Posted by Jack Hickey, a resident of the Woodside: Emerald Hills neighborhood, on Jun 1, 2008 at 9:00 pm

If passed, Measure O is expected to provide approximately $634,000 a year for 25 years to the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD).

MROSD already sucks more than $7,000,000/yr from San Mateo County South in property taxes.

I have suggested that this alien agency be detached from San Mateo County.

Jack Hickey

Posted by Ben Gentel, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Jun 2, 2008 at 1:29 pm

I've got a better idea, Jack.

Why don't you put down the poison pen, take a little break from railing against publicly-funded EVERYTHING, and take a nature walk in one of the county's fabulous open space preserves. It might clear your head and improve your disposition.

Open space enriches us all.

Posted by Rick Moen, a resident of the Menlo Park: University Heights neighborhood, on Jun 8, 2008 at 3:29 am

Sales taxes are the classic example of a "regressive" tax, one that tends to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. When I was young -- pre-Ronald Reagan -- all of California, state-wide, kept the sales tax down to a tolerable 5%. Reagan was the first to crank that up, followed by the Bay Area's own vampiric transit agency, BART, and every little county with a funding problem.

8.25% out of almost every dollar we spend to (e.g.) feed ourselves was and is already outrageous. 8.375% would have made a bad situation just that much worse. I'm glad the voters agreed.

Rick Moen

rick@linuxmafia.com

Posted by Amelie, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Jun 9, 2008 at 10:43 am

Speaking as a poor person, I'm a frequent user of the (free) park facilities in San Mateo County. I can't afford to buy much, but I'd be willing to pay an extra 1/8 cent sales tax to help with the upkeep of these wonderful community resources.