Besides seeing it with your own two eyes, simply turn to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The following are facts from the year 2000 report: Madera is 67 percent Hispanic (59 percent Mexican) with 32 percent non Hispanic. The language spoken at home in 55 percent of households is something other than English. Is it any wonder that the signs down-town are in Spanish? Unemployment averages 11 percent. Some 2,424 families and 13,921 individuals live below the poverty level. And we wonder why downtown looks poor? Some 31 percent of adults 25 and over do not have a 9th grade education. We wonder why we have so few skilled workers. Of foreign born residents, 93 percent are from Latin America. Why does downtown look like little Tijuana?

All this in a population of 43,207 in the year 2000.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that all of downtown or all of Madera is a flea-ridden dog tow, best served by a massive trash fire — but that description certainly fits some large parts of both.

Like it or not; downtown is a reflection of the face of Madera. Love it, leave it or try to change it. For me, I think I’ll brush up on my Spanish. Adios.

Don Williams,
Madera

Those criticizing President Bush’s lifting of the presidential ban on offshore drilling, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are saying that offshore drilling now would do nothing to lower present gasoline prices, and would only start doing us some good eight or 10 years from now.

That is a laughable objection. What Rep. Pelosi and those who agree with her actually are saying is that if the ban had been lifted 10 years ago, we would have the oil now, and perhaps prices of gasoline wouldn’t be so high.

Drilling for oil, or building nuclear plants, or putting in wind farms, or laying out solar arrays only deliver benefits in the future. The solar array in the Mojave Desert that is churning out electricity every time the sun shines is only benefiting us now because it was built about 20 years ago. The windmill farms on the coast ranges and over the Tehachapis are giving us power because somebody put them in and got them going many years ago. The nuclear plants which turn out about 20 percent of our electricity only do so because people did the work and paid the money 30, even 40 years ago.

Surely Rep. Pelosi and those who agree with her understand this, and also understand that future energy depends on present effort and present investment.

It’s all very nice to wring one’s hands and talk about how we need to get more electric cars on the road, but it’s also very nice to lay the foundation now for where all that electricity to run all those cars will come from.

A megawatt of power will operate about 750 homes, 500 during cooling season. If each of those homes had two plug-in cars, two megawatts would be required. And right now, we are using just about all the electricity we generate. We need to drill now, and build now, or our grandkids will hate us.

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“My son, who is just 6, got to go fishing at the Fishing Derby at the golf course,” said a lady. “What a great event. He talked about it all day. I just want to thank the two men from the Parks Department who organized it and the golf course golfers for being so kind to all the kids.”

A gentleman who when “reading in the paper about Lucca’s Restaurant in (Bill Coate’s) Pieces of the Past column, my wife and I were contemplating over the history of Madera. You know we have lost three main establishments in town that were Madera history. One was the Big Top Drive-in at P and Yosemite, then Lucca’s Restaurant and finally the Village Restaurant. Three mainstays in Madera, now all we have are the taco shops and the fast food restaurants. Virtually, nothing like what those establishments were. Those were really great places. They are missed by a lot of people in Madera.”

Another man voiced, “I would just like to report on the Lucca’s Restaurant article. The cooks over at the Madera Valley Inn really do a good job of carrying on the tradition of Lucca’s.”

“I would like to congratulate Mrs. Diane Welling on the letter to the editor she wrote,” said a man. “I wish she would run for office. I would vote for her in a minute. Another thing is it seems that the only supervisor doing anything to clean up the city is Max Rodriguez. I wonder what the other ones are doing.”

A woman called “in reference to that Humpty-Dumpty writer and that the tenants expressed dissatisfaction about downtown conditions.” The caller then “referred to an article (quote) that (Redevelopment Agency Director Jim) Taubert made on June 30.”

She then quoted Taubert, “‘the landlords are happy because they have rent money coming in and they haven’t had to invest a penny in their buildings.’ What the city council is trying to do is great and it’s a very difficult problem. If downtown is renovated it could be a very fascinating, multi-cultural shopping area.”

A man said, “I think there is definitely a racist component to this whole brouhaha over the languages of the signs and the colors of the stores downtown. When four distinct cultures and four languages are spoken it’s one of the prettiest, best-run countries in the world. It just goes to prove you don’t have to be all the same, or even have the same skin color to be a productive, patriotic and proud nation, if everyone learns a little humility and tolerance. I think Tijuana row is a lot better than skid row.”

An Internet reader, self-identified as “Jim Aguirre,” said he “grew up in Madera and left it about 18 years.” While visiting family here, he said, he went “around town to see how much it had changed. Wow! ‘Tijuana Row’ isn’t the half of it. Madera has become so dirty and run down over the entire city. It is not the city I grew up in and I now feel ashamed to say that I grew up there.”

After describing further how Madera appears, he concluded, “My question is, where did all of the people who valued Madera go? I left for career reasons with hopes of returning later in life. But not now, I’m gone for good. If I wanted to visit a third world country, I’ll visit Kosovo where the pay is much better for me.”

