Dear Editor:
I am looking forward to the vote on April 5 when the majority of Jefferson City residents can show their support of the current trash/recycling contract by voting no on Proposition A. My anticipation, though, is tempered by a few concerns.
First, the ballot language is incredibly misleading. It reads as though it requires responsible trash disposal when, in fact, Proposition A would return us to the days when illegal dumping was a fact of life with businesses and taxpayers left to pick up the tab for cleaning up the mess. I know where I stand on this issue and even I have to remind myself to vote no after reading Proposition A's confusing ballot language.
Second, Proposition A supporters aren't being very candid when they describe the ballot measure as a "correction" to our current trash/recycling contract. That is akin to calling it a "course correction" to shut down a plane's engines in mid-air ... and with similar results. The current contract wouldn't be corrected; it would come crashing to the ground. We'd all be spending a lot more money for a lot less service (without curbside recycling) while hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars would be owed to Allied Waste for breach of contract.
My final concern - Proposition A is such an obviously bad idea that a lot of folks just assume that it will be rejected and they don't even need to vote. Like a lot of other issues, the majority that is happy with our trash/recycling services is probably less motivated than those who put Proposition A on the ballot. Make sure you get to the polls on April 5 and vote no - it is as important a vote as you are ever going to cast in a municipal election.