Letters to the Editor

Glad to see you go
In response to Linda Norton’s letter let me state that you need
to
”
LET IT GO.
”
You have been gone for some time now yet you still concern
yourself with our business. I don’t know when you came here last
but it’s not dirty and I especially take exception with your
remarks because I have lived very near downtown most of my life and
it’s never looked better. Aesthetically the downtown is really
taking shape and everyone is working hard to improve the economics
of downtown.
You should concentrate on trying to be a productive member of
your current community and keep your rude remarks to yourself
because they serve no purpose except to show what a bitter person
you are, and it’s very unflattering.
Carol Lenoir
Hollister
Glad to see you go

In response to Linda Norton’s letter let me state that you need to “LET IT GO.”

You have been gone for some time now yet you still concern yourself with our business.  I don’t know when you came here last but it’s not dirty and I especially take exception with your remarks because I have lived very near downtown most of my life and it’s never looked better.  Aesthetically the downtown is really taking shape and everyone is working hard to improve the economics of downtown.

You should concentrate on trying to be a productive member of your current community and keep your rude remarks to yourself because they serve no purpose except to show what a bitter person you are, and it’s very unflattering.

Carol Lenoir

Hollister

Bush: a terrorist’s best friend

Another load of bull from the White House “The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.” The safety of America depends on making it to 2009and a new commander in chief. President Bush has put us in harm’s way at every turn. He first allowed the 9/11 disaster despite many opportunities to prevent it. January 2001 to 9/11 no actions were taken by the president to attack Al Qaida. It is still a puzzle why Bush did not order the hijacked planes shot down before they reached the Trade Center.

Perhaps to gain leverage to attack Iraq or some other classified reason never to be revealed. Current evidence is, his war of choice, Iraq, has been more help to terrorists than to the United States. The only benefit from the battle in the streets of Baghdad is to Bush buddies with lucrative contracts in Iraq.

Frank Crosby

Morgan Hill

How low will we go?

“What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.” That’s from the Bible (Micah 6:8) and you’ll find similar teachings in the Talmud and the Koran as well. So, here we are standing around talking about torture, what kind and how much might be permissible, and should the President of the United States get to decide. We’re already practicing the denial of habeas corpus, secret imprisonment without charges or access to any justice system – and now Congress is seriously considering legalizing these gross violations. So what happened to “innocent ’til proven guilty”? Does this make you feel safer? And then there’s “pre-emption/” It’s all right to attack if you think the other guy might be thinking of attacking you. How much lower can we sink?

Susan Swanson

Tina Swanson

Paicines

What’s ‘facist’ about children?

As bombs dropped and rows of apartment buildings fell in Beirut, President Bush appeared on CNN to tell us that we are again fighting “Islamic fascists.” An awful lot of innocent people suffered in Beirut (bridges blown up, water and electric plants destroyed, 900,000 people homeless, and an economy in ruins), yet the pilots dropping the bombs were definitely not Islamic fascists.

Bush tells us that “they hate us because of our freedoms,” not because we supply Israel with MK-84 guided bombs and BSU-37/B’s weapons – paid for with American tax dollars. Not because we stand on the sidelines while Israel slaughters 1,000 Lebanese civilians. Not because Israel has fired into ambulances and bombed hospitals with U.S.-made weapons. Not because of the sadistic torturers at Abu Ghraeb and Guantanamo. And most certainly not because Israel continues its cruel occupation of the Palestinian people.

The only way out of this cycle of violence is to deal with reality – the reality of an occupied Palestine and the tragedy of Lebanon.

Yet the U.S. allows Israel to develop nuclear weapons while it threatens Iran with war.

It’s easy to sound off about Islamic fascists. It’s much harder to deal with the layers of justified grievances that have come upon us. The vast majority of Arabs are people of deep humanity who desire peace. Layer by layer, injustices need to be addressed and problems solved.

This is the only way to end the cycle of violence.

Stan George

Gilroy

DRE is there to help

I am writing in response to your article of Sept. 22, entitled “Scammers prey on Latinos.”  I want to commend you for bringing attention to the serious problem of affinity fraud.  However, I believe your article misstated what resources the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) has available to all consumers, including the Latino community.

First, the department takes very seriously complaints filed against real estate licensees by all consumers.  With respect to Spanish speaking consumers, in 1999 the DRE translated its complaint form into Spanish and in each of its five district offices has employees who are equipped to process complaints that are filed in Spanish.  Moreover, the department has translated many of its publications into Spanish, including a brochure on using the services of a mortgage broker and an informational sheet on how to avoid predatory lending. This material is available for free or may be downloaded from our Web site.

I would encourage you and your readers to visit our Web site at www.dre.ca.gov. The department has a link on its homepage to all the information that is available in Spanish.

As to your claim that in 1998 the department was flooded with complaints but was not geared to handle complaints involving predatory lending, that simply was not the case. While it is true that the DRE receives a significant number of complaints every year, the DRE has been able to process every complaint received. Misrepresentations and fraud have always been illegal, and the department has always diligently pursued complaints and sought disciplinary action where appropriate.

And the DRE is constantly improving its efforts in the realm of consumer protections. In 2006, the licensee population exceeded 511,000. With so many new licensees in real estate and related fields, it can be difficult for consumers to know where to turn for help. Through a collaborative effort with the Departments of Corporations and Financial Institutions and the Office of Real Estate Appraisers, the DRE developed a common license information Web page to assist consumers in finding the help they need.

Jeff Davi, commissioner

Department of Real Estate

What’s the bottom line?

I have heard when our sewer is fixed the state will require the city to build so many houses each year. If that is correct exactly how many houses does Hollister have to build each year?

Robert Gila

Hollister

Editor’s note: The state Department of Housing and Community Development does provide housing targets for local jurisdictions in an effort to ensure housing keeps pace with population trends and job growth. Local agencies ignoring these targets are subject to the loss of access to some state funds.

Some well-deserved bragging rights

As director of The Methodist Preschool for the past 34 years, I wanted to brag about our staff and school. The head teachers at our school have all worked for us for more than 15 years. Also, our aids have been working for the school for five years or more, some for over 10 years. Because we have very little staff turnover, it shows what a quality program we have. Our staff is like a family, where children can be very comfortable while having fun and learning. We are proud to say we are a loving Christian school, with 24 students, one head teacher and three aides for each of our four classes. When a child graduates from our preschool they are ready to continue with education. They know that Jesus loves them, and that He will watch over them in all they do. For information about the school, feel free to drop in or call 637-0440.

Judy Rider

director Methodist Preschool

Hollister

Having cake and eating it too

Who do you suppose gets the biggest tax break for purchasing hybrid cars? Surprise, it’s your California legislators.  They gave themselves a $6,000 break, and here’s the kicker, they get to spend the $6,000 on “office” supplies.  That’s on top of the $400 monthly vehicle allowance they already get. I purchased my Civic hybrid in ’02. Yeah, I received a $3,000 federal tax break.  My payment?  $395/mo.

The following are quotes from Surface Transportation Newsletter: “There are several cars available TODAY that are so clean that it would take 590 of them to equal the hydrocarbon emissions of a 1970 car.  These cars meet the extremely stringent Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) standard.  To meet the standards, they must emit 90 percent less hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide than conventional cars sold in California.  This is roughly the equivalent of current hybrid cars.”

Our Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez drives a state-leased Ford Explorer that gets around 14 mpg.  Yes, that’s right, the same guy who is so concerned about the air in the Central Valley. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

Mark Dickson

Hollister