Not sure which government-backed train is rolling down the
tracks ready to crush the taxpayers first. It’s a race between the
High Speed Rail Authority’s brewing colossal financial fiasco and
the California public employee unfunded liability pension gap now
estimated by Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research to
be more than $500 billion.
Not sure which government-backed train is rolling down the tracks ready to crush the taxpayers first. It’s a race between the High Speed Rail Authority’s brewing colossal financial fiasco and the California public employee unfunded liability pension gap now estimated by Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research to be more than $500 billion. We hear that train a comin’, it’s rollin’ around the bend and if the voters don’t put their feet down we’ll never see economic sunshine again …
Loved the thought from Gilroyan411 who wrote this on our comment board: “These high-speed train people must frequent Medileaf. There’s no way this can work.” That’s the ticket, everyone get a prescription for hooch so we can all relax and just get on board. Choo-choo …
Blow the train whistle for a couple of former colleagues. Faithful Dispatch readers will remember Colleen Valles, reporter and editor, who is now engaged to marry former Dispatch reporter Matt King …
No LA-LA Kings, but Motor City Red Wings for the Sharks … really, that’s the way it should be – all roads to The Cup go through Detroit. Reminds me of back in the day, circa 1981, before the 49ers ascended into dynasty turf. They had to go through Dallas. They were forced to exorcise the demons and beat the Cowboys when it counted. True grit or go home. It took a sharp, determined coach, a healthy dose of young blood and The Catch to make it happen. Situation’s similar – it’s the hated, yet highly skilled and dominant Red Wings. Sharks have Logan Couture, Jason Demers and Jamie McGinn like the 49ers had Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Bill Ring. Throw in a few years but not too much experience – Joe Pavelski like Joe Montana – and there’s the winning combo. Sharks in 7 on a power play goal.
Power play is what the city of Gilroy needs this November. We need good people who can think critically with business sense to run for City Council. The current cycle needs to be broken and the only way to do that is for good people to step up and run. Those associated with the Rotary Club, Exchange Club, Elks, Toastmasters, Leadership Gilroy, look around and encourage. Would Susan Patereau run or how about Joel Goldsmith or Karen LaCorte? There are plenty of good people with good skills. We just need a few new leaders to make a real difference.
Making a difference, in my book, doesn’t include social engineering. Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager’s proposal, to ban fast food joints from giving away toys with high calorie meals, is a “perfect” example. Supervisors passed the resolution on a 3-2 vote with Don Gage (thankfully) and George Shirikawa voting against it. What’s next, a ban on Baskin-Robbins or a fine for Arteaga’s Market for making and selling the marvelous chicharones (sinfully delicious pork rinds) they make right at the store? Maybe the supervisors should legislate that the piñatas have to be 100 feet away from the chicharones. The childhood obesity point is an important one to make, but dictatorial legislation is not the solution. In our country, it’s fast becoming the problem. More government is not the answer, better government is. Hey Yeager, fix the $220 million annual deficit and I’ll buy you a Happy Meal and ask Steve and Jan Peat to honor you with a gift certificate …
Oh, and for the record, we sent an email to all the supervisorial candidates running to replace Don Gage in June and asked how they would have voted on the happy meal toy ban. The tally in order of response:
– Teresa Alvarado, YES
– Mike Wasserman, NO
– Tom Kruse, NO
– Forrest Williams, YES
– Peter Arellano, NO RESPONSE
Remember, in June it’s your call.
If it were my call right now, City Administrator Tom Haglund would be given a reasonable deadline to secure bids for fire service for the residents of Gilroy from the Santa Clara County Fire Department and CAL FIRE and also the cost to increase ambulance service. We have to reduce costs and stop the asininity. Here’s a story from a reader that exemplifies both: “… guy walks in to the county clinic complaining of chest pains … the clinic is not set up to handle emergencies so the staff stabilizes him. There are irregularities with his heart and he needs to be transported to Valley Medical. They can’t call an ambulance because when they are called for transport they won’t give anything more than monitor BP or vital signs, so they had to call 911. Call made and Gilroy Fire Department responds with four paramedics and four firemen. They claim that they are all part of the team and when they get the 911 call the whole team responds. Why GFD needs to send 8 people is beyond my understanding … Asininity defined – stupidity combined with stubbornness.
Did I mention last week that Los Gatos, our upscale neighbor to the north, built a brand spanking new police station (land costs included) for $7 million. Gilroy spent $30 million or so for our pharaoh-worthy monstrosity.
Gilroy, however, has a pharaoh-worthy Crab Cioppino Feed every year that Los Gatos can’t match. The Fun Feed (thank you Don and Bill Christopher) keeps high school sports in gear. The 30th Annual is set for Saturday, May 8 at Christopher Ranch. It’s all-you-can-eat Crab Cioppino to die for. Seriously the best. Crab some tickets (ha!), some friends and enjoy Gilroy at its finest. Celebrities Jack Daley and Chuck Ogle will be there in Hawaiian shirts. Tickets are $50 at the Gilroy High ASB office or at http://gilroyhs.schoolloop.com (click on the Cioppino Feed link).
Reach Editor Mark Derry at ed****@****ic.com
