Letters to editor for March 23, 2009

The transfer tax proposal to finance affordable housing in Santa Fe was defeated in large part because of the $144,000 campaign financed by a local Realtors' group.
Dee Gamble

So, to put it plainly: the transfer tax measure was defeated because of misinformation put out by a group of corporate prostitutes and then believed and swallowed by slaves and selfish, uninformed idiots. Gee, what a surprise. I thought most people had minds of their own and were better informed.-sarcasm-

Anderson is correct in saying that the transfer tax was not defeated because of big spending by the realtors. It was defeated because it was an unfair tax on a particular group of citizens.

Then here comes Gamble saying that we rejected the tax because the "rich" don't think that the police, teachers, etc deserve to live in our communities (how absurd!!!!) and that we ALL pay for them (she is correct).

So let the transfer tax be fairly applied to ALL real estate sales so that we all pay fairly to help support the less fortunate.

in an otherwise woefully uninformed and ignorant series of posts bemoaning defeat of the home tax on city residents.

Tax defeated itself by Paul V. Anderson
Santa Fe

It failed because the people didn't want it.
They are not easily swayed, they just recognized bad law.

Paul V. Anderson
Santa Fe

Wrote

"Regarding the March 12 article, "Councilors cite economy in anti-tax vote": Our city leaders whining about the defeat of the Workforce Housing Funding Initiative is characteristic of our poorly informed elected City Council. It was not spending by the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, nor newspaper editorials, nor the economy that defeated this initiative. The tax was simply another dumb idea put forward by a group of naïve, social-engineering do-gooders.

This is the same group that brought us pay-to-park kiosks at the Railyard, but can't keep our streets properly paved; that doesn't plow residential streets because it doesn't believe getting out of neighborhoods after a snowstorm is important; that believes Santa Fe's children should stay in Santa Fe, where the educational system is failing them and there are no jobs; that allocates scarce downtown parking spaces to its union employees while suggesting the rest of us use public transportation.

Wake up Santa Fe and throw out the mayor and city councilors Rosemary Romero, Miguel Chávez, Rebecca Wurzburger, Ron Trujillo, Chris Calvert, and Patti Bushee at the first opportunity"

Does this mean that Mr. Anderson all us Santa Feans should see you name on the ballot come next year, or are you one of these people who can only speak up if it is printed in the paper, or here online.

I say retain these 5 Councilors, they are the ones who stood up for this tax. They care about keeping Santa Feans in Santa Fe. Mr. Anderson you say these local elected officials are poorly informed. Well maybe you need to take your hand off of the pen or keyboard, and step up to plate and instead of bickering about how bad the council is, throw your name into the mix of things next election go round. Do you have it in you? My gut feeling says your the whinner. When I actually see your name on an election ballot, then I might take you serious. Until then don't just talk the talk, walk the walk.