The following letter is in response to an Editorial & cartoon in the June 27, 1999 issue of the Arizona Republic, East Valley section page EV3. Dear Editor: I know the Arizona Republic will not print this about Mesa. You asked for articles. Can you use this? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ A STORY ABOUT THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC'S EDITORIAL MANIPULATIONS IN MESA The Unedited Version! Letter to The Arizona Republic Editor: It seems that the manipulative editorial board of the Arizona Republic just can't say anything but No. No to the people voting on the innovative ideas of other public citizens through initiatives. No to written-guarantees of less taxes. No to people spending their income on their purposes. No to making a level-playing field for all businesses to compete in. Freedom and Liberty have become forgotten words in this country. The name-calling Republic editors appear to be of the group that believe it is safer to have the people only vote once every four years for some elected stranger, instead of individuals making thousands of little "votes" everyday in their lives - that free individuals make - when they have fewer laws and more of their income with which to "vote" on which services and products they wish to "support". I may not have the money to visit a P.I.R. car race, or as many of them, when I have been forced to give $4,000 of my income to the Rio Salado Millionaire Cardinals. You seem to believe government has a blank unlimited credit card in all of our names to spend all over the world. How dare we shred it! Instead, by keeping 87%+ of my income, I could enjoy thousands of "mini-votes" each day, every year, instead of having everything including entertainment picked out for me by self-serving politicians. Politicians, who half the time, receive large donations from the same lazy contractors benefiting from government projects. Contractors who incidentally advertise heavily in your paper. The Republic editors sink to a cowardly new low when they attempt to tarnish concerned and active citizens like Joan Payne, etc. with words like "crackpots". Your paper recently attempted to win a 400 million dollar tax scheme, the Rio Salado, with name-calling and belittlement. Now you attempt to use the same techniques on the people who want to guarantee the taxpayers more of their money for their own purposes, through the constitutional initiative process. Every one of the new initiatives in Mesa will cut down millions more of your friends' theft out of the taxpaying-public's income; $500,000 to fluoride companies. $40,000,000 less in new property taxes. $14,000,000 less food sales taxes. $23,000,000 less unaccountable city-manager spending. Perhaps the people should say Yes! to a boycott of your paper. With your name-calling and taxes, you fight like a schoolyard bully. A bully uses intimidation and force. The intimidation - name calling. The force - taxation. It is the Arizona Republic editorial board who is a negative influence in this community. Say Yes! to replacing it. JonB77@mailexcite.com June 28, 1999