All comments are edited for length and content. Because of content or space limitations, some comments may not be published. More than one comment from the same person during the same week will normally not be published. Please limit calls to two minutes or less.

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“Wow, did you see the car show at Walgreen’s the other night?” asked a woman. “We took our car for the first time. Over 50 cars, music, food, no alcohol, family fun at its best. Madera Classic Cars has done something for Madera that this town has needed for a long, long time.”

A caller asked if we knew the expression, “The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, or vice versa. Tuesday was our normal street sweeping day. Of course, yesterday was our curbside cleanup event. Everything was supposed to be picked up on May 17 in this neighborhood. It is still sitting out there. And, of course, the street sweeper can’t do its job. Mismanagement.”

A woman called about the “deplorable conditions of south and north D Street.” Her message was hard to understand.

A man “wanted to rebut the caller (last week) about the homeless in the park. I don’t know what people think we’re going to do with the homeless. I guess we could get armed guards and go through the park and ask for their papers to see if they’re homeless. A lot of people are out of work. I don’t know how you can be judgmental about the homeless. It’s kind of sad when people have no heart for anybody.”

An upset man identified himself and said, “All right, I’ve heard enough about the National League Board (of Directors). If you want my job you can have it. What the community gives to me supports my business, so being a board member, I feel, is my way of giving back to the community, to them, to the kids. We give a lot of time to the kids.”

He went on to talk about when, where and how often the board holds meetings “12 months a year. First Wednesday on Field No. 1 at 7 o’clock. After the season we have meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at Round Table Pizza. Be there and speak your piece in person.”

Another man also replied to last week’s Red Line message. “As far as where the money is spent. The money is spent on umpires, scorekeepers, uniforms, $1,500 worth of baseballs, we pay the city to do our chalking and preparing the fields everyday, and we also paid for 25 under-privileged children who couldn’t afford to pay.”

Yet another man called and said, “The parents of the Madera National Little League need to stand up and be heard now. I totally agree that there is a problem with the funding and a complete audit should be done and that needs to be made public. The volunteers coaches, the board members need to be support all of them and quit undermining them. They need to show them some respect.”

He also said, “The field conditions are terrible. Is it going to take a player to get hurt before something is done? The board needs to step down and let some new blood takeover.”

Then a woman called and said, “The American Little League board member should (also) all resign. We need people who are not biased, that are not coaches, people whose kids are not playing. The coaches are making comments about the children and they are getting away with it. They have coaches whose son is on there team and they play every single inning and get away with it.”

A caller said, “The (Madera) South High baseball coach needs to re-examine his priorities. His No. 1 priority is to develop players to their potential. Equally important is to be fair to every player so they can show their ability under game conditions. He should gain the respect from his players. He needs to be the leader of his team and set a positive example.”

“Wow! Your headline said,” a gentleman said. “Your coverage of the air show was terrific. What a great event for Madera. Your insert in the paper and (Leon) Emo’s stories were great. I hope the air show comes back again and again, and keep up the good work.”

Another reader said, “I took my wife and son to the air show. What a difference from last year’s. It was a great time for all of us. The director and everyone who put it on should pat themselves on the back. We’ll be back every year.”

A lady called to answer the caller last week who said she “liked shopping in this little town” and said she “brings along her Spanish dictionary.” This week’s caller said, “If you like little towns go to Mexico and take your Spanish dictionary with you. If you own a store here, you need to speak English. This is why myself and many others go to Fresno to shop where they speak English and we can read the sale signs.”

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The Red Line is open for your messages 24 hours a day by calling 674-4478 or visiting www.maderatribuneredline.com.

Agriculture is the economic foundation of Madera County. Our primary industry generates over $1 billion dollars of crop production every year, with the vineyards, orchards, fields, pastures, and dairies funding the majority of our county’s tax base. Almost one third of all jobs in Madera County come from agriculture.

With the importance of our farms in mind, proposals that bring change to the region are rightfully scrutinized on how they would affect land usage. That is certainly the case with California’s high-speed rail project. Few doubt that over the long term building this system will provide a huge economic boon for our state and the Central Valley. But prudent caution is important and we have to be absolutely sure what is being built for the future doesn’t shortchange the industry we rely on today.

