Here on the Central Coast, we have two right-wing conservatives clamoring to be the only correct or true voice on taxes and spending, and therefore should be recognized as the spokespersons for all Central Coast Californians on such issues. Andy Caldwell and Joe Armendariz spout half-truths, spin information to fit their agendas, or sometimes tell downright lies, which, unfortunately, are too often believed by people too lazy or opinionated to spend the time necessary to seek the truth.
Andy and Joe are not friends of the working class, as each claims. Just the opposite. If they had their way, all members of COLAB and the rich would pay no taxes, and the burden of all tax-related services would fall upon the middle class. Understand that both men are paid lobbyists making a good living spouting rhetoric that brainwashes the uninformed.
Neither man will ever have a kind word about taxes, regulations, the bureaucracy, or entitlements programs and services funded by the state or nation, all of which are necessary evils, even though none will ever be cost effective or inexpensive. Think about life without them—an alternative no one really wants.
Andy and Joe are paid to twist the truth to the extreme or until it cries out painfully in a doomsday scenario. Both pretend to be the taxpayer’s friend or savior, but in reality they’re not. If we lived in a perfect world, each man would find much to bitch about. So why listen?
This article appears in Oct 15-22, 2009.