Thursday, April 27, 2006

JUST VENTING

Ok, I've got a burr under my saddle and I just feel like bucking off the issues riding my back.

First is the Orange County Transportation Authority, aka the OCTA. It is now proposing an extension of the 1/2% sales tax for 30 years.


One of the accomplishments the OCTA touts is stabilizing senior and disabled citizen bus fares. Want to guess which segment of the populace saw the highest percentage increase in bus fares during the 14 years the tax has been in collected?

Now the proposed extension will rake in about eleven billion dollars and OCTA is planning to use 1% of that to fund senior and disabled transit programs. Please notice how non-specific that is. It's LIP SERVICE!!! Hey OCTA BULLETIN, BULLETIN, BULLETIN. WE BABY BOOMERS WILL SOON BEGIN RETIRING! WE BABY BOOMERS WILL BE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THROUGHOUT THE MAJORITY OF THE NEXT 30 YEARS!!! YOU ARE NOT THROWING ENOUGH OF OUR MONEY AT THE AGING POPULATION'S NEEDS!

Lets see, you have built tollways we can use at additional cost. Car pool lanes most people can't use because they're not in a car pool. Built or refurbished bus stops, whoopee! Improved some freeway interchanges so that the bottlenecks are now someplace else. You've proposed a tunnel through the mountains; for which I'm sure you'll collect a toll. Now hybrid vehicles can use the car pool lanes so even the car poolers have cause to complain. And about that artwork on the walls lining the freeways... ENOUGH ALREADY!!! Hey OCTA, two words...MASS TRANSIT!

The way its going we won't be able to afford the gas to use OCTA's great feats of engineering and infrastructure! Maybe the traffic will diminish to the point that we'll have excess capacity on the highways and byways.

I am suggesting that everyone I know contact their city council and voice their opposition to the renewed Measure M. Before it can be presented to the voters via proposition, more than half the citys in the O.C. must to approve it.

That's enough for today, I'll continue tomorrow. I'll have the drug companys on my mind then!

2006 MS Walk; Irvine, CA

Well, I set a personal goal of $1000.00 for the walk. As of today I’ve got donations to my web page totaling $1710.00 and I’ve got at least $200.00 yet to turn in. I am very happy with the outcome of a fundraising event held at the Vineyard Terrace Trattoria. That event raised $200.00 for the cause and the turnout was far beyond my expectations. I recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a friendly quality dining experience in the Tustin area. Oh, they also cater special events.

While I am pleased with my personal effort my attempt to form a team and raise $8000.00 failed miserably.

The manager in me motivates me to analyze this performance. So, here’s my story! My sphere of influence has declined to the point that my ability to move people to act is becoming very limited. I can still count on family and close friends but moving beyond that is very tough. I’m not inclined to use Multiple Sclerosis to garner sympathy. I find myself traveling in circles that include fellow MS patients that are more mature and generally retired. That doesn’t strike me as a philanthropic gold mine! I sent 545 email messages to the Tustin and Irvine, CA Chambers of Commerce member companies. The result was one donation and I have an ongoing relationship with them. So…

I am going to, “throw in the towel” on trying to go big and bold. I will recognize the limits of my influence and work within those boundaries. I think I can dedicate myself to my individual effort and forget the team effort. I may even be able to top this year’s total!