Thanksgiving Thought

So much of this week has been spent running around. Off to Haggen's and to fight the crowds. Where did all those people come from? Commercials and news reports on so many aspects of "Black Friday". Will sales be up, down or just the same as last year? Which stores open first? Who has the best prices? Online shopping or brave the mall?

Then today at lunch I heard Rush talk about the first Thanksgiving. It was so refreshing to hear God being mentioned. He went on to talk about President Washington's proclamation that set the first official day of Thanksgiving. This has led to other presidents to issue similar proclamations.

President Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789 the first official Thanksgiving, noting, “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protection and favor.”

I think Ronald Reagan summed it up the best when he called on every citizen, “To gather together in homes and places of worship and offer prayers of praise and gratitude for the many blessings Almighty God has bestowed upon our beloved nation.”

I would encourage everyone to stop, and thank God, our Father, Creator and Provider for all that he has given to each and every one of us. As you offer prayers of Thanksgiving, please remember those who are serving in all branches of the military, who are away from families and friends, and protecting our freedom to offer those prayers.

May each and everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thank you

Now that the elections are over and finalized, I would just like to thank all those that voted for me and helped me in my first election. I could not have done it without you all.

I look forward to serving the residents of Ferndale, but I can't do it alone. During my term in office I look forward to your comments and questions. You can email me at brentlistenstoyou@yahoo.com.

As the new year approaches I look forward to the following items that will be coming before the council:
1. The police station and library projects (An Emergency Operations Center has to be part of the police station project)
2. The new Commercial Zones being developed to better prepare Ferndale for future growth.
3. Working with the Economic Development Commission as they develop some ideas in how to bring economic growth and jobs to Ferndale.

Thank you all again for your help and support.

City Council Makes Decision On Police Station

At last night's council meeting the council made a decision on the police station. It did not come easy and at times they seemed frustrated with the discussion. From the audience point of view, it seemed like council members Zimmerman and Malpezzi were trying to delay the project. This was even noticed by one of the council members that said something along the line of "are you two trying to delay the project so you can get a swimming pool?"

The final motion came after a one hour study session before the meeting and another during the meeting. Here is what I gathered was the final decision passed by council last night, please correct me if I am wrong.

1. They authorized the architect to move forward on the 18,000 sq. ft. version of the police station with options for a reduction to 15,000 sq. ft. They expect this to come back in about 6 months.
2. During this time, they plan on getting the bids back to repair and remodel the old Boys and Girls Club in Pioneer Park and proceed with that work.
3. At the completion of the remodeled Boys and Girls club, the library would be given 30 days, give or take, to move into that facility as a temporary facility while they continue fund raising or construction of their new building next to city hall.
4. Site preparation for the police station and new library building could start before the library moves out of the existing building.
5. Once the library has moved out of their current building the rest of the remodel would be done so that the police could move in.
6. They also voted to give the library $1 million plus the land nest to city hall to build on.
7. It is the hope of the council that the projects could get done for around $5 million with the benefit of the lower construction costs in today's market.

There are still some variables up in the air at this time as the council has not received the bids or time line to repair/remodel the old Boys and Girls club.

Stay tuned for further developments. We have been in this position before where council agreed on a plan only to have it get derailed at a later date. I hope this one goes through. Our police need there new home and the community needs an Emergency Operations Center as part of that new home.

What A Difference

Wow, was I impressed with tonight's council meeting. It was so different from the last few meetings. Council members were raising their hands and waiting to be called on before speaking. They were civil and had a good discussion on the budget.

Great job council members. Keep it up.

Loss of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Corps Helicopter

My thoughts and prayer go out to these Coast Guard families. Please join me in this. They were performing their duty, trying to find an over due boat.

Brent (My daughter is a Coastie)

From: Allen, Thad Admiral
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 1:50 PM
Subject: ALL HANDS - Loss of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Corps Helicopter

To the Men and Women of the United States Coast Guard:

I am deeply saddened to report that one of our C-130 aircraft, CG-1705 out of AIRSTA Sacramento, crashed last night about 15 miles east of San Clemente
Island off the coast of San Diego. CG-1705, with seven Guardians onboard,
was searching for an overdue 12-foot pleasure craft when there was a collision with a Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra helicopter at 1915 Pacific local time. There were two personnel on the Marine Corps helicopter which was conducting a separate training exercise.

The Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy have been working collaboratively overnight and throughout today in response to this tragedy. I want to ensure our workforce is kept fully apprised as well.

We have been and continue to actively search for survivors. Two Navy surface vessels were on scene almost immediately after the accident. Several Navy and Coast Guard aircraft, along with a Customs and Border Patrol helicopter, are flying sorties in the area while multiple cutters including the BLACKFIN, BLACKTIP, EDISTO, PETREL, GEORGE COBB, and JARVIS are conducting surface searches. One of the Navy ships is remaining on-scene as well. No personnel have been found at this time but we will continue to work with our Marine Corps and Navy partners in this massive effort.

While we continue the search, we will fully support the men and women of AIRSTA Sacramento and their families. We are actively assisting the local field units to respond to this tragic event so they can focus on the ongoing search. This includes flowing resources and critical incident stress management teams where they are needed, supporting our fellow families and Service members, coordinating a joint military investigation, and working with our Department, the interagency, the Congress, and the media to keep people informed.

I know many of you want to know the names of the people who are missing. We are following the appropriate notification procedures and working closely with our sister Services and the impacted families to ensure the proper steps are followed. We will release that information as soon as possible.

I will provide further updates as they become available. I encourage all Coast Guard members to keep these missing Guardians and Marines in your thoughts during this difficult time and to continue looking after your shipmates.

Admiral Thad Allen
Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard

Sam Taylor's Questions Answered

Earlier today I received an email from Sam Taylor with questions about my previous entry. Instead of getting into an email back and forth, I decided to respond here for all to be able to read. So here goes.

You say the council doesn't read their packets ahead of time. Do you have specifics on this? How do you know this? You're saying every single one, perhaps besides Mel, don't read their packets? Why do you think this?

For anyone attending council meetings on a regular basis already knows the answer to this. For those that do not there are three council members that this really applies to. They are: Olson, Zimmerman and Malpezzi. Zimmerman voted no on an ordinance and when asked why stated that he had not read it so he would not vote in favor of it. Malpezzi just recently stated that he only read the cover sheet provided by staff, not the supporting documentation. Olson has asked questions on ordinances only to have it shown to him that the items in question were in the ordinance. He has also made statements that have show he has not read the complete ordinance.

On the other end of the spectrum are Connie and Mel. They do their homework and should be the role models for the rest of the council.

Also you say the council is getting out of control, in what way?


For this I asked Sam to listen to the tape of the last council meeting. If you were there you again would know the answer to this. (The following does not apply to Connie or Mel.) There does not seem to be any respect any more on the council. They don't seem to respect the Mayor or each other. Council member Ingram speaks when ever he wants to, without acknowledgment from the Mayor. Council members Malpezzi and Olson don't respect our city staff and this is evident by their condescending questions and comments that they make.

Do you really think every council member treats people poorly?

Again, I asked Sam to listen to the tapes. If the Herald had a reporter at the meetings on a regular basis, then Sam would not be asking me these questions. The fact that they do not and that Sam has not listened to the tapes of the meetings, shows me that the Herald really does not care to much about Ferndale.

All I ask of anyone really interested in this is to do the following. Attend the Planning Commission meeting this evening at 7:00 PM City Hall Annex. Watch how the Commissioners inter relate with each other. Watch and listen to how the Commissioners talk and work with the city staff. Then compare that to recent council meetings. If after that you think I am off base, let me know.

Elections a week away

With the election a week away I would encourage all my Ferndale friends to mail in their ballots. As of this afternoon, only 16% of the ballots have been returned. If you did not know the Ferndale post office does not post mark your ballots here. They are loaded onto a truck and post marked in Everett. If you want your ballot counted on election day, then you need to get it mailed early. (Ballots can be mailed on election day, they just will not be counted until they are received at the county office, which could be a couple days later.)

As you look over your ballot I would encourage you to vote Brent Goodrich for Ferndale City Council Position 7. Our current council is getting out of hand and there needs to be a person of reason on it, besides Councilmen Hansen. I have been attending council meetings for the past four years so I have a good background on what has been happening and where the city is headed.

