The Red Phone is an open community pipeline, inviting area residents to make comments, pose questions and propose ideas for the betterment of Amador County. The Red Phone is loyal, trustworthy and diligent in its pursuit of answers.  Please use the form below to post a comment, question or idea. Comments will remain viewable on the Web site for approximately one month.
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| Sutter Creek Budget - R. Phelps Article |
| 11/5/2009 8:34:34 AM |
Please see Roger Phelps article on-line concerning the adoption of an "unbalanced budget"
http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=262407&topStory=1
As you can see from this article the Citizens of Sutter Creek are starting, and very quickly, to re-engage in their City government. The City Council will be getting more and more input from the Community and the Citizens will demand to help solve the City financial problems.
There is no proposal to get rid of all City employees or to contact out for all City services. A core group of City staff must remain, backed up with some amount of Citizen Volunteer help. It can and will happen, the Council just now needs to buy in and accept the help of the Citizens. |
| - Ed Arata |
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| SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune Up |
| 11/5/2009 6:59:11 PM |
| Owner Troy Maxey and his team are very compassionate about this community and striving to give great customer service. If you have not been there yet give them a try, I am glad I did. |
| - Sazy |
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| Gold Rush Guest Commentary |
| 11/6/2009 7:14:05 AM |
Gold Rush will add 1300 plus houses to Sutter Creek which currently has about 900 houses and 200 duplexes and apartments for a total of 1100 residences.
On-line today the Publisher has placed Guest Commentary on the Feasibility of the Gold rush project low on the list of Opinion articles on the Ledger web page behind an article that highlights a sewer spill in Sutter Creek, that then goes on to tell how the Gold Rush project will solve most all of Sutter Creek's sewer problems. Just another example of the Publishers bias toward the Gold Rush Project. "He who controls, Controls."
See the Guest Commentary at: http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/opinion/opinionview.asp?c=262462
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| - Ed Arata |
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| Going down |
| 11/6/2009 12:16:18 PM |
The bias shown by the publisher of what is left of our local paper continues to drive away community members seeking to educate themselves on local issues.
What a shame! We deserve so much better! Hopefully, when The Ledger Dispatch crashes and burns at under the current leadership, a newspaper that better serves our county will rise from the ashes. Until then, when reading the local rag, have grains of salt handy. |
| - Nellie Cashman |
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| opinions are opinions |
| 11/6/2009 3:40:51 PM |
| Regardless of what the publisher thinks of Gold Rush, he publishes any and all opinions on the subject, as any newspaper publisher should for the betterment of the community. Are you really suggesting his paper will have problems because he has a personal opinion that probably 75 percent of Sutter Creek residents share? If he was as biased as you say, would we constantly be reading all of Ed Arata's opinions in the pages of the Ledger and the newspaper's website? Ed Arata's looked like a strong community guys a few weeks ago when he organized the clean up. Now, he starting to look like just another whining, nut-case, know-it-all malcontent who've Amador County such a crappy place to live in the last few years. If anything's "a rag," it's this Red Phone where cowards like "Nellie Cashman" (not a real name) can feel big because they know that in reality they're big zeros in life. |
| - Rick Menkins |
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| Monteverde Store Painting Project |
| 11/6/2009 4:44:54 PM |
| A group of Volunteers is now forming in Sutter Creek to do minor repairs, prep and then painting of the Monteverde Store Museum. The City will be covering half of the cost for materials and paint, the Volunteers have raised about $500 of the materials cost thus far. We would like to get this project done before winter sets in. Call if you want to Volunteer, I'm in the book. |
| - Ed Arata |
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| Rick M. - Call me |
| 11/6/2009 4:47:36 PM |
| Rick, call me. I will gladly talk with you about my views on Gold Rush. I'm in the book. |
| - Ed Arata |
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| Ed |
| 11/6/2009 6:19:51 PM |
| I'm with you on the need for volunteer work.I commend you for that. But please don't fuel folks like this other "Cashman" loser to blow up everything in the county over views associated with Gold Rush. I know you can't be responsible for what others write on this forum, but let's keep to the point on the issue rather than demonizing Gold Rush supporters, because they're are many. |
