The power of your paper: The angel in the white truck
As I write this, three days before Christmas, I am elated over the generosity during this season's Toys for Tots drive. I took on the position of liaison for the local offices of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage to collect toys for the Toys for Tots drive and brighten the lives of children in need. Days passed and the collection box was pitifully low.
I collected the donation boxes and ran a piece, in Sonoran News, asking for toy donations, in place of my usual ad for Real Estate.
In response to my announcement for Toys for Tots in Sonoran News, an angel arrived at our office driving a white pick-up truck filled with toys. As he delivered dozens of toys he commented he did not have children of his own but remembers being one.
This donation inspired more toy donations. All of the 200 toys collected by our offices were of exception quality and I am confident in the end equated to 200 very wide smiles on Christmas morning. That's what's important.
I look forward to the New Year with a refreshed optimism. Thank you to all who donated to the Toys for Tots drive and a special shout out to the Angel in the White Truck!
Happy New Year!
Best regards,
Joan Philpott
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage,
N. Scottsdale
May God send all of you many blessings
The Foothills Food Bank and all whom we serve want to wish all a very happy and blessed New Year!
The food bank survives solely on private funding. It is due to the generosity of you living within the boundaries of this newspaper that are helping those in need.
This year, as in the past, you again helped many. We are now caring for over 400 families a month and we do not see this changing in the future.
Thank you to all who have supported us this past year; hopefully you will continue in 2014. Our gratitude goes out to all the individuals, churches, schools, businesses and civic groups that gave from your heart so we could help those who have fallen on hard times.
Many thanks and good wishes for helping to make 247 families’ holiday season happier through the Adopt a Family program. What a joy it is to see the look on the faces when they see the bags of gifts that have been purchased and wrapped for them. To see the tearful look on the face of a newly divorced mom who had not yet started to receive child support who said, “Are those all for us?” when we handed her seven large bags of gifts for her two small children.
This is what makes this Christmas season such a joyful time for the 400+ volunteers that help at the food bank. But it is not just at this time. It carries on all through the year, when the senior says, “she doesn’t know what she would do without the food bank,” or the homeless gentleman who says, “I really appreciate that you are here to help me.” It goes on and on, expression of gratitude from those we serve. This would not be possible without you.
We wish to express a very special thank you to Sonoran News, and Don and Shari Jo Sorchych who continue in every issue throughout the year to share some news about the Foothills Food Bank. They have truly shown they care about those in need.
May God send all of you many blessings in the New Year, as you have done for so many in this past year.
Pam DiPietro, Executive Director
Foothills Food Bank
Cut the pensions of our bravest?
If the bunch of losers in congress need to save money by making cuts why not cut the pensions of the government employees who don’t risk their lives, who do not make blood sacrifices and who go home to their families at the end of the day?
My suggestion would be to cut the overly generous pensions for members of Congress followed by the losers in government service whose worse injury is possibly a paper cut.
It's my opinion that the military was chosen since historically they DO NOT VOTE for Liberals/Progressives.
"In God We Trust"
Tom Carbone
Phoenix
Congratulations Mr. Jankowski
Congratulations to Mr. Jankowski on his selection as Cave Creek Town Manager. His qualifications and experience should be of great benefit to Cave Creek and he can bring some badly needed direction and stability to the town staff.
He certainly knows by now that he works for the town council and not the vice mayor which puts him a quantum leap ahead of the affable Mr. Glassman. And speaking of Mr. Glassman, why not terminate his services immediately instead of February 2014? He performs no needed services, is unsettling to the professional staff, is certainly not necessary for transition since he never understood the job anyway and it will save thousands of dollars in salary, gas and entertainment tax money. He will be happier in Tucson and Carrie Dyrek can easily fill the gap in the interim.
Bob Williams
Cave Creek
ObamaScare: "The law is falling apart before our eyes"
In the tradition of freedom loving Americans throughout our history, it's time to take a stand against the freedom robbers in D.C. and the new "prison" called Obamacare.
The Obama's wanted you to dedicate a part of your Christmas dinner to discuss the benefits to family members for signing up with Obamacare.
We've seen the incompetence of the Obamacare rollout during the past few months. We've heard the Obama lies about "keeping our plans," and "keeping our doctors" and "$2,500 in premium savings."
We also know millions have had their policies cancelled. Are you totally FED up with National Healthcare? Have you had enough?
