There is a growing chorus of voices - locally and across the land - saying they are fed up with dysfunctional government, and weary of public officials who seem to have little or no regard for how they spend citizens' hard-earned tax dollars.

Many also have completely lost trust that the people we elect to public office will do what they say with the tax dollars they collect from us. It's a well-earned cynicism.

So, whether it's a $700 billion rescue plan approved by Congress in an attempt to avert national economic meltdown or a local property-tax or sales-tax measure designed for other purposes, voters are increasingly taking the famous advice of a former first lady to “just say no.”

It's a sentiment we share in many ways.

Government at all levels seems to not understand how to live within its means. Too often, public officials' answer to an imbalance between spending and revenue is to try to stick their hands yet again in the taxpayers' pockets. We can see why a lot of folks have had enough.

But there are occasions, rare though they be, when we are asked to approve a tax measure that has a very high probability of accomplishing what is being promised.

Such is the case with Measure A, the half-percent sales tax measure in Santa Barbara County that voters will decide Nov. 4. It essentially would extend an existing sales tax that provides millions of dollars for road construction and maintenance, mass transit and other local transportation needs.

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Measure A would replace Measure D, which is set to “sunset” or expire in 2010.

Critics are calling Measure A a “new tax,” but they are flat wrong. Measure A only continues what began back in the early 1990s as a means of collecting funds - from locals and visitors alike - to make improvements in local roads and transportation systems.

For the most part, the funds raised through Measure D have done their job. And if we want usable streets and highways, we're going to have to replace it. Among other benefits, every city in the county relies heavily on this tax to keep its roads in good repair. Without these funds, we literally will hit a bump in the road.

Measure A is really a recycled and much-improved Measure D. In fact, the rejuvenated tax proposal has won unqualified support from across the political spectrum, including some that seldom, if ever, support tax measures.

Measure A would generate more than $1 billion in tax revenues, and a good portion of that money would be spent making life better for North County residents - $20 million to improve Highway 246 between Buellton and Lompoc; tens of millions for interchanges on Highway 101 at key intersections in Orcutt and Santa Maria; widening the Highway 101 bridge over the Santa Maria River is also on the to-do list, a critically important issue for North County commuters.

Another good feature of Measure A is money spent on mass-transit plans would be focused on the South Coast, where traffic issues are much worse than up in this end of the county. Measure A demonstrates a strong balance of projects, and how the north/south allocations ultimately are managed.

When marking your ballot, keep in mind using a sales tax to generate road funds is an equitable way to go about resolving local transportation issues. Visitors use our streets and highways, too, and they should help us pay for the upkeep.

In the big picture, keeping our roads in good shape is worth this relatively small tax bite.

October 12, 2008