Wants more details on the parcel tax

I am afraid that neither of the pro-parcel tax letters in last week’s Acorn bolstered much sympathy for the cause. The disdainful tone of the first letter and the patronizing "you’re rich, you can afford it" tone of the second letter were extremely off-putting.

Mr. Zimmerman lambasted The Acorn editor for daring to ask for more information about where precisely the money would go before deciding if he supports the tax. Anybody who has even casually followed the stories describing the waste and fraud of the LAUSD Prop BB funds would be an idiot not to ask very specific questions about plans and oversight for this proposed tax.

The Website Zimmerman recommended is a one-page site that admits "(t)he details of the proposed tax have yet to be determined by the LVUSD. . . ."

It also falsely claims that "California schools are the lowest-ranked in the nation, based on funding per child."

During the 2001-02 school year, California was 35th in the nation for funding per child (see: http://www.edsource.org/sch_rankings03.cfm). We need to get the facts straight in order to make an informed choice.

I am sure that Ms. Kaplan is an excellent English teacher, but her grasp of math is a little shaky. She repeatedly refers to the $100 to $160 proposed tax as "pennies a year." Um, that’s 10,000 to 16,000 pennies a year! I would like to volunteer to detail her car, free of charge, as long as I can keep the spare $160 in change she believes falls down between the cracks every 12 months or so!

She then goes on to say that the district shouldn’t suffer because "someone in Sacramento failed the public school system." That "someone" would be the Democrats that have been running the governor’s office and the legislature these many years, recipients of millions of dollars in contributions from the California Federation of Teachers Union. I wonder if anyone in the district is rethinking their support of union policy.

Just because the proposed parcel tax is for a good cause should not preclude careful consideration on the part of the taxpayers within the district. Bringing the state budget under control again is going to create hardship for local governments, businesses and homeowners alike. My mind is completely open to hearing the pros and cons for this parcel tax.

I hope that The Acorn will continue to demand information and then present thoughtful, well-crafted arguments, both for and against, to its readership.

Susan M. McFadyen

Agoura Hills