In case you haven't heard, our good friends at the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) recently celebrated their tenth anniversary. A happy new year/anniversary post on their blog encouraged their readers to "Leave your many fond recollections of COAST in the comments." The only person who commented was me, who reminded them of the fond memories I have when we defeated their Issue 9. So in honor of COAST's 10th Anniversary let's take a look back at what they have to show for the past decade...
- Members of the local fringe group, COAST.
2010 -- COAST starts the new decade off by POKING FUN AT THE DEATH OF VIETNAM COMBAT VETERAN AND AMERICAN POLITICIAN, JOHN MURTHA.
2009 -- COAST's proportional representation campaign fails and out of 17 politicians and issues endorsed in the November election, ALL FAILED, EXCEPT FIVE. Issue 9, a deceptive campaign started by COAST and the NAACP, aimed at stopping the Cincinnati streetcar project , IS DEFEATED BY VOTERS 56% - 44%.
2008 -- COAST passes a ban in Cincinnati on the use of red light and speeding cameras WORSENING OUR BUDGET AND HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
2007 -- Commissioners impose 1/2 ¢ sales tax increase without a vote. COAST joined WeDemandAVote.Com Coalition to collect 56,000 signatures and to defeat the hated tax, WORSENING OUR BUDGET AND HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
2007 -- COAST attempted to sue in order to stop taxpayer funding of Commissioner David Pepper's girlfriend's Greater Cincinnati Film Commission, which works to bring jobs and promote the tri-state area. COAST FAILED. COMMISSION STILL FUNDED BY GOVERNOR STRICKLAND'S TAX INCENTIVES. AND WHY DO THEY HATE DAVID PEPPER SO MUCH? THEY REALLY HATE DAVID PEPPER.
2007 -- COAST launches efforts to stop taxpayer funding of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. FAILURE. CENTER STILL RECEIVES FUNDING.
2005 -- COAST arranged for legal representation for woman in Loveland criminally charged with owing $1.16 in income tax, resulting in a dismissal of the charges. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY TWO ACTUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON THE LIST.
2004 -- North COAST formed to aid in the fight against excessive taxes and spending in Butler and Warren Counties. NOT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT, JUST WAIT FOR NORTH CAAST TO FORM AGAINST THEM.
2003 -- passed a Charter Amendment in Cincinnati preventing the use of tax dollars to campaign for tax increases ACTUALLY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, BUT WAS ALREADY PROHIBITED BY STATE LAW O.R.C. 9.03(C)(1)(E)
2003 -- joined a coalition called ALRT to defeat a 1 ¢ sales tax increase for a light rail transit system (since the defeat of this tax increase, COAST has done NOTHING to step up against tax increases and additional spending on highways and roads). WRONG YEAR AND IF YOUR ONLY ACCOMPLISHMENT IS DESTROYING THE WORK OF OTHERS, I GUESS ARSONISTS ARE PRETTY ACCOMPLISHED TOO.
2002 -- A COAST lawsuit prevents Cincinnati Public Schools from abusing tax dollars to advocate for political causes such as tax increases. SEE ABOVE (THIS WAS ALREADY A LAW).
2001 -- defeated an effort to fund the "Regional Coltural Alliance" with $500,000 in tax dollars. THEY MAY HAVE JUST MADE THIS ONE UP; A SEARCH OF "COLTURAL" IN THE CITY AND COUNTY LEGISLATIVE ARCHIVES PRODUCES NO RESULTS.
2001 -- Brought the property tax rollback to Cincinnati that continues to this day WORSENING OUR BUDGET AND HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
2000 -- Defeated funding by the City of Cincinnati for an effort to bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to Cincinnati. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT? THE OLYMPICS BRINGING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO OUR REGION, LIKE IT DID IN BEIJING, VANCOUVER, SYDNEY, and SALT LAKE CITY!
1999 -- defeated the zoo tax levy. WE HAVE ONE OF THE TOP ZOO'S IN THE NATION, LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY.
1999 -- defeated the police communications levy HURTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
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10 years. An entire decade and what does COAST have to show for it? A staunch record of saying "no," huge budget deficits within the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and a record of opposing public safety programs. Their only real accomplishments were prohibiting public funds to used to potentially influence elections, however, this was already a state law, and a minor criminal defense matter that could've been handled by any competent lawyer.
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Actually, the transit election they say they opposed in 2003 was for only 1/2 cent, not a full cent as claimed, but, hey, that's a little detail for people interested in limiting taxation.
ReplyDeleteThe MetroMoves plan would have built five light rail lights, two modern streetcar lines, expanded our bus fleet by 25%, built a third and sorely needed (even now) bus garage, opened more than 20 neighborhood bus hubs, started new routes and extended the hours of operation of existing bus routes.
It would have brought transit to within a mile of 95% of all the households in Hamiltion County. Maybe this was the problem they had with the plan.
And it would have cost an average Hamilton County family about $68 a year, about what a tank of gas cost in 2008.
Some record of achievement, those COAST guys.
And Bob Herbert appropriately asks, "What's wrong with us?" - society is an investment by all of us, something that the free ride philosophy of COAST and their like do not understand. There is no free ride and we all have a responsibility to one another as a society.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/opinion/16herbert.html?ref=opinion
To that list I would add this ignominious date in COAST history:
ReplyDeleteFebruary 11, 2010-COAST Chairman Jason Gloyd has his house foreclosed upon and auction off at Sheriff's Sale. Gloyd's reckless & irresponsible spending cost his family their home, and thus Gloyd was hoisted by his own Free Market, Deregulated petard.
What I don't understand is they try and block time and time again anything that will bring revenue into the city coffers thereby taking the load OFF the taxpayer.
ReplyDeleteI should rephrase that, I do understand taxes have nothing to do with the cavemen and crippling the city has everything to do with it.
I disagree with your take on the red light cameras. They have not been shown to increase public safety and have been shown to be unconstitutional.
ReplyDeleteMost of the other stuff I'll agree with.