“Well, they finally removed the power pole from the middle of the eastbound lanes on Olive Avenue heading to the county facilities, and animal shelter,” said a man. “It has been weeks since then. Are they going to take another six months to open the road?”

A man called “about an ad in a Fresno paper for an IRS customer service representative.” The caller said the ad required the ability to write in Spanish and English and added, “I think that is discrimination. The national language is English. I think a class-action suit is getting ready.”

An online visitor, self-identified as “Concerned,” responded to a Red Line comment by Larry VanZant, who had said military service could be an advantage for a president. Concerned writes, “Your point is laughable. There’s nothing to suggest that military service better prepares a candidate for the office of President of the United States, and if you’re going to use Clinton as your counter, let’s get into George W. Bush, the least popular president in history who has seen his approval rating dip lower and lower and lower since September ‘06.”

A guest of the Red Line site, self-identified as “Mike Horn,” writes, “Madera High School is not Madera North, North High, or North Campus. It is Madera High School. Madera South High School is not Madera High School - south, South High, South Madera, or South Campus. It is Madera South High School. Get it right.”

Another Internet reader, self-identified as “fewclothes,” writes, “I see that the CHP has boosted their manpower to enforce the cell phone law and make a whopping $98 off them. If they really want to reduce the deficit come out to Avenue 13 and Pecan Avenue through Parkwood at all rush hours especially about 5:15 and make your quota.”

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Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24-hours a day by calling 674-4478, or by visiting www.maderatribuneredline.com.

A fellow I saw walking on the sidewalk along Courthouse Park the other day would have a bad time in Lynwood, Ill. The leaders of that fair village have made it illegal to wear pants that show three inches or more of the underwear beneath them. Presumably, if the pants are low enough to show flesh, the ordinance would be applied as well.

The fine for wearing pants at half mast in Lynwood is $25.

The young man I saw would surely have been $25 poorer in Lynwood. I thought any minute he was going to have an accident and if he had, he would have showed a lot more than three inches of underwear. His trousers would have been around his shoes.

The plumber who came to fix our pipes last summer also would have problems in Lynwood. When he was bending over, you could see all the way down to Biola.

The American Civil Liberties Union believes the Lynwood law may discriminate against people of color, but I can tell you that my plumber’s cheeks were as white as snow — snow with hair on it, that is.

Nor was the guy I saw walking down the street with pants at half mast a person of color. He was wearing underwear of color, though — green-speckled boxer shorts, not unlike a pair I have at home.

I don’t think I would have a problem in Lynwood, because I tend to keep my pants pretty well up — most of the time, anyway.

I do have a couple of old pairs of jeans that tend to get loose as I wear them during the day, and when I forget to hitch them up they drop a little low. I don’t think you would ever see my underwear, but you might see my shirt hang out a little.

The reason for their bright colors is for owner individuality. Again, I say, leave it alone. The indigent folks also like bright colors. So it is what it is — it’s almost historic. It’s history in the making.

Now, to those people who complain about town colors: If they really care about our town there are more worthwhile issues to focus on without hesitation. I won’t mention but one of the dozens of matters. Meth labs are the No. 1 issue. Go after the meth labs, it’s killing our children across the map.

Joe L. Ureña,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

I just finished the thriller “Invisible Prey,” by John Sandford, and in a subplot the hero, Det. Lucas Davenport, prepares a list of the 100 greatest rock ’n’ roll songs of all time — at least in his opinion. He does this because he has been given an iPod and a gift certificate for 100 songs.

He purposely leaves a lot of great songs off his list. He includes none by the Beatles, and none by Elton John. He only includes one by Elvis Presley, “Jailhouse Rock.”

I like reading about Lucas Davenport’s adventures, but I don’t think I’d like to listen to the radio with him for very long. He does include many songs on his list that I like, but I don’t think I could get along very long without hearing Beatles stuff or some of Elton John’s music. Also, Elvis has many more than just one great song.

To Davenport’s credit, he does include “Louie, Louie,” by the Kingsmen. I never get tired of listening to “Louie, Louie.” My oldest stepson Kurt used to have a recording of “Louie, Louie” being performed by several groups — about a dozen, as I remember. And all the versions were terrific. I could listen to “Louie, Louie” every day and never grow tired of it.

Is “Louie, Louie” the greatest rock song of all time? Well, it’s up there, believe you me.”

Also, I think Davenport was wrong to overlook “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” both great Elvis classics among many.

“Crocodile Rock” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” both by Elton John are right up there, too, but Davenport didn’t think so. What’s wrong with him?

And the Beatles? Well, where do you start? They are the Mozarts of rock.
What would be on your list of the 100 greatest rock songs?

One of the elements that people seem reluctant to address is the decades of failure on the part of the federal government to enforce immigration laws. As a result we and many other communities are now inundated with large numbers of illegal aliens not only from Mexico but from other Central and South American and other countries.

The government agencies in the area have contributed indirectly to the problem. We provide low-cost housing and down payment assistance to people who are — at least supposed to be — here legally. The problem is that there are no restrictions on “cousins” “parents” or: siblings” who can move in after the home is obtained. Anyone who does not think that a large percentage of the people who frequent the downtown area are here illegally needs a fast reality check.

