Budgets Cuts on Police Departments

How many police and firemen are going to be let go because of budget cuts before the quality of living in our communities is adversely affected?

Oakland police department recently cut 80 officers due to budget constraints and I cringe. I cringe because I look at their Mayor and think mmmm really the police are what you cut from your budget? Oakland has one of the highest rates of crime in the Bay Area and yet the Mayor and his colleages choose to cut men and women who protect and serve. Sure any institution or an organization should do a major over haul every so often from the top to the bottom but when your city is now more known for crime than the Oakland Raiders there is a problem.

Then this morning I heard San Jose Fire Department is having lay offs as well and I think when and if this will happen to Livermore?

I feel we are blessed with Livermore Pleasanton Fire Department and the Livermore Police. We have now lived here for 12 years and have had to contact them on a few different occasions. Every time they have been more than responsive and professional.

We had to call 911 three times when Emma was little and each time LPFD was there within minutes. Each time from Emma’s seizure to her choking on throw up, LPFD made us feel like calling them was the right thing to do and for us it was.

The last time we called Livermore PD I came home and the front door was open. The police like LPFD were there quickly and it was only after they left I remembered I had left the door open on accident. However, I know if I lived in a different city, perhaps even Oakland, I am not even sure the police would have come out.

So let me say that if ever Livermore decides to cut services for the Police or Fire Department, think again. Not to dig on the City Manager, but first begin with cuts on her salary and other top people around her. She is paid well but if it means to keep a policeman on the pay roll cut her salary by the percentage of her last increase (if she received a 10% raise last time then cut her pay by 10% and you could easily get $10,000).

However, if police and fire are kept and there are no budget cuts then overtime and double-time should be carefully monitored (we do not want to have incident like another local city whose employees were retiring with a $200K salary because of all the overtime they were allowed to work prior to retirement).

It is a careful balancing act, when you look at police and fire department budget cuts. But in the end, are you willing to expose your communities? Are you willing to put a price tag on the quality of the community where you reside? I am not and I pray that our city, the city of Livermore will never ever have to make those decisions.

Love of Family

This past weekend Clark, Emma and I drove to Monterey and met up with my cousin and his family. Tyler is close in age to me. We have always seemed to get along and now our families find a rhythm as well. Clark adores Tyler and I his wife.

Tyler and I are both green/blue eyed with light brown hair (if I did not have to wash the white out that is my kind of sort of original hair color). Anyway our girls, his 8 eight year old and Emma are with both brown hair and brown eyes. At a glance, you would think they were sisters even though they are 2nd cousins. And his adopted son Luke fits right in with the girls and us as well.

Tyler and I also share another role as caregivers of cancer survivors. His wife is a fairly recent Cancer survivor like Clark. My brother is about to marry someone who is a cancer survivor. I am sensing a pattern in our family.

Tyler's wife is a doll. She is one of the rare type of women who you can curl up with on a couch and talk for hours.

Our families together had such a great time. We went to the aquarium, a park, the wharf and everywhere in between. We have decided to together on an annual basis and invite more of the cousins.

It seems like Tyler and I are picking up where our grandparents generation left off. Where family reunions were dozens and dozens of people playing ball and eating. Where babies burped and old men farted. Where I was the daughter of someone, the granddaughter of someone else, the niece of another and cousin of still someone else. We would talk and melt in the mid day sun (because if you have ever been to the Hanford/Armona area of California you would understand). However, our generation is different and we are no longer as tied to the land. We go where the call is heard and as families we will have fun.

Everywhere and no where...

We have been so busy lately. I am not really sure where to begin or end. I know by looking around my house that while it has not been entirely neglected, it needs some attention soon.

In the last week I have been wine tasting with some great ladies in Napa, swimming, dates with friends, swimming (we go to the HOA pool a few times a week, Emma is a fish and loves to be with Clark and I at the pool) and VBS.

Yep, you read that right Vacation Bible School for Emma and I. It was a first for the both of us and what a mixture of emotion. Emma was in her class and I was a crew leader. I thought it was best if I was not Emma's teacher and throughout the week I questioned on whether that was a wise decision. However, in the end, at tonight's finale I could not have been more proud of Emma than seeing her on stage and smiling. My heart filled with pure joy. Then I saw two boys that were part of my crew and their faces were priceless with a happiness I am soon not to forget.

Here is a picture of Emma with the preschool group on the jumbo tron at church.


Here is the video of Emma on stage.

Today would have been Grandma Broaddus's Birthday

In honor of Grandma's birthday, I will post the pictures of the first time she met Emma. It brings tears to my eyes to think of the happiness we shared that day. I know Grandama is in Heaven now and it would make her smile to think that the grandkids (us 1st cousins) and our kids (2nd cousins) in CA are getting together soon.

