzKlC)

17 Welcome to newspeak. Words only have the meanings that those in power want them to have.

Posted by: Ogre at November 07, 2007 04:00 PM (oifEm)

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