EDITORIAL: Hemet going to have to work to sell utility tax
Hemet has a tough sales campaign ahead. The City Council on Tuesday gave its blessing to a measure on the November ballot that would tax residents' utility bills.

Schwarzenegger salary ploy won't work
The most important thing to know about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's sudden late-July announcement that he wants to pay state workers just a fraction of their salaries until there's a new state budget is that it's been tried before - and didn't work. In fact, when tried before, it eventually cost the state big money in a legal settlement.

Good to live in an area where people help out
A couple of weeks ago, I had a flat tire. A very nice woman and her 21-year-old son stopped and helped me. I feel fortunate to live in an area where people look after each other and aren't afraid to offer help.

It is city of Hemet's fault it is crying broke
Now the City Council wants us to approve a 5 percent utility tax to help their budget. Absolutely not to this or a sales tax. This same City Council approved every new proposal for new tract houses on every inch of vacant land in the area so they could collect the developer fees without a thought to the increased crime and congestion it would bring to the area. They gave no thought to the increased need for fire and police protection. Now with the real estate slowdown, they are crying broke. They can start by rolling back those large raises they gave last year. My water bill is already too high with all the sewer taxes paying for all these new homes we didn't want in the first place.

Doctor, group did not deliberately break law
Dr. Simpson has dedicated his life to saving other people's lives. He is a doctor, not an expert in election laws. When you put your life in his hands, would you rather have him be knowledgeable of medicine or how to run a political campaign?

President Bush: Worst U.S. president in history
Is 545 kidding (letter to the editor, “545 people responsible for problems of U.S.,” Bill Herzog)?

Americans need to drill on coast and in Alaska
Continuing to demonize “big oil” as the bane of our carbon-based existence is ridiculous. These are publicly traded corporations with stockholders that are likely people we know. The fact that these stockholders tolerate these seven-plus-figured salaries for CEOs is a valid but separate issue. Or should we continue to enable the billions of dollars to go to people that hate Americans? The question is not whether we support big oil or not, but which “big oil” - the North American variety or the “big oil” from the Middle East and Venezuela. We're not all going to ride bikes to the gainful employment we chose to live so far away from, are we? We need to drill responsibly for oil now on our coast and in Alaska and quit kidding ourselves with the folly that less energy is better.

Does anyone care what's going on in Hemet?
Doesn't anyone see or care what's going on at City Hall and with the Hemet City Council? The council fired City Manager Davidson after one year and after giving him huge salary incentives. Now Assistant City Manager Duane Baker is leaving. Where does this leave us? Just how are we going to resolve the issue of a budget deficit?

There is nothing wrong in helping people - BUT
Article in Chronicle about Community Pantry on July 2:

Writer remembers days that are long gone
I remember when the paper was delivered by the paperboy about 4 p.m. after school. When the sports page had no advertisements, and it was not a major chore to fold it.