Proposition 1A, Proposition 3 and Proposition 12 deserve yes votes.
Proposition 1A would invest $9.95 billion in a high-speed rail system that the state has been planning for years, even to the point of having the routes laid out. The state funds would be matched by private and federal monies, which combined would build a system which would link the major cities in the state, passing through the Central Valley along the way. France, Germany and Japan have such systems, and love them. California’s system would be the model for the United States. High-speed rail would create a lot of jobs and enable people to move around cheaper and faster in the future.
Proposition 3 would directly benefit Madera County by providing money for upgrading Valley Children’s Hospital. The total $980 billion bond issue would provide money for all the state’s children’s hospitals, to assure that these facilities, known for their specialized care and groundbreaking research, can continue to offer quality treatment for children.
Proposition 12 would replenish the Cal-Vet program with $900 million in general-boligation bonds. This worthy program over the past 80 years has provided home and farm loans to more than 400,000 veterans. This program can continue to benefit returning men and women service members if we keep it primed.
All these measures are bond issues, and all will involve borrowing at a time when selling bonds won’t be easy.
But in the long run, the state always benefits by commiting itself to improving its infratructure, taking care of its most fragile citizens and keeping its promises to the men and women who put their lives on the line for our safety.
It is getting to crunch time now for the presidential election and we are faced with some real choices.
I do not generally subscribe to guilt by association, but my many years in law enforcement taught me that when trends or patterns begin to appear it is worthy of another look.
When Sen. Barack Obama first came on the scene I felt he was a new kind of politician and one that could make a difference in Washington. Now it appears that he is just someone who was spawned by typical corrupt Chicago politics. As the old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, and to say the least he flies with some odd birds. Time and space do not allow a complete list but I will try and name a few.
First there is ACORN, a radical left-wing organization to which the Obama campaign has given about $800,000 for their “get out the vote” efforts — of course, for Obama and other liberals. The problem is that they are now under investigation for massive voter registration fraud and some of their offices have been raided recently by the federal government. They have also been instrumental in using strong-arm tactics and intimidation to force banks to pass out these now infamous sub-prime loans which are a part of the financial crisis we now find ourselves in.
Then there are his close associations with domestic terrorists William Ayers and Bernadine Dorn who are free only on a legal technicality after bombing several public buildings and private residences. They were members of the radical Weather Underground and I recall seeing them on the FBI’s ten most wanted list. These are the people who after the 9/11 attack said they were sorry they had not done more bombing and killing against their own country. Ayers is now called an “education reformer” and was recently appointed or elected to help lead a large group of educators. His theory is that if you can indoctrinate the teachers you can then indoctrinate the children into rejecting capitalism in favor of socialism or Marxism.
Obama helped funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into-Ayers backed schemes. Ayers is liked and admired by people like Hugo Chaves and the Castro brothers.
Admittedly I have not heard all of the sermons and speeches of Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s long time pastor but what I did hear was vile and disgusting. His comments that the 9/11 attack was “American’s chickens coming home to roost” and “not God Bless America but God D— America” are as mean and hateful as anything I have ever heard, and this from the pulpit of a man who professes to be a Christian. He is also one who praises the likes of Louis Farrakhan as a great American and role model.
Then there is Fr. Michael Pfleger who is a disgrace to his church and his calling to the ministry.
People say these men did good in their community, and they may have, but the hatred and racism they have spewed over the years cancels much of that out. All dictators and tyrants do some good things.
Then there is Obama’s wife, Michelle, who once said this was the first time she was proud of America and now it appears that she has more than a passing acquaintance with the above mentioned Bernadine Dorn. A reporter who did a piece on the Obamas a few weeks ago said in effect that Michelle “wears the pants in the family,” so one has to wonder about how much her views would influence a President Obama.
Last but not least there is convicted felon and slumlord Tony Resko who helped the Obamas buy their current home.
You may wonder why people like the nut case leader of Iran, Hammas, Hugo Chavez the Castro brothers and others of that communist and dictatorial mindset like Obama so much. I can’t help but believe that deep down inside he shares some, if not all, of their opinions. Couple this with his record as the most liberal member of the Senate and his pledge to raise taxes and create even more government programs along with more social engineering, and his election is a recipe for future disaster.
For me, I will cast my vote for John McCain, a man of honor and integrity who has been in the arena, has felt the sting of battle and has endured more than we can imagine for this country. They were able to break his body but never his honor or spirit.
We have hard times ahead and the war with radical Islam is not over. There will be many very difficult decisions to make, and as Obama’s own running mate once said, this is no place for on-the-job training. We need someone who is seasoned and mature who has the judgment and experience to bring us through these difficult times ahead.
Think long and hard about what is at stake and I believe you will come to the same conclusion I did, that while not perfect as he will freely admit, Sen. McCain is the best choice for this election.
