Don’t fund pensions with sales tax hike

Editor: Harvey, Ill., is the canary in the coalmine for the spiraling unfunded pension crisis. Democrat-run Illinois does not allow cities to go bankrupt because the city is unable to afford to pay pensions to its city workers.

Instead, it has laid off city employees. The canary died in the coalmine. It has started in Democrat-run Illinois. Democrat-run Chicago and Cook County have announced property tax hikes. Many people can’t afford to pay the tax man in homes they have lived in for over 30 years.

At some point, the property price bubble will burst along with the stock market. It’s a huge bubble right now. Once it is popped, California cities will line up one by one in bankruptcy court.

Fellow citizens, the City of Lodi can’t hike sales tax to pay for the spiraling pension obligations. We can’t pay city employees over $100,000 or $200,000 a year salaries and pensions while the average Lodian makes less than $24,000 a year.

We live in a neo-feudalist system where the government workers think we are serfs with an unlimited ATM machine where they can extract more cash from our pockets forever. Ask the average Lodian how much he/she has in his bank account and how much personal debt (car loan, mortgage, college loans, credit cards, medical) he/she has?

California has the highest gas state tax and prices with the worst roads in the nation! Companies have been moving out of California since the early 2000s due to high costs of electricity, fuel, regulations, fees and taxes. According to Tax Foundation, California is highest in sales tax and in all categories.

The city council serves the people, not the city employees. They act like fiscal conservatives, but love to hike local taxes and fees to pay a city employee over $100,000 or $200,000 a year salary/pension. Do you make over $100,000? Will you retire with a $100,000 a year pension? Do not support Lodi’s upcoming pension tax? ALEX ALIFERIS Lodi

Unhappy with purple building

I agree with the complaints regarding the purple building on Kettleman Lane ... every time I drive east on Kettleman my eyes are drawn to that hideous building (and my eyes are diverted from the heavy traffic in that block).

Something needs to be done. The ugly building is not good for Lodi. What if other businesses in Lodi now decide to paint their buildings with garish colors to draw attention to their buildings? It needs to stop now. VIRGINIA MARION Lodi

Take responsibility for your action

Editor The various hot-button topics of recent interest, such as addiction, illegal immigration/sanctuary cities, abortion, alleged misuse of force by law enforcement, criminal behavior, etc, can be traced to one problem: not accepting responsibility for one’s actions.

As simple as that sounds, apparently it is lost on a great deal of our society today. We want to blame law enforcement when we violate the law, argue, use profanity and resist, and then wonder why the police respond in a particular manner. No, the police are not sitting in their patrol cars waiting to use deadly force on some poor innocent motorist. If you get pulled over, keep your hands in plain sight, don't reach for anything unless directed to do so. Comply with the officers commands and you will be fine.

If you think you are being mistreated, don't argue, resist or make threats at this time — you will lose. There are proper venues to make complaints. When law enforcement makes contact, it usually isn't a social call, so act accordingly.

We want to blame “big pharma,” “big tobacco” or doctors when we become addicted; never mind the fact that we have control over what we put into our bodies. Just because a doctor says so, doesn’t mean you should blindly follow along, or give up using common sense. If we cross the border illegally, we blame the border patrol, Trump, Sessions, or whoever, for being arrested, detained and families separated. The parents need to legally apply, wait their turn and go through the process the right way the way the rest of the immigrants do.

Stop using the race card every time something doesn’t go your way, or to avoid being held accountable. We have entrusted the government to do our thinking for us and look where it has led — chaos.

Here is some advice: grow up, own up to your mistakes, be accountable for your actions, treat others with respect and dignity, and the world will be a better place. KEN WINCHELL Lodi