Counties must put foot down
Recent changes in state law may require prisoners to return to the county they were sent from. Anybody who thinks the state has a right to change the law after a judge and jury has passed down a sentence is living outside the United States.
If this does happen, our county should offer the prisoner a choice. Do not return to Yuma County until your sentence has expired. Where they go from prison should not be our concern.
Don Shooter has said more control should go down to county level. I cannot agree more. Unfortunately, the state is still taking the money from us. That needs to change in relation to the change in funding, i.e.: we have casinos in Yuma County. Whatever money they send to the state, needs to go to the county, especially educational funds. Other counties can get their own casinos.
Presently, fines, such as DUIs, speeding, etc. are required, in part, to be paid to the state. Let’s inform the state that we now have control of the percent we can afford to send them.
Next is the pay of elected officials. Roll back all raises to the 2007 level, starting at the governor right down to county level supervisors, tax assessors, etc. Then tie all raises in the future to Social Security cost of living raises, i.e.: Social Security sees no need for a cost of living raise, so our elected officials get zero raise. If the state cannot balance the budget, no raise for elected officials, no matter what Social Security has had in raises.
The answer to all of our problems comes from the people, not from elected officials. The elected officials are not listening to us and in most cases, the public has stopped caring. That has to change. “We the People” have got to take our country back.
The way to do that is on election day but we all have to take part. Ten percent of the population is deciding for the other 90 percent what we are going to live with. Be very careful in the next election. Look at who is doing a good job and who is not. Remember, we have term limits. It’s called election day.
Our local officials must stand up to the state (much like our governor is standing up to the feds), put their foot down and say: “Not in our county, not in our city and not in their lifetime.” Enough is enough.
ELGIN EVERLY
Yuma