| - Rick Menkins |
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| Call me |
| 11/6/2009 7:50:20 PM |
| Rick - Call me, the phone has rung 5 or 6 times, but you did not call. I was on one long call, so I could have missed you. If you have heard me speak on Gold Rush at Public meetings, you will know that I have said that I am not opposed to Gold Rush, but I do want to make sure that it pays its way. That is very difficult in California because of the way that we tax ourselves. Do you know that the Gold Rush homeowners will be paying 3 and maybe 4 CFD taxes in addition to their regular property taxes? And then there will be a HOA to pay for other things. The folks in Gold Rush will be paying $1,300 to $2,000 a year more in taxes for Fire service, City services, County services, etc.; not just once, but year after year. This is all very complex for a small City that can not currently balance its own check book (Budget), our current City debt is $800,000 headed for $1,000,000 by July 1 2010. So we have a project that is going to add 1300 homes to a City that has maybe 1100. Will Sutter Creek be able to handle that growth and balance its Budget then, don't know. And that is why I ask all the Fiscal, Financial questions. I have discussed this at length with several ardent Gold Rush supporters. I do not type that well or that fast, so if you want to discuss more call me. I'm in the book. Thanks. |
| - Ed Arata |
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| Ignorance with a capital |
| 11/6/2009 9:04:09 PM |
| 75% is a stretch if I've ever heard one. Regardless of what Rick Menkins thinks about Gold Rush, if he had one inkling of the history and politics of this place, near and far, he wouldn't pen such monumentally imbecilic vituperations. The only person your statements ridicule, sir, is yourself. |
| - Hetty Green |
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| Hetty Cashman |
| 11/6/2009 11:43:38 PM |
"Hetty Green" and "Neille Cashman" are clearly the same closet fool, although I congratulate him/her on buying a thesaurus to drop a fifty dollar word here and there, as if that make you any less ridiculous. Big words from a little person.
As far as calling people on the phone, I need a few weeks to recover from Gold Rush-burnout. It's all anyone talks about in Sutter Creek, whether they are for it or against it. Maybe I'll spend all my time in Jackson or Ione for a month around folks who recognize there's more to Amador than Gold Rush. After that, I may be able to have conversations about it again with people like Ed. I think Ed's basically a good guy.
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| - Rick Menkins |
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| Halfway house |
| 11/7/2009 7:29:00 AM |
| Recieved info that three subjects were removed from the Ione halfway house the City placed on the "Safe walk to schools" route. Of these three taken for various violations, one had a history of predatory behavior. While I commend the local officials for their action, it should be noted that no action was taken until the info about this business was placed in the public view via the Red Phone, despite official written prior complaints. It looks as if the anonymous but accurate information may have been a key factor in removing at least one sexual predator from the community. It is very difficult to believe that a business license applicaton by an outfit calling itself "Bikers for Christ" did not get more attention/scrutiny by city hall staff, especially since the combined salaries of the City Mngr. and Police Chief are approx. a quarter million dollars. The community needs an explanation how this license got approved, and who was responsible. |
| - Leary |
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| Hetty Green |
| 11/7/2009 11:37:45 AM |
| FYI: Hetty Green was a friend of Leland Stanford, both of whom stayed often at the National Hotel during the Gold Rush era. Speaking of the National. It is regrettable that viewers of the Veteran's parade Wed will not be able to sit on the Hotel steps, nor will they see the famous and venerable Hotel in action. What a shame! |
| - Friends of History |
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| Leary |
| 11/7/2009 11:50:21 AM |
I really take exception to your calling "Bikers for Christ" an outfit. Perhaps you should remember that all that ride motorcycles are not of the "Hells Angels" type.
Many who ride and belong to motorcycle groups come from many walks of life and once again you stomp on people and don't think before you type.
I have ridden in motorcycle runs where we raise money for pediatric brain tumor research, toys for kids and for food closets. I don't care what patch they wear, we must look beyond your "classification of riders" and look to their "good deeds".
Once again, very proud your family must be.
