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The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution spells out five rights of every American against which the government may not construct any laws to restrict, alter or eliminate. These are the freedom of speech, of religion, a free press and the right to assembly and to petition the government with grievances. None of these are guaranteed. These rights and freedoms are only in place so long as enough citizens demand them, a free press protects them and supportive legal arguments win their day in court. These freedoms and other parts of our Bill of Rights have come under continuous legal and governmental attack during the long history of our nation. We believe this is so today.

In 2008, the folks behind SMART told us that if voters approved the quarter-percent 20 year sales tax they would build 71 miles of train and a 71-mile bike path and that annual operating costs would be $16.5 million per year. They also claimed SMART would alleviate traffic on 101 and help fight climate change. The problem is none of these promises ever materialized and now SMART is asking voters to approve an additional $2.4 billion on a 30-year tax extension nine years before the current tax expires. 

Dissolve the heath district

Senior year is supposed to be a lot of things. All the perks that come with being a senior such as prom, senior night, senior week, graduation and Project Graduation are supposed to be fun events that celebrate what you have accomplished.