The High-Speed Rail Authority listened to the people of Madera County when it removed a western alignment from its list of alternative rail routes — a path that would have altered and destroyed some of the most productive farmland in the United States. This decision was correctly made after reviewing sound studies and listening to the people …

Now the authority has to study the two remaining route alternatives — along the rights-of-way of the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe and the Union Pacific railroads — before making a final choice. The examination of the pros and cons of these two alignments must be exhaustive and comprehensive to insure that the final choice is the correct choice for Madera County. In order to allow for an informed decision, the citizens, elected officials, and representatives of our county must make every effort to work with the High-Speed Rail Authority for the good of the entire populace and not just posture themselves for the benefit of a few.

The construction, operation, and maintenance of this new mode of travel will create thousands of jobs-good paying jobs that the people of Madera County as well as the Central Valley desperately need. But we have to get this once-in-a-lifetime project right. Therefore, the debate where the train should travel through Madera County should continue in earnest. The early decision to protect agriculture is a sign that high-speed rail is on the right track.

Al Sheeter,
Mordecai Ranch

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

It has seemed to me lately that the California Legislature hasn’t been doing much of anything. Now, along comes the San Francisco Chronicle to confirm it. In a Page A1 story in its Thursday edition, the Chronicle points out that state senators are gone so much that the Senate can’t get any bills passed.

You might think that is odd. The Senate is packed with Democrats. There are 25 Democrats to 13 Republicans. You would think the Dems would be able to pass anything they wanted. But no. The Chronicle reports that 22 of the 38 Senators have been gone at least one day in the past month. On May 20, more than a third of the Senate failed to show up.

The president pro tem of the Senate, Darrell Steinberg, says he doesn’t think the Senate will make its bill-passing deadline. He may be right. That deadline is today.

Aw, what the heck. If you’re a senator, maybe you don’t care. What’s a deadline, anyway?

It’s all a good argument for making the Legislature part time. Maybe it should meet no more than six months a year.

Think about this: Some 90 bills may not be passed because the deadline won’t be met. Yet, life will go on. We really don’t need any of those bills. Nothing will change if none of them passes.

But, we do need a budget.

That brings up another deadline. The budget should be passed by June 30. There have been some conversations about the budget, but nothing concrete. The governor has submitted his proposal, but the Democrats already have laughed it out of the Capitol.

Here’s something to think about. The senators get paid whether they come to work or not. Plus, they get $141 a day for pocket money, even if they are out sick or absent on state business. What if that ration of cash was taken away on June 30? That might get their attention.

I’m Chuck Wieland. I’m a judge of the Madera County Superior Court. I ask you to join me in voting for Judge D. Lynn Jones June 8.

I’ve personally known Judge Jones for a dozen years. I first met her when she was a Madera deputy district attorney, a duty she performed with distinction for 12 years. She became a supervising prosecutor responsible for training new prosecutors and filing charges against those accused of committing crimes in our community. As a prosecutor, she won the distinction of being named prosecutor of the year, was recognized as a child advocate, and was honored for her work with crime victims.

A few years ago, the Legislature created a new judgeship in our community. The law allowed for appointment of the new judge by the governor with an election to be scheduled two years later. Judge Jones and her challenger in this election asked the governor for appointment to that new position. Judge Jones’s application was deemed qualified by the governor’s office and referred to the Judicial Nominations Evaluation Commission.

That commission performed a thorough evaluation of Judge Jones’s qualifications. The evaluation included communicating with up to as many as 75 judges and lawyers who knew Judge Jones, reviewing her written work, and personally interviewing her. I know how thorough it was. I went through the same process before I was appointed in January 1998. She was then interviewed in the governor’s office and appointed to the Madera County Superior Court almost two years ago.

Since then she has been entrusted with one of our most difficult judicial assignments. She makes decisions regarding child custody, child visitation and child support.

Judge Jones has proven herself to be an outstanding judge such that all of the Madera judges are supporting her. (And, if you know some of us, you know that we don’t all agree on much of anything.)

Let’s keep her as our judge.

Hon. Charles A. Wieland,
Madera County Superior Court

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We have known Becky Martinez for many years and have found her to be a perfectionist at her job. We know how important it is to have a competent, fiscally responsible, experienced leader as the head of the county clerk-recorder’s department.

The county clerk-recorder’s office handles thousands of legal documents and conducts all elections for Madera County. The stakes are too high for us taxpayers not to have her in this office. She is there to protect your right to vote, she knows how to do her job and she does it well.