What to do? BOYCOTT ObamaScare! Refuse to sign up! Tell your family and friends to refuse to sign up! ObamaScare will continue to implode for a lack of support.
Send the politicians a clear message about ObamaScare in the tradition of American patriots. Surrender to ObamaScare? Tell them "NUTS!!" During WWII we gave the NAZIs the same simple message. "NUTS!!!!
We're BOYCOTTING ObamaScare!!!!"
Merry Christmas!
Brian and Denise Reilly
Sun City West
Travel expenses and council meetings
At first blush, allowing travel expenses to a single hired employee to be paid by a city, county or state is arguably discriminatory. Cave Creek may want to review this policy or be prepared for others to want to have the same preferential treatment provided for their travel from home to work as well as the return trip.
The good news is Mr. Glassman cannot include this additional income as an expense on his tax return since this travel reimbursement from home to office and back again is clearly taxable income. The IRS is clear on this issue and requires any individual who claims mileage expenses to provide detailed mileage records if audited.
Any whistleblowers out there?
My wish list for 2014 is to require the Maricopa County Council meetings to be televised. NPR did a recent news story which caught my ear. Maricopa County is the 4th largest county in the country. It is larger than the state of New Jersey and just a tad smaller than the state of New Hampshire. It is hard to imagine any counties larger but the point of NPR's story was … it is the only county of any size not to televise their council meetings. Considering the building and the capabilities this building provides our elected councilmen and women to work in – it is unbelievable that council meetings are not televised. One has to question why the council has not addressed this?
If you are a resident of this county that does not live within a day's drive of the downtown location where Maricopa County officials meet – good luck ever attending because it could be a three day trip.
Most people would not recognize their councilman or woman; very rarely ever see them or hear them unless it is election time. What better way to put your face to a name for which most voters only see on a ballot form. Isn't it time to make politics more transparent – time to pull back the curtain – this is the 21st century after all.
Isn't it time our council representatives put their faces forward and open up the meetings for all to see without having the people who elect them have to take 2-3 days out of their schedules to drive to downtown and see them in action?
G. Compton
Scottsdale
[Editor note: Citizens of Scottsdale, and Cave Creek, can now watch live streaming meetings and Phoenix residents can watch meetings live or on demand on TV station PHX11.]
Congress still isn’t being responsible
Congress is winding down its historically unproductive session with a small flurry of activity. It’s a welcome change, but it can’t possibly make up for what should have been accomplished on Capitol Hill this year.
The problem is that for too long, members of Congress have been working hard at everything except the one thing they should have been working hard at: legislating. They’ve done fundraisers and town hall meetings, and helped constituents track down Social Security checks. But they’ve been so unproductive that they’ve actually threatened our world standing and our domestic well-being.
Congress finally is moving forward incrementally. Gridlock is breached, but it’s not broken.
And the list of what Congress hasn’t done is far too long. There’s no food-stamp reauthorization or waterways construction bill. It passed a one-month extension to the farm bill, but that falls far short of the certainty this crucial economic sector needs. There’s no lasting solution to the debt ceiling problem. It has left unemployment benefits unresolved, immigration reform unresolved, tax reform unresolved, and action on climate change unresolved.
Unlike many members of Congress, Americans seem to understand that there are real costs to inaction. We’re in a competitive race with China for world leadership, and whether we like it or not, others around the globe are comparing our two governments. Our political dysfunction is a serious handicap.
When asked about all this, congressional leaders tend to blame the other house, arguing that they’ve done their best but the other side has bottled up their efforts. All I can say is, finger-pointing is not an excuse, it’s an admission of failure.
Legislating is tough, demanding work. It requires many hours of conversation about differences, commonalities, and possible solutions. It demands patience, mutual respect, persistence, collegiality, compromise, artful negotiation, and creative leadership.
Yet when Congress meets only episodically throughout the year, when it often works just three days a week and plans an even more relaxed schedule in 2014, you can only come to one conclusion: They’re not really willing to work hard at legislating. A last-minute flurry of bills offers hope, but it’s going to take a lot more work to convince the country that Congress knows how to live up to its responsibilities.
