Ruth Clark, San Juan Capistrano
Most of the public schools in San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano are 50 years old or older and there was a lot of deferred maintenance due to the recession in 2008-2009. Mission Viejo and Santa Margarita are much newer and paid by all of us. It’s important to keep our taxpayer-owned properties in good repair, such as leaky roofs, bad plumbing, unsafe electrical, etc. If not, this could cause more expensive damage, as anyone who owns a home knows. There are many benefits to passing a bond now:
- Interest rates are very low, so money is cheap and available with state matching funds, keeping our tax money here, which benefits all of us.
- Employs many workers and suppliers.
- Employs people with wages to pay taxes, pay rent, mortgages, buy clothes and cars, take vacations, eat at restaurants and spend money at local businesses, which helps our local economy.
Most people want to work and be a productive part of society with a basic lifestyle, which is much better than receiving unemployment payments and welfare that are also paid for by our taxes. Unemployment and poverty create a lot of stress on families—misery, depression, divorce and unstable, unhappy children.
I would much rather have our taxes pay for repairs and maintenance for our schools, which is a positive for our community, while poverty and welfare, are not. It is our responsibility to educate our children and provide suitable school buildings. We are going to pay one way or another. Let’s decide for the benefit of all, especially our children.
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