Taxes are out of control

[Chief]

Letter to the Editor in today's Columbian "Our Reader's Views"

Are Gov. Chris Gregoire and her tax-and-spend cronies guilty of price gouging? What would you think if the headline read "Exxon's profits top $2 Billion," instead of the March 16 headline, "State's surplus to top $2 Billion." Better yet, what would The Columbian and the politicians say? I suspect that they would come down like a ton of bricks on "Big Oil" for taking unfair advantage of the people.

Our elected representatives will most likely use this windfall to spend more on flawed boondoggles. Not withstanding the windfall, they are busy raising our taxes. Soon city and county sales taxes will increase and the port district will double its tax on our property, and the city wants the option to increase our auto license taxes (probably a first setp in adding a light rail tax without a vote of the people). Simultaneously more bills/programs are woking their way through the Legislature to enhance revenues and silence the voice of the people.

Help us send a message to tax-and-spend politicians that our taxes and their spending are out of control. Sign the petition to place before the voters the Port of Vancouver's outrageeous plan to double their taxes out of our pockets.

Larry M. Patella
Vancouver

[Chief]

I have a great deal of respect for Larry Patella. He has no fear of taking a public position on tax issues, and is one of the most frequently published letter writers to the Columbian.

I disagree with him on this issue, and I take great exception to the way he is framing this debate. I want it clear that I am putting this letter up here so I can state categorically that Larry Patella speaks for himself when he takes this approach to the Port of Vancouver IDD Tax.

The Port of Vancouver is acting in strict accordance with existing law as the State Legislature has defined it for decades. The Port has done nothing wrong by voting this tax in, quite the contrary, they did exactly what the Law required, and to call that "outrageous" as Commander Patella insists upon doing is misguided, mistaken, and is a sure way to guarantee defeat on this issue if it does come to a Vote of the people.

Commander Patella has made this same, exact argument at all three of the Public Forums that the Port held over the past month. He and a few other people who are circulating copies of this petition, are the group of people who raised the most adversarial questions repeatedly at those Forums, dominated the questioning of the duly elected Elected Port Commissioners, and who got most of the press coverage by the Columbian. Too little coverage has gone to the facts of this matter, and that has got to change.

We have suffered greatly in America's Vancouver because of misguided rhetorical political campaigns over public referendums over the past ten years or so, and I think it's time we took a different approach to matters like the IDD tax that the Port passed. The path I have decided to take is what I have been documenting all along here at Clarkblog: attend all of the meetings, research the subject, and make an informed decision, based on the facts.

That is not what Commander Patella is doing. In fact he is seeking to use the Port of Vancouver as a whipping boy, to punish all of the sins committed by the City of America's Vancouver, Clark County, Washington State, the Gubner, our "Elected Representatives", etc, etc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

Time to wake up out there Boys and Girls, and let's try admitting that it really is in our best interests to look at this IDD carefully, and consider whether we want to grow several thousand jobs in Clark County that don't commute over the Columbia Crossing to Portland every day, or allow the Port of Vancouver to grow several hundred acres of warehouses where 20 Mexican nationals work under the table driving forklifts.

There are some taxes that are worth supporting, and the IDD is one of them.

Stout Hearts!

Chief

[Chief]

Just sent via e-mail. I had to weigh in on this one, but I dount it will be published...

----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Koski
To: Letters Editor
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 8:37 AM
Subject: Stop whipping the Port


Dear Editor;

As one who has signed the Petition calling for a vote on the Port of Vancouver's proposed IDD Tax increase, I take great exception to the way Larry Patella is framing the question at hand in his letter (The Columbian, Our readers views, 3/30/07).

Commander Patella has made this same, exact argument at all three of the Public Forums that the Port held over the past month. He and other people who are circulating copies of this petition, are the same group who raised the most adversarial questions repeatedly at those Forums, dominated the questioning of the duly elected Elected Port Commissioners and Executive Director Larry Paulson, and who got most of the press coverage by the Columbian. Too little coverage has gone to the facts of the matter at hand, and that has got to change.

The Port of Vancouver is acting in strict accordance with existing law as the State Legislature has defined it for decades. The Port has done nothing wrong by voting this tax in, quite the contrary, the Commissioners did exactly what the Law required; and to call that "outrageous" as Commander Patella insists upon doing is misguided, mistaken, and is a sure-fire way to gurantee the defeat of this issue if it does make it to the ballot.

We have suffered greatly in America's Vancouver because of misguided rhetorical political campaigns over public referendums over the past ten years or so, and I think it's time we took a different approach to matters like the proposed IDD Tax increase that the Port passed.

