Don't blame us

Here's an excerpt from the Manteca City Council candidates forum. Councilman Snyder outlines a narrative where whatever problems we have they are caused by outside forces, "the economy" or things over which "we have absolutely no control."



(And I don't mean to pick on Councilman Snyder because I think he's one of the more wise members of the council -- and this idea that "the problems are not our doing" has been expressed more or less by all the local politicians.)

But is this really true? Here are some graphs for you:

First, Millville, New Jersey:

Next, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Notice the similar graph:

And finally, Manteca, California:

Who says economic policy and the damage done by "planning departments" don't have a negative effect on people's lives? It's not "the outside forces" -- that's just an excuse. We are responsible for the world we create.

p.s. The candidates forum will be re-broadcast on comcast channel 97 at 6pm tomorrow (Monday, 27 Oct 08)

Manteca yard sales get national attention

Manteca yard sales get national attention!

I noticed a few months ago that on any Saturday you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a yard sale. And people weren't really trying to "get rid of stuff" -- unlike most yard sales of the past. It seemed to be more important to maximize the income -- regardless of how much time and effort it took.

But since it takes so much more time and effort and it can involve multiple yard sales, what does that tell us? That is a sign of "bad times."

Lathrop candidate Valencia answers questions

Manteca Live: What are the biggest problems facing Lathrop today and what do you suggest to fix those problems?

Rosalinda Valencia: The way I see it the biggest problem facing Lathrop right now is the Mayor and her inability to work well with other members of the council. We need a council that works well together to solve the issues. We need to stop the back door deals taking place at city hall. We need to work towards a solution to get the sewer up and running at the new High school ASAP!

If I am elected I will ask the tough questions not just rubber stamp things. My plan is simple: find the problems and work with those involved to reach a solution. I am willing not only to work with other members of the council but also the development community as well as the business community. I would love to get public input on any issue that comes before the council. I have already said publicly that if I am elected I want to know everything about every project going on in the city and about all programs that the city supports. I want to be able to talk to and ask questions of staff and expect to be given answers.

Manteca Live: Do you think Lathrop is "business friendly?" What do you think the city should do to attract new businesses?

Rosalinda Valencia: I will fight to make sure that Lathrop gets a business friendly attitude. We are in need of a great community development department and I will make sure that we get only the best in the business to head this department and any other department that I feel is not up to par, as it is my current belief that we are not now, or have in the recent past shown businesses that we are capable and willing to work with them to help bring the jobs that are so desperately needed in Lathrop.

One idea I have is to find out if we are able as a city to give tax incentive to companies that come to Lathrop by how many Lathrop residents they employ. The more residents they employ the bigger the tax incentive. This is just one thought I have, but need to find out if this idea is feasible or legal to do, but it is an idea. I havenʼt heard of any other ideas lately to help bring companies to Lathrop.

Manteca Live: What do you think is the biggest mistake or mistakes the current city council has made in the past several years and what would you have done differently?

Rosalinda Valencia: One of the biggest mistakes I strongly feel the current council has made is the pay as you go idea. I was the first one to speak before the council way back when that idea came about. I told the council as well as the developer, who left us without sewer for the high school, that they would be like used car salesmen coming in and lining their pockets and then leaving us to deal with the aftermath, and that is exactly what happened. I think that the council should have taken a closer look at the projects and the contracts that were signed prior to signing them. I do not think that any project should be started without having everything in place first. Things like storm drains, side walks, and especially sewer capacity.

Manteca Live: If you are elected to the city council, is there any law or ordinance you would like to see repealed? Is there any new law or ordinance you would like to see enacted?

Rosalinda Valencia: I feel the laws currently on the books are pretty good at this time and cannot think of one I would repeal at this time. I would, however, like to see the curfew changed to 10:00 P.M.

Manteca Live: Who is your favorite economist?

Rosalinda Valencia: I do not have a favorite economist. I do however like to watch the CNN news channel to get up the minute information as to what the DOW & Nasdaq are doing on a daily basis.

Manteca Live: What is your favorite book?

Rosalinda Valencia: I like books by Danielle Steel but I am currently reading a book entitled The Penny Whistle. I also enjoyed the book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

Manteca Live: What is your favorite movie?

Rosalinda Valencia: I know itʼs a chick flick but I love the movie Steel Magnolias and yes it still brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it.

