Sierra Sun Times |
| ACCURATE REPORTING I have not been engaged in the stock market although often times the small investments I make are. The facts are clear that folks who have retired on Social Security need to have other income to make ends meet. That can come from work or investment. It is difficult to hold jobs past 75 years of age mostly because most cannot compete physically with younger workers, although their knowledge and experience are valuable. Look, for example, at the fact that state and county employees are offered retirement at age of 50 for emergency services and 55 for just about everyone else. These age levels were established by labor negotiations, in which the union leaders are rewarded for gaining greater and greater benefits for a group of workers who have legislative clout far exceeding any other segment of the working population. This has occurred over the last twenty years when various liberal philosophies gained traction within the political system both at the state and local levels. California has been subject to greater and greater demands on the social support structure of our society, resulting in a multiplicity of government sponsored programs aimed, not at fixing roads or providing fundamental services but supporting a segment which is quite needy. All of this is supported by a social structure which has become less interested in taking responsibility for it, fully expecting others to pay for their needs. One only has to sit in our Court House on Monday morning to see that segment paraded in front of the judge during court arrangements. This is counter balanced by a social structure that believes that if we, for example, rehabilitate these individuals, they will become useful citizens, IE. Taxpayers. Few ever do. Now we are growing a generation of children who are their replacements at the public table. Illegal drug use, teen pregnancies, destruction of public and private property, alcoholism, cruel and dangerous behavior and other activities are the precursors to further decline in our ability to take care of oneself and family. It is in the best interest of a segment of a political policy that sees its primary function to deal with these behavior issues but seldom be more than a caretaker offering or, in the worse case, actually resolving any issue. Twenty five percent of the population of our country reside in some form of custody. That means one out of every four Americans are in jail or should be by the standards we have adopted. Drugs, personal behavior, abuse, theft and dishonesty provide the majority of these inhabitants. I have never understood the value of this behavior, nor the rewards that some seem to relish. A society desperate to maintain some sibilance of order will continue to impose it's will on those who cannot meet the basic standards. A civilized society attempting to live within the fundamental teachings of every religion on the face of the earth, to whit, loving thy neighbor as thy self and treating others as we would ask to be treated ourselves. A fundamental function of our society is to communicate truth. A few weeks ago, a local media source reported that the county was loosing money on its investment in the tourism industry. The facts are that in terms of direct gain of revenue, the county's investment in its major industry has never been measurable because much of that gain came through the private sector. Forty four years ago we instituted the Bed Tax. The county invested little in direct promotion until l986 when the Board of Supervisors, knowing the long term benefit of supporting tourism, began supporting the Chamber of Commerce's activities within the county. Not satisfied with the total results lead the Board to form a county department called the Tourism Bureau. The Tourism Bureau in turn contracted with the Chamber of Commerce to provide the Visitor Center services which it has quite well. When the county wished to discharge the control of the Tourism Bureau, it contracted with a private non-profit newly formed called the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau. The Chamber of Commerce, which is also a private non-profit, continued to operate the two Visitor Centers in Mariposa County. At the end of the first full year of operation, the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau and it's partner, the Chamber of Commerce, returned to the county, not only the investment of $510,000 for the Bureau and the $163,000 for the Visitors Center, but from a total increase of a little over $1 mil in revenue, for the first time in 44 years a measurable profit of over $324,000 new money to the county. That, my friends, is the truth. We cannot measure the indirect benefits to our citizens of Mariposa County because there are so many variables but it must be apparent that most private businesses are doing reasonably well and growing in spite of gas prices, a difficult economic picture and the concerted efforts to paint Mariposa County Government as incompetent and provide as negative a picture as possible. A couple of weeks ago it was reported that Mariposa County was $56 mil. In debt. Crazy. Mariposa County does have unfunded liabilities related to retirement and health care benefits of approximately $13 million and this has been going on in California counties since the disastrous downturn in the investments that PERS (The state retirement system) made more than ten years ago. Add to that the sweet agreements that were made with the employee groups relating to retirement ages and extension of health care benefits to employees who retire many years short of the date of the commencement of their Medicare benefits. Everyone knows the cause of the problem and it is not tourism. If it were not for tourism, our county, and yes, very likely the State of California would be bankrupt, or at least each Supervisor would have to start patching roads themselves. The CAO of Mariposa County has a strong background in economics. He is given a task that is impossible unless our elected officials are willing to make tough choices when it comes to the budget. The tough choices relate not to individual line items but fundamental functions of the county government. Cutting out support for our only industry is not the answer. But to give you a clear picture of the industry attitudes towards promotion and marketing, let me tell you that it became apparent to the leaders of the industry that some members or potential members of Mariposa County Government have neither appreciation nor understanding of the value of keeping the Tourism Industry healthy. I laugh when I hear complaints about the services that are delivered to the touring public and their cost. Yes we need to recover more of the costs related to the use of Lake McClure recreation facilities, but that issue could have been dealt with years ago and was not. It will be addressed in the Exchequer re-licensing, one would hope. With out tourists we would not need such a large Sheriff Department and jail. Maybe. Without tourists we could not provide the level of service to our citizens that we have become accustomed to receiving. I agree that we must diversify our economic structure in Mariposa County. But we must not get the cart before the horse. I always believed that only the private sector could make the kind of investments necessary to build a strong economy. It has become apparent to me that we suffer from a lack of indigenous capital everywhere except the lodging industry. During the l960's and 70's independent investment in Mariposa County resulted in the creation of small employee units which have sustained themselves over the years without attracting much notice except to the employees who have made careers here. During the late 80's and beyond a couple of employee units have been formed providing most of the services outside Mariposa County but employing Mariposa citizens. The storage industry has grown over those years. But what seems to be apparent to me now is that currently little new investment is being made and this may be more of a reflection of national trends or, as I have been told a number of times, the difficulty of developing new enterprises in this county. It seems that too much capital is advanced into the permitting system, robbing opportunity or sending outside capital elsewhere. The Board of Supervisors much recognizes that all of these issues are their responsibility. I do not believe that any department of county government operates only to block development but attempts to operate within policies that are a bit vague coming from the Board. The problem is that the Board is made up of five individuals with varying interests so then we must rely on the General Plan for the county, and the concomitant ordinances, to be the operating policies. If the plan is not legally consistent nor competently created, then we have no policy. Economic investment in Mariposa County depends on firm and competent policies and we are not there yet, even after more than two years from adoption. The lack of final adoption is the responsibility of the governing board and no one else. If there are aspects of the process that the Board is aware of and wishes were different, it is then up to them to see that it is done. There is a more important issue. Leroy Radanovich Leroy Radanovich Email: Leroy Radanovich To Read More By Leroy Radanovich: Leroy Radanovich's Mariposa Life Archives |
September 18, 2008 |