Since it is not April 1st, I must have missed an election
Thanks for the column space Don, always appreciated. But I’m not sure the new title is a suitable fit, especially for one of the ‘dissenters’!
I got a good chuckle from that line, and a number of interesting emails to boot.
Regards,
John Traynor
Carefree
Editor note: We apologize for incorrectly identifying John Traynor as a Carefree Town Council member in a recent Guest Editorial.
Recent editorials
Don,
I just wanted to compliment you on the 5/20 issue of your fine newspaper. The editorials by John Traynor, Alan Caruba and the opinion column by Steele Coddington were all spot on. We had sold our home in Troon Village and spent several months waiting for our new home at Pinnacle Pointe to be finished. We just now got your publication and it truly is the finest and most honest newspaper I have ever read. I realized after reading the paper just how much I missed the "truth" in newspapers.
Kudos to you and your staff for publishing the truth. The race baiters in Washington are destroying America. I pray a strong candidate emerges with an equally strong running mate so we can get America heading in the right direction. The best candidate will expose the bias and sickness of the Democrats who believe a welfare state creates a solid foundation for a great America. Even "Joe the Plumber" knew the flaws. America has been dumbed down and needs to return to its greatness.
When a nation's leader allows Al Sharpton to be a Presidential adviser it is time to expedite the impeachment process. The President is convinced "global warning" is the real enemy and sadly the media sits back and ignores his stupidity. Jimmy Carter has been saved but our nation is "on the ropes." Many thanks for doing what you do. You do give me some hope.
Bob Isham
Scottsdale
Does Carefree need more signs?
At the end of a hastily and unusual "special' meeting earlier in May, our 'new' Town Council did a couple of things that seem quite unusual. First they set up an agenda with only three items. But item two was for them to go into executive session, so all of us were told to wait for up to an hour before they addressed item three.
No one can remember the Council ever doing this in the past. Executive sessions have always been at the end of the agenda.
Now it is somewhat clear why they did this. The Exec. Session must have been necessary to gain support for item three. And what was item three? It was a motion by Councilwoman Price to approve a contract for design of the new "Gateway" signs she has been trying to sell for years. The vote was 7-0 to approve. Strangely NO DOLLAR amount was offered (blank check?). Then a couple of days later the towns' web site said the vote was to "finalize" the design. How can they finalize an item that isn't yet approved??
No let us look at Carefree's need for more signage. Go up Tom Darlington to Cave Creek Rd. then go east to Pima. You will pass OVER 22 signs of all types on both sides of the streets. All use the word Carefree and if you don't know that is where you are you should not be driving at all. In the three years I have worked as a volunteer at the Carefree-Cave Creek Chamber I have never once heard anyone say they did not know where they were when they came into that office.
The 'business signs' that have been an issue for the residents for the past four years, ( now a total of 10 ) are currently losing business sponsors and are being used to advertise realtors and generics like 'shops, restaurants and lakes' – is it time for them to be taken down?
The 'gateway' signs (two of them) were said to cost up to $ 480,000. Is this what Carefree needs to jump start our economic development? Will it bring us new and better tenants and a new flock of shoppers?
The Ed Lewis and ASU projects are on the back burner so is this the way the "spend it 'till its' gone" guys are going start drawing down our reserves?
Tell the council what you think about all of this via email: [email protected].
Jim Van Allen
Carefree
Your Guest Editorial by John Traynor
Dear Don:
For the first time in recent memory, I found myself agreeing with many of the topics raised by John Traynor’s opinions in his Guest Editorial in the May 20, 2015, issue of the Sonoran News.
However, it was a surprise to read a footnote stating: “John Traynor is a member of the current Carefree Town Council.” This must be a leftover from your April Fools edition.
The voting population of Carefree is far too well-informed and intelligent than to elect John Traynor as a member of its Town Council.
Arthur Gimson
Former member of the Carefree Town Council
Also with honorary titles bestowed by Sonoran News:
Member, Good Old Boys
Sarcastic Brit
Pompous Ass with an accent
We paid for it. How did this work out?
Testimonial from Marshal Adam Stein – Cave Creek, Arizona:
“In over 15 years in law enforcement and emergency services I have never seen this type of class offered. Often times law enforcement officers are trained to handle all types of crises and deal with the problem. Unfortunately most officers are not given the tools they need to process all the bad feelings and anger that they feel from encountering the daily grind of society’s dark side.