Manteca Live: Our thanks to Rosalinda Valencia, candidate for Lathrop city council, for answering our questions.

Lathrop mayoral candidate Rock answers questions

Manteca Live: What are the biggest problems facing Lathrop today and what do you suggest to fix those problems?

John Rock: One of the largest problems facing Lathrop is the political environment and its negativity. We may see a candidate claim their value based on how long they have lived in Lathrop. I disagree with this because we have good people who are new to Lathrop and have the education and experience that allows them to help conduct City business with no past biases. We have two such candidates for City council and they should not be shunned only because they are essentially new residents. There is a need to have local knowledge but that should be a single attribute and not an entire qualification.

The other matter is the bashing of our current Mayor. I see at times where I, as a candidate can tell the voters why I would do a better job but to continuously bash a person becomes counter productive. I helped get Kristy elected and I do agree that the www.KristySayles.com web page is good for first amendment and healthy political debates but there needs to be an open two way communication forum. This is where your Manteca Live web site enters. However, your site, just as the previous mentioned site, should keep information open and limit anonymous hate comments.

Politics from those who are eager and desperate to hold on to power becomes down right nasty venues of dirt flinging and degrading comments toward others. This level of power seekers shall be detrimental in any community. Foremost it hurts what I am trying to do in my campaign. In my campaign I am not accepting money from any person or developer. I want to show the everyday citizen that they can get elected without (the belief it requires) taking money, making secret deals, clogging our intersections with large political signs and all of the other nuisances such as automated phone calls as an election nears. I wish to encourage an average person (nonpolitical crony) to replace me by them just walking door to door and running a clean campaign.

If you feel as I do and that is Kristy is a good person but will not give herself a time out (we must do so as a favor to a friend), then give me your vote. If you seek to leave Kristy tacked to the Dart board where everyone is taking cheap shots at her then vote for Kristy and allow her to continue on the current course. The way I see things, Kristy is fighting in every direction every day. This is not cool. I have said it before, give her a break and invite her to return when she is in her 40’s or 50’s. This is a major reason why I entered the race. To Help Kristy and the non political residents of Lathrop. For those Christians reading this, I feel you shall hear my words the loudest. I hope everyone does.

Manteca Live: Do you think Lathrop is "business friendly?" What do you think the city should do to attract new businesses?

John Rock: Before I can answer this with any degree of true accuracy, I need to be in Office and see the past actions of our city leaders. I do not believe I or you can see such past acts without first becoming a Mayor or Council member. Only then will past behaviors become visually clear. It is also a time that I would hear from business owners. I would seek to hear what they have to say. As it is in most situations, there is two sides to every story.

Manteca Live: What do you think is the biggest mistake or mistakes the current city council has made in the past several years and what would you have done differently?

John Rock: Once you go to my web page: www.RockLathrop.com you shall see I have been asking, begging and almost demanding that we have a flood study before the City allows the developer to build forty thousand new homes and four schools in an area I feel is a flood zone. The voters just approved a self taxation for levee improvements. This would never have been needed had any previous City council taken any of the actions I have requested in the past. Lathrop still does not own its levees. Lathrop still to this day has not had a new flood study done. Now we have all of these new homes with people in those new homes and the old levee still there with ground squirrels burrowing holes into the old dirt that has been laying there for so many decades with no hardened surfaces to prevent burrowing rodents.

I have a new High School next to my home and despite my requests to the City to open the new Lathrop Road and to also, fill in the deep old irrigation ditches on Dos Reis Road, nothing is getting done. I ask and I see no action. When I write to the City and ask them to be proactive and not reactive, I get nowhere. In past years when the river is at a very high mark, I see countless Moms and Dads driving to the end of Dos Reis Road to look at the river with fears the levee may break. I told the City years ago that with the new home owners and the old levee, the City needed a link on the Cities web site that would allow individuals to stay indoors and check the river level on their computer from home. The City did respond but why did I need to tell them this? If we had proactive thinkers in Office, concerned about the public, such work would be clearly evident.

It is the very same way with the emergency management link I had asked for that tells citizens where to relocate to in the event of a disaster. The City made a link to a county web page but never made, that I know of, a publicized evacuation route in the event a levee collapsed. I am not advocating that the sky is falling but rather, to build a system of knowledge that the public can quickly and easily access in the event of any power outage or emergency and have the faith their City leaders have been proactive in building a safe environment when an emergency does occur.