Becky Martinez is the only qualified candidate for county clerk-recorder. She has represented her experience and knowledge of the office truthfully throughout the campaign, which is the cornerstone of a true leader.

This leadership will be paramount with the upcoming redrawing of all district boundaries within the County of Madera. Only by retaining this seasoned professional will the integrity of your vote be preserved.

As taxpayers, we deserve the very best in our elected officials. She is prepared, tested and will continue to be effective from the start. We can’t afford on-the-job training.

Please join us and vote for Rebecca “Becky,” Martinez, county clerk-recorder.

Tracy Kennedy Desmond, Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector,
Janet Spillane Kroeger, Madera County Auditor

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

President Obama, in San Francisco yesterday to scoop up money, called the Gulf oil spill “a terrible tragedy.” He would find it hard to find anyone to disagree with him on that. It did seem odd, though, that the anti-drillers of the Barbara Boxer crowd didn’t beat him up.

Didn’t Obama say he would continue to favor limited offshore drilling? Pretty soon, they may start calling him the Teflon president, just as they did Ronald Reagan.

Let’s look at two separate “terrible tragedies” and how presidents handled them.

First was Hurricane Katrina. After New Orleans and Louisiana officials had made a horrible botch of evacuating residents in advance of the storm, President Bush was blamed. He was blamed after the storm hit, even though the Coast Guard and Navy were saving people’s lives. He continued to get blame months afterward, even as he poured billions into the economic sump that New Orleans is famous for being. New Orleans officials wasted reconstruction money left and right. Bush got the blame.

Now, oil is creeping from the Gulf spill into the Louisiana marshes. Obama has said, in essence, let the oil companies handle this problem. It’s hard to disagree with Obama on that. But if Bush had said the same thing, the Democrats would have burned effigies of him.

In both cases, neither president was responsible for the disasters, and both moved quickly to help. They put the bureaucracies they commanded to immediate use.

By the way, Boxer adamantly opposes Obama in his plans to allow some offshore drilling. Yet, he came to the Left Coast to thump the tubs for her and to help her so-far lackluster campaign. Even as he helped her inside the Fairmont Hotel, however, sign-bearing lefties outside were lined up to criticize him.

Maybe his Teflon is wearing a bit thin.

Never professing to be an educator, I rely on common sense as my guide. There is an election coming and I am to vote for a new county superintendent of schools. Present Superintendent Sally Frazier is not an easy act to follow, for I have not heard an ill word about her in umpty-ump years.

Cecilia Massetti is running for superintendent and I hope to see her successful. She is an active and very hard-working part of this community. More often than not, she will be working behind the scenes at events, helping to insure each one’s success. This is how I know her best.

Any correlation here? Of course. Community-minded people offer their time and expertise at no cost: it’s a gift, an effort and desire for the best outcome. I should not expect anything different from Cecilia Massetti as she enters her office each morning.

Mickie Purl,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

One of the things candidate Obama bragged about when he was running for president was “green” jobs. He promised us green jobs would provide employment for the masses. Or, at least some of the masses.

As it turns out, that hasn’t happened. Capital hasn’t followed the green revolution. While some windmill and solar power plants are going up, it turns out they depend heavily on subsidies. And they aren’t hiring that many people.

On the other hand, natural gas is booming right now. New ways of retrieving natural gas from the earth are resulting in vast new supplies being available.

Natural gas isn’t considered green, of course. But it is much greener than coal or other fossil-derivative fuel, such as oil and even gasoline.

Natural gas is all over the place. Municipal vehicles are burning it right here in Madera today. Those vehicles, we are told, run cleaner than any powered by gasoline or diesel fuel. These include trucks, cars, buses.

We are told that practically any car on the road could be converted to run on natural gas.
Also, natural gas is piped all over the place. You probably have it in your house.

Could you self-fuel your car from a natural gas pipe in your house? Well, not yet. But the point is that fueling stations could pop up all over without a lot of new infrastructure.

The idea of hydrogen as a “green” fuel is good, too. Getting a fueling network going, however, would be much harder to do than to talk about.

Manufacturers of new cars, such as GM, are planning to make some of their vehicles standard with natural gas capability.

The world now has about 11 million natural-gas powered vehicles, says NGV America. That is a lobbying group, but there’s no reason to believe it isn’t telling the truth about those numbers.

A conversion to natural gas could really produce jobs.

In response to several calls to The Red Line over the past few weeks I would like to pose a few questions to these callers.

