Opinion: Local elected officials need to listen to the middle class
Publisher’s note: The following was a speech read by South Lake Tahoe resident Ernie Claudio at the Dec. 15 South Tahoe Public Utility District meeting.
My name is Ernie Claudio and I am here today to give notice. There is something wrong in our nation. The middle class is dying. We are suffering, we are losing our jobs and we are losing our homes. I’ve been to seven Occupy protests collecting opinions from the middle class about “The Problem”.
The problem is our elected officials, from top to bottom, including the elected officials in this room today.
We (the middle class) are losing money and that money is our buying power and it is this buying power that keeps this country going. So every penny that comes out of the pockets of the middle class is part of the hemorrhaging that is causing the death of the middle class. So if the water rates go up, then you (the board of directors) are part of the problem and I respectfully ask that you remove yourselves from office, because that’s what’s coming.
The elected officials were supposed to protect us, and they failed. The elected officials were supposed to protect our jobs and they failed. Now there is a nationwide outcry, ports were shut down on Monday. We are looking for politicians who can stop this hemorrhaging.
It’s like a pendulum, it’s gone as far as it can one direction and now its time to swing back. So the Occupy Movement, the middle class will do what it has to do to protect itself and most important, our children. I mean, how are our kids going to be able to afford to buy a house if they can’t find a job.
And to make matters worse our country has dropped down a notch when it comes to respect and honor. This happened the day a congressman from South Carolina named Joe Wilson called our president a liar in an open meeting. Do I have that right? Can I call you a liar? Well, apparently so, because he got away with it and he was not punished for it.
So this brings us into a new era; a new era of politics where respect for public officials means nothing and to insult a public official is OK. Now am I going to do that now? No, but I am warning you that its coming. Because the Occupy Movement, the middle class will do what it has to do to protect itself.
So if these rates go up one penny, you will be putting yourself in the position where you are part of the problem. That’s why we would respectfully ask you to resign from office, if you cannot keep these rates frozen of even lower them.
Sad, but true. Very well written Ernie!
California is amoung the least free, excessively governed states in the union.
A Betrayal of the public trust.
Hello. McFry.
This is Not news. It’s Decades in the making.
Ignorance is bliss until the bliss wears off.
chalk one up for Poor education and socialist indoctrination.
Joe Wilson was right.
The president is a lier.
That’s why honor failed. Not joes fault.
It’s the presidents fault.
Yes, elected officials at the Local, State & Federal levels need to listen to the middle class! Every time they confront a budget shortfall the reflex is to stick the public with some ‘small’ regressive tax or fee increase. They try to sell it as not much, as say maybe ‘only’ a half-percent sales tax increase. But for someone in the middle class, especially those with families, that amount adds up over the course of a year.
When people’s real estate and stock assets were going up, most went along with these increases. Good to see that in this new area many are questioning such things, especially now that it’s scrutinized where the money is going!
if you want to point to earlier events how ’bout that Teddy Kennedy. Bush lied. I Never heard a ligit answer but the question ‘wheres the WMD?’ became the mantra of liberal fools.
Ernie think about what the word Patriotic and what it stands for.
Then compare that word to Repubtriotic !!
In addition i refer you to a piece written by Norman Kelley. Norman is an independent journalist,author and former segment producer at WBIA 99.5 FM Pacific Radio.He has written for The Nation,Newsday,New York Press,LA Weekly,The Village Voice. Norman has been published by Random House,Akashic Books. Norman Kelley is a black man with a blog Devil’s Advocate Division.On 02-27-2009 Salon published his “The Nigga You Love to Hate: Barack Obama” The Repubtriotics in congress and those on Fox and the teabaggers have made it known they will do anything to make President Obama fail,make sure he is a one term president.Pull up http://open.salon.com//blog/norm_kelley/2009/02/27the_nigga_you_love_ to_hate_bara…
It’s called a THE NEW WORLD ORDER and it’s real.