Lee Hamilton, Director
Center on Congress at Indiana University
To the Packages From Home organization
1st Combat Engineer Battalion's Engineer Support Company Operations Platoon, would like to take the time to thank you for your selflessness and caring. We would like to tell you just how greatly we appreciate the vast amount of care packages. With the distance from our friends and family and the harshness of our living conditions it is always heartwarming to receive packages filled with energy and devotion from the people we are here to serve. We were once told by our Battalion Commander that, "We do not fight because we hate the enemy in front of us, but rather because we love what is behind us." Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for being one of the driving forces behind us. We will continue to serve our nation with dignity and respect and we hope for your continued support and dedication to the Armed Forces of the United States. May God Bless you all. Happy Holidays and have safe New Year's celebrations.
Submitted by Mrs. Jan Johnson, MWR
(Morale, Welfare, Recreation) Coordinator
Packages From Home
Who is the 2013 Person of the Year?
Hillary Clinton?
According to Barbara Walters and the liberals at ABC News – Hillary Clinton is the most fascinating Person of 2013.
Disgusting!
Have they forgotten about the four dead Americans in Benghazi?
Have they forgotten how our Ambassador came under attack from an Al Qaeda-led mob of terrorists, while Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration shamefully chose to abandon them – leaving them to die?
And have they forgotten how Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are actively trying to cover-up the crimes of Benghazi?
Are you as disgusted as I am
With your help, Stop Hillary PAC is fighting back. We are going to create a firestorm with thousands, if not millions, Protest Petitions to let Barbara Walters and ABC News know exactly how disgusted the American people are about their choice.
You see, Stop Hillary PAC was created for this very purpose – to fight back against Hillary and her cheerleaders in the liberal media, and to ensure she never becomes president of the United States.
So, will you join me in fighting back by signing our Protest Petition today?
Your Protest Petition, along with thousands more, will be delivered directly to Barbara Walters and ABC News demanding to know exactly what they were thinking naming Hillary Clinton person of the year for 2013.
Your Protest Petition will register your disgust with their shameful and disgusting decision, while reminding them of the dead Americans in Benghazi that surely don't think Hillary Clinton is "fascinating."
And finally, we will register your disgust by ensuring we get a response from ABC News. We won't rest until we hear back.
One last thing: In order for us to make the maximum impact we need to deliver hundreds-of-thousands of Protest Petitions, if not millions. That's where your continued support comes in.
So after you sign your Protest Petition, will you help us have maximum impact and reach our goal by making a special, end of the year contribution to Stop Hillary PAC?
To sign and donate visit www.stophillarypac.org/walters/pet7/.
Just imagine what Barbara Walters will do when we drop over a million petitions in her lap at ABC News.
But I can't do it without your help. Please make the most generous gift you can afford.
Let them know we haven't forgotten Benghazi, we are disgusted with their choice and we are fighting back.
Sincerely,
Senator Ted Harvey (R)
Colorado State Senator
Co-Founder, Stop Hillary PAC
The judge in the Edward Snowden NSA overreach decision incompletely represented Founding Father James Madison
Founding Father James Madison was also a dedicated supporter of a strong central government. He too when faced with combat situations gave the order to hunt down those whose actions prevented us from being safe. In fact, when the British could not be persuaded to stop capturing our then merchant sailors and enslaving them to man their ships, he ordered the invasion of a specific part of Canada in order to try to break the hold they had. He did this because his effort to stop them could not be achieved on the main front. (This explanation is not meant to be useful for our perception of the British today. They are one of our best friends; in fact, our best friend smoothly slips off the tongue, because we grew up together on our way to creating manageable free societies.)
In part of his final political comment, he wrote:
“The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated. Let the open enemy to it be regarded as a Pandora with her box opened; and the disguised one, as the Serpent creeping with his deadly wiles into Paradise.”
Founding Father James Madison also believed that in times of war that he had the right to force the states to give up their then authorities to decide the uses of their citizen’s willingness, capabilities, armaments, and support logistics, and he proceeded to try to force them to accept that he was right.
The one part about Founding Father James Madison that the Edward Snowden NSA overreach judge did get right is that there may be some incorrectness, or in other words, that it is not clear whether the due process of law that Congress constitutionally represents has properly safeguarded the uses of NSA authorities. Founding Father James Madison also created NSA type authorities for his time. He too, because of combat situations, tried to organize and control possibly constitutionally problematic efforts.
Everyone needs to keep in mind that not knowing how to properly evaluate, or not making a diligent effort to properly evaluate someone else’s thought/thoughts and claims will make you easy to hustle and allow someone else to cause you to be improperly situated.
Thinking of you,
Bernard L. Williams
Bellingham, Washington
