NVR Logo
Vote no on Proposition 10
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Save and Share Share
Proposition 10 on the November ballot would offer California taxpayer money, some $3.4 billion, to help consumers buy cars and trucks that use clean alternative fuels and get 45 miles per gallon or better.

The measure would also provide $1.25 billion for companies to invest in research and development in solar energy and other promising technologies.
This nearly $5 billion proposal would be funded by bonds, meaning the actual cost to taxpayers will be closer to $10 billion than $5 billion.

Californians are dealing with a substantial state deficit at the moment, and any current bond proposal has to undergo close scrutiny as to the need and whether the particulars of the measure serve that need.
As for the need, there is no question that the United States must be on the hunt for alternative sources of fuel and energy. Further, there is little doubt that we could make substantial gains by converting our vehicle fleet to more efficient and less polluting sources of fuel.

Yet in our view, state-government subsidized rebates of energy-efficient vehicle purchases is not a wise use of taxpayer funds.
First, fuel-efficient vehicles are selling briskly without government intervention. Consumers have increased demand for these vehicles, manufacturers are retooling to meet the demand, and the market is working very efficiently in this area.

Taxpayers footing the bill would not accelerate the change as much as it would shift the burden of who pays for it.

Which leads to the next point. California taxpayers have approved billions of dollars in bonds in the last few years to restructure the state debt, build and rebuild roads and pay for other vital services. It promises to be years, if not decades, before the state’s budget is truly balanced.

Adding these burdensome bonds would be harmful to the state’s financial situation, and would do little to advance the cause identified by the initiative sponsors.

Vote no on Proposition 10.
4 comment(s)

kevin wrote on Oct 7, 2008 4:52 AM:

" Why do I have the feeling that if this bond measure was in support of education (and the logic for voting nay was the same) the NVR would be recommending a yes vote... "

Common Sense wrote on Oct 7, 2008 9:00 AM:

" Just say NO to more spending. "

antipc wrote on Oct 7, 2008 1:08 PM:

" Social engineering at the expense of the tax payer.

Brilliant strategy by the Ecos. "

musikluvr wrote on Oct 8, 2008 6:04 AM:

" These bonds are bankrupting California. They are put on the ballot by government employee unions, teacher unions and nurses unions to pad their retirements. Our legislature is being circumvented because our law makers would not vote for this kind of thing buecause our legislature has to find the money to pay for the bonds. "

Comment Guidelines
The goal of the story comments section at NapaValleyRegister.com is to have an open, thought-provoking, civil community forum for all issues.
What gets your comment posted?
• Staying on topic
• Keeping your comment to 300 words or less
• Avoiding name-calling
• Addressing your comments to the message rather than the messenger
What gets your comment deleted?
• Personal attacks
• Derogatory remarks
• Name-calling of any sort
• Going off-topic
• Hate speech
• Racially-insensitive comments
• Implying guilt of a subject in a crime story before there is a court verdict
• Posting e-mail addresses
• Posting comments of a commercial nature
• POSTING WITH ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
• Linking multiple comments together with "to be continued..." to get around the 300 word limit.
The fine print
- Comments are either approved or denied. We do not edit comments.
- You are welcome to modify and resubmit a denied comment.
- Comments may take several hours to be posted.
- Comments posted are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of NapaValleyRegister.com, its employees or its parent company.
- Do you have information on a story? Please go to our virtual newsroom to send us a news tip.
- If you feel a posted comment has violated our guidelines, please contact online@napanews.com or add a comment indicating you have an issue and our moderators will review the comment in question.
Search:
Web Search Powered
By Yahoo! Search
Napa Valley Register on Facebook
Copyright © 2009 Napa Valley Publishing, a member of Lee Enterprises, Inc.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy