Letters (Nov. 14, 2018)

• A Magical Evening
• On-Line Doesn’t Count
• It’s A Conspiracy
• Looking Back
• Pathetic
• Too Little, Too Late
• Yaz Permanently On Hold

A MAGICAL EVENING

Dear Editor,

The Anderson Valley Foodshed would like to thank the Boonville Hotel (Melinda, Johnny and the wonderful staff) and all those who came out in support of local food and farmers, for our fundraising dinner. For those who weren't able to make it, it was a magical evening centered around an amazing dinner featuring all local ingredients prepared so skillfully by Rodney, Alexa and the chefs at the Hotel's Table 128 kitchen. Throughout the evening we heard from Erika McKenzie-Chapter, herd co-owner, dairy manager and head cheese maker at Pennyroyal Farms, and Doug Mosel from the Mendocino Grain Project. To hear them talk about their life's work and passion as we ate a delicious meal featuring the products of their labors was deeply nourishing to the body, heart and soul. There was an incredible mix of people who traveled from near and far to share in this meal and evening together. New friendships were made and many great conversations were had. Additional thanks go to Handley Cellars, Pennyroyal Farms and Sin Eater Cider for allowing us to taste your fine beverages throughout the meal and to Cloud Forest Institute for their fiscal support of AV Foodshed. And, of course, last but not least, thank you to the farmers who grow food in our communities and the eaters who support them, helping us to grow a robust and thriving local food economy here in Mendocino County.  

Sincerely, Linda MacElwee/AV Foodshed

Boonville

ON-LINE DOESN’T COUNT

Dear Editor,

MCOE subscribed to the online version of the AVA. We look forward to reading the informative articles your writers produce.

Michelle Hutchins, Interim Superintendent
(707) 467-5001
www.mcoe.us
2240 Old River Road
Ukiah CA 95482

IT’S A CONSPIRACY

Editor: 

I’m an old man with Medicare Part D drug insurance. I shop at a local chain food market pharmacy. One of my prescriptions results in an $80.03 co-pay. They sell that drug for $225.69 cash. I found another chain store that sells it for $21.69 cash. I later found a website that allows me to print coupons so that the pharmacy I’ve been shopping at will sell it for $15.72 cash. Unbelievable is the only printable word that comes to mind.

At first glance, it seems the insurance company would insist I buy the drug for less, as that should mean they’d pay less. Not so, evidently. The only explanation I can dredge up is there is a conspiracy perpetrated by the U.S. government, big pharma, insurers and the pharmacies and abetted by the high percentage of citizens who don’t register to vote and those who are registered but don’t vote. Yes, the 1 percent has 99 percent of the power, but the 99 percent has 99 percent of the votes. Unfortunately, more than half of these are wasted.

Wake up, America. Let’s get money out of politics so our representatives can consider what’s best for the country rather than for their large donors. At least, get out and vote.

Aaron Rosen

Sebastopol

LOOKING BACK

Editor: 

Yes, I am now an old curmudgeon — a title bestowed upon one who’s lived long enough to witness social issues come around for a rerun. Not in a circle but a spiral.

When I was a teenager in the 1960s, those who smoked dope to get high and stoned were those who had too much idle time and too much disposable income. With some exceptions, it’s probably 98 percent still true.

Once the sales tax was just above 3 percent. Like an economic cancer, the well-intentioned created simple quarter-cent increases to fund social issues that have evolved into embedded entitlement programs. Where are we at now? Almost 9 percent.

People claim to care about the environment, but we continue to measure progress by how much our environment can be covered by asphalt and concrete, adding highway traffic metering lights and forever increasing population density.

I still wait for a politician whose campaign isn’t financed by public unions and big developers; someone who has the backbone, in the interest of public safety and local preservation, to put up signs at our county lines indicating “max occupancy,” much like you see at restaurants and theaters. We’ve reached it.

A.C. Eichstaedt

Santa Rosa

ms notes: As one curmudgeon to another, I agree that using sales taxes to fund (often dubious) government services is the worst possible way to do it. But as long as the state government makes it impossible for local governments to raise revenue any other way (lately mostly for roads, and emergency services which people will support), sales taxes will continue to be proposed and passed. County governments have no control over the huge chunk of their revenue made up of property tax, and they get nothing from the state’s income tax.

PATHETIC

Editor,

This letter is in response to an article in the Ukiah Daily Journal dated Oct. 18, 2018, ‘Salary Report expected next year.’

First comment, some are making ‘Below-market’ salaries and this is while others are paid above average.

