Opinion
Editorials
Recommendations for the May 19 special election
Yes on 1A: Proposition 1A is a common-sense, rational and long-needed reform. It will not guarantee the end of deficits. If a future decline is steep enough or long enough, no rainy-day fund will be big enough to cover all of the shortfall. But it will cushion the blow. And it is far better than what we have now. The ups and downs of state taxes have allowed legislators to binge on spending one year and starve programs the next, creating unpredictability and false expectations of what the state will provide. Previous rainy-day funds have proven porous. Prop. 1A would patch the holes. This should be seen as a down payment on comprehensive reform. That has to include lowering the requirement for two-thirds of the Legislature to approve a state budget and new taxes, but voters won't agree to that change without spending controls. Under Prop. 1A, yearly overall spending would be based on a 10-year average of state revenues, adjusted for inflation and population growth. Three percent of revenues each year, plus additional windfalls, would go into a rainy-day fund that would be used when revenues fall or, once the fund is full, to pay off debt and unmet obligations such as retirees' health benefits.
More of this storyDoes our opinion page have any relevance and worth to the community? Absolutely!
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Letters
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You’re out ... of line!
It’s baseball season again, not just for the nation, but also for our youth here in Kern River Valley. The All-American past time. Many will find their favorite part of baseball to be the opportunity to heckle, the players, the coaches, and most of all the umpires. This is both acceptable and expected in the Professional Leagues, for this is their job. Jobs for which they are paid a great deal of money. This is not the case with our youth however. They are here to have fun and learn valuable lessons, such as teamwork, responsibility, to win or lose with dignity, and respect for others.
More of this storyOkay, so everyone knows that our little valley has one of the hugest methamphetamine problems, but it’s beginning to start to not make a whole lot of sense to me. Everywhere you look there are tweakers about. Whether they be working, the customer, or just passing through. They are everywhere! Me and my family have been battling several problems for years now. I’m talking turning in license plate numbers, taking pictures, and talking to Sheriff Youngblood, yet nothing is done. It takes so long for them to even try to do something that the next generation of high school kids come out being tweakers themselves. It’s staggering how many parents I see walk into these places with children under the age of ten.
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Focus of letters should be reconsidered
I’m an out-of-towner, but a frequent visitor to the Kern Valley, and a subscriber to the Sun. A thorough read includes Letters to the Editor.
More of this storyOnce again the powers that be California or Kern County, amaze me. I am refering to the improvements (LOL) on Lake Isabella Blvd. I assumed (big mistake) that there would be two lanes each way with a turn lane in the center. What we have is one lane each way with a bike lane big enough for a semi. When is the last time you have seen enough bikes up here to need a lane that big? And why just from the 3-way to Vons? How long before someone backs out of one of the boulevard’s many buisnesses in front of a bike they did not see. This whole project is a accident waiting to happen. Whoever thought this one up did not have both oars in the water.
More of this storyOne of the main reasons for expensive medical insurance is repeated trips to the doctor. This doesn’t mean you are getting good; you are getting care and each time another bill is presented to your insurance.
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Let Congress know what you think
Chrysler only went into bankruptcy instead of re-organization because of some speculative hedge fund bondholders who bought the bonds in the last six months knowing the company was in a terminal condition.
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A big 'thank you' to the community
I’m writing this letter to thank some very special people and business owners in Lake Isabella. Recently we lost a dear friend and family member. Her passing was sudden and unexpected. We wanted to acknowledge and celebrate her life, share our love and memories. So we decided to have a memorial service for her. But not knowing how or where we could have a memorial and with little or no money, we were at a loss.
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Local law enforcement seems indifferent
Everyone knows law enforcement here is non-existent, no story there, but this latest incident is new to me. We called them three times for a loud party next door. Once at 1 in the morning, once at 2 and once at 3. He arrived a little after 3 and, wait for it, he said, I can't force people to go to sleep and left. I have to admit it was a nice change from It's a civil matter.” I used to think that it was their intense dislike of the locals, but maybe its that they actually don't know the law. Scary isn’t it.
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Disabled have rights for use of roadways
I’m sure I’m not the only person in a power chair around here. There are a few who seem to think its okay to park and block the curb cuts for the disabled. There were two of us in chairs last Sunday along with a friend of ours walking along side of us. We were heading for a restaurant and we went to use the curb cut to get across the street, just to find a truck blocking our access. Our friend went into the store to ask who it was and ask them to please move so we could cross the boulevard. This person came out with an attitude. I told him this is a no parking area and meant for folks with a disability to use. He said no its not, and I began telling him about it when he rudely told me to shut my mouth. Wrong thing to say to me. I have since looked it up in the 2009 DMV hand book and sure enough on (page 51) it clearly says, “Never park or leave your vehicle: Within 3 feet of a sidewalk ramp for disabled persons or in front of or on a curb which provides wheelchair access to a sidewalk.” Yes we did stay there till you re-parked. I knew you would park there again. So we were looking out for the next person in a chair. It’s a shame you were so rude. I hope those who drive, and do not drive will open your hand book and see what I’m telling here is the truth. We the disabled also have rights to.