“I found your class to be both captivating and motivating. I attend a large amount of law enforcement training each year, and most of the training is focused on developing skills as a police officer and as a leader, and very little training that I have attended focuses on how officers process feelings internally. Your class should be a requirement at all academy and post academies.
“In today’s age of trying to hire and retain the best employees possible, your class is a small and necessary investment that I hope all Chiefs realize that their staff is worth. I look forward to the classes that I have scheduled for my agency and have made attendance mandatory!”
Did you instruct town staff? Who is your agency?
I was the chair of the Portland Police post shoot support team. With several shootings a year we veterans counseled those who had to shoot or kill. Very important work, as officers are obviously struggling. Can you explain how this training benefited you as the sole employee. POW officers process feelings? Please list costs of attendance what traumatic incidents have you dealt with in Cave Creek. You quit being a cop after 6 years. Why are you concerned with the feelings of cops you do not supervise. Did you pretend to be a police chief in your comments? And where is Cave Creek’s dark side? Working 4 days a week. Take home unmarked car – do not work winter high tourist time. Why are you reticent to answer the questions I sent to the town manager? Why did you choose not to attend the budget meeting that other managers attended? Why did you avoid addressing a citizen you denied a liquor license to? I am disappointed that Cave Creek gave you no real direction and without any supervisory experience dropped you into a job with a troubled history It is not too late to operate the code enforcement office properly with a manual of rules and procedures If you have one it has not been forwarded to me. You can see the Portland Police 1,000 page document on line, as most governments do ...... transparency as councilwoman Clancy preaches, is a paramount responsibility of government.
I have informed the town manager I will be filing FOIA requests should he refuse to release the simple information I have asked for. I looked at the budget in 2003 for marshal and cops and the costs have exploded. Because of a code enforcement officer who has a $250,000 budget. $103,000 salary sans benefits. Check out what the code enforcement officers make in Scottsdale. Not inflation - the former town manager beefed with MCSO town marshal. Town manager Jankowski shared at our budget meeting he thinks the council wants their own armed force. A former counselor disagreed – perhaps the fired town manager wanted his own police force but the town manager thinks the marshal is a cop and the council thinks he works code. With no mission and no supervision the marshals office plods along.
Finally, here are photos of your marked marshal car. this would certainly be embarrassing in front of your house, but if I was your supervisor and this is how you treated your city equipment I would certainly strongly counsel you at a minimum. All city cars should be marked. Even if they are take home. Free advertising dear gosh darn it. I would volunteer to drive it up to the car wash and park it at Schoolhouse and Cave Creek. No one drives it. Park it at our worst intersection. The tourists might believe it is watching.
Stay safe,
CW Jensen
Special events traffic in Cave Creek
The owner of one of our businesses authored a letter published in Sonoran News about special event road restrictions in Cave Creek. I respect his concern that road restrictions impact his business and cause delays for traffic flow through town. This year’s extended bike week event brought the issue home to many business owners and citizens. These events do bring tax revenues to operate the town and help us avoid a town property tax. It is unusual for nearby communities not to have a town property tax and this has become a point of pride for Cave Creek citizens.
The writer of that letter has a misconception some of our citizens may share. The cost of traffic control and barriers are borne by the businesses that sponsor the special events. Furthermore, our Town Marshall, Adam Stein, instructed members of the sheriff’s posse to allow at least 15 cars to pass between groups of people waiting to cross the road. Measurements by staff showed that long delays were the exception rather than the rule. Never the less, such inconveniences are issues the town council and town staff are trying to minimize.
Town staff is working on alternate routes through town to insure public safety and expedite traffic flow. Our historic pattern of roads makes this objective a challenge. But it is being addressed.
Your elected officials take all such issues seriously and will, with your input and help, find the best ways to manage these events and to establish a balance between our treasured rural life style and our western, economic vitality.
Thomas McGuire
Councilman
Vote NO on Prop 104: It’s a boondoggle
I was on the Citizens Commission of the Future of Phoenix Transportation. I voted NO on the Commission recommendation for allocating 30 billion dollars to a wasteful shopping list of transportation schemes. The most wasteful is the $160 million per mile the Commission voted to extend light rail. Passenger rail is a 19th Century solution to a 21st Century problem. The future of transportation is NOT mass transit but rather individual transit. This includes small automobiles, autonomous vehicles, on-demand services such as Uber or Lyft, and a number of other transportation innovations. These ideas received little attention in our committee. How did this happen? The chair of our committee essentially let the City of Phoenix transportation staff run the meetings. Their presentations of various spending needs took up most of every meeting. There was very little time for discussion and no overall plan to vote on until the last meeting. As a matter of fact, there was not a single vote taken by the whole commission on anything until the end. There is no way that such a process could have produced anything resembling a comprehensive, long-term plan. And, consequently, there wasn’t one; just the 30 billion dollar shopping list that was hurriedly rushed to voters. Influential big spenders wanted an off-election year vote and the election held at an odd time because that is how the special interests gain the upper hand. The special interests are the ones who will be at the receiving end of the 30 billion dollars. I suggest that you vote NO and decide for yourself how to so spend those dollars.