Don't get me wrong in my feelings,I do not condone the placing of any type close to our schools. I was even against putting the courts across from Argonaut and their children's center on the corner. Just don't profile "Bikers", as one could be your judge or someone's grandma. |
| - Charline Buckley |
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| The Spirits Return to Amador |
| 11/7/2009 9:51:04 PM |
| I am always amazed how the Spirits of our past Citizens can be summoned in times of need to give us direction. Recently I have seen in this modern day "column" guest appearances from Sam Knight, John Sutter, Babe Martin, Dan Ramazzotti and my friend Hetty Green. Old George Lucot even got an honorable mention. All come back from the "other side" to give us their advice on how we might proceed. I have long held a soft spot in my heart for the foothills and Amador in particular, having last been featured in the Ledger in about 1900. I see that the Ledger has now been combined with its longtime nemesis the Dispatch, but many of the locals still call it "the Ledger." Well the Spirits are watching over you and willing to help, if you will heed their guidance. - dispatched from somewhere in Mexico with Villa's Army |
| - Ambrose Bierce, The Examiner, S.F. |
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| Clarification |
| 11/8/2009 8:49:32 AM |
| "Bikers for Christ" is the printed logo on a business card from the half-way house. My point was that this business exists to take prison inmates and re-assimilate them into society via interaction in our community. This type of business warrants a lot more scrutiny then an ice cream parlor, and the name of the group should have been incentive for the staff to look a bit closer. It is unfortunate that some have found insult where none is intended and used this irritation to evolve into a lecture about profiling bikers, which was not the point. Since three subjects were removed from the location for various violations, this indicates this "business", is not run by benign people wearing leather vests/chaps who do "Good Deeds", but business people willing to cut a profit from the State at the expense of our community security. |
| - Leary |
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| small town |
| 11/9/2009 11:34:24 AM |
| For a small town, this one sure has a lot of a** h****. |
| - J. Begovich |
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| yup, Beg |
| 11/9/2009 12:21:35 PM |
| I think everyone's starting to see Leary is one of biggest. |
| - Calhoon |
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| J. Begovitch |
| 11/9/2009 1:06:30 PM |
| You never were one to mince words, JB. Rick Menkins,he means you, too. |
| - Nellie Cashman |
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| Mallcontents for Ed |
| 11/9/2009 4:00:34 PM |
whining, nut-case, know-it-all malcontents are usually more intertaining and make better gossip and rebels - dispatched from somewhere in Mexico with Villa's Army
- |
| - Ambrose Bierce, The Examiner, S.F. |
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| Leary |
| 11/10/2009 3:22:04 PM |
An honest man speaks the truth, though it may give offence; a vain man, in order that it may.
Thank you Leary, I for one appreciate your input, and I thought Charline Buckley went away, but evidently she didn't, she is the self professed "moral compass" of the redphone.
Keep up the good work! |
| - T in Ione |
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| T |
| 11/10/2009 5:30:37 PM |
| Why thank you, I think I will go have a cup of T and keep a check on "morals". Someone has to or hand out hip boots cause it gets deep around the redphone. |
| - Charline Buckley |
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| What in God's name have we let happen? |
| 11/11/2009 9:27:12 AM |
I guess we are the last generation to see, or even remember anything like this.
Whatever happened? Political correctness (or "re-education") happened, lack of God's name happened, lack of personal responsibility happened, lack of personal integrity and honesty happened, lack of respect and loyalty to our country happened, lack of being an American happened. |
| - Joe |
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| Faith |
| 11/11/2009 9:32:44 AM |
"Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge of things without parallel"
- dispatched from somewhere in Mexico with Villa's Army
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| - - Ambrose Bierce, The Examiner, S.F. |
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| Ed Arata/Rick Menkins |
| 11/11/2009 9:58:20 AM |
| May I impose on you gentlemen, or anyone from your respective camps, to pen a few lines as to your feelings about putting the whole Gold Rush issue to a vote. The Council has the authority to put it on the ballot, and as an outside observer it is impossible to tell where the majority stands. It would seem this move would take a lot of pressure off the council and the majority would make the decicion. Or if this is totally unworkable maybe another idea from one or both ? You two gentlemen could be the catalyst to change the Redphone and the Gold Rush issue from people yelling at each other to people talking to each other.P.S. Thx T for your support |
| - Leary |
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| Nidal Malik Hasan - Fort Hood |
| 11/11/2009 9:01:53 PM |
Let's not waste any time or tax payer money. There were hundreds of witnesses, we know he's guilty. So get what information we can from him by any means, including "water-boarding" or worse, and then hold a public execution.