What local children’s activity takes over 12,000 volunteer hours per year to make it a success? Out of 16 other similar programs from Reedley to Turlock, which program is priced the lowest per participant along with only four other similar programs? Which program last August compiled a list of 43 potential directors for the 2010 season, to only have 19 people agree to the commitment of time and effort it requires?

The answer to all of the above questions is the Madera National Little League.

The first caller mentioned that the vision is gone. It is true that a number of the current board members have been on the board for many years, and members of the league for many more. We have a president that has been a league volunteer for nearly 20 years. As a matter of fact, seven members of the board combine for a total of more than 80 years of volunteer service to the league. These people have made the commitment to provide a quality program for the community’s youth long after their own children have moved on. Some move on, only to return and continue their involvement in this great program.

In comparison, the eight other directors making up the balance of the board all have three or fewer years on the board, with five of them in their first season. The vision, however, continues to evolve. Just last season we began the AA Coach Pitch Division consisting of 7- and 8-year-olds. Our league has grown over 100 players, or by almost one third, in that time. That program is viewed by many as the most successful thing done in our league for many years.

I am curious if any of the callers have actually spoken with the president of the league, or the treasurer, or the vice presidents, regarding their concern for where the league money goes? Have they ever attended a monthly board meeting? Did they attend the annual membership meeting which is announced in this very newspaper for weeks prior to each September’s election of officers?

I have had no inquiries this season regarding the funding of the league. No inquiries have been sent to the league e-mail through the Web site, nor questions directed to the above individuals. In fact, the $50 fee paid per player equals out to a whopping $2.38 per game for Major Division players and slightly more for AAA and AA players. In fact a very popular league south of us in Fresno charges almost four times that much per game to play. I challenge anyone to find a local program providing the number of games this league does, at a comparable price, other than Little League baseball.

Program sales are down; 50-50 participation is down. Fund-raiser card sales are down. Carnival fund-raising is down. League sponsorship is down. In this economy, everyone has tightened their belts. We are no different. We are operating in the black. We have funds set aside to assure we can participate in post-season TOC and All Stars, still have money for next year’s charter, and possibly enough to fund some field improvements in the fall. Using the anonymity of The Red Line to make accusations and question the integrity of those involved with this program is reckless and counterproductive to a successful program.

One caller claimed, “They (the board) give no respect to the volunteers and coaches who spend countless hours working with these young players.” I do not know in what context she makes this comment. As a board we appreciate all of the time and effort of our managers and coaches. It is very difficult each season to find the type of person with enough knowledge of the game and the willingness to commit to these high responsibility positions.

Her comment seems to infer that those of us serving on the board are not volunteers, and that we don’t commit to invest the same number or more hours than many of our managers and coaches towards the success of the program. I can assure you, that we are indeed volunteers.

As a matter of fact, we are involved for 12 months of the year in the planning and execution of the Little League season. Several of us spend many more hours involved in this program year around, whereas the majority of managers and coaches are involved primarily from only February through May. All Stars continue into July, long after our regular season is complete, and we are there. It is sometimes a chore, but overall a very rewarding experience that few are willing to make the necessary commitment required for success. Even for their children.

As board members, we are responsible for the operation of the league. With that comes its share of criticism, as in no organization made up of 15 board members, 60 coaches, and 262 players, can we make everyone happy.

As is always the case, all league parents and volunteers are invited and encouraged to attend our monthly meetings. They are held on the first Wednesday of each month at Field No. 1, 7 p.m. during the season, and the first Thursday at Round Table Pizza, 7 p.m. out of season. I can assure you that this board is completely committed to a quality program for the youth of this community. Please afford us the respect that you expect from us.

Mike Gentry, vice president of the Madera National Little League

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

You might have noticed that a lot of candidates for the June 8 election are calling themselves conservatives. Not Republicans, mind you, although their names appear on the Republican ticket. Conservatives. As if they knew what the word meant. Conservatives. As if they were ashamed to be Republicans.

Don’t these people know there is a Conservative Party? Why don’t they pledge themselves to that small but well-meaning group? Is it because they know they wouldn’t have a chance of being elected?

Or maybe they are really more like Libertarians, whose philosophies have done a lot to shape modern public policy. But you won’t find Libertarians calling themselves by their proud name, then sneaking on to the GOP ballot.

What is it with these Republicans who are afraid to call themselves by that name? Are they like adolescents who want nothing to do with their parents, but still want the parents to buy them cars?