Roy Miller
Phoenix
VA claims
Sent: 5/29/2015 6:20:04 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time
Subj: Fw: FOIA Claims are Being DELAYED and DENIED at Phoenix VA
Director, Phoenix VA Hospital
Mr.Grippen,
Please let me know the status of this FOIA request for information submitted by one of the many outstanding veterans that I mentor.
Your consideration and response will be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Carl G. Schneider
Maj Gen USAF (Ret)
Veteran Advocate
Combat Veteran
Korea and Vietnam
_____
From: Steve Cooper
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2015 8:27 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: FOIA - Claims are Being DELAYED and DENIED at Phoenix VA
Phoenix VA Privacy Act Officer,
This is a request under the Privacy Act.
Veterans (myself included) are dying because of the incompetence at the Phoenix VA therefore expedited processing of this FOIA is required.
The Federal Tort Claims Act requires Veterans to first file a claim with the VA before they can sue and the VA has 6 months to review each claim. The Phoenix VA is delaying the time Veterans can sue the VA in Federal Court because it is unnecessarily taking the entire 6 months to review claims from Veterans who have been harmed by the Phoenix VA. Moreover, the Phoenix VA is denying claims from Veterans who have been harmed by the Phoenix VA. Veterans are dying as a result of harm caused by the Phoenix VA and 6 month delays are unacceptable for a dying Veteran.
I request you provide a report of, or documents containing, aggregate information about the wait times for claims and the results of claims, for all Veterans who have filed claims against the Phoenix VA, to include, but not limited to:
Number of claims filed against the Phoenix VA - all available dates
Percent and number of claims denied and settled at the Phoenix VA - all available dates
Range amount of claims settled (low, high, mean, median and mode) - all available dates
Percent and number of claims that went to trial or mediation at the Phoenix VA - all available dates
Range of judgments for cases that went to trial or mediation at the Phoenix VA - (low, high, mean, median and mode) - all available dates
Time it took to either deny or settle claims at the Phoenix VA (low, median and high) - all available dates
Any costs associated with the copying of documents will be added to my federal lawsuit against the Phoenix VA.
LOCAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA AGENCIES AND ARIZONA POLITICIANS HAVE BEEN COPIED – this is one of several emails.
Steve Cooper
Arizona
A third letter to America
America continues to defy God in many ways as it heads towards the inevitable judgment. A recent example of this defiance happened when a young educated TV analyst, out of the blue, said, I have the right to choose, The United States Supreme Court gave me that right." That unscripted statement did not trigger a reaction, much less a discussion.
Why Not? Could it be because our educated masses have not been taught God's basic Commandments, Statutes, and Laws, such as, "Thou shall not kill," "Love your neighbor," and "teach your young women to love their children?" You bet!
The TV analyst and America seem to be unaware of The Word Of God which says, "it is better to trust the LORD than to put confidence in man." But instead of following God's advice, America has put its trust and confidence in Man (Mankind), with tragic results.
This is exactly what happened after the Supreme Court legalized abortion by its 7-9 decision. Now many, like the above analyst, politicians, and even a political party, proudly support the killing of the smallest and defenseless human beings (the unborn).
But how can you trust judges who do not follow God's most basic laws, and His admonitions to protect those least able to protect themselves and always to judge in favor of the righteous and against the wicked? Such ungodliness should not be trusted.
Those unjust judges will be held accountable before God for what they did. However, these judges were not held accountable here on earth as they should have. Our constitution states that judges are to hold their offices "during good behavior." Therefore, justices who vote in favor of what God calls "wicked," or "evil," should be impeached and removed from office. After all, how can anyone say that judges are holding their offices in "good behavior" when they are going against God's Supreme Laws?
God's wish has always been that Man (Mankind) repent of their wicked/sinful ways and seek him so they can have eternal life and be with him in heaven. You are not just flesh and bones. You have a soul which God gave you. The moment you die that soul will go to one of two places, heaven or hell. Which will it be?
Manuel Ybarra, Jr.
Coalgate, Oklahoma