Commander Patella appears to be attempting use the Port of Vancouver as a whipping boy; to punish all of the sins, real and perceived, committed by the City of America's Vancouver, Clark County, Washington State, the Governor, and all of our "Elected Representatives"; and that has to stop. It's unfair, confuses the real issues, and lends nothing to an honest discussion about the worthiness of the Port of Vancouver to receive more public money.

Let us have a vote if the Petitioners can gather enough signatures; and if the IDD Tax comes to a vote, let's have another public debate based on facts, not inflammatory, and misguided rhetoric.

Bob Koski
www.clarkblog.org

[Chief]

I just received this today via e-mail.

I has long been my policy here at Clarkblog that I am not going to carry on two conversations; one here and another via e-mail. Therefroe I am publishing this message as I got it, and also because other members of Clarkblog got it as well, so there are no secrets on this one folks...

And let me also be clear in saying, that Commander Patella has been invited to join us at Clarkblog a number of times. That invitation remains open, and I sincerely hope he will at some point be persuaded to join the conversation here at clarkblog.org.


----- Original Message -----
From: L. M. Patella
To: Bob Koski
Cc: Ed Bennett ; Ralph_Peabody@comcast.net ; Larry Martin ; Mlauch@Stimson. Com ; Charles Stemper ; ivanrus@comcast.net
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2007 7:15 AM
Subject: Your letter to the editor


Bob,

Thanks for the letter to the editor criticizing me. . Hopefully they will print your letter. What we need is a good controversy to make more people aware of the "Outrageous" conduct of the Port of Vancouver". I have yet to figure out if you are a liberal or not. But what ever you are it is your right.

Before you come to the defense of the Port you should have done a little research and delve into the history of this latest attempt to pick our pockets and what the port can and cannot do. This is a great opportunity to send a strong "we have had it with tax increases" to the tax and spend folks.

This deal with Alcoa that you are attempting to justify did not just pop up. It may have just popped up on your radar screen but it has been in the works for years. In Late eighties or early nineties, when I was managing the dredging of the Columbia River we pumped millions of cubic yards of dredged material into the Alcoa property for the Port of Vancouver. When I have more time I will explain it to you.

I have it on good authority that there were at least two private companies on the verge of purchasing that property when the port jumped in and grabbed it out from under them. There are a lot of people including the railroad who stand to make millions.

FYI, I have only attended 2 of the three public hearings. At the ones I attended, the Port in answering the question, why didn't they float a bond measure, did not respond with a truthful answer. They said that they were unable to do so because they have different rules or words to that effect. The truth may lie in the fact that they have exceeded their bond limit. They currently have about $200,000,000 in outstanding bonded debt.

During my 21 years at the Port of Portland, I had an opportunity to become acquainted with how the ports/commissioners/public information system works. They put on good dog and pony shows. I hope you noticed the commissioners at the ones I attended could not answer any questions, they had to be bailed out by Larry Paulson. They do not in my opinion have a good grasp of what its happening.

There is nothing in the law that prohibits the Port of Vancouver from putting the issue to a vote. Fortunately or unfortunately for us, they, like all who fall into the tax and spend group, are terrified of the people's vote. Their actions are nothing more than an Empire building process. If you buy the "We just want to create jobs, or make life better for you and your children" nonsense, I got a couple of bridges I would like to sell you. You also might do well to research a recent Columbian Article about a wealthy Environmentalist ( think the name is King) who has been fighting the court for years over this same piece of property and could throw a wrench into the deal..

Anyway thanks for adding to my notoriety, Unfortunately in my signature collection efforts, it it unsettling just how many people are not aware that their pockets are being picked. We need something to wake them up.

Warm Regards,


Larry Patella

[karma]

I see the Columbian is giving Patella plenty of space too! I had a nice couple stop by with the Port Petition last night, matter of fact this is the second elderly couple. They both felt that they were being priced out of the Community with all these taxed projects and that it's not what they can afford. One needs to speak out and not just sign a petition here and there.

[Chief]

I know people personally, who have told me they signed the petition, and have no earthly idea what the Port is up to.

[Charlie]

If the Port is buying the property to lease it to a business or businesses why wouldn’t it be just as well if private business bought it and had it developed? The tax base would still be there and the cost of clean up to the Alcoa property wouldn’t be put on the taxpayer who had nothing to do with the pollution in the first place.
Something doesn’t feel right here. I feel like the taxpayer is being forced into a situation that hasn’t been fully explained. It is the same feeling I get from a high pressure salesperson trying to sell something that I don’t need nor want. Does anyone else get that same feeling?