Proposition 11, which would “Change authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to 14 member commission,” deserves a yes vote if for no other reason than it probably would lead to better redistricting than we have now.
But don’t expect miracles. There are no foolproof redistricting methods. The one Prop. 11 would set up would be unlikely in the long run to create a fairer method of districting, unless it were part of a better reform, which would be this: Use California’s counties as the basic boundaries for representation in the Senate and the Assembly.
Under that system, each county would have two senators, but would have as many Assembly members as required by its population.
It would provide fairness by giving the smaller-populated counties equal weight in the Senate with the larger counties, and would provide fairness by giving more heavily-populated counties greater weight in the Assembly.
Districting within each county would then be handled by the state commission on a regular basis, probably based on population growth or loss.
Madera County and Los Angeles County, for example, would have two senators each, even though their population differences are in the millions. But Los Angeles County’s Assembly members would far outnumber those of Madera County because of those differences, and thus the power would be balanced. Los Angeles would be far more powerful in the Assembly, due to population, but Madera and other small counties would wield greater power per person in the Senate.
If that system seems familiar, it is. That is how the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are organized, and many states are organized that way, too. Why? Because it works.
Vote for Prop. 11, but expect a push for more reform later on.
I’m watching CNN on TV and I can’t believe what I’m hearing, the amount of dollars the bailout is going to cost us.
Everyone involved in this bailout must think we are really shallow, stupid or too cowardly as a country to stand up to those people.
Numbers don’t lie, it’s that easy. Trust me. We are holding an ace. An ace of diamonds. We should demand one million dollars per family to pay off home or buy one. If renting, then buy cars. Cars help out G.M. By buying three or four cars per family, that will really cost less then what they proposed.
Let’s be realistic. There are leaders, followers and commanders. Someone take command! Our ace is every family stop making house payments now. If we don’t help ourselves, then we deserve whatever they throw at us. Like pigs, we get the slop thrown at us.
Under Proposition 7, by the year 2025 California utility companies would have to be getting at least half of all the electricity they sell from so-called renewable sources, which sounds like a good idea, but really isn’t.
Electricity is a commodity, and like any commodity those who use it tend to seek out the sources that are least expensive and most reliable.
The idea of “green” electricity is wonderful, and progress is being made in putting more green power on line. Businesses are putting solar panels on their roofs and over their parking lots. Power companies are building solar farms in the desert. Applications are being made to site wind farms. Investors are pondering a new generation of nuclear power plants. Which is all good, but still unknown is how much of California’s electricity needs eventually will be met by these green sources.
The people who are risking their money on these enterprises oppose Prop. 7, because it is written in such a way that they could be aced out of the market. That doesn’t make any sense.
Why do we need a Prop. 7 when entrepreneurs are stepping up to provide green power?
Both political parties also oppose Prop 7, which would lead one to believe that its weaknesses are so plain as to warrant scorn.
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Another proposition that has a lot of organized opposition is Prop. 5, which would mandate treatment for certain drug offenders in lieu of jail time.
Just about everybody in law enforcement, including the California Judges Association, opposes Prop. 5 for any number of reasons, not the least of which is the cost, which the judges say would be considerable. They say it also would clog the courts.
Neither of these measures is worth turning into law.
While driving to Sacramento the other day, I saw this small car tailgating me, so I moved into the right lane and checked my speedometer, which read 72 mph. As soon as I moved right, the little car pulled alongside to the left of me, and I stole a look at it.
“Smart Car” was its name, and speed seemed to be its game. The driver put the pedal to the metal, and off the car went, probably up to 80 or 85 miles an hour.
I drive a full-size American car. My kids, all adults who drive Camrys and sports cars when they aren’t driving pickups or SUVs, call my car the “geezermobile.” One son called a similar car that I drove “the large barge.”
So, the small car attracted my attention, and the attention of my daughter, Beth, who was riding with me (no doubt with white knuckles, as the kids don’t trust my driving).
The Smart Car wasn’t much more than half as wide as my car, and it looked to be about two-thirds as long. Yet, it set up almost as high as mine.
The two men in the front seats were about as close together as they would have been sharing two coach seats on an airliner. The car seemed to hem them in. It looked almost like one of those cars that circus clowns tumble from.
“I want one of those,” Beth said. “Red, like that one.”
“You do?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “That’s the kind of car we all need to drive — to save oil and the environment.”
Well, she is not an idiot, so I didn’t get into an argument with her. It’s a good idea not to argue politics, religion or cars with your kids. They’ll always be right.
But if she gets a Smart Car (they’re made in France) I hope she’s very careful. A large can of string beans would seem sturdier.
America, how are we being perceived around the world during this presidential election? I am repeatedly asking this to myself, an African American woman, who truly is saddened by the current landscape of discontent being painted toward Sen. Barack Obama.
