All calls are edited for length and content. Due to content some calls may not be published. Please limit your calls to two minutes or less. Repeat messages on the same subject adding to the length will not be published. Some weeks, due to the number of calls and space, some may not be published.

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A woman replied to last week’s caller about the “Irrigation District election. Not all registered voters were eligible to vote in that election.” She asked the “Tribune to write an article showing the boundaries and requirements for that (election). They could straighten a lot of people out and not have them so mad.”

More calls were received about city administrator David Tooley. “I agree with some of the previous callers,” said a gentleman. “He (Tooley) has no sense of good for any of the (city) employees. I see him around town,” the caller continued, “and he knows who I am and he won’t even give me the time of day. One day I opened the door for him and looked at him. He didn’t even say ‘hi’ or anything or acknowledge my presence. He’s been there too long.”

Another caller said, “the city council needs to get rid of Tooley. We need change.We need to be respected for our work.”

Concerning Tribune columnist Leon Emo, a woman said, “Well, it is nice to see that draft dodger had to serve. After reading his bleeding heart story about saying goodbye to his girlfriend and joining the Army in his Musing’s, Friday (Nov. 30), it made me smile to think of him doing pushups and getting that terrible long hair taken off military style.”

A woman responded to the man who called Madera “a sanctuary city. I believe that to be true,” said the caller. “But the citizens of Madera are doing that to themselves. If you don’t want illegals in our city, don’t have them cut our lawns, or clean our houses. It is time Madera cleans up its act. We need illegals to go back to their country.”

A woman seemed to agree, “Madera is harboring more illegal aliens.” She suggested, “you should go out off of Avenue 17. It is like a trailer park. Instead of horses and animals we now have illegal aliens living in trailers all over people’s backyards. Isn’t it a shame the county of Madera can’t do anything about that.”

After reading the article a man commented on “the taggers in Madera. I caught three taggers, red-handed,” he said, “and called the Madera Police Department.” He said the department didn’t respond.

A man who said he was “a past member of the Grand Jury,” said about “a (Madera County) supervisor calling the Grand Jury report ‘stupid’. Commented on this Grand Jury, as well as the last one in session.” He said, “they have become somehow lost in the details of fancy reporting and checking word editing, etc. They are not following what the state of California has charged them with doing, and their investigative techniques are not very good. Very good article,” he concluded, “I have to give the Tribune credit, I appreciate your effort.”

“Superintendent (actually County Supervisor Tom) Wheeler says the Grand Jury is ‘stupid’,” began a lady’s call. “For the uninformed, how much does Supervisor Wheeler make for his representation for all the citizens of his district? And how much does a Grand Jury member get paid?”

“It think all three shopping centers — the two at Avenue 17 and the one at Madera fairgrounds — and any other commercial developments should have a stop work order put on it until the city gets their rear in gear and gets things straightened out.”

“Does anyone out there really read Gordon Skeel’s weekly soap box comments?” asked a lady. “Not that I agree or disagree, they’re just plain boring.”

A woman who says she lives on North Pine Street “would like the Madera police to come by at 7:45 in the morning, by Jefferson School. We have a neighbor that races his car every morning. The car doesn’t have any mufflers. It is just a loud, yellow El Camino.

A man wanted to “take this opportunity to thank the Tribune and its staff. They really made the front page of Saturday’s paper hilarious. Especially, when the date is printed Friday, December 1, 2007. We don’t know what day it is, but we do know it is December 1.”

“Thank you Tami (Jo Nix) for Saturday’s column,” began a woman’s message. “You hit it right. Jane Weibe plays the piano from the heart. She is truly gifted. It is a gift from God.”

A man asked that the government give some direction. “Are the watering rules still in effect? Please notify the public.”

“After reading today’s (Monday, Dec. 3) letters to the editor,” began a man’s call. “I was disappointed in hearing John Sanchez will be returning and writing letters. It is bad enough we have one-sided Gordon Skeels, and the same old type of letters from Eddie Chapa, will we have to now read the putdowns of our town by Sanchez? This is a man that moved to Arizona because he couldn’t stand living in Madera.”

A visitor to our online site www.maderatribuneredline.com wrote, “What did you say about the online version competing with the print version? That is ridiculous. Have you ever read the online and print versions of the New York Times, O.C. Register, Whittier Daily News or San Gabriel Valley Tribune? These are just to name a few sites that post daily if not hourly updates that are probably even more current then their print editions.”

A self-professed “Madera resident” commented, “I am very confused to why maderatribune.com is going to begin charging for online access. I feel that this is a step backwards. There are many online newspapers that do not charge for their services.Why step back–when you can continue in the direction of progress?”

Another person wrote, “I personally think that the Madera Tribune going to a ‘paid subscription’ Web site format is S-TU-P-I-D. You guys are out of your ever-lovin’ minds. … “

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

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 5:00 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.