The Latest City Scam – Campaigning for Measure S
It’s supposed to be illegal to use public resources in support of ballot initiatives, but of course the concept of illegality only applies to losers like you and me, and not to government agencies.
Here’s an example of the City of Fullerton blatantly using your money to propagandize you about the proposed sales tax increase, Measure S.
Tell me how this is not obvious political campaign propaganda from start to finish.
Budget shortfalls in a historic downturn aren’t fake so I don’t see how asking the public for a sales tax increase to fund public priorities is “propaganda.”
Yes we really are that ignorant. We thinks its okay for the City to break the law because they really believe in their pitch. I keep trying to tell us to get smarter somehow. Any way. But I never listen to us and we end up saying the same dumb shit time after time.
Unfortunately for FFFF’s propaganda narrative, the video does not advocate a Yes or No, but just provides information.
Bummer for you and your bullshit attacks.
I guess they took care to stay within the law.
If the City is truly impartial, why doesn’t include the fact that the single largest contributing factor to the “budget shortfalls” is the escalating costs of employee salaries, health insurance and pension benefits? You sir, are a fool and a liar — something no person should aspire to be.
Because the City cannot use taxpayer money to “ask the public for a sales tax increase”. That is illegal. The City can provide factual information about an initiative, but this video is clear advocacy.
Plus the video is chock full of falsehoods and outright lies. Contrary to the video claims, Fullerton does not have an unusually low sales tax rate now, its rate is typical for Orange County. And raising the rate 1.25 cents won’t make us comparable to our neighbors, it will make us the 2nd highest taxed city in OC after Santa Ana. And 100% of the money won’t be spent in the City. Most of the money will go to payroll and retirements for city workers, the majority of whom do not live here. And on and on and on.
Calling this ill formed drivel propaganda, if anything, is too kind.
I know, propaganda is supposed to be effective. And we’re paying some people $130,000 to create and disseminate this drivel – stupid happy-
ass cartoons.
“Because the City cannot use taxpayer money to “ask the public for a sales tax increase”. That is illegal. ”
False, they can provide info about the need for the sales tax increase and that’s what they did.
They cannot make “partisan” argument or advocate a specific Yes or No, but they can lawfully provide information.
That argument only works when the information is truthful. The information in that video ranges from deliberately deceptive to outright false. And you were the one who characterized the commercial as asking the public for a sales tax increase, not me, so the intent of the video was quite clear, even to those blindly in favor of it.
Indicating a budget shortfall is factual.
The information is not false. Just because you find things to disagree with or feel there’s a spin doesn’t make it “deceptive” or “false.”
Go ahead and sue them. They will win.
The ad claims Fullerton has the lowest sales tax in Orange County. That is a lie. Buena Park’s sales tax is not higher. Nor is the sales tax in Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Brea, Garden Grove, Irvine, Newport Beach San Clemente, Dana Point, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Wood, Laguna Niguel, Mission Vieho, Lake Forest, VIlla Park, Tustin or Rossmore.
The ad also claims adding 1.25 cents will make Fullerton’s sales tax comparable to its neighbors. That is also a lie. It will make the sales tax higher than all of the cities bordering on Fullerton – Buena Park, Anaheim, Placentia, Yorba Linda, La Habra and Brea. And significantly higher than the sales tax in Buena Park, Anaheim, Yorba Linda and Brea.
The ad claims 100% of the money will be spent in Fullerton. That is also a lie. Most of the sales tax money goes to payroll and benefits for city workers, the majority of whom do not live here. And those are just the lies I caught in the small portion of that ad I could stomach.
So you’re saying, the lowest sales tax rate in OC is 7.75. We have it, but somehow we don’t have the lowest rate because other cities also have the SAME lowest rate? Uh, OK. Next case on the docket!
“The ad also claims adding 1.25 cents will make Fullerton’s sales tax comparable to its neighbors.”
The statement is it would make our sales tax rate “comparable” with “neighboring cities.” It didn’t say there are no neighboring cities comparable to our current rate. It didn’t say all neighboring cities. It didn’t say which cities, and it didn’t say after the increase that no city would be lower than us. They used the generic term “comparable” which is (artfully) imprecise. Doesn’t mean higher, doesn’t mean lower, doesn’t mean much of anything. I can compare a dog to a cat. I can compare a Big Mac and a Burrito. I could compare Joshua Ferguson to an fair minded intellectual. Are they comparable? I can certainly find dimensions in which they are all comparable.
I argue you’re reading something into it to find a falsehood you are insisting on finding.
“100% of the money will be spent in Fullerton.”
A reasonable person could see money spent on employees performing services in Fullerton as being spent in Fullerton.
So, more hair splitting.
Your best bet for a case is their sloganeering “A Plan To Move Forward” Not sure why that snuck by the lawyer, and it’s not much, but I’d see it as questionable.
Where’d we do to law school?
Google University.
How’d you get your TBI?
Pretty unconvincing response. The ad clearly sales Fullerton’s sales tax is the lowest in the county. When 2/3 of the cities can make the same claim, you cannot truthfully call our sales tax the lowest. That’s like saying Tony Rackauckas is the most honest politician in America, because, like most politicians he’s never been convicted of a crime so far.
And the sales tax would make Fullerton’s sales tax the second highest in the county. That is in no way shape or form close to our “neighbors”, no matter how you define that term.
It’s not hair splitting. The ad makes specific representations and the representations are not true. Coupled with the requirement against using taxpayer funds for advocacy and this ad crosses the line.
“Coupled with the requirement against using taxpayer funds for advocacy and this ad crosses the line.”
Like I said that’s not a blanket prohibition and aside from the possible exception of the sloganeering they made every effort to stay in their lane. Even on truthfulness, you aren’t able to convincingly falsify any statements they made. To get where you got, you have to ignore common usage and impose precise definitions on words favorable to your argument when they really have imprecise meaning. Hair splitting.
Finish this Hogerhuis quotation:
THEY HAVE TAKEN MY TESTICLES, BUT THEY’LL NEVER TAKE…..
I will keep yammering until we run out of gas even if the room was empty long before. We keep telling me to shut up and read a good book but we never seem to learn. Our devotion to government scampaigns is absolute even though we keep telling us it will lead to more humilation.
They just can’t help themselves.
Last time the Establishment used students and ‘extra credit’, wonder what they are offering city employees??
Vote NO on the Fullerton Fire Union Tax Grab.
The good news about the childish “Vote Yes on S” in disguise video is that it will have zero impact on the outcome of Measure S. Nor will the video help those candidates, such as Cho and Aaruni, who are in favor of Measure S and imposing a huge 9% sales tax on Fullerton residents.
The sales tax rate in Brea is 7.75%. If S passes, I’ll be doing my shopping in Brea. Pretty sure others will do the same.
Don’t let the Fullerton PD and City bureaucracy deprive you of your rights and life like they did me.
Vote NO on S!
It’s a tax measure not a civil/human rights issue. Uh, Kelly.
I AM THE MOST SMARTEST
We don’t know cops are both unaccountable AND grossly over paid for the same reason because my head is shoved so far up our ass. I keep telling us it’s time to come clean to myself and others but the Cranio-Rectal Syndrome is just so doggone cozy I think we’ll keep it up there for a while longer.