Letter To Editor
Letter to editor
When the Sonora Union High School Bond Measure J was on the November 2012 ballot, I voted for it with pride because I knew it would enrich and improve the lives of young people. It was specific enough, in both word and intent, to get me and at least 55 percent of the electorate to pass it. If the list of projects was “too broad” for some people, it was their right to vote “no” at the time. What makes me angry is that those who don’t like the Measure J “aquatics center,” are now holding our “yes” vote hostage while they try to overturn the results of a legally held election.
The litigants have concocted a lawsuit based on semantics and “sour grapes,” unintentionally hurting both kids and taxpayers in the process. This lawsuit is not only frivolous, it violates the sanctity of our vote! Their lawyer says this is a “test case,” but while the lawyers and academics argue over “specificity,” the clock is ticking for our community’s teens as they struggle to make choices that will determine their futures. Precious time is being wasted, and money squandered, because of this lawsuit.
Please think about our priorities as a community. We are going to spend $20 million to build that 30-bed Juvenile Detention Center to lock up kids so we can try to fix their troubled lives. That amounts to $666,666.66 per bed. Where is the righteous indignation about that? In contrast, by upgrading and replacing dilapidated SUHS facilities of various kinds, Measure J will help to educate, inspire and encourage kids to stay in school and stay out of trouble. Through that lens, the new aquatics center (at $4 million), looks like a real bargain to me! Encouragement and support given now, helps kids make good choices.
Kathleen Parker’s syndicated editorial (Nov. 14) attacks President Obama claiming he destroyed his credibility by lying to the public about Obamacare. Yet, the program insures an additional 16 million Americans. By the end of the 2015 enrollment,
When the Sonora Union High School Bond Measure J was on the November 2012 ballot, I voted for it with pride because I knew it would enrich and improve the lives of young people. It was specific enough, in both word and intent, to get me and at least 55 percent of the electorate to pass it. If the list of projects was “too broad” for some people, it was their right to vote “no” at the time. What makes me angry is that those who don’t like the Measure J “aquatics center,” are now holding our “yes” vote hostage while they try to overturn the results of a legally held election.
The litigants have concocted a lawsuit based on semantics and “sour grapes,” unintentionally hurting both kids and taxpayers in the process. This lawsuit is not only frivolous, it violates the sanctity of our vote! Their lawyer says this is a “test case,” but while the lawyers and academics argue over “specificity,” the clock is ticking for our community’s teens as they struggle to make choices that will determine their futures. Precious time is being wasted, and money squandered, because of this lawsuit.
Please think about our priorities as a community. We are going to spend $20 million to build that 30-bed Juvenile Detention Center to lock up kids so we can try to fix their troubled lives. That amounts to $666,666.66 per bed. Where is the righteous indignation about that? In contrast, by upgrading and replacing dilapidated SUHS facilities of various kinds, Measure J will help to educate, inspire and encourage kids to stay in school and stay out of trouble. Through that lens, the new aquatics center (at $4 million), looks like a real bargain to me! Encouragement and support given now, helps kids make good choices.
Kathleen Parker’s syndicated editorial (Nov. 14) attacks President Obama claiming he destroyed his credibility by lying to the public about Obamacare. Yet, the program insures an additional 16 million Americans. By the end of the 2015 enrollment,