3rd District Race Money Trickles In

Well Dory,

You've shown your colors taking so much from the employee unions. Like all the political hacks, you'll obviously get in bed with anyone who'll help you win (buying your vote for next union salery negotiations?).

I thought maybe I might vote for you but now, no way. Plus your background is so full of party machine hook ups, just like Lois Capps there is no way you'll take any independent action on anything. Just a tool of the Dem party is all.

We deserve better...We deserve change politics...the same old same old in politics is leading this State and country into a stagnant society of greedy intolerent and unenlightened Wall-E wannabies.

so sa1, I'm curious---does your equation then make Steve Pappas an even BIGGER TOOL of two rich Santa Ynez Valley Chumash-haters? I mean, what or who does the man represent???? I've yet to hear an original idea or thought utter from his deer-in-the-headlight lips.........."change politics".... .change for the sake of change usually equals: stagnation.

I don't know, maybe it does. At least you know who's backing him. That way all the "chumash haters" can get behind him and if that's the majority, so be it. Looks like he's using his own money too.

I'm also voicing my opinion that campiaigns should be financed by limited individual contributons bolstered by public money.

The debates should be aired by public supported TV and posted to the internet. Interviews of candidates can be published by all media freely. No need for all the torturous misleading ads and soundbite politics. Voters need to be challenged to become informed and not spoon fed by the media as happens now.

The level of intellectual discourse in this country seems to be at an all time low. Typified by the dough heads who voted in the Bush Bums. Effing twice!

The huge HS drop out rate is a discrace. Yet mostly all you here from the school system is the need for higher pay, like that will fix the problem. Same with law enforcement. Our jails are overflowing yet they can't even make the old whities feel safe, because it's not in their budgetary interest. No, fear mongering and constant grab for more authority is what they need...

I'm serious that the only way to fix this is to dump the rotting heads of these two organizations and start over. Rather than grading the kids, they should grade the teacher, dump the archaic tenure notions and disband all public employee unions.

The "Chumash Hater" term is a spin term developed by Francis Snyder the PR person for the tribe. She gave the following advice in publication several years ago. "When dealing with local opposition simply call it racism and move-on." The tribe also published derogatory cartoons of local residents in their employee magazine with captions like racist and indian hater above their heads. The race card is thrown out to scare residents and politicians from speaking up.

The people that I know in this valley who oppose the policies of the gambling enterprise are not racists. They simply care about where they live and they have the guts to do something about it.

What people in the Valley are against is uncontrolled expansion of gambling just yards from their children's schools.

Land grabbing that removes county properties from the same environmental, zoning, and taxes that the rest of the county residents live by.

The dramatic increase in crime, drugs, drunk drivers, and methed up drivers passing through their neighborhoods.

Local, State and Federal politicians that won't stand up for the residents that they represent.

Mr. Pappas received over 50% of the vote in the Santa Ynez Valley even with three other valley candidates on the ballot.

It is time that our friends over the hill learn about how the tribe could have a second casino over the hill. Montecito or the Gaviota coast would be prime locations for a new beachfront casino resort. These residents may be surprised that they would not be involved in any EIR or community meetings to discuss the project like they currently are with the Miramar project. The tribe could put up a 30 story hotel/casino tower if they wanted to and all the local opposition would not amount to a hill of beans with the current federal process.

Food for thought.

Carefull jck, you're giving Caruso a good idea. If I were him, (maybe I am) I might use the threat of selling the Miramar property to the "tribe" as a poison pill. Do it my way or else!

You know the "tribe" has bought it's way into Sacramento so deep they could get about anything they want built on that property. They'll even have 101 renamed the "Yellow Brick Road".

Per the "Chumash-Haters" and Francis Snyder: Some time back, I think it might have been about two years ago, Francis Snyder was verbally assaulted by someone who made reference to her brown skin. The person that made the comment is someone who she knew and had previous business conflicts with the Casino.

Snyder ran to the local press and played this incident up for everything she could get out of it and of course unknowing people had this vision of some White Redneck hassling this poor Indian woman. The problem is, the person who made the comment is just as Brown as she is.

While we can debate the pros and cons of the Casino, what is not debatable is that the "Chumash" of today have little Chumash blood in them and there is a perverse financial incentive to claim Chumash ancestry and a simple look at the lucrative business of the Casino proves this point.

The Chumash Casino was borne out of guilt over past injustices, straight, plain, and simple.

Certain people prefer rural existence, and others prefer a more hectic one. Clearly the residents of the Santa Ynez Valley simply want a quiet way of life that isn't all about making money off of vice. That having been said, people in Santa Barbara need to know that this Casino HAS brought in a noticeable increase in crime and traffic. There is also a collective sense of resentment on the part of people who live in the Valley toward those who call us "Racist" or "Chumash-Haters" simply because we dare to point out the cause-and-effect of the gambling aspect of the Casino.