It's A Truthiness!

(From a letter sent in to the Truthiness Bureau. Our first letter to the editor. We are so proud.)

It's a Truthiness: Family Farmers Won't be Hurt by Measure A!

A tip of the hat to Peter Drekmeier, Palo Alto City Councilman, Campaign Coordinator, Yes on Measure A. In his truthiness-filled Gilroy Dispatch editorial "It's a Lie: Family Farmers Won't Be Hurt by Measure" Saturday, October 28, 2006, he sets the record straight. Measure A supports working farms – and that is the key - working. Any farmer who would every want to subdivide, and sell a portion of the farm isn't really that interested in farming, now are they? As Drekmeier points out subdivisions are incompatible with farming. Interviewed on KGO-TV (Land Battle Brews Over Measure A, by Carolyn
Johnson - http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4579290):

Peter Drekmeier, Measure A campaign coordinator: "It does strengthen some of the protections, but as far as subdividing the land for future development, it's the same minimum parcel size that currently exists. So for them to say it devalues the land, that's simply not the case." As long as they keep working the farm, it's the same minimum parcel size.

Peter Drekmeier: "What we're trying to do is create a balance between the private property rights and the rights of the community to have clean air, clean water, and the beautiful backdrop that we enjoy here."

As far as we rightous defenders of Truthiness are concerned, it is Peter Drekmeier who speaks best for working farmers and their property rights. The 440,000 acres of affected lands, are only about 33,000 parcels of land -- Peter Drekmeier speaks for far more people and far more parcels. Peter Drekmeier speaks for a double majority, urban voters who want a pretty view AND those whose property rights are unaffected by Measure A -including all those working farmers, who want to keep working the land, and never sell out or subdivide, or use their land value in any way, like for business loans, retirement, health care, or other silly expenditures.

As long as they keep working the land, we'll all get along just fine.


Guest writer to Truthiness, Letter to the Editor