Ferndale needs someone on the council that reads their packets, reads the changes to the Municipal Code and values staff input. I will do that, my opponent does not. This does not mean that I will agree with everything presented, but at least I will have read it and will be able to ask intelligent questions to help me make the best decisions possible. I will not vote to support something with my vote and then, a few weeks or months later, go into attack mode against our city staff as my opponent does.

Ferndale deserves better than what we are getting now from Mr. Olson. Petty bickering does not help move Ferndale forward. Neither does reliving the past election over and over and over again, unless that's the highlight of your past term in office.

A vote for Brent Goodrich is a vote for a positive future for Ferndale. You might not always agree with my votes but you will never be embarrassed by my behavior.

The Ballots Are Out

This week the ballots went out. I just wanted to post a few thoughts on why you should vote for me.

Over the past four years I have attended about 80% of the council meetings. I have learned a lot during that time. I have also seen my opponent in action and at times the lack of action/participation. As a council member he has stated numerous times that he does not like additional meetings or study sessions. The additional study sessions/meetings are planned so that he can make a more educated decision. So by not attending them shows me that he really does not care about the issues before him.

I, on the other hand, take my appointment to the Planning Commission very seriously. I attend the meetings and have only missed a couple over the past two years. Just a side note, the Planning Commission is scheduled to only have one meeting per month. Because of the work load we have been having two meetings per month plus we have held some additional study sessions with the city council. I have been serving on the commission as a volunteer without any complaining. Mr. Olson, as a paid, elected official, complains all the time about having to do extra. This is wrong.

One other area that we differ on is our opinion of the value that our city staff adds to the council's decision process. I believe we have a great city staff. They are very knowledgeable and can be a great resource to council in making wise decisions. Do I always agree with them, no, but I still value their input. Mr. Olson seems to take a different view of city staff. Watching from the audience at council meetings, Mr. Olson, at times, treats our city staff as if they were something he purchased on sale at a swap meet. Again, this is wrong. My track record from the Planning Commission shows that I respect our city staff even in disagreements.

As the 2009 elections draw to a close, I would ask for your vote for Ferndale City Council Position 7. If you want to help, it is not to late. For ways to help please contact me at either: BrentListenstoYou@yahoo.com or phone me at 384-8151. Financial assistance can be mailed to Brent Goodrich, 5666 Correll Dr. #106, Ferndale, WA 98248.

Thank you again for those who have supported me and I look forward to serving the citizens of Ferndale for the next four years.

My County Council Picks

Here are my picks for the County Council races:

Kathy Kershner
Mary Beth Teigrob
Michelle Luke
Bill Knutzen

On The Bridge

Last night, Friday, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, my wife and I braved the possibility of rain and attack by pigeons as we stood on the Main Street bridge. We were there holding my campaign signs and waving to the folks as they passed by. We received lots of waves back, a few honks and a few to busy driving and talking on their cell phones to notice us.

It was a lot of fun and the time just flew by. We are planning on doing it again so check back here and I will post the date and times.

Last Night's Council Debate...No Wait...

Last night, Tuesday, October 13th, was the debate by the candidates running for city council hosted by the Ferndale Record Journal and Chamber of Commerce. The only problem was that it really wasn't a debate as such. It was a debate between Jon and Ken but for Lloyd (a.k.a. Zoyd for those that were there) and myself there was no debate. Why is this you are asking?

Lloyd's answer is easy, there is no one running against him. As for myself, my opponent, Mr. Kieth Olson, choose not to be there. It was my birthday last night and yet I was still willing to show up and let the public know my opinions on the issues brought up. To me last night was very important. Unfortunately the public did not get to hear Mr. Olson's responses or be able to choose between us.

So why was Mr. Olson absent last night? It depends on who you talked to. The moderator said that it was due to previous family obligations. When I talked with those close to Keith they said that is was because he did not want to go on the record in the paper with his responses.

Personally, I think this is just another example of Mr. Olson's lack of commitment to the position as a council member. He has stated on numerous occasions that he does not like any additional study sessions and he did not attend the council member retreat earlier this year. He only seems to show up at his paid meetings.

Ferndale needs and deserves better than this. Ferndale needs a council member that is involved in the city and willing to go the extra mile and attend meetings and events. My track record shows my volunteer involvemet in Ferndale. When elected I plan on continuing that involvement.

