Hard to make positive changes with bigotry at the fore
Dear Editor,
I heard a very disturbing story/rumor about The Tea Party’s resurrection of hate right here in Morgan Hill. I did not see them, but several very credible folks reported to me about seeing one or more protesters outside of the Morgan Hill Post Office carrying signs with pictures of the President of the United States that portrayed him as Hitler. Of course they can do this because our Constitution is very clear about freedom of speech, and of course I will defend our Constitution and the freedom of speech because I am a loyal American.
Don’t these folks have anything else to do? If they are so concerned about our country why not use their time to seek solutions to our issues at the city, county and state level? Why not use their time for a positive cause rather than displaying their narrow point of view about our President is such a distasteful manner? I would challenge them to actually do something positive for their community in donating food and clothing to the homeless, clean up a roadway, or get involved with our local issues such as the loss of education dollars or one of the many other issues facing South County.
What kind of positive change do these people think they can attain with photo’s of hate and bigotry? Be a part of the solution not creating a problem where there is none. To compare Barack Obama to Hitler is laughable, but disturbing. Let’s all effect change in a positive respectful manner!
Swanee Edwards, Morgan Hill
Since when did Ag Mitigation Policy goals include a new high school?
Dear Editor,
The city’s Agricultural Mitigation Policy is online at www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/index.aspx?NID=663. It is a remarkable piece of non-fiction. I can hardly read a paragraph before I have to put it down and take a walk. It boarders on the absurd. Buried in this manipulative pro-development policy are a number of goals that are cause for question. On page three of the report the city states that one of the goals of the policy is to allow for a new high school.
Wait a minute, I have to ask myself, did I miss something or should this really be the task of our local school board or the council. I have read nothing that our current high schools are packed, filled to capacity and near collapse. Left conveniently off the report is the fact that this is a private high school. Now I understand. But when is the support of a private high school the goal of the city? And how would we legally and otherwise utilize public funds in such a manner? This does not sit well with my understanding of the separation of church and state and the ethical and legal use of public funds.
So I continue to wonder who established this need or goal? Was there a survey I missed, or perhaps a staff or school district report as I cannot find one. I asked the Mayor some time ago as to how did we/the city establish this need? He said that he observed a number of teens taking the train to schools in San Jose.
Good gracious. We are committing hundreds of thousands of our dollars based upon the Mayor’s personal observation to children taking a train? I would expect and need an empirical study that is the culmination of statistics, which would include through empirical research, community participation and an open review process. But you will find none of that; this isn’t a project of need as much as it of greed. So we will bypass verification.
Simply put, the Agricultural Mitigation Policy is a pro-development document to pave over precious farmland and if you can throw in a high school or two to manipulate public opinion by all means. Listing specific projects is not what a AG policy should do put to provide for a frame work for a variety of projects. The listing of the high school is to manipulate public opinion. Our first reaction is that this is a good thing. But in reality, it is deceptive and manipulative.
Shortly, you and I will be paying for the biggest land grab since they opened the Oklahoma Territories. Well maybe not that big, but certainly deceitful, manipulative and definitely unethical. If you think these things only happen in big cities, think again. In the coming weeks I will deal further into this document so as to involve and inform the community. In my opinion this project will impact our community, environmentally, financially and permanently. If you would like more specific information, please message me at
fa*******@ch*****.net
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Mark Grzan, Morgan Hill
We need a government that will protect us and our property
Dear Editor,
If local elected representatives agree that they cannot continue in office if they “violate official duties,” then how can we have them violating their oath of office to uphold our Constitution, which both State and federal, guarantees equal protection and due process of law? How can they stay if they continuously violate the prohibition in our State Constitution against surrendering the taxation power to unelected persons, e.g., appointed joint power authorities Directors, e.g., VTA-COG?
After what Lenin did to the Russians, why would we want our children and grandchildren to inherit worse nationalized transport, worse than Lite Rail, worse than Caltrain, worse than Amtrak, combined? Why won’t you desire that your children inherit the America that we inherited from our fathers and grandfathers? Don’t we get crucified enough by the radical socialists urban transit boondoggles from the unconstitutional joint power authorities, e.g., VTA-COG, who continue to violate the Brown Act with secret meetings where neither the public, nor the press, are invited, while governance abuses multiply?
There’s nothing inevitable about bigger government, more nationalization, unless you’re convinced that Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin were right, and we can make their failures work here in California. Those who hold office with such beliefs are the leaders who have us on the Road to Serfdom.
When government failures have reached the level of “a long train of abuses and usurpations,” as they have here today, then the Declaration’s draftsmen authorize we the people to overturn our government and replace it with one that will protect us and our property.
Worse than old felonies are the currently committed ones that undermine American’s liberty and freedom, while hypocritically proclaiming that the trust of the voters are being fulfilled while in public office.
Our Constitution has remedies for these offenses, and it’s high time that we invoked them.
Joseph P. Thompson, Gilroy
Wake up! Are we in Campbell or Morgan Hill?
Dear Editor,
Upon reading that the city of Morgan Hill had decided to use all of the remaining $19.3 million of Redevelopment Agency Funds for the improvement of Morgan Hill’s downtown, one really had to take pause to consider the rational of creating a parking garage, hundreds of units of downtown apartment dwellings which would consume all that parking, and enticing developers to build on RDA owned downtown property in an unfavorable economic climate.
Morgan Hill, no one will argue, is a family orientated community. Our children have the options of playing baseball in Morgan Hill’s thriving Pony League, learn basketball in one of the area’s finest youth basketball programs, the South County Basketball Academy, or enjoying our area’s many outdoor recreation outlets, too numerous to mention.
It is no coincidence, in continuity with family needs; Morgan Hill has one of most spacious public libraries in the entire Santa Clara County library System.
It is also no coincidence that our Santa Clara County Park system has chosen Morgan Hill to invest a full service, educational wildlife visitor’s center, the Anderson Visitor Center to be completed as soon as late next year.
Previous RDA expenditures have recognized the family character of Morgan Hill by enhancing our Community Park on Edmundson Avenue with walking trails, ponds and gentle hills, building our acclaimed Morgan Hill Aquatic Center, as well as the construction of our widely used Community Recreation Center. We also have a 17-acre San Pedro Ponds walking trails which both seniors and children enjoy as well as other outdoor parks.
As a member of the Santa Clara County Dental Society, I attend our monthly educational meetings in “historic” downtown Campbell at Villa Ragusa.
As I make my way from its multi-story parking garage, I pass by sidewalk cafes full of 30 year olds with iPods, and laptops, texting with their smartphones. Through the smoking and coffee steam, I am wondering why we would want to spend 19 million dollars to mimic this scene?
I would urge our city council to follow the nature of our community. Morgan Hill will continue to grow.
Let’s use these RDA funds to create more public safety, family activities, further public education, and enhance the family orientation which is Morgan Hill … not mimic the “historic” downtown of Campbell.
Jon Hatakayama, Morgan Hill
