Editor:
Ten reasons to vote against the TransLink sales tax:
#1. TransLink is broken and money will not fix the problem: it will just cover up their mistakes.
#2. Giving money to politicians is like feeding bears: it's never a good idea.
#3. Bailing out TransLink by giving them more money is like trying to fix a boat with a hole in it by bailing it out. You may keep it afloat but it will not fix the problem.
#4. Giving them money is like punishing a child for being bad by giving them a cookie. What's worse is we are showing them where the cookie jar is.
#5. Christy Clark has said that she will stay out of this but is voting "yes". How can the premier of our province say she is voting "yes" to more taxes but is staying out of it? If she really wanted to stay out of it, she would not vote at all.
#6. Let's face it: Christy is not staying out of this for one second and as soon as this is over, regardless of the outcome, she will stick her nose back into TransLink and tell us where the next bridge needs to be built. This brings up several questions: Why are we being asked to fund TransLink when the premier is making all the decisions? Why isn't the premier using the provincial budget? When she decides we need a bridge from West Vancouver to UBC or from Kitsilano to Vancouver, who is going to pay for it? Well don't worry. They have a plan: they will use the same plan they used for the Golden Ears and Port Mann bridges. They will be tolled and the reasoning for it will be that TransLink is broke and the only way to build the much needed bridges is for users to pay for it. Which brings up another question: Why aren't we just asking for the transit users to pay more?
#7. The side trying to get you to vote "yes" just spent $6 million of your money trying to get you to give them more money. If you think this money was spent wisely you are either a member of the TransLink board or your name is Christy Clark.
#8. Regardless of what the yes side is saying, the only choice you have that will not cost you money is to vote "no". Except of course all of the money your government has already spent trying to get you to vote "yes" and all the money they spent holding the plebiscite. Do you think they would have to hold a plebiscite if they wanted to lower taxes?
#9. The good people of Aldergrove are being asked to pay the extra tax even though the new TransLink plan doesn't include anything past Glover road. Sorry, Aldergrove. Bus service has been so bad in Aldergrove that they had to start their own trolley service that TransLink refused to fund. Aldergrove doesn't even have a pool! We had a lake but it needed service and Metro Vancouver deemed it was too costly to repair so it was shut down. Ironically it is still called Aldergrove Lake Park and it has no bus service.
#10. For everyone agonizing over this problem, relax. I have a solution. First of all we need to identify the problem; it's called accountability. We've all heard politicians making promises and then breaking them; we've seen the waste, the poor planning, the excess … etc. People make mistakes and politicians are people too. The problem is that they are not being held accountable. I have a plan, this is how it works: All promises made by politicians will be linked to their pensions. For example, if the half a percent tax that they promised will not increase does, in fact, go up, all sitting politicians will lose 20 per cent of their pensions. If TransLink cannot balance their budget with the half a percent, they lose 20 per cent of their pensions. If Christy cannot stay out of it and says a bridge needs to be built from Tsawwassen to Richmond she loses 20 per cent of her pension, etc. If all political promises were linked to the politicians? pensions, we would have accountability. We are, however, going to need someone to keep track of all the broken promises and I have just the person in mind: ME! I will do it for half a per cent of the salary of every politician that lies or breaks a promise, plus half a per cent of every pension that is reduced due to lying, cheating, stealing etc. Every dollar that I make over $100,000 I will donate back to TransLink. This should take care of any and all funding shortfalls.
B. Taylor, Aldergrove