More of this storyRush Limbaugh, the leader of the Republican party, called Sarah Palin, “The most prominent and articulate voice for American conservatism.” Ms.Palin was then installed on the new Republican think tank, the National Council for a New America.
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Has the Terminator gone too far?
The Center for Health Care Rights in Los Angeles, a non-profit, says over 300,000 elders in L.A. County alone, may be disabled or on veteran’s pensions, have gotten a letter from the Governor’s office or their IHSS worker that their SSI/SSP will be raided, giving them a new share of cost as of April 1, 2009.
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Single payer health care, MediCare for all
I urge all readers to support single-payer health care reform, Medicare for all. According to data I’ve seen, more than 40 million U.S. citizens do NOT have health insurance coverage yet the U.S pays twice as much for health care than any industrialized nation. It is time to take health care out of the private (for profit) domain and provide, as most industrialized nations do, health care for all citizens via Medicare - reducing healthcare costs for most businesses and most persons. Per 2000 data, 23 percent of Kern County residents had no health insurance, at that time this represented 181,748 Kern citizens.
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What happened to ‘Protect and Serve’?
A matter of life or meth, Letters, 5/6/09In regard to last week’s letter I would like to say that my friend and I have been fighting the same problem. We have talked to a half dozen officers, called the Target program, written down license plate numbers and submitted them, and got no results. Some officers said that they would look into it and others said that there was nothing they could do about it and one said, “What do you want me to do about it?”
More of this storyI want to share my recent experience with our local hospital. When I entered I could hardly lift my head and felt like I’d be leaving feet first. The care of the nurses and doctors was excellent, especially Dr. Matuh who allayed my fears. The respiratory therapy services were excellent and I was able to come home standing up. People in our valley need to know what an excellent hospital we have. The Pink Ladies make the rooms so nice I felt like I was in a hotel. The nurses put me at ease. My mental state was terrible when I went in and now I am smiling. We are fortunate to have our hospital and we need it in our valley. I am very grateful to my Nurse Practitioner, Carol Kendall, who listened to me and sent me to the Emergency Room.
More of this storyThrough the blood, the intense pain, and the shock I see the Deputy Sheriff sprawled over a rock, dead. We tumble over and over again into the dark Kern River, neither of us wearing seatbelts, the sound of the metal crunching makes me believe death was taking to me.
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Letter crossed the line
Re: Celebrating human sacrifice, Letters 4/15/09It’s obvious that your newspaper supports and promotes the liberal and homosexual agenda, but this time you have crossed the line. By allowing your editor, Cathy Perfect, to hand-pick this hate-filled letter and publish it, knowing that it would infuriate the Christians in the Kern River Valley. Well, you got your wish. I, for one, am extremely angry and offended, but I am sure that was your intent. If you think this will sell more newspapers, you are sadly mistaken. It will be just the opposite. You must have forgotten the possibility of backlash from the community, or maybe you just don’t care. Whatever the case, you showed no respect for the vast majority of people in this area, and you surely have no shame. Your paper does not have to apologize because it will not be accepted, but we promise you that your newspaper will suffer the consequences.
More of this storyThe Somali pirates continue to wreak havoc on commercial shipping off the coast of Africa. There are about 20 ships with over 300 hundred hostages currently being held by the pirates for ransom.
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Twisting of facts outrageous
Re: Celebrating human sacrifice, Letters 4/15/09Hate seemed to be oozing out of his words! After my initial outrage over his twisting of facts, I felt a deep sadness; he apparently had something in his past that affected him and he is still lashing out like a rebellious child to his parents. I cannot condone his lifestyle, but because he is still a child of God I pray that he sees how hateful his actions have become and finds another way to address his issues in the public forum. These letters are so intolerant and aggressive that they cannot be considered reasonable by any clear thinking person. Most Christians will feel personally attacked, and yet most of them will never have shown any personal animosity toward the writer.
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Alternative to satellite TV blackout
For all of you whom subscribe to Dish Network TV and have suffered with their refusal to contract with Fisher Communications for two of our favorite channels i.e. Fox Channel 58 and CBS Channel 29, I bring good news to you. You may call “All America Direct,” (not Direct TV) at 1-800-249-1063 and receive both channels 58 and 29 for 6 months for one payment of $39.95, ($3.33 a piece for 6 months.)
