Red Line (Aug. 3)
Music Lyrics Video: “Love is for the Middle Class” by House of Heroes
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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 Because of content or space limitations, some comments may not be published. More than one comment from the same person during the same week will normally not be published.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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A man responded to “the lady about picking All-Stars for Little League.” This week he clarified things. “The lady should learn to read. My comment was not about coaching. I’ll be the first to applaud our coaches who volunteer their time. It had nothing to do with coaching. It was about picking All-Stars. That’s what it should be, All-Stars. Not picking managers’ or coaches’ sons. It’s about kids that deserve to be on the All-Star team. There are kids who deserve to be on the All-Star teams and the coach’s son, or manager’s son gets picked over them.”
“School will be starting soon,” a woman said. “Too bad a whole new school board won’t be starting, too. Except for Bob Garibay, none of them have any interests in mind except their own. (Ray) Seibert cares for nothing except how much the position will make him and how he can use it for leverage in business deals. The others are not any better. Remember them come election time.”
A man left a garbled message about something and said he “had won two national titles.” Unfortunately, the Red Line could not understand any other part of the message.
Yet another gentleman left a message hard to understand because of severe background noise. It concerned something about the fatal bus-SUV wreck last week and “a drunk driver who had left the bar and was the driver of the SUV.”
A woman asked “where can we take our paper products to be recycled? We do not want to take it to the landfill. Please let us know.” (Editor’s note: The Heartland Opportunities Center takes some paper products. Call 661-1358.)
“I’d like to comment on the front page of the Madera Tribune for July 26 about the young girls who were in an accident,” began a woman. “The driver should be put in jail for endangering young children. How stupid could she be?”
A woman made “a comment about a senior park. I would sure like to know why they advertise it as a senior park, 55 and over, and they’re running ads in the Tribune stating that. And yet, they’re moving in teenagers and babies, yet it is supposed to be a senior park.” She wanted to know “how they are getting by with that.”
A man “wanted to see if the Madera City Council members’ salaries are similar to the city council members of Bell, next to L.A. Everyone in the city is on tight budgets. I would like to see an independent auditor look into what they (city council) are making. I bet they are making over $100,000 a year each. The average citizen of Madera only makes $20,000 a year.” (Editor’s note: The salaries of Madera City Council members — less than $400 per month — are somewhat more modest than those of the City of Bell.)
A man who said he “lives on Santa Cruz Street tried to report to the police department and make a connection with the animal control officer. I was told that there is no (animal control) services available because there’s no officer. We pay taxes. Each and every one of us pays taxes to have these services. Where are they? Eating doughnuts? Out to lunch? At Burger King? I hope you print this so our city fathers will wake up.”
A gentleman called about “the cops’ agreement with the school district.” However, possibly because the message was on speakerphone the Red Line could not clearly identify what the caller was explaining. (Note: when making a call please eliminate as much background noise as possible.)
A woman responded to the previous calls about the Ellis Street over-crossing. “We think the intersection at Gateway and Cleveland has been the intersection from hell since it was put in several years ago. I think the Ellis Street over-crossing is needed.”
“The greyhound bus crash was a tragedy,” wrote an online contributor, “but they cannot and should not be held accountable for somebody driving under the influence. You take a risk in everything you do, whether it’s going out shopping or getting into a car. This is dumb that these people are suing Greyhound. The only reason they don’t sue the drunk driver, is because she is dead. Give me a break, people.”
“When is the school district going to take care of their investment of Memorial Stadium?” another online contributor asked. “That turf looks terrible, seams are already showing and there is gum all over it. It is matted down and looks like it hasn’t been cleaned or brushed up. Same with the track, gum everywhere. People jump the fence all day and are ruining the facility. The school district is not taking care of its investment, nor does it seem to care.”
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Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24 hours a day by calling 674-4478 or by visiting maderatribuneredline.com on the Internet.
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Music Video: “God Save the Foolish Kings” by House of Heroes
I’d like to comment on all the gas stations. They have all removed the lock that keeps the gas pump running while you can sit in your vehicle or wash the windows. Well I am disabled. I can’t stand for more than 30 seconds. Having to stand there to fill up my tank is a killer. I know because of my handicap plates they have to pump the gas for you, however by the time I walk in , wait in line to talk to them I could have pumped it myself. Plus that a little demeaning. I work so hard to not feel handicapped, so asking for help I just can’t do. I heard one city up north wrote so many letters to the paper that the gas stations put them back in. Hopefully we can do the same here.
How many more animals have to been hung, beaten, starved and left for dead before our City District Attorney Micheal Kietz will prosecute these horrible human beings? Madera is quickly becoming known as the Animal Cruelty County. One can judge a community by how well they treat their animals. I am so ashamed.
People need to know that the Madera County Courts will not allow you to borrow a pen when writing them a check. They say it is due to budget. They stood there with a pen in their hand and told me I would have to leave and come back with a pen. When I took the issue up, it was then stated it was also a safety issue. I told them if it was a safety issue, then pens would not be allowed in the court house….then how would I write a check??!!
Supposedly, this was a direct order that came down from Judge Oakley. He needs to remember that they are public service employees, and to deny someone who is writing a check (which supports their pay) a pen, is absolutely rediculous. IF it is really about budget, maybe starting with the gold raised embossed business cards I saw everyone have, will be a good start to start reducing supply costs.