Manteca Live: If you are elected to the city council, is there any law or ordinance you would like to see repealed? Is there any new law or ordinance you would like to see enacted?

John Rock: I would like to study the Police services contract. In doing so, I would look for ways to bolster the number of Officers on the street. If say I found that the current contract was composed of more managers than we might need, I would listen to the argument and find a manner to lesson managers and increase Officers on our streets. I would also explore the possibilities to increase training and educational opportunities to such Officers and also, listen to them insofar as their requests for additional tools of the trade they may request.

I would use this same approach in listening to the employees and their union about what they would like to have changed or removed to better help them conduct their work. I would seek to build a working environment where City workers were enthused to come to work everyday. We must also have a Lathrop Mayor that can hug Manteca and work with Manteca. There seems to be friction between Lathrop and Manteca and I am a team builder. I want a productive unity with Manteca so that each City can help their neighbor.

Manteca Live: Who is your favorite economist?

John Rock: The single parent trying to make ends meet and not deprive their children of anything. The Mom or Dad that holds down two jobs and still finds time to play with the kids and help with homework. The working adult taking care of their elderly parent(s) and also, their immediate family. The retired person or disabled person living on a fixed income that can still find time to help their neighbor and/or, contribute time to community service deeds. These are the core economists in our lives and in some cases, my depict one of us or, our Mom or Dad.

Manteca Live: What is your favorite book?

John Rock: The Dictionary, The Bible (and not always in that order).

Manteca Live: What is your favorite movie?

John Rock: Dances with Wolves

Manteca Live: Our thanks to John Rock, candidate for Lathrop mayor, for answering our questions.

Questions for Lathrop candidates

The following are our questions for Lathrop's candidates, both mayor and city council. Any candidate interested in answering can email the answers to jackie@mantecalive.com and we'll publish your statements as we receive them.

1. What are the biggest problems facing Lathrop today and what do you suggest to fix those problems?

2. Do you think Lathrop is "business friendly?" What do you think the city should do to attract new businesses?

3. What do you think is the biggest mistake or mistakes the current city council has made in the past several years and what would you have done differently?

4. If you are elected to the city council, is there any law or ordinance you would like to see repealed? Is there any new law or ordinance you would like to see enacted?

5. Who is your favorite economist?

6. What is your favorite book?

7. What is your favorite movie?

No candidate debate forum for Lathrop

The Sun Post and the League of Women Voters held a debate forum for Manteca city council candidates on Thursday, October 16, at the council chambers at city hall. We asked the Sun Post if they were planning to hold a similar forum for Lathrop candidates and were surprised at the answer. They said that last year they approached Lathrop to hold a debate forum and were told that they could do it if they paid the city $500 for use of the council chamber. Because this is a public service and Manteca never charges them, they decided not to sponsor a debate for Lathrop.

I think it's odd that Lathrop would ask for money to do something so beneficial for their citizens. You can learn a lot about candidates by listening to them speak and answer questions. You get a feel for who they are and why they want to serve in an elected office. It's a pity that Lathrop residents won't get to have that experience. If I lived in Lathrop, I'd be kind of angry about that.

Because there won't be a live debate for Lathrop candidates and because some of the candidates have asked to be interviewed by Manteca Live, we've come up with a questionnaire for the candidates and if any of them answer, we'll publish their statements here.

Discouraging words seldom heard

Human beings are social creatures. It's well known that if you're in a room and someone asks, "is this a good idea?" and everyone else starts saying, "yes, great idea," "yes," etc. that you will tend to feel like it must be a good idea! Sometimes even if you didn't think it was a good idea at first.

Evolutionary biologists would say this is an adaptive trait. It helps the human species survive. Sort of like when men lived in caves and everyone in the cave said, "Don't go out there, there's a lion!" It probably wasn't good for your survival if you were the type of guy who said, "Lion? I don't see no lion, you people are all just sayin... aaaarghaah!"