I'm not paranoid, I'm a realist, Islamic radicals, and terrorists have infiltrated our work place, military bases. schools, ...... , they are living among us. In WW2 they would have been called spies and/or saboteurs so why treat them any different today.
Wake up people; be vigilant before it's too late.
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| - anonymous |
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| Huh? |
| 11/11/2009 11:00:18 PM |
| Ms. Buckley's objections to Leary's notes have me scratching my head. First she defends bikers, who clearly weren't attacked...then doesn't condone 'what'? Bikers? Outfits? Rehab centers with unchecked clients directly behind a bar in the middle of town? While the history buffs will remember the days of take-overs by bikers in Amador County, the only things flapping from a biker these days are their jowls. It is not Leary's fault this is the business name. And why do you keep bring his family into this? Isn't it her or his job to expose this danger for the sake of his family and the community?! Good job, Leary! If I were your family, I'd bake you a cake! And, I would certainly want to know who dropped the ball on this come election time. |
| - TwoBits |
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| Dicrimination Public Access! |
| 11/12/2009 9:56:58 AM |
| Miss Fernandez I agree with you completly,I"m Andrew Roy family name Morris, The CFO Of The Coalition Of The Learning Disabled.We as the people have had simular issues,WE taken our case to the ninth district court,even the supreme court has ruled in this matter,We have not gotten any answers from the state, county or federal government in regaurds to why they denie access to peoples with Dyslexia or other nerological disabilities.Which puts you in a postion to use a tape recorder or an auxilary aide for private notes. I:m looking forword to hearing more articles from you and thank-you for your concern. Andrew Roy: Morris |
| - Andrew Roy: Morris |
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| Paul Scott on Gold Rush |
| 11/13/2009 8:25:40 AM |
See Paul Scott's Guest Commentary on Gold Rush and the $750,000 reasons......
I am so tired of the the City Manager telling the City Council and the Citizens of Sutter Creek that the sewer plant is held together with bailing wire and bubble gum. He does not obviously understand the sewer plant that he is in charge and/or he is getting bad information from his engineers. Our sewer plant is not going to fail catastrophically as he describes. The City Council recently turned down the proposal for another $750,000 loan because the citizens came up with over 350 signature on a petition and filled the meeting hall to voice their concerns. The Citizens will do this time after time, until the Council gets the sewer operation in order and stops supporting a major portion of City Staff from the sewer rates. The City is currently paying off a loan it took out in 1997 for sewer repairs. The payments are currently about $43,000 per year, the payments "balloon" to $215,000 in 2014. Did the Council even realize this when they were being told to take out more debt by the City Manager? The City needs to solve its Budget and Sewer issues now and stop worrying about getting Gold Rush approved. Gold Rush will not solve Sutter Creek's financial problems, now or in the future. - Ed Arata, Sutter Creek. |
| - Ed Arata |
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| Corection to number above |
| 11/13/2009 8:21:02 PM |
| The number above ($216,000) is for a five (5) year time period, thus the payment per year will be about $43,000 per year. Sorry, read the report chart incorrectly. It reports by years at the start of the chart and then switched to a 5 year time period. - Ed Arata, Sutter Creek. |
| - Ed Arata |
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| Crime in Sutter Creek |
| 11/14/2009 4:19:57 PM |
Last month there was a home invasion robbery in Sutter Creek. I think it would benefit the citizens of Sutter Creek for the Sutter Creek Police Department to have done a press release to local and out of county news organizations.
Citizens should be aware of the dangers out there and we should not hear about it through rumors.
Mr. Publisher, please contact the Chief of Police and get this story out.
|
| - Potential Crime Victim |
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| Flyers |
| 11/15/2009 10:03:55 AM |
I am writing to those inconsiderate, thoughtless morons who feel their event is more important than another's.
