Here is another article from MaCallister. These council members are scared that their power and perks will be reduced. To describe Limited Government in such twisted terms sends a somewhat different message concerning the mentality and desperation of the author of this forum piece. Earlier this year in Washington DC, the ‘elite’ in big government forced through a healthcare bill without regard for its damaging effect on our economy and country. It was a pure example of “damn the torpedoes and full steam ahead.” It helped spawn a grass roots movement, the Tea Party, as Conservatives railed at the healthcare plan and the methods used to force it through as being the brain child of a socialist big government ideology. Imagine my surprise when some of those same self-proclaimed leaders of conservatives in our region began marketing ideas to Murrietans that could only be found in socialistic ideology without regard to the consequences to our economy and future. Socialism from conservatives? Consider: Conservatives believe that all men and women, created equal, should have the opportunity to run for office, but their initiatives favor the elite by shrinking the pool of candidates to only those who could ‘afford’ it. Conservatives believe that all men and women, created equal, should be able to vote for anyone they want, but their initiatives would prohibit you from voting on your favorite candidates even though those candidates have proven themselves on the job. Conservatives believe in the free market, but their initiatives seek to place artificial caps on pay, both for electeds and staff. We need leaders whose walk matches their talk. Apparently, the proponents of these initiatives are not those leaders. To the contrary, it appears that they are merely Socialists in Conservative clothing. But by hook and crook they got their ideas on the ballot, initiatives that sound more like socialism than conservatism: Measures C, D, and E. There can only be two reasons the proponents put these up for a vote: 1. They aren’t intelligent enough to read budgets, don’t know enough about government and are very confused, or 2. They aren’t who and what they proclaim to be, have a personal agenda and are purposely trying to mislead you. I know the proponents. They aren’t stupid. That leaves only the 2nd option. This is serious… Measures C, D and E are bad for Murrieta in every way imaginable. They are bad policy. They will restrict who can run for office, restrict who you can vote for in any given election and will make it impossible to hire anyone in any capacity in our city that is qualified to do the job. The proponents of the initiatives claim to be trying to ‘Save Murrieta.’ Really? From what? Murrieta is the 2nd safest city in the nation according to the FBI. We’re one of the most fiscally responsible, financially solvent and conservative cities in the nation. Forbes Magazine recently pegged Murrieta to be the NUMBER ONE city in the nation positioned to hit the ground running economically after the recession. All of this and more was done without these initiatives. Without exaggeration, every bit of this will go away if the initiatives pass. If you like Murrieta’s preeminent status among the cities of the nation, I implore you to vote NO on Measures C, D and E…as they will fundamentally undermine not just Murrieta’s ability to continue to support our outstanding quality of life as we accomplish great things, but also our fundamental ability to remain a city. However, if you’re comfortable with risking our city’s future to the point of having to revoke our incorporation and once again be at the mercy of the County, then support the initiatives. Scare tactics? Only if the facts scare you. And make no mistake, they scare me. Right now, the main thing Murrieta needs saving from are these disingenuous and dangerous initiatives. On November 2nd, when voting on Measures C, D and E…just say NO