The more progressive an area is run, the less of a concern public safety is. It is unclear if that is intentional or if anyone who calls themselves a Progressive just happens to be painfully incompetent. But the status quo remains the same. Subsequently, there is a correlation between more progressives in one area and increasing crime.

Ironically, not only does a progressive area come at the behest of public safety, but you also get increased taxes. But what is the point of paying taxes if the government does not keep up with its side of the bargain?

Many Oakland business owners are wondering the same thing and have warned city officials that they plan on withholding taxes unless they do something to combat this epidemic of lawlessness that was preventable.

According to NBC:

Some frustrated Oakland business owners are warning the city they will stop paying taxes until the city starts providing them safer neighborhoods to operate in.

Organizers are asking more small business owners to join them and force the city to provide more police patrols and protection.

In the past two years, La Perla Puerto Rican Cuisine, a family-owned restaurant on Fruitvale Avenue, has been robbed twice at gunpoint.

Owner Jose Ortiz said he rarely sees police patrols despite the numerous armed holdups that have plagued the neighborhood for the past two years.

That is interesting considering one of the resources taxes fund is the police department. But progressives love taxes and hate the police. So none of those claims are surprising.

"We’re proposing not to pay taxes to the city until you give me the services that we deserve," Ortiz said.

Ortiz, an Oakland native, said in addition to the multiple robberies, he’s seen a 25% drop in business, and customers are staying away because they don’t feel safe.

"We’re not the only ones," he said. "We’re all in the same boat all across the city of Oakland. The city needs to immediately, effectively do something about it."

The leader of efforts to recall Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said the buck stops at the top.

"The ball is being dropped significantly due to poor policies and poor leadership," Citizens Unite founder Edward Escobar said.

Escobar said even large businesses are having difficulty covering their tax bills in the current environment, and the issue is far more severe for small operators like Ortiz.

"If you’re not providing the services then how can you charge full business taxes to a lot of these businesses that are barely, barely surviving?" Escobar said.

Even Taco Bell just announced that it will be shutting down all its dining rooms in Oakland because crime is that bad. That is how bad things are being handled. One of America's major cities is run so poorly that a huge corporation has deemed it unsafe to allow customers to come inside.

That said, there is a reason our founders said "No taxation without representation." If officials are not going to represent the taxpayers and allow lawlessness to run rampant, this act of civil disobedience may very well be justified.

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