Potential sales tax hike just an easy solution?

Editor: The Lodi News-Sentinel published an article Tuesday, July 31, from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association:

“State not very dependable handling our pension crisis. The State Legislature continues to believe that local municipalities will continue to pass regressive sales tax increases to bail themselves out. So far 24 cities have sales tax rate at or above 9.5 percent, with more cites destined to join them.”

Only when the residents of this city put pressure on our leaders, CalPERS and the local union, will we ever see an attempt to correct the retirement funding problem.?

This may require the city to downsize. With 400 employees on the roster that should not be a problem. It may also mean losing some city services. Losing services from our police and fire is not acceptable, there are other places to cut back on.

An increase in taxes will only mask the problem temporally. To keep this policy going there will be a need for additional tax increases in the near future. When does this stop?

Our city leaders are quick to use examples of what other cities are doing to justify them wanting to increase our taxes. Looking at this problem from a management point of view it is easy to see this would be a major challenge and would require leadership abilities that may not be present. Why bother fixing the problem when a sales tax increase is so much easier? JOHN SLAUGHTERBACK Lodi

It’s time to regain our democracy

Editor: You know how you have seen those funny photos of pet owners who look like their pets? Well, now we have political sycophants who sound like the object of their admiration.

Donald Trump is well known for his incoherent, stream-of-consciousness rants that no one can make head nor tail of. Certain contributors to this forum have adopted that modus operandi to vent their opinions — and the heck with common English conventions like commas and periods.

It has been established that the current occupant of the Oval Office, and/or his minions, has collaborated with Russia to prop up his election. So, now the defense is that Democrats have supported Russia since 1917 — the date of the Russian Revolution.

Even the most elderly are capable of consulting “The Google” to ascertain that Russia was an ally of the U.S. and Britain during WWII and suffered casualties of up to 20 million in order to defeat the German Fascists. Stalin then began a campaign against the West to prop up his communist government — a government not supported by Democrats or Republicans.

The attempt to paint Democrats as friends of the Soviet Union is laughable. I wonder what party JFK belonged to when he successfully negotiated the removal of Soviet nuclear weapons from Cuba in 1962?

The “open mike (sic)” comment by President Obama to then President Medvedev (again — a simple “Googling” would make this clear), had to do with Obama’s ability to negotiate European missile defense systems if he were to be re-elected — not prop up the Russian economy.

As for the protesters at “Maxine Water’s (sic)” office, these individuals were there as a counter-protest to a planned protest by the Oath Keepers, an anti-government, extreme right-wing militia group. The fact is, Trump has incited a call to violence, and unfortunately, too many people — both on the left and the right — have responded to his ignorant taunts.

We will hopefully soon be free from this nonsense and regain our democracy. JOANNE DELSOLAR Lodi

Frustrated over parking ticket

Editor: Something strange and unfair is happening in Downtown Lodi. Especially during the Farmers Market. A couple of weeks ago I got a parking ticket for parking in an alley. All the cars that were parked in the alley before I got there were not ticketed. There were cars parked in “no parking” areas that were not ticketed. Two cars in this area were parked in handicap spaces and no handicap placard or license plates, and no tickets.

Thursday, I went to the market, and I witnessed 11 cars parked in the alley, two cars parked in handicapped parking areas, with no plate or placard for being handicapped and three cars parked in “no parking” areas. I reported this to two uniformed Partner officers. They said they’ll take care of it. One and a half hours later, the cars were still there and not one had a ticket.

Someone is not doing their job! WILLIS MARZOLF Lodi

The opioid issue

Editor: Opioid addiction has been one of the most covered subjects in the news lately. As for opioid use, how about those who use opioids legitimately to control chronic pain?

People like myself use opioids in order to have a normal standard of living. I have had nine surgeries in the past twelve 12 years, and I use opioids to alleviate the constant pain in order to have a normal life.

By the way, I don't get a high using them. I understand there are those that abuse the use of opioids, but I'm sure they are in the minority. I have a very good and experienced doctor who would never prescribe any medicine without a good reason. My constant pain is a good reason.

Now the government is getting involved in my health care. The government seems to be on the brink toward banning/restricting the use of opioids. If the government could find a way to control my pain, without the use of opioids, I would be all for it. Not all of us that use opioids are druggies! We take them only because we need them! WILLIAM LEAVENS Galt