Search for Lathrop man reaches into Stockton

This is an odd story. Maybe it’s too early to criticize and I don’t know all the facts but based only on what’s reported, I have some questions:

• Aren’t the police trained to recognize and distinguish between medical conditions and intoxication? And don’t they have that duty?
• Does this mean every person with diabetes or epilepsy or a head injury or a variety of other conditions is now in danger of being scooped up by the police at any time and thrown into a cell with without proper medical attention?
• The Sheriff returned the dog safely to his home, but not the man; then dumped him onto the street, barefoot and disoriented miles from home without so much as notifying someone to get him?
• And a question for the family: When the deputies arrived that night and delivered the dog, and presumably reported the man was “being held” for “intoxication” did someone say anything or report his medical condition to the deputies?

I’ll be keeping an eye out for Mr. Lum and I hope you will too. Here is a picture from the Manteca Bulletin along with information. See the link below for more:

Anyone with information on Lum may call his aunt Connie Perez’ cell phone at (209) 606-8198 or call his dad Jerry at (209) 915- 2371 or call 911. Lum is 6-foot-2 inches and weighs about 160 pounds.

Search for Lathrop man reaches into Stockton

Office of behavior modification

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the phrase “we” (who’s we?) “have to get people out of their cars.” Usually it involves not funding road repairs and funding a high tech bus station (multi-modal station) instead. Or creating a subsidized bus service that travels two miles through Manteca and costs roughly $25 each trip. (The passenger pays $1, the taxpayer pays the rest.)

How many times have we heard about incorporating “smart growth” into something they call the city’s “general plan?” It’s about fighting something called “sprawl” and its evil proponents, “the developers.” Here, the “sprawl” is defined as what occurs precisely after the point in time that I move in to an area (i.e., sprawl-fighters want to move to an area and build a home for themselves, but it’s “sprawl” if anyone else does the same.)

Paradoxically, Manteca has a set of regulations outlawing building small houses and using less than a minimum amount of land while simultaneously providing taxpayer money to certain builders if they build below that minimum. It's called “high density.” Remember “density” is the inverse of “amount of land used.” So the city outlaws building on small lots, then wonders why people aren’t building on small lots, then decides to fix the problem by paying a developer to build on small lots.

Manteca also complains about traffic congestion. And at the same time it builds speed bumps, “bulb outs,” wide medians with trees in the middle of roads, and caps roads with dead ends just yards from the cross street so that road can’t be used to relieve traffic congestion. The policy is to force you to use the congested road. Then they do “studies” before giving out building permits and charge homebuyers huge extra taxes to fix the “congestion” they say they “cause.”

Come to think of it I think I just answered my own question. It’s the “cycle of money/laws/favors” in Manteca. But that really wasn’t the point of this entry, I just found the following article by George Will interesting:

Why Ray LaHood Is Wrong Newsweek George F. Will Newsweek.com

Manteca 3rd of July parade

Enjoy highlights of the Independence Day - eve parade!

Happy Independence Day

Here's some fireworks for you.

Manteca introduces new “we won’t put you out of business” program.

Good news! Manteca city official have decided it no longer makes sense to do everything they can to close every local business. From now on, this treatment will only be reserved for ordinary people.

Previously, city officials have caused businesses to fail by requiring them to, among other things:

• Tear up the sales lot of a car dealership and plant trees instead. The cars, the city felt, were unpleasant to look at.
• Deny a permit to a car wash because the other car washes in town didn’t like the idea.
• Revoke the permit for a dance hall because there was too much dancing and music going on.
• Require a fitness center to purchase and build a larger parking lot because they moved a machine from one room to another.
• …. and so on….

But city officials vow to end such abuses and put an end to the poverty enhancement policies that have plagued the past. Even the mayor is quoted as saying he thinks private enterprise is important! A new day dawns!

However, there are a few strings attached to getting your new permission to operate in Manteca. Here’s a quick checklist to see if you qualify to not be driven into poverty by city policy:

• Do you have plans to expand? Do you draw in a lot of tax money? Has the city demanded at least a $million in fees or else?
• Have you threatened to leave Manteca? It’s not enough to just say you’ll leave; have you actually found land in another jurisdiction and put up a “For Sale” sign?
• Are you friends with the director of a politically well connected charity? Friends with the husband of the finance director? (regular people need not apply).