Currently I am spending up to 6 nights a month attending various meetings, all of which are volunteer. Mr. Olson, as a paid representative of the citizens of Ferndale, complains about an extra meeting here and there. This is wrong and should not be tolerated by the residents of Ferndale.

I am involved in Ferndale. I love this city and support all those who give of their free time to make this a better city. I see this every month at the CCA meeting. There are good people doing great things in this city. Ferndale needs a council member that has this same mind set and I am that person.

For those of you that attended last night's debate, thank you. I hope the evening was informative for you. I enjoyed the evening very much.

If you have questions that were not asked last night and would like to know my opinion, please email me at: BrentListenstoYou@yahoo.com. I will post any question asked and my responses here on my blog. If you would like to help with my campaign you can also contact me at the above email address or call me at 384-8151.

How you can help with my campaign

To my friends,

Growth is coming to Ferndale. How that growth is managed is the key to the city’s future. Therefore, I am running for the Ferndale City Council Position 7 and I need your help. My election and term in office needs to be a partnership with you, my fellow Ferndale residents. We need to work together as Ferndale moves ahead.

So, how can you help? First and foremost is communication with each other. I have set up an email address for this purpose and it is: BrentListenstoYou@yahoo.com. I need to know what issues are important to you and if elected, how I can serve you. I also want to be a source for you if you have questions on issues as well.

There are a few other ways you can help. They are:
1. By writing a Letter to the Editor of either the Bellingham Herald or the Ferndale Record Journal.
2. By putting a yard sign up in your yard.
3. By going door to door or talking with your neighbors. I have a hand out that can be used.
4. By attending the Candidate Debate on October 13th at Central Elementary School.
5. By helping financially. To put on a campaign here in Ferndale costs about $1500. (Checks can be made out to Brent Goodrich and mailed to the address below.)
6. By voting. Ballots need to be put into the mail by November 2nd. (Just to let you know, postmarks are not done here in Ferndale. All our mail goes to Everett where it is postmarked.)

Above is a copy of the mailer that will be going out soon. It gives you a brief description of what I support and my background. If you click on it you will get a larger image.

If you would like to help or have any questions I can be reached at:
Brent Goodrich
5666 Correll Dr. #106
Ferndale, WA 98248
360-384-8151

Thank you for taking the time to read through this and I look forward to our partnership in Ferndale’s future.

L.A. City Fire Engine Swallowed by Sinkhole

From KTLA's web site...something you don't see every day...this is for the Beyond folks...

VALLEY VILLAGE -- A Los Angeles City fire engine has been swallowed by a huge sinkhole caused by a new water main break in the San Fernando Valley.

The 6-inch pipe burst around 5:20 a.m. near the intersection of Hartsook Street and Bellingham Avenue, east of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and south of Magnolia Boulevard in the Valley Village area.

Engine 60, with a crew of four, was responding to an "unkown water problem in the street" when the roadway buckled, swallowing the truck, Capt. Steve Ruda told KTLA.

Ruda said the engine had already made it across the area when the veteran Captain inside decided they should back out. Two firefighters were sent off the rig to help back the truck out while the Captain and engineer stayed inside the cabin, he said.

As the 42,000-pound engine was reversing, the roadway swallowed the vehicle nose-first, he said.

All firefighters escaped without injury.

The cabin slowly continued to sink into the muddy water-filled hole.

A car parked on the street would not start because of the water damage, one resident told KTLA.

Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Kim Hughes said water service in the area will be shut off.

Fire crews said the engine will have to be removed from the hole before the water can be shut off because the damaged pipe is inaccessible.

Usually, the engine would be pulled out by a large tow truck, however, crews aren't sure if the roadway can support the weight. Ruda said geologists were being called in to determine what type of material they're dealing with, and whether it's stable enough to support more weight.

Traffic on Laurel Canyon Boulevard has not been affected by the incident.

The water main break is located just a few miles away from another pipe that burst Saturday in Studio City, forcing the closure of the heavily-traveled Coldwater Canyon Avenue.

Toby Keith Makes Good on Promise to Soldier

The following is from theboot.com. I heard about it from the USO on Facebook. It is nice to hear about the positive things being done for our troops.


Toby Keith is a man of his word. Just ask the McKenna family in Purcell, Okla.

