By Samuel Strait – Reporter at Large – March 10, 2022 It is stunning when one hears someone who works for the County vehemently oppose the repeal of the County 1% increase in the sales tax. Sure the County's bureaucracy will make every effort to "gaslight" those that work for the County into believing it is in their best interest to vote "No" when the repeal vote "FINALLY" comes before the voters. Aside from the fact that the voters were LIED to about the County's intent to not use the income from Measure "R" to pay for additional salaries and benefits, that is precisely what they have done with nearly half the new income to date. Contrary to providing a higher level of training and professional skills to its current staff, or cough up the money for specialized equipment which would aid officers, the board has elected to fund several "new" positions three of which have nothing to do with police, fire, or emergency services. The remaining three will join the long list of unfilled vacancies currently plaguing the Sheriff's department. At least they are doing something that "sort of" resembles what they promised is a typical response by some County employees, conveniently forgetting the promise that "NO MEASURE "R" MONEY WOULD BE SPENT ON SALARIES OR BENEFITS". Unfortunately that is only one of the lies being told by County Administration, the employees union, and our delightful Board of Supervisors. The message has already gone out, "vote "NO" on the repeal vote or loose your hard earned raises as well as some will loose their jobs. The County cannot function financially and pay the salary increases without Measure "R" money". The only problem with that message, is that the 1% sales tax increase has already been robbing local citizen's wallets for nearly a year. The County's workers are among the victims by having money in the form of raises come in one pocket and go out the other every time a taxable item is purchased. No raise in 2021 means County workers are already at a loss. Now that the raises have taken effect surely County workers are ahead, not so fast. Over the past eight months the Federal Government has created inflation not seen for a half century. Nearly all goods and services have increased some by as much a 100%. Along with those increases are the tag along increases of sales tax. Price of goods goes up, more sales tax is collected. Gasoline having increased by nearly 100% will certainly fatten that bank account for "Measure R" taking an increased amount out of each local person's pocket. Groceries, you name it will wipe out that raise County workers recently received and then some. Soon those few pennies paid for sales taxes increase to dollars, then tens of dollars, then hundreds of dollars, and finally thousands of dollars out of each local taxpayer's pocket. Still feeling righteous about continuing to pay for Measure "R" sales tax, or now maybe a little ridiculous when it comes out of your pocket in substantial amounts. The sad part of this is that while County workers will sustain only minimal loss, those at the bottom of the government heap a bit more, the pain will still be there no matter what your union rep says, the County's CAO, or even your district supervisor. As long as the increased sales tax is on the books and not repealed, County workers will pay, and the precious pay raise will be a memory lost to government greed. More importantly your neighbors and friends who did not get those generous County raises will experience a significantly deeper dig in their pockets from the sales tax increase, many of which can ill afford the County's current excesses. What will they say to you, as gainfully employed by the County, after you have spurned a chance for them to recoup the losses of the past year when they see you in your yard, or in the local grocery store. Not a conversation you are no doubt looking forward to…. There is the likelihood that things will get much worse. Rampant inflation coupled with an increased sales tax helps no one, particularly when it isn't spent in the manner that was intended. In a future article the myth that the current County's path towards solving any of the advertised crisises is not both fool hardy and counterproductive. The path does not benefit the County's population nor the County's current labor force. It is both reckless and foolhardy, guaranteed to produce more financial misery on everyone in the County, including those employed by said County.