But this natural tendency to follow others can also be used by clever people to fool you, to manipulate you, to sell you something, or even win elections. The technique is get other people to tell you who is "good" and who is "bad" in an election. But here's what the real manipulators have learned: It's not as effective if people know the room is filled with supporters or detractors only. It's much better if you can fill a room with what look like "ordinary people," your "friends and neighbors." You're more likely to feel swayed if you think it's "ordinary people" just "expressing their views."

In the modern electronic world things get even more fiendish. Like if you tune into a radio talk show where people call in. You might just be driving around listening to what people say and you're surprised almost all the callers say, "you should vote for prop 8 - we have to protect marriage!" You might have previously thought "live and let live" and been inclined to vote no but now you find yourself thinking you "should" vote yes and you're not really sure why....

Now, how would you feel if you found out those people calling the radio station weren't just "ordinary people" calling in with their opinions? What if they were all or almost all "shills" paid by the "yes on 8" group? Wouldn't you feel wronged? Lied to? Hoodwinked? Of course you would!

And by the way, for the record, almost all reputable radio and TV talk shows avoid this kind of manipulation and picking callers based on their views for exactly this reason. Any radio station found to be doing that would be disgraced by scandal. (However, in the real world most callers to talk shows are self selected so it actually serves the same purpose -- something to always bear in mind when judging public opinion.) And, ahem, this is why Manteca Live people don't comment under other names.

The local cult of amateurs -- or -- NO SAYLES FOR YOU!

It caught my eye when reports of comments to the Sayles smear site going into a "black hole" came in and at least one case of being "blocked" for daring to question them or daring to question if all those bad things could possibly be true. Not only from posting messages but from even reading the web site! Why would such a thing occur?

The idea is the same old lies and manipulations. You can go to that web site, read the forums and you'll see "everyone agrees" or just about everyone agrees, "Sayles is terrible! She's rotten! Liar, criminal, etc!" It looks like everyone thinks that or that a lot of people think that! The natural human tendency is to be influenced (there's a lion out there!).

But in reality there might be 2 people ... maybe one person writing all that. The modern electronic world makes it possible for one person to sign a thousand messages. They can all agree with each other!

This manipulation falls apart unless the ringleader is careful to remove messages from people who don't agree. Or, better yet, never even hear from them.

Is this what the sayles.com smear site is doing? Almost certainly. And they get extra manipulation points by claiming that "anyone can leave a message here -- we don't block any messages!" Very clever.

That comment from "Kat" got me curious. I walked her through sending me a picture of her computer screen and emailing me a "screenshot" of what her computer did when she tried to read that website. I also walked her through a "procedure" to confirm she was getting a "fake" message. (When I asked her to try a simple technique to scramble her "IP," the website magically re-appeared.) Also, the wording of the "error message" said to "hit alt-F4" to fix the problem. Ha....ha. That's what hackers in junior high say. (The alt-F4 key is the universal program shut down. It's a smartass comment that's the same as saying "to fix the problem press the big button on your computer" - just go away, in other words.)

And by the way "KAT" isn't a clever disguise for "Kristy and Tom," contrary to Brain Trust Leader and Chief Detective Sherlock's wild claims.

Which reminds me, I also asked about that "flyer" and so far as I can tell there doesn't seem to be any slick mailer being sent out. That image on the smear site could easily be a fabrication. In fact, half that web site is fabricated so it wouldn't be anything unusual.

But the point isn't the fake mailer itself, it's something else: You'll notice that there are "lots" of "different people" writing into the forum saying how they got their mailer and such. But if there's really no such mailer, what does that tell us? That those "people" writing in are fabrications too! I'm still trying to nail down the facts but so far there's no evidence such a flyer or mailer exists or was mailed out. That means all your friends and neighbors who told you, "I'm not voting for Sayles, I read it in the mailer" either don't exist or are lying.

I've typed enough! Why don't I just sum it up: The smear website is a cauldron of lies, fabrications and manipulations. Reckless interpretations. Fake documents, fake images, fake commentary from fake participants who "live in Lathrop." People who support the mayor, if they happen by, are promptly locked out of the forum after a few comments. (And the few "positive" posts that aren't deleted, they serve a manipulative purpose. The website can say "See? We don't block positive comments...!")

There are issues in Lathrop. That's for sure. See this week's Sun-Post and some of the more thoughtful comments here. But now that the waters are muddied so much by the despicable campaign being bankrolled by bully land-developers it's hard for anyone to know anything.