If you meet all the above requirements, you’re in luck! You simply need to have your friend ask his wife to talk to “some people” at city hall. Chances are that $million in fees will soon be “Did we say a million dollars? hmm… how about half that… no, tell you what, make it $400,000 and we’ll call it good.”

Good luck! Enjoy your new prosperity!

Manteca saves 130 jobs

Why are we convincing kids they will fail in school?

I have to largely agree!  When government types are unhappy with the amount of taxes you are paying, they are more than happy to make sure you get lousy service.

In this case, it’s the teachers who are planning on giving us all a lesson of what happens if we don’t pay them (enough).  Your kids will end up stupid(er)!

Why are we convincing kids they will fail in school?

Matt Browne Hearing

This is the condensed version. (some coarse language)

George F. Will - A Quixotic Pursuit: Green Energy Jobs

 

“…each new job entails the loss of 2.2 other jobs…”

George F. Will - A Quixotic Pursuit: Green Energy Jobs

He's Barack Obama

I don't know what to make of this. Go Rutgers!

Memorial today

Don't forget Sid Reams memorial being held today (Saturday) at 1 pm in downtown Manteca. Anyone who is important will be there.

Date: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: P. L. Fry & Son Funeral Home
Street: 290 N. Union Road
City/Town: Manteca, CA

View Larger Map

For any questions contact:Phone: 2092391242
Email: bikindaf@gmail.com

A Doctor’s View of Obama’s Healthcare Plans - WSJ.com

 

A Doctor’s View of Obama’s Healthcare Plans - WSJ.com

Trouble!

The police chief has submitted a report to the city council asking to revoke (or not renew) the "dance hall permit" for Club Leon in downtown Manteca. They cite such problems as, during the last year or so there was a fight in the parking lot, a bouncer threw a guy out of the club and a woman was hit by someone in the club.

Additionally, they are accused of having minors in the hall (although it's unclear if that's a problem since there's no claim of underage drinking) and the employees purchased booze from the local supermarket apparently contrary to the states rules about where they buy their supplies. The chief's report accuses them of "trying to pass off counterfeit money" although it seems more likely a customer had passed them a bad bill and that's how the whole matter came to light.

Furthermore, the ubiquitous "numerous complainers" (ever present in council documents) are mentioned but as usual none of the members of the League of Numerous Complainers have actually come forward or said what they are complaining about. Maybe they are jealous or competitors or just they just don't like "their kind?" Who knows, none of the "numerous complaints" are listed.

So is it really fair to punish the owner of the club? The club owner hasn't been accused or convicted of any crime. What more could the management do? The place is popular. That fact alone makes it almost unique for a night club in Manteca! Things do happen at popular places.

I could see blaming them if, say, they had a drink special for anyone who got in a fight in the parking lot, but there's no evidence of anything of the sort. To the contrary, it looks like the owner has done the best he could to run the club properly. Although there have been some infractions with the ABC, they corrected those and paid with a temporary suspension of their liquor license. The things such as finding the doors locked has been corrected and wasn't repeated. (The doors were locked after the police told them to "keep out the minors," then they cited them for locking the doors.)

The council should renew the dance hall permit. First, because there really is no other choice -- the owner has done nothing wrong and has a right to operate a successful business. In the Stockton/Maxim case just a few weeks ago the federal court ruled that having discretionary permits for live music is "unconstitutional." The reason being that live music is a form of constitutionally protected free speech.

It's also possible there is a "culture clash" going on. The report hints that someone from the police dept visited the club almost a year ago and sort of "laid down the law." Curiously, this was before most of the "trouble" started. They "warned" them that if they call the police too much they could lose their permits! Think about what a perverse incentive that creates.

Instead of warning them not to call them too much, the police should be helping them and encourage them to communicate with the police at the first sign of trouble, and not wait till there's a melee going on or something.

Lets hope the council keeps both the law and common sense in mind and gives the successful local business a chance to thrive in Manteca. In this economy, Club Leon should be getting an award, not being threatened with closure!