It's still time to change the way legislative districts are drawn
Dear Editor,
I just moved to Morgan Hill a few weeks ago, my fiance and I buying our first home and hoping to start a long and rewarding life in this town. Yet unlike most people, one of the first things that I do as a new resident is find out the organization of government - local, state, and federal. As I went to write a letter to my new congressman, Jerry McNerney, I was struck by one unique aspect of our 11th congressional district, and that fact is that its design makes no logical sense whatsoever. I doubt the average Morgan Hill resident can even tell you the name of their local congressman, let alone the size and shape of their district, but herein lies the problem with a government of and by the people, it only functions properly when the people have an interest and knowledge of how it functions. And your politicians prefer it this way.
The role of congress is to act as a representative of the people in a local "common" area. We are after all a Republic, not a Democracy as most people assume. The role of the census is to assess how to draw these district lines, and to determine whether the growth of a population in an area warrants new seats in Congress. So as we all open our mail boxes these days, we see these census forms, yet we don't think too much about the implications of our responses. If one goes by the intent of the U.S. Constitution, all that would be necessary would be to know how many people are in the household. This would be all that is required to determine the amount of representatives necessary in Congress and the size of its various districts. In fact as of the 2000 census, the federal government has said that no new members of Congress are necessary, the capitol building is bursting at the seams already, thus all our 2010 census will decide is whether our district should grow or possibly even shrink in size.
So why the other "personal" questions? Take one look at a map of your local district 11 and you'll understand why. One would assume that a representative of a local community might include such areas as Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister, San Juan Bautista, maybe even areas of South San Jose, but that's not how your representatives in Congress choose to draw your district lines. Our 11th Congressional District includes such communities as Morgan Hill, Tracy, Moraga, Pleasanton, Lodi, and even Stockton. So I ask you, what do we share with these cities, what common principles to they represent, and how do such lines get drawn? They get drawn using the various "personal" data on your census form. Have you ever wondered why Congress has a 13 percent approval rating, yet representatives get re-elected 94 percent of the time? This is one of the reasons why. They create a map of the district which will likely vote for their party in the next election and they use your personal information to do this.
So as you look at your census form closely and try to determine how to mark you answers, do realize that you are not giving your government the tools to represent you, you are giving them the tools to represent themselves, because that's all this government is about, staying in power as long as they can and growing government (taxes) as large as they can. While the census bureau says its illegal to not complete the census, they are vague in what constitutes a "complete" census form. If you go by the intent of the constitution, then you would only be required to put a total number in your household. What you include on yours is up to you. Roll your own dice and decide whether you want a census officer knocking at your door. But if you too are unhappy with your representation, or lack thereof, there are a few things you can do. (1) Advocate term limits so that politicians cannot stay in power for decades at a time. (2) Vote for the person, not the party, after all these districts are drawn on party lines. (3) Write your congressman and tell him what you think about this corruption, and while you're at it you might want to remind him where Morgan Hill is, because I doubt he's been down here in quite some time.
Jonathan A. Brusco, Morgan Hill
Great Fourth, but band was too loud
Dear Editor,
I want to thank Morgan Hill for their parade, evening bands and terrific fireworks display. At a time in which many cities chose to forego festivities given the current economic problems, it was very heartening that Morgan Hill kept its 4th of July spirit. However, where on Earth was the city in terms of regulating the decibels the concert churned out? While many may debate the choice of music (for example was AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" really needed for Independence Day) I think no one can debate that the music was so loud as to ruin the show. Last year, many children in the audience rushed forward to dance near the band, rolled down the grassy hill next to the stage and had a wonderful time. This year, anyone braving that area have headaches and ringing ears. Almost no one could dance and no one could play. At nearly 80 yards back, people were booing in the hopes of simply stopping the band from playing. Next year, please pick another band and have someone present to ensure the volume is kept at a level that allows everyone to enjoy it, not just the people two miles away.
Rob Nevitt, Morgan HIll
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