Last time I wrote down some random thoughts about how the Stay Sacramento signs were skirting the intent of the laws regarding election campaigning, while staying true to the letter. Someone sent me an email response asking why no one has demanded the Stay Sacramento group release a list of its donors and the amounts given, as they over and over demanded from incorporation proponents. Well, the answer is simple, but thinking about it gave me some insight into what these folks actually stand for. I consider it an epiphany. But maybe I'm just sleep deprived.
The reason Stay Sacramento doesn't disclose its donor list is telling. They just don't feel they need to be held to the same rules as the rest of us. Look around the community. The signs were a good indication (read the previous post just below this one if you don't know what I'm talking about). But there are others.
The county Sheriff undergoes massive budget cuts that undermine the quality of police protection that we all get. Incorporation will go a long way toward addressing that. But a large majority of the Stay Sacramento group lives in the southern portion of the area, where the incomes are a bit higher. (Don't believe me? Go to their web site and Google a few names from their supporters list.) So they start hiring private security to patrol their area. Simple solution. Right about now is where you can almost envision Marie Antoinette suggesting that we should all do that, while we're eating our cake!
When the latest congress started started debating health care reform, one of the major complaints from people on the street was that they were deciding how the rest of us would live, but they would still have their own little insulated system, providing a level of care that none of us would ever imagine. Whenever one group is able to make decisions for others that they don't have to live with, there will be anger and resentment. So when Stay Sacramento starts telling us how we should refuse incorporation, when they are able to essentially provide themselves with the same services that incorporation would offer the entire community, I hope they are prepared for the backlash.
Again, the Stay Sacramento folks have earned what they have, and should enjoy the fruits of their labors in whatever way they wish. I don't begrudge them of that. But when I drive through the community and see their election campaign signs in some neighborhoods where the residents clearly don't enjoy the same options, I really have to wonder what motivates them. They are saying no to their best chance to improve their own quality of life in Arden Arcade. Those are the people I really feel sorry for.
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