Guest View: Effective writing skills are essential in the 21st century
The ability to communicate in writing is undoubtedly the most important skill a student will ever learn. However, an absence of challenging reading materials and writing assignments in high school, students’ increased use of texting and other forms of electronic communication and teenagers’ general apathy have contributed to the national drop in skill use and aptitude according to R. Ferguson, CEO of ACT.
Guest View: We cannot afford higher taxes, fees
Referring to the Public Notice you published in today's edition about the proposed tax/fee increases by county board, please find attached my memo written while serving on two chambers' (Gilroy and Hollister) Government Review Committees about the taxation power in the wake of the California Supreme Court's decision holding that a government imposed fee was not a tax, and thus taxpayers in California lacked constitutional protections from government fees which we had against government taxes. Well, as you know the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled just the opposite: a government imposed fee is a tax. But Californians were stuck with our Supreme Court's interpretation, and my predictions in my memo have come true.
Guest View: Same old groundhog – different day
In the movie “Groundhog Day”, Bill Murray is a weather reporter who nightmarishly relives the same Groundhog Day, day after day. Like Bill after his first cookie-cutter Groundhog Day, you probably thought we had survived Congress’s New Year’s Day fiscal cliff-hanger hangover.
Letter: Abolish COG’s kingdom
Aside from the fact that the joint power authority, VTA-wannabe COG, lacks legal capacity to inflict taxes/fees on the citizens of SBC, taxpayers would be better off if our local elected leaders abolished COG, privatized transit, and let Public Works Department do the streets and roads, like they used to do.
Letter: Councilman says Alejo is out of touch with business owners
With business owners like myself continuing to struggle to find ways to pay bills and make ends meet, it amazes me that some local politicians remain so out of touch with small business owners.
Letter: Commerce must flow unimpeded by government
Note the article from JOC Daily Newswire regarding U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear the ATA and National Chamber of Commerce challenge to 9th Circuit's decision upholding LA's clean truck program.
Letter: ‘Aromas Cares’ is one-sided on fracking
After reading the recent articles in your paper covering fracking, I wanted to share my recent experience with you regarding the anti-fracking group, Aromas Cares For the Environment. I did not want what I consider their extremist one-sided views to go unchallenged. Please read my comments below and at least consider that there is a side to the story that you will not hear listening only to members of "Aromas Cares for the Environment". I am sure I would be hoping for to much to wish for you to place my comments in the editorial section of your paper, but I think they would serve the community well to read them.
Letter: Thanks for support of Holte Holiday Dinners in 2012
It is at this time that we wish to thank you for your coverage of the Holte Holiday Diners. With your support and that of many volunteers we were able to meet expenses as well as serve over 500 people a Christmas dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, tri tip, and dessert. This could not have been the huge success it was without the help of scores of volunteers and organizations that made it possible. Those who helped included: Mike and Allison Sicoli - Round Table Pizza, San Juan Bautista Rotary, Bob Stone - Tri Way Meats, San Benito County Cattleman’s Association, Napa Auto Parts, Sacred Heart Church , Presbyterian Church, St. Luke’s Church, Pansona, Mansmith B-B-Q, San Benito High School, Father Rudy, Marich Confectionary, Top Hatters of Hollister, Frank Scalmanini, Kay Filice – Filice Farms, Holte Executive Board. We apologize if anyone or an organization was omitted. Thanks again for every ones support in making the dinner a huge success!
Letter: What is going on with the fracking?
My names Keith Snow, I am writing this letter as my freedom of speech and proof of burden and truthful.
Letter: Muenzer’s closing had help from schools
I read your opinion column about the closing of Muenzer's after 102 years. You wrote a very nice obituary and basically that it died of natural causes, but I would like to point out that it had a lot of help from the school systems in San Benito County, and based upon how you want to look at it, it may have died from anything from an assisted suicide, all the way up to Murder 2. For many years Muenzer's worked closely with the schools of San Benito county to sell their Physical Education uniforms, and for many years made donations back to the programs at the local schools, but beginning about six years ago one by one each of the schools abandoned them beginning with Rancho and ending with San Benito High School. Having been the Physical Education department chair at San Benito High School for several years I worked closely with Jan and Jerry to have them be the exclusive supplier of our Physical Education uniforms, but one by one schools thought they could make more money by bypassing Muenzer's and selling their own P.E. clothes. I also blame the school boards who no longer supported Physical Education departments in mantaining a specific uniform for physical education, (but that is a whole different letter). Either way removing Rancho, Maze, Anzar, and San Benito High School P.E. uniforms hurt them tremendously. I would argue that most people went in and bought two uniforms, a lock, maybe socks and tennis shoes, and probably a sweat shirt. I would guess anywhere from $30 to $150 each fall, multiplied by thousands of families who came in and you have, in my opinion, the critical mass that pushed it over the edge. I hope all those who slowly choked Muenzer's out sleep well at night.