Toby met Sgt. Robby McKenna when he was on his seventh USO Tour last April, and the young man asked a special favor of his fellow Oklahoman. He gave Toby a birthday present for his stepmother and asked if the country star would mail the package once he got back to the U.S. The singer promised that he would.

But instead of mailing the gift, Toby decided to deliver it in person. He and a friend, Curt Motley, got on their Harleys and drove to the McKenna's home to make the gift from the young soldier even more special. Sgt. McKenna just happened to phone home while Toby was there, so he got to talk to the singer again, putting the call on speaker phone so that his fellow soldiers could hear.

"It was a remarkable night that we won't forget," the McKennas told their hometown newspaper, the Purcell Register. "We don't know how to express our gratitude for what Toby has done for us, for Robby and his troop ... We wanted to share this story with the readers of our newspaper because we wanted them to know what kind of person Toby Keith is. He's a hard worker. He loves his country. He cares for the soldiers. And he's a man of his word, and we know these things are facts."

Toby is heading back across the ocean this fall, this time to go on what will be his first European tour.

Executive Kremen snubs cities

It really does not come as a surprise that Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen chose to go with the county's proposal for changes in the cities' UGA. I was hoping that after all the hours our mayor, city staff, planning commission, citizens and council put into the process that Executive Kremen would consider the cities proposal. Yet, from his report posted today on the County Planning Services web site, it doesn't look as if he even considered it. He has decided to go with the Urban Reserve idea even though there is no such thing in the GMA and the county has not said how the Urban Reserve would even work.

The city of Ferndale has agreed that our UGA could be made smaller, but not by the amounts the county wants. What we have is the county screwing up and then taking their problems out on the cities. "Let's punish the cities for our (the county's) actions" is the path the county is taking from Executive Kremen on down to Planning Director Stalheim.

I guess Executive Kremen decided to take the safe route for himself and side with those who are pushing this UGA reduction. I guess it is easier to fold than to stand up and do the right thing.

Personally, I don't think pissing off the cities in your county is a career building move for Executive Kremen or any of the County Council members. Elections are coming...

Private Jets for Congress

I was reading articles in the Wall Street Journal online about the congress requesting new private jets for $550 million. They are purchasing 8 jets total. The planes are the business version of a 737 and Gulfstream G550s. They are also getting a great deal. The WSJ reports that the cost of a G550 is $49 million. Congress is going to pay $66 million for each plane. The question being asked by the WSJ is why the additional $17 million per plane. As of the writing of the article, they had not received an answer. (http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/08/10/why-is-congress-paying-66-million-for-a-49-million-jet/)

I checked and it was back in November when congress got on the case of auto maker executives for coming to Washington in private jets. The idea of using private jets was a big no no and several companies sold theirs. No congress is buying them?

Is this another example of do as we say, not as we do?

Cash For Clunkers - What are people buying

I was wondering what people were buying with the increased sales with the Cash for Clunkers program. What I found was that it depends on who is creating the list. Here is what I mean just looking at the top five sellers.

Total sales by model only and includes all versions such as 2WD,4WD, Hybrids (source Wall Street Journal):
1. Ford F Series Pick Up
2. Toyota Camry
3. Honda Accord
4. Toyota Corolla
5. Chevy Silverado Pick Up

Edmunds.com Cash for Clunkers List. This is what people bought with their rebate. It includes all versions of the model as the above list.
1. Ford Escape
2. Ford Focus
3. Jeep Patriot
4. Dodge Caliber
5. Ford F-150

The Government's Cash for Clunkers list (They break it up by type, ex. 2WD total listed separately from 4WD) (source CNNMoney.com)
1. Ford Focus
2. Toyota Corolla
3. Honda Civic
4. Toyota Prius
5. Toyota Camry

Looking at the top 5 in each list, it doesn't look good for GM. In the first list they only had 1. You you have to look down to number 15 before you found the next GM vehicle. In the second list they had two in the top 10 positions 7 & 8. In the last list they had one, 10th.

When I purchased my new car, I did not qualify for the Cash for Clunkers, the dealer told me the purpose of this program was to move all the 2009s that the manufactures had sitting around as a result of slow sales and closing dealerships. It was a short term fix designed to move inventory, that's all.

What will happen over the next couple months when the 2110s start coming out?