I happen to have had the privilege of knowing Barry Goldwater, the founder of modern conservatism. He was a wonderful character. He called something by what he thought it should be called. Nobody was more conservative than Barry. But guess what he called himself. A Republican. When he ran for president, he didn’t call himself a conservative. He called himself a Republican.

Goldwater also knew how to govern. He was one of the most respected members of the Senate, by both parties. He knew when to negotiate, and he knew when to stand firm. He knew when to be tough, like when he told Republican President Richard Nixon it was time to resign.

He was a pilot, and a good one. And like any good pilot, he knew what would work and what wouldn’t. But he never closed his mind.

One of his best friends: Jack Kennedy.

Barry was a conservative, to be sure. But he was always a Republican first.

For John Anderson:

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that John Anderson agreed to serve four more years as sheriff of Madera County.

For those of you who may not be aware, Sheriff Anderson, at age 21, served in the Army as a Green Beret platoon sergeant assigned to Special Forces.

After leaving the Army he worked for the California Highway Patrol, retiring after 30 years as central division chief. That position required management of 13 divisions from Bakersfield to Modesto.
In his spare time he picked up his master’s degree in public administration.

From the time John was elected sheriff in 1998, he has accomplished several noteworthy goals. He was instrumental in establishing the Madera County Citizens on Patrol volunteer force, the chaplains program, recycling of used cell phones to senior citizens and shut-ins, bracelet transmitters for Alzheimer patients and a reverse 911 emergency notification system.

In a few weeks the new sheriff’s office will open in Oakhurst to better serve the citizens of the mountain area.

John Anderson has built bridges and a spirit of cooperation with other agencies at the state and federal level in pooling resources to fight the scourge of drugs and criminal activities.
Sheriff Anderson is a hard-working guy with a servant’s heart. He is definitely a keeper. Please consider supporting him with your vote June 8.

Dennis Padgett,
Oakhurst

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For John Silva:

In the spring of 2004, the Big Valley Horseshoe League requested permission from the Madera Parks and Community Services Department to establish 10 regulation horseshoe courts to be located at Rotary Park.

As league president, I contacted then county Supervisor John Silva, and he provided $25,000 from the District 4 recreation fund to be utilized in the construction of city horseshoe courts.

As a result of the initial grant from Mr. Silva, the Big Valley Horseshoe League partnered with the City of Madera in the spring of 2007 in the construction of 10 state-of-the-art horseshoe courts.

The Big Valley Horseshoe League currently has approximately 90 players pitching horseshoes in both a spring and fall league.

The horseshoe courts are certified by the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association, and are considered to be one of the best in California. The courts provide an excellent venue to Madera Citizens, during family picnics as well as establish league play. Lighting is available for night play.

I believe this excellent horseshoe pitching complex is available to Madera citizens due to the generosity of Mr. Silva. I know that he has contributed monies from his district fund to build and maintain other Madera County park projects such as the Madera Skatepark, the Millview Sports Complex, and McNally Park.

Mr. Silva is a proven supporter of Madera County’s recreational activities. As a former county supervisor, he has the experience and ability to lead Madera County in the future.
The Big Valley Horseshoe League is appreciative of Mr. Silva’s past support.

Harlen A. Rippetoe,
president of Big Valley Horseshoe League,
Madera

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For Cecilia Massetti:

I am writing today to encourage everyone to vote for Cecilia Massetti for Madera County Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Massetti has 31 years of experience in education and is currently the associate superintendent of schools.

While her credentials are impressive, it is her creative approach to problem-solving that, in my mind, really makes her prepared and ready to lead.

These are uncertain times for public education. Our school districts and our programs have had funding slashed and deferred to an extent never seen before. Cecilia Massetti has balanced million dollar budgets. She is dedicated to making sure every tax dollar is effectively used to support students, teachers and staff in the classroom. As the chief business officer of the county Office of Education, it would be easy for me to make her work in this area the focus of my support for Cecilia. However, it is her caring and compassion for our students, staff and citizens that so demonstrate Dr. Massetti’s integrity and passion and most appeal to me.

It is important that we elect the most qualified candidate. Cecilia Massetti is this person and the one I trust to do the job.

Please help me support our schools and children by voting for Cecilia Massetti on June 8 for Superintendent of Schools.

Geri Kendall Cox,
Chief business and administrative services officer,
Madera County Office of Education