There are many locations to post a flyer advertizing your upcoming garage sale, benefit, class, car, motorcycle, etc., but who empowers you to remove, or cover up that of another because you may not approve, afraid to face the competition, and/or just to make room for yours.
I recently posted a flyer for a car I wanted to sell on the bulletin board at Cost-Less Foods. Cost-Less clears their board the first of every month, out with the old, in with the new, and at the time I posted my flyer, their board was almost clear with plenty of room. Less than a week later, my flyer had been covered up by someone else's flyer advertizing their expertise as a Handyman, and I was not the only one who fell victim to those that felt their announcement was more important.
This may seem trivial, but I also think it shows just how self-centered, uncaring many in our society have become.
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| - Sue |
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| That's just great |
| 11/16/2009 7:45:37 PM |
| Just what we need here, still another addlepated, elderly, white war monger giving a hate talk in Amador County to the local Repugnicans. So he thinks the president is a "yuppie" huh? What generation is he a throwback to? Give me a break. Sign me a lifelong Republican, until George Bush came along and ran us in the ditch |
| - Dwight |
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| More Buy Outs in Sutter Creek |
| 11/17/2009 6:02:44 PM |
| Well the City Council is at it again in Sutter Creek, spending money that it doesn't have, to "buy-out" another employee so we might save money next year. All the while holding meeting after meeting to talk about Gold Rush, but never finding time to talk about the budget. We ran a tighter ship back in my day. |
| - M. Provis, City Clerk (retired) |
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| The world may end before 1012 |
| 11/19/2009 7:17:34 PM |
"... and so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
By today's standards, John F. Kennedy may be considered conservative, or at least, a moderate, but by no means liberal, and if he were alive today, he would probably be hosting a "common sense" slightly leaning right talk show.
Just think, if Obama had to handle the Cuban Missile Crisis today, by the time he made a decision we might be pulling ourselves out from under the rubble or he'd be asking Castro to the White House to have a beer or to curtsey to him or kiss his a__.
For God's sake people, he's giving everything American's have fought and died for away.
I thought Jimmy Carter was our worst President, but he's looking better every day when compared to Obama.
|
| - Allen |
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| Who is Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans? |
| 11/19/2009 9:06:58 PM |
She Worked with California governor, Jerry "moonbeam" Brown. Evans worked in administrative capacities in the campaigns, during those years Jerry Brown served as California's Secretary of State and then Governor. She also held a cabinet post as Governor Brown's Director of Administration. She also ran His 1991 campaign to become President of the United States. [01]
-- Where did Code Pink's $500 million come from? "Ms. Evans is a very rich and powerful woman, thanks largely to her divorce settlement from the billionaire capitalist Max Palevsky in 'common property' California." [02]
-- She then apparently goes on to fund many issues and groups. Ms. Evans has many projects, including being a board member with George Soros and Medea Benjamin. [03]
-- She visits many interesting people - Hugo Chavez, the fascist leader of Venezuela [04], Mr. Ahmadinejad, the fascist leader of Iran [05] , and "representatives of the Iraqi resistance." Code Pink even gave enemies of American Troops 600,000 dollars during the battle of Fallujah, for, "supplies and medicine." [06]
Ms. Evans is a BIG democratic supporter. She gave Barrack Obama LOTS of dollars for his last campaign, (50th highest on the donors list.) [07] She even paid $30,000 dollars for a plate of food. She got to dine with President Obama (D) in San Francisco. They chatted about the Afghan war.
Ms. Evans forgot to mention; "In the current situation of terrorism, we cannot say troops should be withdrawn," Shinkai Karokhail, an Afghan member of Parliament and woman activist, told Code Pink members. "International troop presence here is a guarantee for my safety." [08]
[01] http://sweetness-light.com/archive/meet-code-pinks-sugar-mommy-jodie-evans
[02] http://sweetness-light.com/archive/meet-code-pinks-sugar-mommy-jodie-evans
[03] http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030421/benjamin
[04] Multiple reports (2004-2009)
[05] Multiple reports (2004-2009)
[06] 'To Fallujah, With Love' - http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=10017
[07] Democratic Party records
[08] http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1006/p06s10-wosc.html |
| - don't call a bluff U can't back |
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