Now we are supposed to cater to their needs, turning a vital part of the city back to what they left home to come here for to begin with. They seem to have no intention of assimilating into the culture as other immigrants have. If I were to move to another country I would learn the language and not expect or demand special consideration. This is not racism, as I am sure some will believe, but a simple statement of the facts.

There will never be a real solution to this problem until our borders are secured and until employers require proof of legal status. Those who are here illegally now need to be identified and given temporary guest worker status and then required to return home and seek entry by legal means.

We need to change the law so that children born to illegal aliens are not automatically American Citizens and end the “ anchor baby” component of the problem. Until we do these things we are simply treating a symptom and not the disease. If decisive action is not taken we will continue to have a huge drain on our economy and public services, since many studies show that they use much more than they contribute.

Gordon E. Skeels,
Madera

News that it is okay to eat tomatoes again was welcome in our household, because we are big tomato fans, but I have to tell you we weren’t paying much attention to the tomato warnings anyway. The government was saying tomatoes might have salmonella on them, and so we washed our tomatoes before we ate them.

Which must have worked, because we didn’t get salmonella. At least, I don’t think we did. I did have a touch of indigestion one day, and Mrs. Doud complained of an itch, but the dark angel of salmonella passed our house.

The restaurants where I eat were serving tomatoes during the warning period, so they must have been washing their tomatoes, too.

Most people probably did as we did. Tomatoes have earned a good reputation over the years for being good for you, and it was hard to imagine they might be bad. The government can talk you into just about anything, except, perhaps for doubting tomatoes.

It wasn’t so long ago that a lot of us cut back on eating eggs because they were supposed to be full of cholesterol and bad for you. Then, it turned out that although eggs are full of cholesterol, it is good cholesterol, and you can go ahead and eat them unless the shell is cracked, which might result in your getting salmonella.

You shouldn’t eat them over easy or raw, the government says. However, a lot of people I know still eat eggs over easy. I do, too. I ask for them over medium, but most cooks don’t know how to do over medium, so I get them over easy instead. And I go ahead and eat them anyway, just like I did the tomatoes.

I do feel sorry for the tomato growers and the egg ranchers, though. It will take them a while to come back.

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Airline officials are beginning to talk about re-regulation of their business, because under deregulation they are all going broke. Why don’t they just charge more for their services?

Well, they are, in a way. They are charging us to check bags, which they used to do for free. They are selling us soda and coffee, instead of giving it away. Most free meals on airlines are things of the past. If airplanes had wheels, they would be Greyhound buses.

The airlines would like to raise their prces and give better service, but none of them dares do this. Today’s airline passenger is cheap, and will take the cheapest flight unless airliner seats become too small to sit in, or an airline’s planes start falling out of the sky.

Or, unless taking the Greyhound turns out to be quicker, as well as cheaper.

Flying used to be something to which people looked forward, but now they mostly can’t wait for the flight to be over.

As if discomfort in too-small seats and deteriorating service weren’t enough, now we hear that on many airplanes, the restrooms may not be cleaned between flights and the pillows may be left over from use by previous passengers. Airport workers in Los Angeles are complaining they don’t have enough time or supplies to get planes clean between flights.

That doesn’t appeal to me, nor does finding dirty napkins and even used gum in the pouches on the backs of seats, which I have discovered on occasion.

You can’t blame the airlines for wanting to raise their prices under the umbrella of deregulation, because they have squeezed about all they can out of their “product” without having passengers revolt. A price hike would send a lot of airline passengers back onto buses, but they’re close to that now, anyway, on the planes.

It may be that the economy will get better soon. It turns out young men are wearing their pant cuffs higher, and if that has the same effect on the economy as the raising of skirt hems, good times will be just around the corner.

We all know that when hemlines go up at the fall fashion shows, the economy improves. A chart comparing hemlines with the Gross Domestic Product shows this clearly. That sort of comparison hasn’t been made with pant cuffs, however.

The past couple of years, while the economy has been weakening, pant cuffs have been dragging on the ground, especially among the young. Pant bottoms are seen piled around ankles like laundry in a hamper. The cuffs are in tatters from being scuffed against pavement and the floors of fast-food restaurants.

Even the pant cuffs of $1,200 suits are looking disheveled. The pants of well-to-do stockbrokers and men who push grocery carts up the sidewalk are barely distinguishable from each other.

But all that may change. It looks like pant cuffs are on the rise. Instead of dragging along the ground, they may be showing some shoe, and may even start showing some ankle.

This will help the alterations business, because many men will go in and have their pants shortened rather than buying new pants merely for the sake of an inch or two less cuff. And many will buy new trousers, anyway.

Shoemakers also may benefit, because instead of wearing yesterday’s rubber-soled and dull-surfaced oxfords, shiny new loafers may be preferred, and would have to be purchased. And sock-makers are especially rubbing their hands together. Instead of white sweat socks, men may actually go back to buying hosiery that has color and style.

It is enough to make one want to click one’s heels.