Saving Dollars, Wasting Millions (But What About The Deputies?)

I submitted the following letter to the editor today, 4/2/06, to GuidryNews.com , The Galveston Daily News and The Post. I hope they will all print it right away because the Justice Center is opening today or tomorrow. People have a right to know what kind of malfeasance is surrounding the thing. People also should be irate that we are treating our Sheriff's deputies so badly while we pour out the opulence on the elected officials.

The banter about $100,000 for jury pay raises from $7 to $40 a day was
somewhat galling. The justice center project is $50,000,000 over budget
($144,000,000 - $93,600,000 = $50,400,000). Yet Judge Yarbrough still
couldn’t find the restraint to say no to $300,000 fountains on the taxpayer’s
nickel.

Wondering where the extra $50,000,000 comes from?
Most of it is the county equivalent of living off credit cards, general
obligation (GO) debt. I have not been able to ascertain what our total GO
debt has spiraled to but, like an overextended family, no doubt it will soon
begin to affect the county’s credit rating.

The REAL raises needed
in this county are for the 400 or so Sheriff’s Deputies. They are
struggling, underpaid and underfunded, often buying equipment, decals etc. that
the county SHOULD be paying for. This $50,000,000 in overspending could
have funded $3000 dollar pay raises for these deputies for the next 50
years.

Everyone knows I didn’t campaign for the current Sheriff but
he and his deputies DESERVE the tools and pay to perform their jobs confidently!

Check my website http://www.yourtaxcut.com/ and find the spending
cuts we need to cut taxes AND give raises to the deputies.