King Co. trans fats regulation effects us as well

Did you know that the King County Board of Health told county restaurants in July to phase out trans fats and voted to require chain restaurants to provide nutritional information for all menu items. This means removing trans fats in such things as market bakery breads? I didn't either because I don't live in King County. Yet, today, I learned that the King County ban also effects us here in Whatcom County. How, you may asked.

We recently purchased a loaf of bread at Haggen's bakery here in Ferndale. When we got home it was not the same as previous loafs that we have purchased. It seemed like it was not cooked all the way, a little mushy in the middle.

Today we were at the market and went to get another loaf thinking we just got a bad one last time. We started talking to the lady who baked the bread and found out that they have changed the recipe. Because Haggen has stores in King County, all there stores have changed. They have removed trans fats from some of their bread lines. The results, mushy breads.

King County Board of Health did this because they know what's best for their residents. As long as I have been going to the market, I don't remember anyone ever forcing my mom, my wife or myself to purchase anything. If I want bread that tastes good and is not mushy then I should be able to purchase it. Why do we need bureaucrats telling us what we can and can not eat.

I would urge everyone to contact Haggens and request that they go back to the old bread recipe. Why should we have to suffer for King County's dumb ideas. We get enough of that already.

US Coast Guard Celebrates 219th Anniversary

As a proud Coastie dad and a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, I just wanted to express my thanks to all those who are serving in the Coast Guard. When most people are fleeing a situation, the Coast Guard is heading in. They truly are America's Guardians of the Sea.

"Nearly 42,000 active-duty, 7,484 reserve, 7,659 civilian and 29,000 auxiliary personnel use 247 cutters, 1,850 boats and 204 aircraft to save lives, protect property, ensure the prosperity of our maritime nation, facilitate maritime commerce and protect our nation against all hazards and all threats." (From the Coast Guard announcement)

Happy Anniversary..."Semper Paratus" (Always Ready)

The People's Plan...what?

Our city needs a new police station and a library. Over the past several months various options have been looked into. Building a new library, remodeling the old Rite-Aide building into a police station to name a few. Yet after looking at the various options the price tags were all too high.

Then the proposal to convert the old Boy's and Girl's club at Pioneer Park into a library and the library into a police station took root and started to grow. The more it was looked into the better it looked. Was it the perfect solution, not completely but it was better than any of the previous options. Also the price tag was reasonable.

With all the information researched and the dollars looked at the majority of the council voted to proceeded with this plan earlier this year. Were all those involved 100% happy no, but it's the direction council voted to go.

At tonight's council meeting we learned that there is a "People's Plan" out there and being supported by at least one council member, Zimmerman. At first this plan sounds interesting until you really start to look at it. The more you look the more it seems to fall apart. Yet, council member Zimmerman stood up in front of the council and said this plan could save the city over 2 million dollars. When asked where his numbers were to justify this, there were none. When asked what architect has looked at this plan, there was none. All we had was Zimmerman's estimate based on the costs Lynden has spent on one of their projects and that there were several people that also support this idea, yet none in attendance.

I support the plan the council has approved. I think it is the best solution for our city. I think it makes sense and it is affordable. We need a police station and a library that meets our community's needs. We need to continue to move forward. The "People's Plan" presented tonight by council member Zimmerman has so many holes in it, it was amazing that it was even brought up.

Let's have a beer and make up

This past week we saw our President, Vice President, a college professor and a police officer sitting around a table having a beer. I am not going to address the event that triggered this. What I am going to address is the comment made by the President, "Let's have a beer."

For some reason this bothers me and I can't put my finger on why. I talked to a couple of the residents at work and they said the same thing, it bothered them as well.

It is not the fact that the four of them got together to discuss the situation. It is the comment. For some reason having the President of the United States acting like Joe Six Pack bothers me. Maybe it is the fact that I was raised to respect the office of the President and there was a decorum associated with it. Maybe it is because I am not a beer drinker so I don't get the concept.

I guess I need to go and find a group of folks, have a beer and try to figure why this bothers me. Any suggestions?

Enviromental Footprint On Boots?

Last night I went to Sears to purchase some new work boots. I looked over the selection and found a pair that I liked and were comfortable. So I purchased them.

