How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Letters
- Details
- Written by: Philip Reimers
I’m running for District 5 supervisor because the citizens, businesses and government of Lake County can no longer afford to have the lake be the Achilles heel to what should be a vibrant, robust and growing tourism-based economy.
Lake County is the eighth-worst tourist destination in the state. Of the 58 counties in California only five farming counties and two desert hell holes draw less visitors than Lake County.
It’s about time for a Lake County renaissance. A renaissance that would result in accelerated job growth, investment and opportunity. This means more money to the county for important concerns such as education, roads, parks, law enforcement, etc.
It all starts with fixing the lake, and the time for multi-year plans with incremental improvements was years ago.
An American-made system that will transform the lake in a single season does exist. An ecologically sound system so effective it has been installed in this state and around the world.
A fix this good costs a fortune, and while worth every penny with unimaginative government thinking, it will never be installed.
With voter support, I will go nonstop after a very small portion of the $40 billion given away every year by corporations and foundations. The case can be made economically, from a health standpoint as well as environmentally. We will get the money.
Visit the web site www.itsaboutthelake.com . That’s where you can see more details, link over to the company that will fix the lake, as well as my thoughts on other issues. If you don’t use the Internet call 707-295-0330 and I’ll get you the info.
With the support of voters we will fix the lake quickly, without taxpayer dollars. Together we will make Lake County once again relevant as a place people visit, spend their money and then go home.
Nothing will have a bigger countywide effect and together we can do this.
It’s about the lake. It’s about time.
Philip Reimers lives in Cobb, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Dan Desmond
As a resident and small farmer in Lake County I would like to voice my opposition to the expansion of Dollar General Stores into Middletown and Kelseyville.
I believe the design and corporate philosophy behind the development of these small box stores does not fit with the community spirit and image of these two rural towns.
I also feel that the architectural style of these stores will damage the small town image and destroy the unique character of each which makes them attractive to tourists and particularly visitors interested in Lake County’s growing wine industry.
In the long run I believe these retail outlets will prove to be a poor investment both in economic terms and in terms of the social fabric of the community.
I would disagree with the developer’s suggestion that Dollar General is respectful and sensitive to community concerns.
I do trust however that the Board of Supervisors has the long-term interests of these communities in mind and understands what it takes to create “A friendly country town.”
Daniel Desmond owns Perini Ranch in Lower Lake, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Bobbie Whitley
The Middletown Lioness Club would like to thank the community for supporting our annual Father’s Day breakfast and raffle.
We would not have a location for our breakfast if it were not for the Middletown Lion’s Club, we appreciate the use of the Middletown Lions Community Building.
Thank you to all of the Lionesses that gave of their time and energy to plan, organize and prepare a delicious breakfast.
A special thank you to community members Teri Yee, Laurie Snell, Jamie Bracisco and Cheryl Shucart who gave of their time and energy to help in preparation, serving and cooking. We don’t know what we would have done without you.
We would like to thank Hardester’s Market for donating the watermelons and cantaloupes and also thank them for allowing us to sell our raffle tickets on their premises.
Thank you to the Middletown Central Park for providing a space at the park for us to sell tickets during Middletown Days.
Thank you to Safeway for helping out again this year with the ham, and Clover Dairy for keeping costs down for eggs and milk.
Thank you to the Middletown Senior Center for keeping the biscuits and sausage for us.
A big thank you to those who purchased tickets for our Father’s Day raffle. We are all so fortunate to live in such a wonderful supportive community.
The funds we raise allow us to provide annual Middletown High School scholarships, annual free Halloween carnival, and provide funds to support the seniors and youth of our community throughout the year.
Bobbie Whitley is president of the Middletown Lioness Club in Middletown, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Nelson Strasser
There is a natural resistance to change, in part due to our sense that things will remain as they have been in the past. This tends to make us complacent.
And, even if we commit to change, there is the sobering reality that when we make changes, we never know how things are going to turn out. So, there is an inclination to continue in the old dispensations.
However, the world is changing, and not in a good way. The planet is warming and becoming more polluted, as is or food supply. Cancer (some forms), obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure are on the rise. The plethora of material goods available, even to many poor people, can’t be satisfying us, because few people seem to be thriving.
The task before us then appears overwhelming: change our lifestyle: the way foods we eat, the way we transport ourselves and improve our emotional well-being.
However, in this regard, Lake County would be an excellent place to construct a new paradigm.
For example, we could produce organically grown food and sell it to Safeway and Bruno’s Shop Smart and avoid the 1,500-mile trip that our food (if produce, usually insipid), on average, has to take to get to the supermarket.
We could form an organization to facilitate such an effort. This has been done, in a way, by the Cubans after the Russians left them without gas and spare parts for tractors. They planted a lot of gardens and they did it intelligently with the help of ag specialists.
While the rest of the world, especially China, is utilizing bicycles, Lake County remains relatively bicycle unfriendly. There is a lot that could be done in this regard.
I suggest that while these things should be pursued, we should begin with a small but revolutionary step: Eliminate milk from the school menu.
Before you, tune me out as a crank, I want you to read “Anti Cancer, A New Way of Life” by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PHD, already translated into 35 languages (there are numerous other books and videos on this topic).
Besides the trace elements of pesticides and growth hormones, and the fact that milk contains saturated fats, milk has another, significant problem: The ratio of omega 3 (the good guys) to omega 6 fatty acids (the bad guys) contained in milk, has gone in the wrong direction. This is due to the fact that most cows are not grass fed, but, for economic reasons, are fed grains and other things like corn (this is true for meat from cows as well as milk). There is much evidence that this ratio, increasingly favoring omega 6, leads to dire health consequences.
So, I suggest that we start with this simple step: Remove milk from schools and replace it with (hopefully organic) soy or rice milk.
Consciousness is beginning to change. For example, I have been staying at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore with my son as he does rehab after surgery. Much of the food here is medically contra-indicated.
I emailed one of the administrators, asking, respectfully, why they are feeding people the same food that put them in here in the first place.
To my surprise, not only was I not dismissed as a nut, but the administrator actually agreed with me, and sent the head of the kitchen to speak with me, and we made some changes on the menu. This was very encouraging. The health and well-being of our children is at stake.
Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.