The Love Train...

get on board...

I spent one summer in the 1970s traveling cross country on an Ojays tour..we had the merchandising and were like roadies..man, did my eyes open on that tour..it was cool, scary, fun and amazing..the Ojays were riding high on a new single "Used to be My Girl" and of course "Love Train" from the '60s..total professionals, the music was great, the people were fantastic altho we had some violence and racism around us, especially in Atlanta..what an experience!
I remember thinking to myself: one day we'll have some soul in the White House instead of these old actors and faux-cowboys; soul music is good music....it's real..it's the Midnite Hour, Soul Man, Mercy Mercy Me...it's American music..born in the cities and bred on AM radio..
So today we get a new president...he's already made a few mistakes with questionable appointments and allowing religious fraud Rick Warren of the Saddleback Scoundrels to speak...here's hoping Obama gets smarter as the days go by...how can he be dumber than Bush??
One good thing Obama did was appoint a strong labor secretary..one who supports the worker's rights...

and that brings me to the latest NewsPress editorial about the working class.
First off, another grammatical error from a supposed professional News-Press editor!
Second, the city can't serve the residents if they have no work force to clean sewers, treat water and wastewater which requires state certified operators, fight crime, fight fires..these are career folks who have earned a pension at the end of a distinguished 25-30 year career of public service..Now.. I REPEAT: most public employee pensions are protected by the constitution, gov't contracts and Public Employee Retirement System. Workers put a percentage of their pay into this fund and over the years, it adds up because they can't touch it until they quit or retire...it is a great way to save and prepare for the future...and IT'S THEIR MONEY!!!
Wendy and Travis..you haven't got a clue about public service or the folks who work for the cities... I suggest you find out before you write another stupid editorial about them...criticism is welcome, just make sure you know what you are talking about..
oh.. and that thing about CALPERS losing 20% of its value in 3 months last year..the fact is the Wall Street meltdown hurt everybody, and CALPERS investments dropped below $200 billion, but most assets remain in place due the long term strategy of investing, which has carried the fund thru bull and bear markets over 77 years..fraudulent markets by private companies is now another thing to watch out for! The fund has earned nearly 10 % annual investment return over the last 20 years..the bottom line is private industry should be copying the pension model of CALPERS instead of ripping off employees...
you may have noticed that the gov't and taxpayers had to bail out private industry fraud and mismanagement by morons like you, Wendy and Travis!
now sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that we have
a new president who supports strong labor labor laws and unions! Wendy, your business days are numbered!

new: more News-Press screw-ups...

only more serious and inconsiderate this time..

how could the News-Press get this wrong???

A local boy died in Afghanistan this past week, in his sleep. The Newpress reported front page this a.m,. in bold letters, he dies in Iraq.
In the sentence underneath the Headline- it is quite obvious- as it is reported he was serving in Afghanistan.
at least the SYVJ got it right: Staff Sergeant Joshua Townsend, a 1997 graduate of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, died in Afghanistan Jan. 16 of unknown causes. He was 30 years old.