I woke at 2 a.m. again this week to the sounds of someone going
through my recycle bin on the street. It seems that every week
someone goes through all the cans on the street gathering the
recyclable bottles and cans waiting for the morning trash
pick-up.
Dear Editor,
I woke at 2 a.m. again this week to the sounds of someone going through my recycle bin on the street. It seems that every week someone goes through all the cans on the street gathering the recyclable bottles and cans waiting for the morning trash pick-up.
On this morning I grabbed my camera and confronted the young man as he went through my receptacle. And there on my street at two in the morning I had a talk with him. He told me he did not know that it was illegal to go through recycle bins stating he thought it was the same as going through dumpsters. I found that hard to believe. He also told me he was out of work and trying to make some money. This I did believe.
I figured he must have made $10 to $20 on my street alone.
From a practical standpoint it is very annoying to be awakened in the wee hours by this activity and I don’t like the idea of having people wander up and down my street when everyone is asleep. It certainly isn’t the kind of thing I want to bother the police about, but I have been wondering about this rather unusual form of welfare or financial support for the needy.
The recycle company has to buy the cans from the guy who took them from my bin rather than the garbage collection company which collects them from the street. This added cost is then tacked on to the trash bill as added overhead cost, so I can pay more for trash service. There is no added benefit to the environment as the cans and bottles were going to be recycled anyway. But the guy on my street gets to make some money.
So, I pay more to the trash company who passes money on to the guy who steals my cans. There isn’t much money there, certainly not enough for one person to worry about. The company doesn’t worry as it is still paid by our fees.
There has been a lot of noise about reducing taxes. Last month California finally got a budget that cuts lots of services for people that need them while the tax conservatives were claiming victory by having no new taxes. Yet when we really look at it, we are all paying more, just not through the direct tax bill. We get less police and fire service, and this costs us. Our children receive less education services, and this costs us. Service agencies helping the homeless or mentally ill are underfunded and we all pay that cost, too.
The state borrows from the county and city, and they have to cut services or raise fees. And all of these costs are not necessarily distributed fairly. Some communities will raise fees while others don’t. Costs for services like trash collection will go up. And, meanwhile, we will have more and more people who have to break the rules to survive.
I think I would prefer to pay more in a fairly distributed comprehensive tax. And all of this thinking was due to the fact that a guy on the street woke me up at two in the morning and stole my cans and my sleep.
Tessa Beta-Katz, Gilroy
CalPERS pensions and shameful suspension of the Williamson Act
Dear Editor,
I retired from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office after 30 years of service in nearly every division. To me, it was a commitment of duty, integrity, and pride to the people of this county and state. It had its risks and I accepted that, and more than once I was involved in life-threatening encounters.
My retirement benefit and my commitment to public safety now seem diminished by those who seek, with a self-serving sense of entitlement, to raid Cal-PERS and pay the bills of politicians they themselves elected.
I live at and own a small parcel of Williamson Act property where I can farm a portion basically year round. I sell some to local markets and donate the balance to the St. Joseph’s outreach ministry of St. Mary’s in Gilroy. I do it as my commitment to the Williamson Act.
Now that has been suspended by the governor, along with an increase in state income tax withholding. Is this what President Obama meant by “redistributing the wealth?”
I am not asking for sympathy, at least not yet. I want the taxpayers to pay attention to what the politicians do, why they do it, and who pays the bill.
William Scott, Gilroy
President Obama’s huge mistakes in health care reform speech
Dear Editor,
President Obama was once known as “no drama Obama” a person above the fray.
In his recent press conference, he blamed Republicans for health care failing to progress. He accused doctors of performing unnecessary operations. He demonized insurance companies.
The President then jumped in and commented on a situation without knowing the facts. Why play the race card? He is the “post racial” President no more. We need someone in the White House with good judgment. He or she cannot jump to conclusions without knowing the facts.
The President was supposed to be promoting his health care program. Instead he created a controversy and diverted attention away from healthcare.
A “uniter not a divider” no more.
Keith C. De Filippis, San Jose