More of this storyAfter reading the latest rant from the self-loathing, God hating, people hating local homosexual’s mascot, I can only assume that the publisher and editor of the Kern Valley Sun must share his views and emotions. Why else would you keep printing his repetitious and increasingly hateful tirades?
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RUOK program saves lives, provides feeling of security
Many residents of the Kern River Valley may not be aware of a very valuable program that is available at no cost and provides an extremely important function for the welfare of seniors, shut-ins, and the disabled. The purpose of this program is to insure that the participants are okay. RUOK is a service that had been in effect for several years and has saved lives and provided a feeling of security.
More of this storyOn Saturday, April 18, just like the third Saturday of every month, a group with their pickups drove around the area collecting food distributed to The Food Pantry, God’s Storehouse, and The Salvation Army. At the Wofford Heights stop, a Family Life Center (Wofford Heights) van pulled up with food donated by the compassionate folks at the Family Life Center – lots of food (a red collection barrel plus a number of boxes) – thanks to Brian Polston and the compassionate members of the Family Life Center for all that food! Perhaps other groups during the last four weeks have donated that much food or more to these organizations - I hope so – every month the need exceeds the donations. We appeal to ALL persons in this Valley who can to demonstrate compassion for fellow residents challenged to secure this basic element of survival – food. We could be like Scrooge in that infamous holiday movie and assume government agencies provide the necessary assistance, or we can take more personal responsibility for our neighbors and exhibit our compassion like the folks at the Family Life Center. As indicated previously, no matter what differences in belief, those of us in the Compassion Caravan are just offering a means of collecting and getting the food to the organizations – if your organization (club, school, business) wants to use our collection services, just contact us and we’ll supply a red collection barrel and pick-up any collected food or monetary donations – see the display ad in this paper, 4/18 – or see the red collection barrels at Vons, Mt. Mesa Market , and Sierra Gateway Market (Southlake) to contact us.
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What’s religion got to do with feeding our hungry?
I’m writing about a very disturbing rumor I heard recently; that some people in our valley are intentionally not contributing to the Caravan for Compassion and that they are encouraging others to follow this appalling policy! Their reasoning is that the project was started by a homosexual person and is run by “liberals,” homosexuals and those sympathetic to their plight and others who are presumed to have an “agenda” of some sort. How can that be? This project is about the collection of food to help the hungry people in our valley, perhaps one of your neighbors? What about you, ever been hungry? Do you think that a child who has to go to bed hungry cares that a homosexual person started the program? Or that a Democrat took their time to spend a day driving around the lake to collect the food? Why do “we” insist on making everything about politics and/or religion? They are, have always been and will continue to be very hot and controversial topics and everyone is entitled to their opinion and their way of life, but what does that have to do with feeding our hungry? I don’t get it and I think that it’s an atrocity……you should be ashamed of yourselves.
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Celebrate God’s love
Re: Celebrating human sacrifice, Letters 4/15/09There are some among us who feel educated beyond their Creator, and they continually reject the truth that He shares through His Word. As Winston Churchhill noted, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.” Allow me today to share a bit of truth. Hopefully, you may stumble over it, but take a while to digest it.
More of this storyIt has been your choice to print weeks and weeks of letters from Mr. Steuart. This community laughs and just gives the paragraph after paragraph no interest. But now enough is enough!
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Columns
Organizing spring
Susan Barr
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More of this storyDaniel Pope
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Brandon Muncy
More of this storyJackie Papandrew
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More of this storyBrandon Muncy
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Hydra: Longest, largest constellation
In one Greek myth, Hydra, Corvus, and Crater are all in the same story and are preserved together in our night sky. The story tells us that crows used to be beautiful white birds with beautiful voices and they were the messengers of the gods. Our word ‘cup’ comes from the word crater. Apollo gave Corvus the Crow, the Crater to use to fetch a drink of water from a special spring. While enroute, Corvus spotted a fig tree with not quite ripe fruit. Corvus waited until the fruit was ripe enough to eat and after eating his fill of figs he realized that he had been gone way too long. He needed a story to tell Apollo to account for his delay. Corvus snatched a water snake, Hydra, in his claws and when he returned to Apollo he claimed that the snake had prevented him from returning sooner. Apollo was not fooled and he changed all the crows to black and gave them the voices we hear today. Apollo threw all three into the sky and put the Cup just out of Corvus’ reach so he can never get a drink. I’ve read that crows are the only birds that do not carry water to their young.
More of this storyMarilyn Benoit
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Wedding bells ring for Leanne & Brandon
Amber Siratt
More of this storyDaniel Pope
More of this storyJackie Papandrew
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Try Marge’s Lemon Velvet Delight
Brandon Muncy
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