☆ How exactly will a sales tax hike fix long wait times at SC County hospitals?
SC County Supes warn funding changes threaten county hospitals. But Dawn Davis, plaintiff in a suit against Measure A, points to chronic waste and degradation in the system. She marvels at O’Connor Hospital’s long wait times, despite county employees’ $1 million salaries and lavish artwork at SCVMC. Rather than squeeze the taxpayer, she asks, why not cut the fat? An Opp Now exclusive Q&A.
Opportunity Now: How well do you think the county is running its public hospitals?
DD: Anytime the government gets involved in a business, it always gets worse for the people. I myself by mistake went into O’Connor Hospital with a heart problem and didn't realize that they were now funded by the state. They used to be the best hospital around. But since the government took over, I sat there waiting for an hour and a half before anybody ever saw me. And if I had gone into a for-profit hospital, I would have gotten taken in right away.
ON: The Board of Supervisors says that changes in federal policy have created an emergency for the county hospital system. What would you say to people who say that this sales tax increase is necessary to keep the hospital system from collapsing?
DD: I don't have a problem with some taxpayer money going into some hospitals. But I have driven by the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center on Bascom Avenue quite a few times, and I noticed they have this enormous sculpture in front of their building. They added that to the building a few years ago at the cost of the taxpayer. I can't imagine it cost under a million dollars.
ON: Measure A is asking taxpayers for another $330 million per year. Are you saying that's not reasonable?
DD: Well, I understand that there is no independent oversight. It just means that proponents of the tax can use the tax any way they want.
The budgets for a lot of the programs are over bloated anyway. If some county employees who make a million dollars a year cut their salaries down to even half a million dollars, you times that by 20 people and you can save ten million a year. That would go a long way.
ON: But the Board of Supervisors says the five-year tax will raise $1.65 billion, which they need because of an emergency. You're saying there’s no independent oversight, and the money can go anywhere. The supervisors also say this will only last five years. Do you believe that?
DD: I don't believe that. They'll find another reason. Every time they want to raise taxes, they always say it's for the children. But it isn't. It's for the elites. They're just ripping off the public and squeezing average citizens.
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