Archive By Section - Local Columns
Califoreclosure now giving bucks away to buy cars
California is $24 billion in the hole and slipping. Teachers are being laid off by the tens of thousands. Taxpayers are losing their homes left and right. Our streets could end up with potholes wider than the state of Rhode Island. So what is Sacramento doing? What else but giving away more money. The California Air Resources Board will give those who turn in vehicle models 1976 or older into a licensed dismantler $1,000 or ...
Where ag project money is coming from
I read Dennis Wyatt's column ("Now that they've laid off 209 teachers, what is Manteca Unified doing next?" – Friday, June 26, 2009) and wanted to make you aware of the correct dollar amounts and restrictions to those dollars as I believe the premise of your opinion was based on some inaccurate information.
Now that they’ve laid off 209 teachers, what is Manteca Unified doing next?
Nancy Teicheira gets it. Manuel Medeiros gets it. Rex Holiday gets it. Too bad the rest of the Manteca Unified School District board doesn't get it. In the middle of the worst budget crisis in the history of the Manteca Unified School District as well as telling 209 teachers to hit the road, the board voted to commit discretionary funds to build – are you ready for this – more classrooms. Perhaps I'm missing something, ...
Making ‘green’ a high priority in Manteca
I'm not normally a big fan of creating more commissions or another layer of government but it would seem Manteca would be well-served if the City Council appointed a Green Commission.
Newsom-Harris: Dream team for illegals who commit crimes
Dirty Harry – a creation of Hollywood – could not thrive in the real San Francisco as an inspector.
Our health or buying an iPod: We often make the wrong choice
An iPod costs as much as a dental exam and cleaning. That explains in a large part why this nation's health care costs are growing faster than morning glory and are threatening to choke the life out of the economy. We all make choices. And those choices aren't necessarily wise. Our kid has to have an iPod but we can skimp on the dental exam. Can't afford the vaccines but we can get our 7-year-old ...
When you see a ‘proud parent’ sticker, offer thanks
I drove to Lodi Saturday without having to go through government checkpoints. I can thank a Marine. My granddaughter is free to go to school and she'll be able to vote and enjoy the full rights of all male citizens. I can thank a soldier. I pray as I chose. I can thank an airman. My neighbors and I can access a wide range of consumer goods thanks to the un-interruption of trade between nations. ...
Destroying the San Joaquin Valley in order to save it
Passing gas could one day become a criminal act. It sounds absurd but who would have thought cows doing what they do naturally would become a major target of the air quality cops. Methane gas is basically organic material breaking down. It is also a greenhouse gas that is over 20 times more effective trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. It also stays in the atmosphere for anywhere from nine to 15 years. ...
Sacramento ready to flush state’s future down toilet
Thank goodness the current California Legislature wasn't around during the Great Depression.
LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE DISTRICTS
There still appears to be some confusion about the facts concerning the City assuming responsibility for the Landscape Maintenance Districts (LMD). The intent of this blog is to provide clarity to some of the points made in the opinion column in Thursday's Manteca Bulletin.
Political quicksand in form of landscape maintenance districts
Four different contractors deploy at least a dozen people in any given week to work on the 30-plus landscape maintenance district (LMD) that cost homeowners collectively close to $1 million a year.
A modest proposal to save California
The party's over. It's time to detox California government. The only way to do that is to stop the dependency by reeling in the pushers and making the addicts go cold turkey. The pushers – your friendly neighborhood legislator who entices you with grants and funding in exchange for your vote every two or four years – need to be severely restricted. The only way to do that is to dilute their power. And ...
Digital TV: Clearing up fuzzy stuff
My retail days seemed like a lifetime ago. In the final years at Montgomery Ward some nine years ago – after over 100 years in business, the national retail chain closed in early 2001 – I worked in the electronics department of the Stockton store. At the time, we were embarking on the digital era, with only the savvy consumer being aware that the analog television sets would soon become passé. But as sales associates, ...
From spoonfuls of sugar to fruits, vegetables & nuts
What a difference 45 years make. Back then breakfast for me was non-existent except on Saturday mornings. It was The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Quick Draw McDraw, a couple bowls of Frosted Flakes, and about a dozen or so straight spoonfuls of sugar Now it's breakfast every day – an orange, an apple, a banana, a quarter of a watermelon, three yogurts, and a third of a can of almonds all washed down by V8 Fusion ...
Don’t blame illegals for state budget mess
Are the illegal residents washing dishes in a restaurant or picking fruit the root of all evil when it comes to California's economic maladies?
Articles by Section - Local Columns
Shooting a hole in the debate over gun control
Here's a little nugget for those embroiled in the debate over gun control: Young men kill.
Ammo sales & ‘The Obama Effect’
Almost four years ago, I wrote a column entitled "The Obama Effect" in which I described how fear and distrust of our then newly elected President created panic among our citizenry and that there were massive shortages of almost every kind of ammunition imaginable.
Safeguards against PG&E style file browsing at Manteca City Hall
Is the plan PG&E proof?
Tax Internet sales until virtual cops can protect us
The Internet.
Summer heat and keeping dogs safe
DEAR DIDI: It hasn't been all that hot yet but I noticed when I was walking my English Bulldog the other day he refused to stay on the sidewalk. Can you tell me about temperatures for walks and what I should watch for when I take her in the car? -Worried Mommy in Manteca
Taxes you pay go to PG&E & not Headstart
Pundits - and editorial cartoonists - are having a field day over Congress' decision to restore funding for air traffic controllers while letting programs such as Headstart for low-income kids and Meals on Wheels for shut-in senior citizens take federal budget hits.
The Pope and Godless capitalism
"This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis.
Cinco de Mayo is as American as you can get
People need to stop having heart palpations over Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Meeting your Ripon neighbors at jury duty, plus an unexpected pleasure over lunch
Meeting a couple of Ripon folks, and one from Linden and another from Tracy was an unexpected pleasure in my brief two days of jury duty this week – especially when four of us just happened to go out to lunch together on Thursday.
Kentucky Derby’s horse tie to French Camp
FRENCH CAMP – It's a funny thing, this horse racing business.
Guns: Being judged by 12 instead of being carried by 6
She's a single mom in her early 30s. She lives in an old farmhouse in an almond orchard five miles east of Manteca. The closest neighbor is a quarter mile of a way but the trees make it impossible to see their home.
Want a safe environment for vacation? Then stay out of Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is not Disneyland.
Perhaps Manteca should work with Wal-Mart to create a homeless park
The aging RV was parked under a stately tree providing relief from the 90-degree midday heat.
Count your blessings that disco didn’t survive the ‘70s
Bell bottom pants. Flare-leg pants. Men's rayon tie scarves. Polyester suits.
Sections:
- NEWS |
- SPORTS |
- BUSINESS |
- OBITUARIES |
- OPINION |
- HOME SCENE |
- 209 |
- MULTIMEDIA |
- FEATURED EDITIONS |
- MOVIES |
- REGIONAL NEWS
Services:
Submit News:
Online:
Contents of this site are © 2013 Manteca Bulletin - All Rights Reserved Privacy policy and Terms of service | Contact Us
