This "Sound Off!" is for the person with the problem of charges. Obviously there's somebody in your household lying to you because Charter doesn't just send people pornography for no reason. That $160 that you got worth of pornography probably did go to your house. Someone's just been lying to you. It's time to grow up and figure out who this is instead of calling to "Sound Off!" and complain. It's not going to do you any good.
• Controlling wives
I'm calling regarding that daughter-in-law article ya'll had in the paper last week. Me and this person share some of the same problems. I also watch Dr. Phil and have learned a lot. My son's wife is also very controlling but he kind of steps in occasionally. She also plays that same game with me about the grandchildren; if I say or do something she doesn't like, she withholds the children from me. She's just very mean-spirited and rude. I really don't think she was taught how to value family when she was growing up.
You daughter-in-laws out there need to drag yourselves up.
• Thanks for light display!
I'd like to thank people at Christmas Tree Lane. That is so nice for them to continuously, year after year, put out such a display of lights that children's eyes light up. Family comes in and I take them over there and it is just beautiful. Thank you! Thank you for keeping that Christmas spirit.
And for those who go over there, keep it clean. Do not damage anything! This is a tradition that is beautiful. This is a grandma from Ceres.
• Wants holiday parties at school
I'm calling about how the past few years the schools are no longer able to have Christmas parties and other holiday parties because of leaving students who don't celebrate. So instead we change the name and call them winter parties and other things so these students can participate. Yet these parties are exactly what a Christmas party or other holiday party is. We change the name regardless of what you want to call it but it's still a party for Christmas or Easter or Halloween and those children are not allowed - by their religion or parents - to participate. Some don't even show up on that date anyway. It's not right that we change the name and the way we celebrate for their religion but it's okay to offend other religions. It's not right and I'm feeling discriminated against because of it.
• Clearing of site alarming
The clearing of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter site is alarming to me. The buildings and the farm houses, even though lay dormant for several years, they were lost through negligence. I never had the opportunity to object to the buildings being torn down because the public basically wasn't told about the demolitions. To me this is alarming considering the state-mandated scoping meeting and the Ceres Planning Department established the fact that the building and the vegetation were to be studied and not eliminated without due process. In my opinion the developer may have been motivated solely by return on capital. But this was in disregard of CEQA and the environmental impact review.
Why and how that demolition occurred remains unanswered. What I what I want to know is, now that the law may have been broken, how is the site being protected? What safeguards are in place to prevent this from happening again?
• Tax revenue slight of hand?
I wanted to say "congratulations" to the Ceres residents who lived for Measure H. It passed and I know you believe it will benefit all. In reality, it will only reduce any serious shoppers' net income because they are paying more taxes to the local government. In other words, the more you pay in city, state and federal taxes, the less of your paycheck goes to spend as you want.
I've lived in Ceres close to 30 years and in Modesto most of 20 before that. I've seen these measures come and go; some fail, some pass. When they pass the extra tax money does thankfully go where it was intended but that money comes into the left pocket and then goes out dollar for dollar from the right pocket and we're right back where we started.
I know you think this is just typical argument but look around this town and see how many retail outlets we have. With each store collecting an extra five cents for every $10 spent, dedicated solely to police and fire department of Ceres ... I figure in the first year we can hire at least five to 15 people, and the second year another 20-30 and on and on. When we have all the people we need, what happens to the extra tax money? There's no stop to the extra tax. Where does the money go once we accomplish what we set out to do with the tax? Or am I right about the left pocket, right pocket?
I think if you vote to give them your money, they will find a way to spend it whether you agree with it or not. But you voters are sharp. You probably want an example: How about this? Now that we have this extra half-cent sales tax revenue, the Ceres City Council has determined the time is ripe to give city officials pay raises.
Let's see. The citizens of Ceres give themselves a tax increase. The leaders of Ceres give themselves a pay raise. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. What percentage pay raise did you get this year?
• Sam Vaughn parking lot dangers
I am a parent and my child attends Sam Vaughn Elementary School. And I'm calling in about an incident that occurred yesterday and I kind of seen the same thing taking place again today and it's beginning to be a concern of mine. As I am in the entrance of the parking lot (that goes in like a U-shape in front of the school where we pick up our students after class), I noticed the traffic patrol came out toward the exit part. It's like a three-way crosswalk where they block the exit of the parking lot, the street and then the other street. A parent proceeded to go through the crosswalk. There was another child who was getting ready to enter that crosswalk but luckily that car kind of got out of the way before the student stepped out into it or else that could have been a pretty ugly sight. I see the same thing going on today and I made a comment to one of the teachers helping with traffic patrol. I asked why we aren't writing down their license plate numbers and doing something about it. And she said there's nothing that she can do about it.
