“Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men: Therefore the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity and happiness require it.” by John Adams

http://foundersquotes.com/quotes/government-is-instituted-for-the-common-good/#more-1081

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-861876

Councilman Herb Wesson, and other no good dysfunctional black elected officials, are a disgrace to the essence of what it means to be an elected official.

http://www.ceyseau.net/files/Unwarranted_Trespass_Arrest_and_Councilman_Herb_Wesson_Correspondence_for_posting.pdf

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-802037

I, Michael L. Lofton…must pay taxes (property taxes, local, county, state and federal taxes) to finance a government that is not instituted for the protection of its’ citizens. In my experience which is also of public record, should a law abiding taxpaying resident petition Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson for redress for the atrocities of government, Herb Wesson will have you arrested and jailed, this being truly disgraceful.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-849433

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/wesson-son-arrested-at-drunk-driving-checkpoint.html

How is it if Los Angeles, California is an integral part of the United States that Los Angeles' Council President Herb Wesson can employ his son, Justin Wesson on his staff (Wesson's son arrested in DUI, L.A. Times, 9-26-12, p. AA4) when "a rule that generally prohibits lawmakers from hiring relatives, including spouses and children" exists?

Herb Wesson practices nepotism which is unethical and a violation of the law.

The people of the City of Los Angeles can improve the quality of life in the City of Los Angeles by:

Removing this incumbent from office or Voting against Councilman Herb Wesson in the next election, which will shut down Herb Wesson’s administrative staff, an administration that includes Herb Wesson’s son, Justin Wesson.

Voting out Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks, Councilman Herb Wesson, Councilman Bernard Parks, and other elected black leaders at the local, county, State, and/or Federal levels of government who have contempt for his or her oath of office, the U.S. Constitution, the California Constitution, or a respective State Constitution, and the lawful rights of law abiding taxpaying U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.

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L.A. council moves forward on four proposed tax increases, The council instructs city lawyers to prepare language for ballot measures that would raise property, real estate, parking and sales taxes. Some members favor sales tax hike alone.

by Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 8:04 PM PDT, October 31, 2012

The Los Angeles City Council moved forward with four proposed tax increases Wednesday, instructing city lawyers to draw up the language for ballot measures that would raise property, real estate, parking and sales taxes.

Council President Herb Wesson said he hopes that only one of those proposed increases ends up on the March ballot and said he will be pushing for the half-cent sales tax hike, which would generate an estimated $215 million to $220 million for the cash-strapped city.

Wesson, who said he asked the council to proceed with all of the ballot measures as a safeguard, said he will be closely watching the results of Tuesday's election, when voters in three dozen California cities will decide local sales tax increases on the ballot.

"I think it will be a big indicator as to how people feel throughout the state," Wesson said, noting that if the response to those proposals is tepid in other communities, he might support putting one of the other tax measures on the ballot.

Wesson surprised community leaders and some of his colleagues Tuesday when he announced that he wanted to increase the sales tax from 8.75% to 9.25%. The proposed change would bring L.A. in line with Santa Monica and Inglewood, but it would leave the city with a higher rate than some neighboring communities, including Burbank, Pasadena and Glendale.

The plan has alarmed some business leaders, who argue that it could drive shoppers away, and some community activists, who complain that lawmakers have fallen into a pattern of raising fees instead of making difficult decisions to rein in costs.

Several council members expressed support for raising the sales tax Wednesday, including Bernard C. Parks, who said the proposal was the fairest on the menu of increases the council is considering.

One proposal would generate $40 million a year by increasing the parking tax from 10% to 15%. Another would generate between $76 million and $103 million by raising the tax on real estate sales. Parking lot operators and real estate agents have fought those proposals, saying they shouldn't have to bear the burden of raising revenue for the city.

Parks complained about a third proposal to charge a $39 parcel tax to fund the Recreation and Parks Department, which has been decimated by cuts in recent years. He said residents in poorer, denser parts of the city would benefit less than those in other neighborhoods.

"The people with the least amount of park space and the most density will come out on the short end," said Parks, who represents part of South Los Angeles. A coalition of community leaders that supports the parcel tax has said they would support a plan that ensured that underserved neighborhoods got their fair share of new park land or services.

Councilman Paul Koretz said he supported putting one large tax increase on the ballot instead of several smaller ones, saying that he thinks voters will understand that lawmakers have done all they can to cut costs.

"We're doing everything that we possibly and legally can," Koretz said, "and yet we still have a hole not of our own making."

Since the economic recession hit in 2008, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the council have trimmed the city payroll by about 4,000 people. Many employees who remained have faced mandatory furlough days, have seen their pay raises postponed and have agreed to pay more toward their retirement benefits.

Villaraigosa has said that he would not support a tax increase unless the council adopted additional cost-cutting measures, including privatizing the city zoo and Convention Center. Wesson said Wednesday that the council will continue to move forward on those initiatives, and he promised to lobby Villaraigosa to warm him to the idea of a sales tax increase.

"We'll sit in a room and maybe argue a little bit and see if we can't work this out," Wesson said.

An outside analyst is expected to deliver a report on Nov. 9 about the economic effects of a sales tax hike. The council is expected to decide soon after on which tax measures to include on the ballot in March, when voters will fill eight City Council seats and elect a new city attorney, controller and mayor.

