Ag profitability in southeast quadrant needs to be studied Dear Editor,
Your help would be gratefully appreciated to assure that governmental due processes are complete in their studies and evaluations related to the so-called southeast quadrant. This is a critical fact analysis, as there is knowledge that several projects can be shelved, costing millions, with developers walking away from the projects, if processes are deemed to be not thorough and/or not all-encompassing. It is a public service to help prevent this type of wastage, especially with governments, schools and programs undergoing budget deficiencies.
Greenbelt Alliance and related non-profit organizations, often promote agriculture as a viable commodity in 2008. Speakers relate this to City of Morgan Hill government.
The accounting books of non-profit organizations are understood to be available for public review and scrutiny.
Factual analysis being imperative, as a matter of substantiation and comparison, we need newspapers dedicated to educating the public to obtain and print a 2007 agricultural income and expense or balance sheet, from agricultural operations by Greenbelt Alliance in the Morgan Hill area, so that the public can review the figures objectively and evaluate financial evidence of profitability and basis that support the speeches for agriculture in the Morgan Hill area by Greenbelt Alliance in 2008. This financial report may also help newspapers in their professional responsibility toward unbiased reporting, by also objectively reviewing factually, income, expense and profit reports of this subject matter by Greenbelt Alliance agricultural operations. Julie Borina Driscoll, Morgan Hill
Another round of taxes? No way! Dear Editor,
Once again, we are seeing articles and letters to the editor r.e. raising taxes and/or "fees". Morgan Hill, Santa Clara County, San Jose, our sister city to the north, and the State of California, are all desperate for more $ to cover deficits and excessive spending. The problem is amplified because of the collapse of the housing market and lost tax revenue for both new home construction, and residential home taxation.
All of that being said, I for one am sick and tired of our various levels of government assuming that their spending binge is unlimited and that every time they run out of revenue, more taxation is the solution. I have a few better solutions to recommend. First, assume that taxation levels are not to be increased for any reason or excuse, what you are getting now is it, no more. Second, cease the incredible wages and benefits that governments are now bestowing on everyone. If a cities' budget is out of kilter, such as Vallejo is now experiencing, enforce pay and benefit reductions across the board until the budget balances. The threat of having key employees leave to go to another city is a ploy that is used against all cities to get more money, both wages and benefits.
Unfortunately, most city councils succumb to the pressure and give the employees whatever they want, let someone else worry about where the money will come from. It is time for our governmental leaders, all the way from Washington to Morgan Hiill, to draw the line and just say, "no more, this is it!" W. R. Blakley, Morgan Hill
Monning, Reilly best candidates for 27th Assembly District Dear Editor,
In the Democratic primary vote for state Assembly District 27 there are two candidates who seem very strong, experienced and capable. They are Bill Monning from Salinas and Emily Reilly, the Mayor of Santa Cruz.
In interviews with the Morgan Hill Times Editorial Board both of these candidates were head and shoulders above the others in being pragmatic, balanced and well grounded. Bill Monning, however, is the better candidate.
One of the answers Bill Monning gave was establishing a two year budget for California that can be passed by a simple majority. The "annual budget crisis" is a political pig that needs to be slaughtered. We have recently seen how the school budgeting process is constantly in no man's land because the schools must send out pink slips based on a budget that has not yet been discussed. This is but one symptom of sickness in the budgeting process for California.
A two year budget would allow some more sensible planning to occur in all areas of government spending. The simple majority vote instead of the required super majority would take power away from extremists on both sides of the political fence and help return sanity to the process.
The health care crisis is another area where I believe Bill Monning has a superior and reality based perspective. His wife is a physician so he is intimately and directly involved in the health care delivery system. Like most of us, he knows it is in crisis. Unlike most of us he has spent a lot of time looking at pragmatic solutions that take providers as well as patients and taxpayers into account. He believes that a one payer system is the only long term fix for this overwhelming issue. I completely agree.
Bill Monning seems to have a strong commitment to social and economic justice as well as taking global warming and the environment seriously- something that has been seriously lacking on both the state and national level where we have "trickle down" politicians who hope that the system will fix itself. I would personally prefer to have a person committed to making the changes needed in a pragmatic way.
I urge Times readers to vote for Bill Monning in the coming elections. You can check out his positions on the issues at www.billmonning.org. John Quick, Morgan Hill
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2008 Hollister Motorcycle Rally Slide Show
