Bailing Out River Park Center is Wrong – The Bruce Is Loose

Last time I wrote I talked about how my brother sold his house four blocks from the beach in San Diego and moved out to Whitesville.  The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back was high taxes and unreasonable laws.  In closing I mentioned how I hoped that that would not happen here. Now, it looks like it has already started.  The plan to bailout the River Park Center is irresponsible both governmentally and fiscally.  It is irresponsible for the county to take a one million dollar surplus that will be needed later on as much as it is irresponsible for the city to take out 2.6 Million dollars in bonds as both will eventually wind up raising taxes to support what is meant to be a private organization.

If the River Park Center cannot afford to pay its debts it is bad governmental policy to continue to support any private organization no matter how socially redeeming the institution is.  We as individuals who use credit are required to make the monthly payments or suffer the consequences. Why should not business do the same?

In the long run those that can afford it the least will wind up paying because those, like my brother, that can move to a different location will.  We have all seen it play out in the media, California, Michigan, New York and others all have more people leaving the state than legally immigrating in. Businesses are leaving this country because America has the highest Corporate Tax rate.  Not only do we tax the highest but we are no longer ranked as the country with the most freedom.  It makes sense for those, business and individually, that can leave to get out while they can retain most of their assets.  To reverse this trend all levels of government need to reverse the way they operate.  The best start would be to do things that lower the need to have high taxes in the first place.  Not supporting failed ventures with needed capital would be a great start.  Government should be providing the environment to let business does what business does best, provide services to the people that want it at the price people are willing to pay for it.  This especially includes not subsidizing business that fails. Why reward a bad or poorly executed plan.

They should also not have laws that are so convoluted or restrictive that nobody can understand them let alone follow them.  Both taxing too much and over litigating business as well as individuals forces them to do what they need to survive.  One of the worse things government can do at any level is pick and choose the winners and losers.  Anytime that is done by giving tax breaks or subsidies to business it treats others unfair, usually at the expense of those that helped build the community in the first place, it gives incentive to relocate or scale down to meet its need.  I hope our county and city government will rethink what they are doing and not only stop but reverse this dangerous path that will only lead to more problems.

Bruce R Pierce

Proud

Ingenious

Eccentric

Rich

Charming and

Everything else