Congress is wasteful
Editor, Ceres Courier,
Our Congress will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries while our economy is struggling and people are losing their jobs. Our Congress can complain about CEOs using corporate jets and living a lavishing lifestyle; but they do it also. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has not given up her taxpayer funded jet at $300,000 per round trip from Washington D.C. to San Francisco or all the other perks the Congress gets on "we the 'struggling' people." Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House Speaker, had no such private jet.
Again, the people are being used as puppets and the liberal media remains quiet on the issue.
Frank Aquila,
Manteca
* * * * * * *
Are these proposed rate hikes really all that necessary?
Editor, Ceres Courier,
The City Council needs to reconsider how the water and sewer rates should be raised. It really doesn't matter that Ceres residents pay the lowest water rates in the area. It's too much to ask for all at one time to get out of the red and into the black! Does it really matter how right-on accurate the proposed rates are for the Ceres water and sewer? The City Council is not taking in or even considering the cost for the average Ceres citizen. The large percentage of people who will have to pay these increases are at low- to medium-income level of living. People just barely getting by from month to month.
Is there another way to pay for the cost of getting Ceres out of the red and into the black? Can infrastructure upgrades be paid for in another way? Possibly from the general fund? Where do monies come from for the general fund? If the bulk of these costs were paid out of the general fund, is this a bad thing? Can the monies be paid back to the general fund at a lower rate? Then only raise the monthly rates $2 or $3 per month per year for both water and sewer until 2012 and then see where we are at that time?
Will Ceres citizens allow these rate increases without protest? I hope not.
James Vinyard,
Ceres
* * * * * * *
Historical preservation due to do small army of dedicated volunteers
Editor, Ceres Courier,
The Ceres Historical Society has had a productive past few years and I wish to thank hard working president, Sheryl Trout, for her diligent efforts to benefit our Society.
Thanks also go to museum curator Phil Reynders whose constant interest, direction and devotion, have led to the fruition of our beautiful museum in Ceres.
Thanks to the dreaming penny-pinching, saving members and past presidents along with hard working hands-on volunteers who have all strived to produce this wonderful preservation of historical data for future generations of the city of Ceres, have realized their dreams and can be exceptionally proud of their efforts.
Now it is time for a change of direction for me while I strive to encourage the younger generation to learn to appreciate their heritage and entice them to plan to take the helm of this wonderful historical preservation our membership worked so hard to obtain. Preservation came late to our city, but never too late to recover all those important aspects of our past. Let us ask what is important to us, and why do we wait so long to volunteer to preserve those things that are so very important as to who we were, where we came from and how we got there. So many special people have participated and operated diligently to preserve our history. Many died even before they saw the fruition of their efforts. I wish they could see what I see. I hold them in high esteem and close to my heart because of their dream that they did not allow to disappear into oblivion. I thank them for their precious physical donations and many funds they have entrusted to our Society. We host a great membership, many of whom will eventually become more involved as time passes into the future.
Let me thank all those docents and volunteers who have gone out of their way and utilized their time to come to ensure we are able to open and maintain the Museum. The City of Ceres has also taken interest and have been exceptional with their manpower and assistance to our Society, who have proven to be outstanding partners. We cannot afford to maintain this effort on our own but have outstanding volunteers who are free with their time and labor. Special thanks to Francis Welsh for her constant contributions.
As usual, there are those people standing tall in the background who never seem to be thanked, such as Stephen Trout, Donna Reynders, Jim and Colleen Bergamaschi, and Tim Sanders, who have been directly and daily involved in all aspects of ensuring out funds were being wisely spent and properly installed. To all of you who make that effort, we salute you!
Let us strive to make this year just as unforgettable while we continue to watch our membership grow and mature into full-fledged community active historical preservation buffs. I am also impressed with the work the Ceres Department of Public Safety is doing to preserve their historical Items that are not only important, but significant to the health and growth of this city.
Allita Algeo,
Incoming President,
Ceres Historical Society
* * * * * * * *
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters to the editor will be considered for publication but must be signed with the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters should contain 250 words or less and be void of libelous statements. Letters should be sent to: The Ceres Courier, P.O. Box 7, Ceres, CA 95307. Letters may also be emailed to jeffb@cerescourier.com.
