Welcome Back, Corey!

As a news junkie, I subscribe to two newspapers.  One is the Daily Sun News of Sunnyside.  I enjoy the local coverage it provides to our small town.  In addition, opinion pieces provide entertainment as well.

Last fall, during the election cycle, Corey Russell wrote some glowing things about Barack Obama, now PresBO.  While I disagreed with virtually everything he said, it was refreshing to hear a different perspective from my own.

In recent weeks I have been wondering if his editor put a muzzle on him.  He has done columns about TV shows he watched, music groups he would like to see in concert, and anecdotal stories about his children.  Snooze.

Now, in a roaring fashion, Corey is back, and just as wrong on issues as ever!  He bashes those who attended Tea Parties in his latest column, and extols the virtues of our Teleprompter-dependent President.  He is not bothered by PresBO bowing before foreign leaders.  He thinks PresBO is doing a great job.

I wonder if Corey Russell thinks that having government run on a bottomless pit of income taxes and Federal Reserve Notes is good policy.  Apparently so.  While I couldn’t disagree more, I am glad the muzzle (whether self-imposed of placed by others) has come off.

Welcome back, Corey!

To see his latest column about PresBO’s first 100 days, go here.

FAA Memo: Feds Knew NYC Flyover Would Cause Panic

The FAA knew that a low atlitude flyover in New York City would cause a panic, so they decided to keep the Air Force One flyover a secret.  Why is there such a large disconnect between government staffers and the American public?

See New York (CBS) story here.

Air Force One Backup Plane Buzzes New York

Maverick: Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby.

Air Boss Johnson: That’s a negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

From the movie: TOP GUN (1986)

Now, it’s the Obama administration that is buzzing New Yorkers with its Air Force One backup plane!  On a CLASSIFIED mission to update file photos, the 747 used to carry the President, and an F-16 chase plane were sent to fly around the Statue of Liberty and get some nice pictures for a photo-op.

Why the mission was CLASSIFIED I don’t know.  Panicky New Yorkers thought it was another hijacking like what they experienced on 9-11.  Several office buildings were evacuated by local security as a precaution.

Why was this photo-op mission done secretly?  Why were the Mayor of New York, and the citizens of the area intentionally kept in the dark?  When asked about this, Obama said he was as upset as anyone, because even he did not know about it!

You are the freakin’ President!  Take charge!

If you did not know about it, you should have.  I can’t believe the press is giving him a free pass on this.  I also can’t believe that White House staffers thought they should not tell the public about a planned photo-op.

Our government is conducting way too much business under the cloak of secrecy.

Can Sunnyside Save Money On Cell Phones?

A review of recent claims vouchers for the City of Sunnyside shows that the City is paying for cell phones from multiple carriers.  AT&T Mobility, Nextel Westcorp, and Verizon are all providing cell phones to the City.

Most citizens are familiar with cell phones for personal use, and are aware that “family plans” are available with a reduced cost for additional phones.  In my personal experience, businesses can also achieve savings when obtaining multiple phones.  It does not appear that a consolidated approach to cell phone acquisition has been taken at City Hall.

With a little contract management, the City could potentially negotiate better terms by obtaining all its cell phones through one carrier.  New laws requiring cell phone number portability make this even easier.  Staff would not need to change their phone number if the provider of the service changed.  In the past, this was a stumbling block for some people and businesses wishing to change carriers.

Several years ago, I worked with a small non-profit organization that had 10 cell phones.  We shopped around and found by getting all 10 from the same carrier, that we could save 50% over what we were previously paying for a hodge-podge of carriers.  More recently, when I worked as an Independent Contractor, I got a business discount of 18% off the retail price for a “family plan” for three phones that I still maintain.  This discount is not available to the general public, but is a way the carrier markets itself to business customers.

I don’t know the exact number of phones required by the City.  However, by buying “in bulk” a discounted rate could possibly be negotiated.  In addition, by consilidating the purchase, the number of vendors for the City would be reduced.  This in turn, would make managing the contract easier.

Today Is National Debt Day!

If the U.S. Government actually ran on the money it collects in taxes and other revenues, then today would be the day we run out of money.  The entire rest of the year is run on borrowed and/or printed money.

Your current individual share of the debt is $35,000.

Happy National Debt Day everyone!

Transportation Secretary Overrules FAA’s Attempt To Keep Records Secret

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has overruled the FAA’s attempt to keep records on bird strikes secret.  The issue came up when a U.S. Airways jet was forced to crash land in the Hudson River following a bird strike that knocked out the plane’s engines.  The incident occurred this past January.

In the aftermath, the media requested records on the frequency of such bird strikes.  Incredibly, the FAA tried to make the records secret!

Bowing to public pressure, and the threat of a lawsuit under the Freedom Of Information Act, the Transportation Secretary ordered that the FAA release the information that had been requested.

Why was that so hard????

Fox News: FAA Releases Bird Strike Data To The Public

Question Authority!

Are we raising mindless robots to be subjugated and compliant no matter what demands are made by those in positions of authority?

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case now involving a girl, 13 at the time, being strip searched at school.  This is getting to be insane.  School administrators should not have students go in their office, and disrobe for them.  As former Senator and Presidential candidate Fred Thompson would say: “Why do they call it common sense, when it is so uncommon?”

At the bottom of this post is a link to a story that NPR did on this case.  The girl continues to suffer emotional damage years after being forced to stand nude in front of her principal.  She had never had any prior disciplinary problems, was an honors student, and despite the search not turning anything up, was not allowed to return to class.

Of course the school does not believe they did anything wrong.  If the Supreme Court allows this to stand, then all of our kids could be forced to go through strip searches at any time they are in school.  Even minors, with more limited rights, should still have the right to keep their privates, well, private.

