SLO progressives seduced voters with false promises. It’s time for new leadership
Tribune contributing columnist Tom Fulks’ Oct. 12, 2020, Trojan Horse analogy neglects to mention that the Trojans instigated the war in the first place by seducing and kidnapping the Spartan Queen Helen away from her home and husband King Menelaus.
Similarly, the progressive left in San Luis Obispo has stolen power by seducing some voters with threats of apocalyptic climate catastrophe and promises of a new socialist millennium. Fulks looked out and saw a concerted effort to electorally rebuke the current regime and, having no real substantive arguments, went personal.
Not to worry, I’ll help clear the air. Yes, I am in fact a political consultant and a Republican. But I digress. Fulks’ opinion piece serves as a smokescreen to divert voters’ attention away from the fact that because of risky radical policies and a very well compensated and accommodating management, the city is essentially insolvent, meaning we owe more than we take in. There are serious issues at City Hall and it’s time for leadership, not activism.
According to the June 2020 updated budget, the City owes $175 million in unfunded pension liabilities to CalPERS, yet the council spends millions each year on studies.
Other notable uses of taxpayer money include the $375,000 paid to the city’s attorney, $30,000 on a “carbon farming pilot project” and $70,000 on a “business attraction and retention plan.” There is no telling how many hundreds of thousands have been expended on the costly failed attempt to ban natural gas.
While homeless people waste away on the streets, the mayor and council prioritize $1.5 million bike lane projects. While stores close and unemployment claims swell, the council promotes a regressive tax increase. The next time you walk downtown, past the empty stores and the folks passed out on the sidewalk, ask yourself: Is this the kind of city we want to live in?
The heart and soul of a free society is diversity of thought. The way we solve problems is through civil debate and discussion, by which we hope to achieve a consensus and move forward. This is what’s made America so successful; through the diffusion of power across federal, state and local levels, the individual’s voice is amplified and lowers the chance of a dominant group usurping power. Fulks’ personal attacks betray his and the progressive left’s hostility to these principles.
Unfortunately, diversity has been sorely lacking in SLO for some time. While the incumbent City Council bloviates over diversity of appearance, they’ve sought to quash dissenting voices that challenge the local political machine. They claim on one hand to want tolerance and inclusion, yet on the other hand have been working to denigrate independent women who dare challenge the status quo.
To quote Margaret Thatcher, “I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding, because if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”
We don’t all have to agree on everything. The Founding Fathers certainly didn’t, but they almost always remained civil. If Mr. Fulks is so confident that his allies on the council are the right choice, why not argue based on policy, rather than smears?
We don’t need to make the same mistakes as the ancient Trojans by going off on dangerous costly policy adventures that will ultimately result in the diminishment or destruction of our city.
I believe most folks are tired of business as usual. The people of this town want personal safety and to be secure in their property. They want good jobs, affordable housing and great education for their kids. For me, it’s time we get back to solving problems and my support will go to the political newcomers who have shown discipline and strength, just like the Spartans.
Amber Johnson is a political consultant with Pacific Coast Strategies.