Good Neighbors
Editor: Last Sunday, a water main broke and filled the creek, flooded the Glen Ellen Market parking lot, flooding my neighbor’s driveways and basement. It also ran through my gallery for 1 1/2 hours causing a HUGE mess!
The good news? So many people cam to help! As someone (Cathy in the Nutrition Department at the Glen Ellen Market) put properly, it was a “Flood of Kindness.”
Employees of the Glen Ellen Market as well as customers rushed over to save paintings and other items. My friend, Michael Doyle saved loads of art and then got my dogs to a safe place. Other people that I did not know came rushing over to help. My neighbor, Lisa Hardy came to clean. Donna and Sparky (who are bird-sitting for me) asked the owner Linda of the Jack London Lodge for help, they offered me a place to stay there and helped me with the storage of art. Christine Hanson offered to let me stay at the Chauvet, and stored art. Kristy Jeppssen offered her help and offered me a place to stay at the Glenelley Inn. My friend Casandra came by with dog food as well as my friend Barney and my brother Richard. There were many more!
It has been determined that the flood consisted of 100,000 gallons of water. But that was nothing compared to the flood of love, compassion and kindness that came through the gallery. My thanks to everyone AND the “Tribute to Linus” will still take place on Saturday, August 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Jeannie Fitzsimons
Glen Ellen
Denial and Deceit
Editor: All the many variations for medical plans proposed by the Obama administration are fundamentally flawed. They encourage gross abuse. It is only natural that people will want many, many tests, treatments, etc. if somebody else pays for them.
What is needed is a medical care system that encourages USE NOT ABUSE. To be workable a medical plan must be in an individual’s name, be cumulative from year-to-year; the amount that is unused would be added to the individual’s account for future use if needed and any unused amount would be returned to the government upon the death of the individual.
Note how these three provisions would discourage abuse since each person would be using their “own funds” and would save money if unused plan funds would be returned to the government when the individual no longer needed them.
There would, of course, be other provisions but these cannot be included in a short letter to the editor. The media reports the proposed plans involve several hundred pages. What they include is for the most part unknown. This is the administration’s strategy. They just keep giving platitudes hoping their rosy general statements will get their plan passed before voters find out what is really going on. There are many things that need to be done but Obama’s plan(s) don’t even come close.
B.C. King
Sonoma
Catch a bus
Editor: Golden Gate Transit (GGT) no longer provides Express 49er Bus Service. GGT operated express bus service from the North Bay to San Francisco 49er football games for almost 30 years. However, due to changes in federal charter bus rules affecting public transit agencies, GGT will no longer provide this service.
I would like to thank everyone who has used Golden Gate Transit Express Bus Service from Four Corners to Candlestick Park and Broadway Market for selling the bus seat tickets. We have had eight great years, and good rider-ship with the 49er fans.
Now it’s time to Welcome California Wine Tours who will be taking over the 49er service for Golden Gate Transit. They will be providing the same level of service from Sonoma to Candlestick Park for the 2009-2010 football season. [Pick up is no longer at the Broadway Market area,] it is now at the California Wine Tour office located at 22674 Broadway. I would like to invite the regular 49er fans and new ones as well to take the bus and leave your car home.
Jim Karabochos
P.O.S.T.
Sonoma
Pool needs to be open
Editor: My wife and I have been coming to Sonoma for our anniversary every year for the past seven years. I have been swimming every day since I was 9 years old (63 years old). Since the pool was closed a number of years ago, I have been unable to swim in your town. I read the article about trying to get the pool re-opened and thought I can’t be the only out of town person that wants the city to reopen your aquatic facilities. Count me in for a vote in favor of opening the pool.
Michael Mac Arthur
Long Beach, CA
Relay for Life
Editor: The biggest fundraiser for The American Cancer Society, “Relay for Life” a 24-hour period where in a scheduled team participant walks the high school track for an hour, was held over the weekend of August 2. As a participant and an ovarian cancer survivor, I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Volunteer Event Chair, Renea Magani, the committee chairs, team captains and numerous other volunteers. From the night of the survivor’s dinner to the closing ceremony, spirits were high. Participants joined together as one large family, coming together for the purpose of “Fighting Back,” “Celebrating Survivors” and “Remembering the Loved Ones Lost to this Disease.” If you have never seen the candlelit luminaria bags that surround the track and are lit at dusk, each with the names of survivors and those lost to us, you are missing a very touching and beautiful sight. Because of the generosity of the community, I understand donations this year totaled $162,000. So once again, I say thank you to Renea and all the volunteers for a job well done!
Sharon Audiss
Sonoma