Second, it was mentioned that the Board of Supervisors were quick to give themselves a raise. Try living on $11 an hour for just 152:55, hours/minutes, per month. I cannot believe anyone can give themselves a raise. Are you kidding me?

I work for IHSS and the federal, state, and county pay my wages. The county pays the most of it. The program is funded through Medi-Cal. And to add insult to injury the county decides how much I make. No vacation, one day of sick leave per year. Big whoop. I have not had a day off since 12/19/2016. I’m not making this up.

Third, Why are you comparing your wages to other counties? If you don’t like what you make, hold down two jobs. I do. This is just pathetic.

Kristina Dalerio

Ukiah

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Editor,

They don't respond to these fires with the right equipment at the very beginning. They just go in with a fire truck or two and some axes and shovels. They need to go in with a 747 right off the bat and stop the fire before it gets to be a major issue. But no, they are too smart for that. They have to call the environmentalists first and get permission to bomb a fire until it gets to be out of control then they can't go near it because of the smoke. 

Environmentalists have screwed this country up to the point that there is an insane environmental attitude that has made this country almost defenseless. Thank you, environmentalists, for not letting us be smart anymore. Thank you for not letting us cutting down trees for the people. 

Thank you environmentalists for allowing people to move up into the timber and build homes. Thank yourselves for your idiotic rules. It's called karma, you idiots. 

Jerry Brown and no one else is responsible for all these fires. He wouldn't allow PG&E to clear the right of ways out last year in Santa Rosa. He said it wasn't necessary. Look what happened in Sonoma County. 

Jerry Brown instituted all the environmental rules to prevent bombing of fires when the time was right. Jerry Brown hired stupid people in lots of places to regulate everything in the state. Thank you Jerry Brown. 

I don't feel sorry for people in those situations, but I do feel sorry for the animals that can't protect themselves. Some of them are left in fenced- in areas. Dogs and cats left to do what they can to get away. That's what I feel sorry for. I don't feel sorry for the human beings because they're so stupid that they can't figure out a way to contain these dangerous situations. 

Being an uneducated person, a logger all my life, in 15 minutes I could write some new laws that would protect the country from burning up. First I would overrule all the environmentalists. Second I would have bombers at every airport including Little River. It's only a matter of time for this to happen in Mendocino County. The whole county might burn up on a windy day. And then they'll respond with a couple axes and a couple shovels instead of the right equipment. What will happen to all the people on Simpson Lane? Frog Pond Road? Pudding Creek Road? Some of these areas don't have any backdoors to get out. People would have to drive into the fire. Or they would get confused and panic and there would be traffic jams and everyone would burn up in the traffic jam. 

And if it got into the big timber? Huh! Maybe you people haven’t seen that. I have. 

It's disgusting to see how dumb these stuffed shirt, over-educated people getting paid over $200,000 a year. I can't believe it. With all the grass and brush that’s come up in the last 50 years and no livestock, no proper forest management it's just a matter of time. You just wait environmentalists. Remember, it's not if but when. 

They even have environmentalists crawling around on their hands and knees in all the estuaries watching frogs and salamanders and lizards having sex. They can predict how to evacuate the lizards 50 years from now. What good is that doing us? They ride around in brand-new pickup and uniforms costing us hundreds of millions of dollars a year watching frogs have sex! That money could be spent on homeless veterans and other things we need. Oh no, environmentalists rule! It makes me sick! 

God bless Donald Trump 

Jerry Philbrick 

Comptche 

PS. There must be at least 100 people who scrutinize every move President Trump makes from daylight to dark and after they do that they decide to turn in what they think they saw happen and then the media jumps on it and prints it before they know what really happened. That's what they call fake news. That's what the rotten liberals are doing. They never mention anything good he does. 

YAZ PERMANENTLY ON HOLD

Letter To The Editor:

Friends, the Truth is fragile these days. I am told that the AVA has reported that "my telephone is not blocked any more" and that, "I can call the Talk Shows at kzyx/z." This was supposedly told to the AVA by "someone at the station," whom I assume was the General Manager, or the Program Director.

I am here to tell everyone and anyone who cares, that kzyx/z has continued to block my telephone from being able to call our radio station, and as of today, November 12, 2018, that my phone is still blocked. I am still unable to call our "community" "public radio" station -- any and all of their four numbers.

This is a case of censorship, hypocrisy and denial of my rights to freedom of speech.

The AVA and KZYX/Z are lying. They are putting out FAKE NEWS and false information? Why? Ask them.

Once again, I request that you support my right to be heard on our Public Radio airwaves.

Thank you.

DJ Sister Yasmin

707-884-4703