Who would ever think that electric vehicles could result in bumpy roads? It seems the money lost from gas taxes were used for road improvements. Billions of dollars are being lost from reduced gas taxes, so the more electric vehicles we have the worse roads will get. Maybe we need to ban electric vehicles.
Thousands of feet of pipeline have been installed to connect Marina Park with the Ventura Harbor as part of the ocean outfall project for VenturaWaterPure, a planned water treatment facility. The treatment plant is projected to provide up to 20% of the city’s water supply when fully operational and is millions of dollars over budget. See article in this issue.
Ventura’s Stout Burgers & Beers located downtown has closed after operating for less than a year. The rear of the business was a shared space with retail store Iron and Resin and Humblemaker Coffee Co. So, this means 3 more downtown businesses are now gone. Might this be because of Main St. being closed to vehicles? Some merchants think so.
Another icon is gone. This won’t mean much to young readers, but Pea Soup Andersen’s in Buellton shut down as of Jan. 1. Going there was a must when I was growing up.
Another comment on TV advertising. An ad for a restaurant said their breakfast special is now $5.99 (unless it’s $7.99 at your location).
I think that aliens might be coming here to watch football games, which are probably banned in more advanced cultures. We should watch to see if there are more UFO sightings during football season. Commercial airline pilots would be able to report the UFO sightings to the federal government under a recent House bill after House leaders heard testimony from military officers who described reports of mysterious objects outmaneuvering military jets.
The council has approved changes to rules for aggressive panhandling and oversized vehicle parking. The council unanimously approved modifications that change the definition of aggressive solicitation.
Aggressive solicitation is now defined as following pedestrians, using abusive language, making unwanted physical contact, intentionally blocking pedestrians or traffic and causing fear or bodily harm to get money or goods.
People who violate the revised ordinance will initially be given a warning. After the warning, a violator will be fined $132. The fine doubles for a subsequent violation. Oh, sure, panhandlers with no money are going to be fined. And when they don’t pay, what do we do to them? What a brilliant idea.
The city is especially concerned about aggressive panhandling in high-traffic areas such as roadways, center medians and outside businesses. This is a problem but what is the solution?
City officials did acknowledge that many panhandlers are homeless and there are social services and assistance programs available to them. Nonsense. Adequate services for the homeless (especially the mentally ill) do not exist at the levels needed.
Council members voted 4-3 to cut back hours for oversize vehicle parking on city streets. The revision also added more days when such parking is prohibited. The updated rules apply to vehicles at least 25 feet long, 80” wide and 82” high. Police officers will now need to carry tape measures along with guns and handcuffs.
Some 20 million people have signed up for health insurance this year through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) marketplaces, a record-breaking figure. President Joe Biden will likely proclaim those results regularly on the campaign trail for months to come as former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, vows to dismantle the Obama-era program.
Signs-ups spiked after Biden took office, with Democrats rolling out a series of tax breaks that give millions of Americans access to low-cost plans, some with zero-dollar premiums.
What is interesting about our politics is that Republicans don’t like Obamacare, but if it was called Trumpocare they would love it. Sometimes our political system doesn’t work to make America better.
When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.
~ David Bissonette