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times

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"The purpose of government is to protect the individual rights of its citizens."

"The purpose of government - securing rights - points to the inherent limits placed on a just government. That is, if the purpose of government is to protect rights, then government must be limited to those things necessary for the protection of rights. If the government itself becomes too large and powerful, it becomes a threat to the rights and liberties of the people, the very things government is supposed to protect"

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-804394

I'm forced to pay taxes to a government that is not instituted to uphold the Constitution for all citizens, law abiding U.S. born descendants of slavery being inclusive.

With good reason, as a long standing law abiding taxpaying citizen, I'm against Governor Brown's tax increase initiative because government at the Federal, State, County and City jurisdictions, is not instituted for the protection of all its' law abiding U.S. citizens and legal immigrants in the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, the State of California, and the United States of America.

I resent and vehemently protest being forced to pay Federal, State, County Property taxes, and other taxes to a government that does not work for me, because this is "Taxation Without Competent Representation", this being truly un-American and destructive.

I have a “clean record and no criminal history”. I resent being punished, unearned punishment that is truly un-American, and in violation of the U.S. and California Constitutions. With good reason, I have contempt for all government institutions and elected officials who trash or ignore valid petitions for redress, to whom I’m forced to finance via taxation and/or who have contempt for the very individuals, specifically Michael L. Lofton, and other law abiding citizens, who pay taxes.
As for any support to raise taxes to reduce a City, County, State and/or Federal deficit, count me out, because for decades now, I don’t receive nor do I have access to basic Constitutional protections, or benefit, for the taxes I have paid, or currently pay.

This is documented by long standing but unresolved Los Angeles Superior Court Cases895188, BC 385899, the Demurrer to LA Superior Court Case 10K18049, “Theft by Court” pertaining to egregious violation of the lawful rights of Mr. Carl Steadman and/or other court documented evidence.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-800575
With good reason, I intend to vote against, demand the impeachment, recall and/or firing of President Barack Obama, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Congresswoman Karen Bass, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, other members of the dysfunctional Congressional Black Clueless...AKA...the Congressional Black Caucus, 2nd District LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, 8th District Councilman Bernard Parks, 10th District City Councilman Herb Wesson, other inept incumbents affiliated with the Democratic Party, inept Deputy Court Clerk Delores Odom Stocks, who signed a default court judgment without authority at my expense, and/or other disgraceful individuals who have contempt for me, contempt for the U.S. Constitution and who have negated his or her first responsibility to honor the oath of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution, the 14th Amendment, “Equal Justice and Protection Under the Law” in behalf of law abiding U.S. born descendants of slaves, such as my parents, Mr. Carl Steadman, Mr. John Thompson, and I,  or many other law abiding individuals, egregiously violated by truly serious wrongs of government.
It’s not too late for any of these individuals to redeem his or her character, or to truly make a constructive U.S. history first, to be removed from the “disgrace of the essence of what it means to be an elected official list”, the primary requirement of redemption is to uphold the “Principles to which this Nation Stands” to competently represent U.S. born descendants of slaves.
Sincerely,
Michael L. Lofton

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http://www.techyville.com/2012/11/social-media/teacher-of-the-year-candidate-charged-with-sleeping-with-a-student/#

“Teacher of the Year Candidate Charged with Sleeping with a Student” by Dr. Boyce

“Here’s the deal:  In my years on this earth, I’ve seen otherwise productive and successful men ruin their lives because of their inability to maintain self-discipline.”

Indeed Dr. Boyce,

For that matter criminal, unethical activity of any form may result in criminal indictment, fines, and well founded loss of a teaching credential,  license, certification to teach, practice law, practice medicine, sell real estate, earn a lawful living in any of the construction trades, etc., etc

Should similar activity take place in public service as an elected official the penalties and damage to your reputation, can be just as severe.

As you state for anyone who values his or her education, reputation, assets, family, or anything else of value that requires hard work, sacrifice, and skills to acquire, maintain, and keep it would behoove black men and women to play it straight.

The fact that little if any competent representation exists to serve U.S. born black men and women, places additional obstacles in the path of playing it straight. The lack of competent representation can result in the loss of a reputation, assets, and separation of family without good cause, etc., etc.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-870443

How well I know, because my family (the Lofton family) or other blacks with clean records with no criminal history, such as John Thompson, Carl Steadman, have been falsely accused and punished without good cause all while elected black leaders remain silent and/or conspire with other individuals to further oppress the truly innocent, and this is definitely very real.

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http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-861876

Lies Don't Keep Us Safe. Keeping Us Safe Requires Respect for the Rule of Law and the Constitution. The government's argument is untenable. “The government cannot, under any circumstance, affirmatively mislead the court” by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney

"Insisting on honesty as the only policy, the supreme ruled Wednesday that public employees can be punished for lying, even when they merely deny an accusation that later turns out to be true”.

“ …….Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. 'An employee who is asked about possible wrongdoing has only two legal choices: Tell the truth or say nothing”. (LA Times, January 22, 1998.)

........"Tell the Truth or Say Nothing" also applies to any U.S. President, Congressional office holder, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, U.S. Attorney General, court official, court clerk, Deputy City Attorney, Judge, elected official, lawyer, journalist, etc.

Note: All hypertext are a link to actual court documents, signed affidavits, official correspondence, and other reputable sources.