How to tackle crime and homelessness

With regard to the upcoming “Public Safety” Levy… I was opposed to the last tax increase and I will be voting against this one as well. The county has the money to fully fund the jail, but they have chosen to allocate it to other departments. They should fund law enforcement first and everything else second. The "shortfall" is due to overspending, not lack of funds, and they are being dishonest by blackmailing the tax payers with the threat of cutting funds to law enforcement and not other departments. They made this same mistake in 2006/2007 and cut the funding to law enforcement instead of other departments. They'll say the jail and DA's office are top priorities but their actions don't match their words. If they still need money for the Assessor, Clerk, or I.T. departments after funding law enforcement first, then they can either make the cuts necessary to those departments or ask for a “Assessor/Clerk/I.T.” Levy instead of using “Public Safety” as political blackmail.

Helping people with mental health issues, addiction, and poverty needs to be looked at as part of a larger effort to strengthen the family unit and community. It is only with strong families and strong communities that we can have any hope of a long term solution. Handing out money, clothes, and food without any accountability does nothing but enable drug addiction, mental health, and crime. How can the county help build strong families/communities? A great first step would be to eliminate permits and fees for homeowners and businesses. This would allow our local economy to thrive which would in turn help struggling families and businesses in the area. Another step would be to get tough on crime. A zero-tolerance approach to crime would remove the bad actors and allow organizations that help the mentally ill and drug addicted to focus on those who actually want help and are not here to cause problems.

But how do we fund law enforcement AND other departments without increasing taxes? I would first want to focus on how to spend less money. You don't need more revenue if you can eliminate wasteful spending and get by with what you have. Personally I don't believe in taxes and I think the last thing the government should be focusing on is "generating revenue". I explain my plan in more detail in another blog post (click to read).

And don't forget, the Commissioners approved a 10% raise for themselves last year. But then say they need more of your money for law enforcement. This is how they prioritize the safety of our communities.