Saturday, November 1, 2014

PRACTICAL ECONOMICS FOR CALIFORNIA VOTERS.

Vote “No” to save the Moke!
Prop 1 is a bad deal for California’s Rivers
Next Tuesday you will be deciding the fate not only of the Mokelumne River, but of numerous California rivers.
Why you should vote ‘No” on Prop 1?

*Prop. 1 does nothing to address drought relief in the near future.
*Prop. 1 adds $7.12 billion to California’s debt, debt that will cost taxpayers $14.4 billion when the principal and interest is paid.
*Prop. 1 dedicates only 13% of its funding for conservation, stormwater capture and treatment, and recycling.

*Prop. 1 allocates $2.7 billion for three dams that would increase the state’s water supply by only 1%. The money would flow under the provision that allows “continuous funding,” meaning there would be no legislative oversight and more future money down the drain.

*Taxpayers would pay the lion’s share of new projects. Taxpayers, for example, would pay 73% of the cost of the proposed Temperance Flat Dam on the San Joaquin River while the beneficiaries — agribusiness and the City of Fresno — would pay most of the balance.  A big benefit to big ag, while shipping our crops overseas.

*Prop. 1 requires taxpayers to buy back water the public already owns to protect fish. And it will have the additional impact of making more water available to export from the Delta.
*Prop. 1 does nothing to address factors that have worsened the water crisis in California during the current drought: the overdrafting of major reservoirs in Northern California, inequitable distribution of limited water supplies and the failure to balance the Public Trust.

Prop 1 is a bad deal for the Mokelumne, a river you have been helping us save by working hard for its designation as a California state Wild and Scenic River. If passed, Prop 1 means funding will flow for building unnecessary, environmentally destructive dams, not only on the Moke, but on other rivers that may close to your own back yard.
Foothill Conservancy has joined a coalition opposed to Proposition 1. We urge you to vote NO on this ballot measure in favor of working for a better bond in the future.

In my own personal experience, I remember when we were dealing with drought issues and visiting Southern California and watching while streams of water from sprinklers and homeowners washing cars left hoses running fresh water down the gutters. In our own nearby community of Stockton, half the houses are unmetered. They take as much water as they want for a set fee. In those neighborhoods, again, water is wasted and running freely down the gutters.  Where else is that happening and I don’t know about it?  Lets fix it and work for a better water bond, not this expensive measure that won’t get the job done that is needed.

AND, ON ANOTHER SUBJECT, CALIFORNIA AND ECONOMIC GROWTH.
FACTS:
“California has outpaced the rest of the country in growth for the past three years.”
“California surpassed Russia and Italy to become the world’s eighth largest economy in 2013.”
“California is poised to overtake the fifth and sixth largest economies this year.”
“China is the world’s second largest economy, according to the World Bank. Its economic output is half
that of the United States. Japan has the world’s third largest economy followed by Germany and France.”

We can all pat ourselves on the back for a state that is progressive, often leads the nation in innovative ideas and give the current leadership an atta boy!

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