According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the cost of illegal immigration to California taxpayers is $10.5 billion per year. That figure represents half of the projected state budget deficit for the next year, meaning that illegal immigration is contributing hugely to the massive budget shortfalls California faces year in and year out. […]
Commentaries
Posted inOpinion
Pull together to support AgJOBS
The bill is important to the Central Coast
The year 2010 will bring the AgJOBS bill sponsored by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein before Congress, which in turn will have a profound effect on the economy of the Central Coast—and in particular the coastal valleys such as the Salinas Valley and the Santa Maria Valley, where farmers harvest labor intensive crops. As we all […]
Posted inOpinion
Blue Christmas?
How to wrap up the holidays when you have no spirit
Ah, the holiday season is here, filled with song, the hurry-scurry of gift buying and menu planning, family and friends gathering, the glow of expectation on little faces as they gaze at gifts piled under a tree or near a menorah. Holiday colors light up the street, store windows, and most living rooms—green and red, […]
Posted inOpinion
Let us give thanks
Hopped up on painkillers? You can still enjoy the holiday!
Every year, we celebrate Thanksgiving as a time to count our blessings, spend time with family, eat our fill of a traditional feast, and watch a parade and football game while reclining with our pants unzipped—and it’s perfectly acceptable. So from whence did this tradition come? Oh, I know it has something to do with […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t delay widening 101
Santa Barbara County residents have already waited long enough for what’s been promised
Twenty years ago, voters agreed to tax themselves for road improvements throughout Santa Barbara County. Measure D raised the sales tax rate one-half of one percent and paid for a lot of freeway construction projects and road maintenance projects. One project promised by the measure but not completed was the widening of the 101 freeway […]
Posted inOpinion
My denture adventure
Estimates for the work I need came in around $12,000
Dental insurance through my job is expensive but well worth it. Twice now it’s completely paid for a comprehensive exam and full set of x-rays that have definitively established I cannot afford to have my teeth fixed. Both estimates for the work I need came in around $12,000 with the good news that the insurance […]
Posted inOpinion
Halloweens, past and future
Trick or treat, my aching feet!
Halloween is my favorite holiday, even more than Hanukkah and Christmas. There’s no stressful gift buying, card writing, or party-planning. Halloween is even better than Thanksgiving. No visitors, putting up guests, putting up with family quirks, meal planning, bird thawing, pie baking. But those holidays are another story. Let’s focus on All Hallow’s Eve! You […]
Posted inOpinion
Game wardens are vital professionals
Without wardens’ presence, the future of hunting would be bleak
This is in reference to the Santa Maria Sun commentary titled “The Thin Green Dollar” (Oct. 8), written by Ed Apalategui. As a new volunteer hunter safety instructor with the California Department of Fish and Game and sportsman (hunter and fisherman) for more than 40 years throughout the United States and overseas, I am impressed […]
Posted inOpinion
The thin green dollar
Fines and harassment ruin wilderness recreation
Your cover story about game wardens (“For the love of nature,” Sept. 10) states there are too few of them, they are deputized federal agents, they start at $41,000 per year, they have trouble recruiting due to collegiate requirements, and they depend upon fine money to finance this incredibly important job that they do. […]
Posted inOpinion
Santa Maria’s changing demographics
Farm-worker challenges to this area’s great quality of life need to be addressed
The city of Santa Maria is becoming known as a Hispanic community throughout the Central Coast, and with the negative profiling that is associated with the illegal immigrants, the social and racial tensions are unfortunately escalating. It is getting to be whenever any negative incident occurs, the fingers point to our Hispanic community. By […]
Posted inOpinion
Who will care for your pets when you can’t?
Don’t let a hospitalization or death harm your beloved animals
When I volunteered at the Orange County animal shelter, people often brought in a pet who had belonged to a deceased relative. It appeared that those who inherit the house, etc., also got the pets. The kill rate was very high at that time. I would try to encourage the person to make […]