I continue to hear how much he is wrong for the presidency, given only that he is also African American. Which causes me some distress after reading the qualifications listed for the Office Of the President which are written in the United States Constitution:
Article II, Section 1, “No person except a natural-born citizen, or citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained To the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident of the United States”.
If I am not mistaken, that makes Obama as qualified as any other candidate to run for the presidency …
My faith in the Word of God, is not shaken, only in man, because in my written Word of God, It reads, in Romans 2:11, “For there is no respect of persons with God” and in Colossians 3:25, “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
With the greed for money being the axis that has caused all the problems, which is also scriptural, because of the Word of God reading in 1 Timothy 6:10. “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” Those who have overwhelmingly thrown our nation into the financial distress that is causing all our lives to suffer to some extent will have to answer to the same God, which must answer to and give account for every word and every deed, that they have done in their own lives that causes others to suffer at their hand or hands.
How can this nation still harbor so much disgust, and animosity toward one of its own citizens, Sen. Obama, for his believing in the Constitution and what it stands for?
Can someone please answer my question, so that I can explain it to my children, my grandchildren and for myself, because during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., era, it was felt and believed by me that we had all come to a place, where we were all accepted as Americans, equal and better than the representation of our nation that is being exhibited at this time.
I am steadfastly praying for our nation and I pray you will join in keeping our nation strong, the greatest nation of opportunity for many generations to come.
This week may be known in the future as the week the United States turned to socialism.
The $250 billion federal purchase of stock in the nation’s biggest banks — including three who have offices in our city — is being described as a “rescue” and a “temporary buy-in,” but if you were a person from Mars who just came to Earth and observed what is going on, you would call it socialism.
Socialism is “a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.”
That’s the traditional dictionary definition of socialism, and it certainly seems to be what is going on.
And hardly anybody is objecting. Even the Wall Street Journal, that staunch defender of free market capitalism, seems to think the federal rescue of the nation’s big banks is regretable but necessary.
The federal officials who are pulling this off say they have no interest in regulating the banks — just in providing cash cushions until the banks can get back on their feet, and perhaps that is their feeling now. But don’t be surprised if this big investor, Uncle Sam, starts throwing his weight around if the banks don’t toe the mark.
If it turns out, as some say it might, that these investments yield a profit in dividends and equity growth for the government, will the government want to sell its stock when the time comes? Will it want to buy more? Will it want to have a louder voice than it now has in corporate governance? The answer to all the above could be yes.
And will Congress keep its hands off? The answer to that could, unfortunately, be no.
Dino and Peggy want to thank the Madera Kiwanis Club and the City of Madera for giving us the prestigious honor of being Grand Marshals for the 2008 Old Timers Day Parade.
Since we were first in line we were able to sit and watch the entire parade.
It was super and enjoyable. Kiwanis members and the city staff put in many hours in preparation and during the parade so that the huge crowd could enjoy.
At parade end we went to the crowded park and enjoyed the delicious food.
We want to thank Vintage Cadillac for the car and Billy Creamer our driver.
It’s quite interesting to me that there has not been one peep, not even a little one, from the “drill drill, drill” –for oil– crowd since Denesse Willey’s fine letter of a few weeks ago.
I’m sorry, I should be calling them the “drill baby drill” crowd since Mrs. (Gov. Sarah) Palin corrected all of us on the correct terminology.
In any case, there has been no argument, no rebuttal, no standing up for what they so passionately believed just a few days earlier. I thought they wanted to drill for oil so bad that they would be churning out dozens of articles describing for us how Mrs. Willey’s article contained grave errors. Could it be that an argument becomes too complicated for these people as soon as it gets beyond the length of a bumper sticker?
The comments made by Mrs. Willey should be common knowledge among all of the voting citizens in this country. Unfortunately they don’t seem to be. Instead, we have people listening to the presidential “debates” and then sitting enthralled while Big Media, who is owned by the same people that own the candidates, tries to convince us that there was actually some important information exchanged by the two buffoons up on the stage.
Rather than stay with any of the issues that may take a little intellectual work, I notice that a vital, world-shaking issue, Proposition 8, has now become the rallying cry for many of the “drill baby drill” people. This is a nice, emotionally charged issue that lends itself well to self-righteous clichés while, at the same time, having the advantage of being relatively insignificant. It is going to preserve the sanctity of the institution of marriage. A holy institution, by the way, that works so well that it can boast of a 65 percent divorce rate and, for those who chose to remain in matrimony, a 60 percent infidelity rate.
Lastly, I would like to say that the editor of this paper seems like a real nice guy –though I have only met him through his daily writings– as long as he is not espousing on politics or the economy. In the last three weeks he has told us that the $700 billion bailout –writing private debt onto the public books– is actually good for the people and that it will trickle down to us poor folks; that the housing slump will clear up in one year; and that “boxed” chickens are healthier and lay better eggs than free range chickens.
Well, I guess that last one might not really have been about politics or the economy. Unless we can say that chickens and politicians are somehow related.