Editor, Ceres Courier,
Our Congress will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries while our economy is struggling and people are losing their jobs. Our Congress can complain about CEOs using corporate jets and living a lavishing lifestyle; but they do it also. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has not given up her taxpayer funded jet at $300,000 per round trip from Washington D.C. to San Francisco or all the other perks the Congress gets on "we the 'struggling' people." Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House Speaker, had no such private jet.
Again, the people are being used as puppets and the liberal media remains quiet on the issue.
Frank Aquila,
Manteca
* * * * * * *
Are these proposed rate hikes really all that necessary?
Editor, Ceres Courier,
The City Council needs to reconsider how the water and sewer rates should be raised. It really doesn't matter that Ceres residents pay the lowest water rates in the area. It's too much to ask for all at one time to get out of the red and into the black! Does it really matter how right-on accurate the proposed rates are for the Ceres water and sewer? The City Council is not taking in or even considering the cost for the average Ceres citizen. The large percentage of people who will have to pay these increases are at low- to medium-income level of living. People just barely getting by from month to month.
Is there another way to pay for the cost of getting Ceres out of the red and into the black? Can infrastructure upgrades be paid for in another way? Possibly from the general fund? Where do monies come from for the general fund? If the bulk of these costs were paid out of the general fund, is this a bad thing? Can the monies be paid back to the general fund at a lower rate? Then only raise the monthly rates $2 or $3 per month per year for both water and sewer until 2012 and then see where we are at that time?
Will Ceres citizens allow these rate increases without protest? I hope not.
James Vinyard,
Ceres
* * * * * * *
Historical preservation due to do small army of dedicated volunteers
Editor, Ceres Courier,
The Ceres Historical Society has had a productive past few years and I wish to thank hard working president, Sheryl Trout, for her diligent efforts to benefit our Society.
Thanks also go to museum curator Phil Reynders whose constant interest, direction and devotion, have led to the fruition of our beautiful museum in Ceres.
Thanks to the dreaming penny-pinching, saving members and past presidents along with hard working hands-on volunteers who have all strived to produce this wonderful preservation of historical data for future generations of the city of Ceres, have realized their dreams and can be exceptionally proud of their efforts.
Now it is time for a change of direction for me while I strive to encourage the younger generation to learn to appreciate their heritage and entice them to plan to take the helm of this wonderful historical preservation our membership worked so hard to obtain. Preservation came late to our city, but never too late to recover all those important aspects of our past. Let us ask what is important to us, and why do we wait so long to volunteer to preserve those things that are so very important as to who we were, where we came from and how we got there. So many special people have participated and operated diligently to preserve our history. Many died even before they saw the fruition of their efforts. I wish they could see what I see. I hold them in high esteem and close to my heart because of their dream that they did not allow to disappear into oblivion. I thank them for their precious physical donations and many funds they have entrusted to our Society. We host a great membership, many of whom will eventually become more involved as time passes into the future.
Let me thank all those docents and volunteers who have gone out of their way and utilized their time to come to ensure we are able to open and maintain the Museum. The City of Ceres has also taken interest and have been exceptional with their manpower and assistance to our Society, who have proven to be outstanding partners. We cannot afford to maintain this effort on our own but have outstanding volunteers who are free with their time and labor. Special thanks to Francis Welsh for her constant contributions.
As usual, there are those people standing tall in the background who never seem to be thanked, such as Stephen Trout, Donna Reynders, Jim and Colleen Bergamaschi, and Tim Sanders, who have been directly and daily involved in all aspects of ensuring out funds were being wisely spent and properly installed. To all of you who make that effort, we salute you!
Let us strive to make this year just as unforgettable while we continue to watch our membership grow and mature into full-fledged community active historical preservation buffs. I am also impressed with the work the Ceres Department of Public Safety is doing to preserve their historical Items that are not only important, but significant to the health and growth of this city.
Allita Algeo,
Incoming President,
Ceres Historical Society
* * * * * * * *
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters to the editor will be considered for publication but must be signed with the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters should contain 250 words or less and be void of libelous statements. Letters should be sent to: The Ceres Courier, P.O. Box 7, Ceres, CA 95307. Letters may also be emailed to jeffb@cerescourier.com.