[Chief]

First, let me say that according to every brief I have heard from the Port Commissioners themselves, as well as Execuitive Director Larry Paulson, the cleanup of the pollutants is underway as we discuss this, and the present owners of the properties are on the hook to pay for the entire cost of the cleanup. They are required to turn the property over at closing cleaned to "Industrial Standards"; which means it is cleaned sufficiently to place another heavy industrial business or businesses on the site. Now if anyone has comcrete proof to dispute that claim by the Port of Vancouver, present it now, otherwise I consider that question asked repeatedly, and answered repeatedly.

I do not feel like I am being sold a bill of goods by the Port, and I think that I have proved that if I get wind of something, I will say so at this website. I don't work for the Port, I'm not related to anyone who does, and I'm not even sure I can spell "Longshoreman" correctly without using my spell checker.

Again, I attended all three of the Forums that were given by the Port of Vancouver Commissioners. I have read every document I can lay my hands on about the IDD. I have read the public financial statements that the Port publishes at it's website. I have looked at the Port, with a calibrated eyeball I might add, and it seems to me we ought to be glad that there is one Public Tax Authority in this area that we can point to with pride and tell people "See? This is how you follow the Law".

We have anarchy all around us, and Elected Officials who either hide in the tall grass and don't make any puiblic comments (like City Council) or we have elected community leaders like Royce Pollard, who insist on injecting their personal visions onto the public teat. Yes, the Governor was elected in a truly contentious race that still echos around the State; and Yes, many of our elected officials are eager to find ways to tax us without our permission.

I still insist that whipping the Port of Vancouver for the sins of the City, County, State, and others is wrong, and that is not why I signed that petition. The Port did nothing outrageous, they are following the Law, and allowing Larry to inject his personal agenda into a Public Debate is a recipe for disaster.

I stand by all of my previous comments, I welcome any and all civil public discussion on this thread.

Stout Hearts.

[Chief]

"If the Port is buying the property to lease it to a business or businesses why wouldn’t it be just as well if private business bought it and had it developed?"

That also has been addressed repeatedly by the Port. That property has sat vacant, largly unused, contaminated, and unsold for how long??

Consider this:

The Port of Portland is allowing private development on some of it's property; the Ikea store that's under construction over by Airport Way is PofP property. Is that the kind of "private business" that we ought to have go in on the Alcoa property?? Should we allow that to become the largest Distribution Center that WalMart owns on the West Coast??

Do you realize that property sits astride the railroad right of way into the entire Columbia Gateway Project at the Port?? If a private Developer were to put 200 acres of warehouses on that site, how much do you think the Port should spend to lease back the right of way for their new rail line??

Has anyone bothered to count how much money the Port has already spent, without an increase in taxes, to accomplish what they have already done?? Take the new crane they purchased to handle those wind turbines (the turbine units weigh in over 160,000 pounds or twice what an entire road-legal Semi weighs)...it will be completely paid for this Summer, a substantial accomplishment by the Port, and a significant savings in Interest paid on the debt had it gone to the life of the notes. In fact the Port is seriously considering purchasing another crane so they can further expand their heavy lift break-bulk handling capabilities..

How about what the Ports of Camas and Washougal are doing with their properties?? Look at the controversy surrounding Riverwalk right now, or what the City of Vancouver is doing with another piece of former prime Industrial property, the former Boise Cascade site??

Vancouver's roots are in heavy industry. The Alcoa site has sat unsold for years because nobody was going to buy the liabilities involved with the cleanup of the serious poolution on the site, (let us not forget that we are talking about a formenr Federal Superfund site here), or the cost of demolishing the smelter and clearing the site.

Can we at least agree that the Port of Vancouver has succeeded in moving the saleability of the Alcoa property off of dead center where it has lingered for years? Cleanup is well underway, the deal cannot close until the cleanup is certified to be complete, the plume of trichloroethane has been reduced and is still in process, the site is now a "former Superfund Site", and the Port is in active negotiations with a number of prospective Industrial clients to build on those properties.

I have examined this deal in depth, and as much as I oppose rising Property taxes, in this one instance and on the merits of it alone, I believe this is in fact a wise investment of Public funds. Nobody has shown me anything concrete enough to convince me that I am mistaken about this.

I don't have a 20 year history of confrontations and complaints about the Port of Vancouver. The very best way I can do to satisfy myself, is go to these meetings, look the Commissioners and the Director in the eye and make a decision based on how I feel about those one-on-one conversations with them. That is what I have done, and that is why I'm sticking to my guns on this.

With all of that in mind, on this specific issue, the IDD Tax; if anyone who reads this site can present cogent, factual information that rebuts anything that the Port of Vancouver is claiming or anything I have said at this blog, I urge you to log in and present your facts right here and right now.

Let's cut to the chase, cease with the bomb-throwing and the whipping-boy mentality, and stick to the fact, please!

[karma]

All one can say is they will build anything in the swamp land of Clark County!! Now we want to be Vancouver BC the island?? ::)