They've tried calling the Police Department and asking for patrol out there and apparently they can't seem to be getting it.
Do we have to have a fatality before the police get out there?
• Controlling wives
I'm calling regarding that daughter-in-law article ya'll had in the paper last week. Me and this person share some of the same problems. I also watch Dr. Phil and have learned a lot. My son's wife is also very controlling but he kind of steps in occasionally. She also plays that same game with me about the grandchildren; if I say or do something she doesn't like, she withholds the children from me. She's just very mean-spirited and rude. I really don't think she was taught how to value family when she was growing up.
You daughter-in-laws out there need to drag yourselves up.
• Thanks for light display!
I'd like to thank people at Christmas Tree Lane. That is so nice for them to continuously, year after year, put out such a display of lights that children's eyes light up. Family comes in and I take them over there and it is just beautiful. Thank you! Thank you for keeping that Christmas spirit.
And for those who go over there, keep it clean. Do not damage anything! This is a tradition that is beautiful. This is a grandma from Ceres.
• Wants holiday parties at school
I'm calling about how the past few years the schools are no longer able to have Christmas parties and other holiday parties because of leaving students who don't celebrate. So instead we change the name and call them winter parties and other things so these students can participate. Yet these parties are exactly what a Christmas party or other holiday party is. We change the name regardless of what you want to call it but it's still a party for Christmas or Easter or Halloween and those children are not allowed - by their religion or parents - to participate. Some don't even show up on that date anyway. It's not right that we change the name and the way we celebrate for their religion but it's okay to offend other religions. It's not right and I'm feeling discriminated against because of it.
• Clearing of site alarming
The clearing of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter site is alarming to me. The buildings and the farm houses, even though lay dormant for several years, they were lost through negligence. I never had the opportunity to object to the buildings being torn down because the public basically wasn't told about the demolitions. To me this is alarming considering the state-mandated scoping meeting and the Ceres Planning Department established the fact that the building and the vegetation were to be studied and not eliminated without due process. In my opinion the developer may have been motivated solely by return on capital. But this was in disregard of CEQA and the environmental impact review.
Why and how that demolition occurred remains unanswered. What I what I want to know is, now that the law may have been broken, how is the site being protected? What safeguards are in place to prevent this from happening again?
• Tax revenue slight of hand?
I wanted to say "congratulations" to the Ceres residents who lived for Measure H. It passed and I know you believe it will benefit all. In reality, it will only reduce any serious shoppers' net income because they are paying more taxes to the local government. In other words, the more you pay in city, state and federal taxes, the less of your paycheck goes to spend as you want.
I've lived in Ceres close to 30 years and in Modesto most of 20 before that. I've seen these measures come and go; some fail, some pass. When they pass the extra tax money does thankfully go where it was intended but that money comes into the left pocket and then goes out dollar for dollar from the right pocket and we're right back where we started.
I know you think this is just typical argument but look around this town and see how many retail outlets we have. With each store collecting an extra five cents for every $10 spent, dedicated solely to police and fire department of Ceres ... I figure in the first year we can hire at least five to 15 people, and the second year another 20-30 and on and on. When we have all the people we need, what happens to the extra tax money? There's no stop to the extra tax. Where does the money go once we accomplish what we set out to do with the tax? Or am I right about the left pocket, right pocket?
I think if you vote to give them your money, they will find a way to spend it whether you agree with it or not. But you voters are sharp. You probably want an example: How about this? Now that we have this extra half-cent sales tax revenue, the Ceres City Council has determined the time is ripe to give city officials pay raises.
Let's see. The citizens of Ceres give themselves a tax increase. The leaders of Ceres give themselves a pay raise. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. What percentage pay raise did you get this year?
• Sam Vaughn parking lot dangers
I am a parent and my child attends Sam Vaughn Elementary School. And I'm calling in about an incident that occurred yesterday and I kind of seen the same thing taking place again today and it's beginning to be a concern of mine. As I am in the entrance of the parking lot (that goes in like a U-shape in front of the school where we pick up our students after class), I noticed the traffic patrol came out toward the exit part. It's like a three-way crosswalk where they block the exit of the parking lot, the street and then the other street. A parent proceeded to go through the crosswalk. There was another child who was getting ready to enter that crosswalk but luckily that car kind of got out of the way before the student stepped out into it or else that could have been a pretty ugly sight. I see the same thing going on today and I made a comment to one of the teachers helping with traffic patrol. I asked why we aren't writing down their license plate numbers and doing something about it. And she said there's nothing that she can do about it.
They've tried calling the Police Department and asking for patrol out there and apparently they can't seem to be getting it.
Do we have to have a fatality before the police get out there?