The governmental authorities would like Americans to be a good and docile group of sheeple that never question demands made of them.  It is my belief that God gave us brains, and we should use them.  Just because someone is “in charge” does not mean that we mindlessly do whatever they ask.  We should protect our children by letting them know that no one else owns their bodies.  If anyone asks them to do something with their body that they don’t want to do, they don’t have to.  Also, they should tell their parents and/or police about it.  Educating children about actions they can take will avoid potentially abusive situations.

If we allow our schools to dominate our children in this overbearing manner, we can expect more stupidity and abuse later, when they enter the workforce. 

A link below to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle documents the case of a teenage girl “forced” to strip and perform sex acts by the manager of a McDonald’s.  When researching this case, I was struck by the girl stating that her parents taught her to do what an adult asks of her, and not to question it.

Her parents set her up for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse by conditioning her to never question authority.  She could have refused to comply, and gotten out of the bad situation she was in.  However, she sued McDonald’s, and the jury awarded her $6.1 million.

Millions of Americans have experience working at a McDonald’s at some point in their lives.  I doubt that stripping and performing sex acts would be something most Americans would do at work, just because the boss is asking them to.  We should protect our kids by teaching them to be strong, and to get out of bad situations like this.

Allowing strip searches at school, without a warrant or judicial oversight, is not the direction we want to go in.

Like the old bumper sticker slogan says: QUESTION AUTHORITY!

NPR: Supreme Court To Hear School Strip-Search Case

San Francisco Chronicle: Jury gives $6.1M to Woman in Strip Hoax

Laynee Has A New Kidney!

Jim Restucci has been spreading the news on Twitter and also on his blog, about Laynee, a girl in Sunnyside, receiving a kidney donation from her mother.  What a great blessing this is!

The surgery took place yesterday, April 22, and both patients are recovering well.

Residents of Sunnyside may recall news coverage about Laynee’s search for a kidney donor in the Daily Sun News in recent months.  Thank the Lord that her desperate need for a kidney appears to be fulfilled!

For more information, see Jim’s post here.

Mexican Flag vs. American Flag

This picture comes from a high school in California from 2006.  Despite this “arrangement” of the flags taking place three years ago, it represents sentiments that have not gone away.

montebello4

 

 

 

 

 

Reportedly, the student that did this received some kind of disciplinary action.  I guess that is appropriate, but I am not so sure about it as I might have been in the past. 

Locally, a good number of Lower Valley employers now require that new hires speak Spanish, or they won’t be hired.  This includes big companies and even fast food franchises.  Skilled and unskilled labor.

The bottom line is that I want my kids to be able to communicate in Spanish, as it is sure to be a requirement for even entry-level jobs, both now and in the future.

The disrespect shown to the U.S. flag is a mere expression of the feelings towards U.S. history and tradition.  We will all have to deal with changes in the coming years, whether we like it or not.

Reference:

Snopes.com: Mexican Flag at Montebello High School

Sunnyside Airport Development (Or Lack Of It) Topic of Hearing At Planning Commission

The Sunnyside Planning Commission held a hearing last night to discuss new restrictions on growth around the airport.  No decisions were made, but public comments were taken.  Commissioners asked some questions, and City staff will do some research on these topics before the Planning Commission meets again.

The proposed restrictions would negatively impact CAN-AM, one of the larger employers in Sunnyside.  A representative of the company said future expansion plans will be put into jeopardy if the restrictions are passed as they are proposed.

Mike Farmer, a former member of the City Council, noted that a number of aircraft have moved to other airports, as well as an aircraft mechanic who used to be based at the Sunnyside Airport.  He suggested that allowing development around the airport may be a way for it to find a niche market, which may help bring air traffic to the area.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Restucci, who attended as a member of the audience, questioned whether private access can be given to public airports under government regulations.  City Attorney Kunkler said he will need to research that, as fencing around the airport could limit access.

On a side note, BlogSunnyside has noticed that there is no fence around the airport.  This is despite it being a requirement for many years.  Sunnyside’s airport apparently is allowed to operate because it is being grandfathered in under the new regulations. 

A plan to build a fence exists, and may yet be built.  City officials do not want to actually fund this, so they are waiting for grant money to do it.  Restrictions placed on grant money may have an adverse impact on private developments in the area, but would be a condition for the City to obtain the money for the airport.

Ted Durfey drew laughter from the audience when he joked about making money on his fuel facility at the airport.  He said his fuel operation is there only as a community service.  Despite this, he favored more restrictions on area landowners who want to develop property in the vicinity of the airport.  Durfey said that someday the traffic at Sunnyside’s Airport may grow to the same capacity as Prosser or Walla Walla.

Commissioner Cleghorn noted that the local community can set its own development plans, and can make its own zoning restrictions to protect the airport.  He further noted that the large footprint of proposed restrictions will effect a large number of residents and businesses.  This impact could be reduced by setting the restrictions at a lower level that would still protect the airport.

Cleghorn noted that traffic at the airport is down 90% from the time that the City last did a plan for airport growth.

City staff will research population densities allowed by zoning in other areas with similar sized airports.  They will also research security requirements with the Department of Homeland Security.

BlogSunnyside feels that the Planning Commission should do as some suggested at the meeting, and allow flexibility for future development.  This includes both residential and business development.  All too often, overbearing restrictions “kneecap” economic development.  Excessive regulation and taxation will only hamper growth.  If we truly want to see more activity at the airport, we should be asking why so many planes have moved elsewhere, and what it would take to get new ones to replace them.

I suspect that the lack of zoning restrictions is not the reason they left Sunnyside.  The development around the airport has not hampered airport operations during the time since the City last completed its airport plan.

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