Diebold is point man for government greed

In everything written about Mayor Diebold's thirst for more money from taxpayers, never has he said anything about getting it honestly - by asking taxpayers to vote to spend more on city government.

In fact, just the opposite. Most recently this has focused on whether the city should levy yet another fine for living in Newark by squeezing each auto owner annually for $10 more. It's the opposite because voters in November 2005 voted on this one and defeated it in a referendum vote 58-42.

The voting booths hadn't cooled after the referendum when Mayor Bain was plotting another attempt to end-run voters with it. Since then, this matter has been considered by Diebold and some others in city government as the delectable piece of cake that could be translated into more government and to hell with what voters want.

It not just the additional tax burden that's important here; it about stuffing voters who've already spoken on the matter. It's about this endless government greed, which Diebold has so willingly served as point man without yet paying the political price. Of course he was among councilmen to vote for the reinstatement of part of the same tax in September 2006. (See: Council rejects voters' directive on Tag Tax.) Only Doug Marmie and Don Ellington voted in favor of upholding citizens' wishes.

This is not about pot holes, it's about more government. As I said here earlier, "If the city budget fails to account for city potholes - even with the addition of the $1-million Diebold cash cow from EMS services - then what in God's name is wrong with city budgeters?"

It IS about more government because no matter what they say they'll use this money for in the immediate future, their promises will unenforceable anyway, and surely will last no longer than their own terms of office. (Consider what happened to promises made while the city pushed for the pot-of-gold at the end of an EMS ride to the hospital. See Riding to the hospital with your city employees; Bend over taxpayer...

Once the money gets thrown into the gigantic kitty full of tax proceeds nobody is going to know exactly where those dollars have gone; only that there will be 880 thousand more of them in the kitty. And this translates as: Newark is going to have more government and better-paid government employees.

It's about milking for the last dime and the for largest employee raise. Thanks to the persistent greed of Mayor Diebold and his continuing willingness to stuff voters - and thanks to the cooperation from Ways and Means Committee members Irene Kennedy and Ed Houdeshell - good ol' boys to the core - the tax grab plan will be considered by full council, because you see, it doesn't matter to Kennedy and Houdeshell what voters have said. They want you to bend over and stay there.