In everyone one of us is her-her laughter, her smile and her heart.

Grandma Broaddus was my mom's mom but my dad went with me on this trip because he was worried about me driving so far with Emma who was about 4 months old at that time. I still grin over this because by then, Clark and I had driven through 7 states with Emma.

What to do? Dealing with a local small business.

What to do? Clark and I are going to have to make a profound decision regarding Emma. Right now the thought of having to make that decision is causing a pit in my stomach not only for her but all parties involved.

Clark and I pay a local small business to provide a service to our daughter. Our daughter has in so many ways thoroughly enjoyed this service and the people involved.

The situation. We have used this service on a monthly basis for almost a year. However, the owner of this local small business is not paying the employees and has not for some time. The owner has given them rubber checks and false promises. It makes Clark and I cringe since we want to support local small businesses but if they do not treat their employees fairly and justly it makes us look at other opportunities.

The owner is also trying to promote a drive so that funds that are normally paid in the fall are received this month. My question then is what will happen to the services in the fall when the monies have already been paid? Will it only be a matter of time before the door closes on this business?

The heart breaking part will be letting Emma know some of her favorite people and places will no longer be in her life. I am dreading having to tell her that not everyone wants to do the right thing but that the people who provided services directly to her loved her and will miss her. In so many ways it will be like a mourning.

We will move on to other local companies who provide the same service soon and will have mixed emotions about our time with this local small business.

An Open Letter to Forbes,

For some months now I have received your magazine. I am not sure how or why I am getting it but I have enjoyed many articles that have been published. Until now. On the Front cover of the July 19,2010 issue, the headline reads, "The Celebrity 100, the Richest, Most Powerful, Movie Stars, Musicians and Athletes." I flipped to the article and you show the individual, their ranking among your 100 and what their earnings are.

I look at the list and see many of these people are talented and gifted indeed. The earnings go from $315 million to $6.5 Million. So I sit back a minute. When the economy has been in recession for the last few years do I really care who are the richest and powerful 100 celebrities according to you.

What would mean more to me and maybe others is how many companies do they own? How many employees do they have and retain with fair wages and health care benefits? Finally and equally as important as the first few questions, how many organizations do they serve on a volunteer basis to help others?

When I look at celebrities I want to know not only how good they might be on the big screen or basketball court, but what is their bigger impact on society?

It is interesting that in that same issue is a small half page article called "Dialing for Celebrity Dollars" and it lists the charity/celebrity, grants made in thousands, overheads and comments. You list "Oprah's Angel Network" as one with 37% overhead and that the charity is being shut down. You also list David Letterman's charity "American Foundation for Courtesy & Grooming" that gave out $1.2 million dollars last year with only a overhead of $25. Maybe with a little more research the two stories could have been tied together.

In today times where people are losing their homes, their jobs, their health care benefits and are just barely surviving, I for one want to know what your list of 100 celebrities do to help our society? It means nothing to me that someone makes $315 million a year or $6.5 million a year unless they are improving the life of others beyond what they do for a living.

Sincerely a reader,
Kathleen

Happy 4th of July!

Let us rejoice in our freedom today and everyday. God bless everyone.

The 4th of July represented by Emma the last few years.

July 2006 in Idaho


July 2007 in Half Moon Bay


2008 in Maui


July 2009 Santa Cruz


July 2010 at the Fair.

Celebrating Independence Day

As we head into the Holiday weekend, I reflect on parts of the Declaration of Independence, especially the sentence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The statement that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” is so true.

I agree with “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” but would also add hope, faith and love.

I think of the many immigrants who have come to this country including my family. Never once when the family became U.S. citizens did they assume that there would be government handouts. They worked 2 or 3 jobs to float the family, buy a house, pay for education and retire. They worked diligently to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They worked hard so on Sabbath they rested.

Never once did they think the Government owed them. Never once did they think the Government would take care of them and their needs. It seems like in the last several generations that the philosophy of working hard, being self-reliant and a good citizen has been diluted.

Somewhere along the way, reliance on the government has become a way of life for a few. Those few individuals then manipulate the system so that living off the government becomes a way of life for them and future generations of their families. These individuals think nothing of the responsibility of being a U.S. citizen. It makes me think how dependent these individuals are and if they really understand the meaning of being independent.

For it is this weekend, that we celebrate Independence Day. We celebrate with picnics and fireworks. We fly our flags and feel free because ultimately we are U.S. citizens. Ultimately most of us take on that responsibility and wear it with honor.