This morning as I was getting them out of the box and I noticed a sticker on the side of the box. It was titled "Our Footprint". So I read on. It listed how much energy was used in the creating of the boots, how much of the factory's power came from renewable sources, how many hours the company contributes to the community, and was there any child labor used in the making of the boots.

This got me wondering. Do people really look at this information when purchasing work boots? I would think style, comfort and price were the determining factors. Those are the things that I look for.

I would be very interested in hearing from others on this. Does how much energy used a deal breaker for you when purchasing boots or any shoes? How about where the power comes from that was used? My guess is that there is a very, very, very small percentage of purchasers that would make their decision to purchase these boots just because of the information on the box. This is a great marketing ploy by this manufacturer, read on.

Here is the kicker, I looked all over the box and there is no place on it that tells where the boots were made. So I looked at the boots themselves and found a little tag inside. This is funny, they were made in China! China is one of the world's biggest polluters along with India.

So people are getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that they are helping the environment by purchasing these boots when in reality they are not. I love this environmental, green house gas, carbon footprint stuff. I wonder how long this fad will last...like pet rocks...the environmentally friendly pet (because they didn't pollute, no methane gas, or consume any natural resources, no carbon footprint to worry about).

Alternative Power's Dirty Secret

I worked for a electric company for over 20 years and during that time I learned a lot about where our electricity comes from. At one time the company I worked for was doing research on alternative energy sources. They had wind, solar, geothermal, coal gasification, nuclear, hydro, and natural gas power plants. This was all back in the 1980s and 1990s.

We are being told today that we need to get away from fossil fuel generated electricity. That sounds great, let's do it. Here is the big secret that the environmentalist don't what you to know. What do you need to build your alternative power plant on? The answer, land. Where are you going to find large, vacant parcels of land? The answer, deserts, or rural areas. Where do people mostly live? In cities. How does the power get from the power plants to the cities? It travels via transmission lines. What do you need to get before you can build your plant or your transmission line? First you have to purchase large amounts of property and then get the permits to build your plant and transmission lines. Here in lies the dirty secret. The environmentalists don't want the transmission lines built nor do they want rural or desert lands converted into power plants. So they come up with endangered animals or plants in the areas to be developed. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) are a time consuming, expensive process that also delays construction, sometimes for years.

So, on one hand the environmentalists want alternative power. On the other hand they fight the construction of such plants. So what is their goal? Think about it. If they complain about the pollution existing plants produce and how bad they are (and that pollution has been greatly reduced over the past 40 years) and they don't what new plants, what's left? Cap and Trade.

Cap and Trade is nothing more than the environmental left forcing new energy standards that will only result higher energy cost, not alternative power sorces. What do higher energy cost create? They create more expensive utility bills for home owners already struggling to make ends meet, higher fuel costs at the gas pumps, and everything we purchase will cost more. Cap and Trade will NOT make America better. If you think unemployment is bad now and the cost of gas was bad last year, just let Cap and Trade get passed.

O-bum-a-gate?

I heard about this picture on KGMI this morning and had to check it out. It's not the fact that Obama is checking out the bum of a 16 year old from Rio, but the spin is that he is just watching his footing as he was going down the stairs.

Notice the expression on French President Nicolas Sarkozy's face, what is he looking at?

Check out the video of that at the ABC news' web site at: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8049121

You be the judge....

Sarah Palin Announcement

After watching the Sarah Palin announcement I have my own take on what's going on. First off I would say that I like Sarah Palin and her accomplishments. I am very disgusted on the way the left has treated her. There is no justifiable reason for the mean comments about her and especially those toward her family.

As far as her stepping down, to me it fits in with her style of leadership. Why should she stay in office and spend the tax payer's money fighting charge after charge against her (all of them she has won)? To me, if the charges are going to continue, and they seem to be, then stepping down is the right thing to do.

Doing the right thing, to me, is what the left so hates about her. Being pro life, pro family, pro military are not popular beliefs today. Yet she has shown true character by holding true to her beliefs, even with all the attacks by the main stream press. I think every politician can learn a lot from her.

Obama Health Plan

I have two thoughts on the Obama health plan. They are:

1. If the plan is so good and we are to embrace it openly, why did congress put into the bill a provision that opts them out of the plan. In another words, they want us to be in the plan but they themselves don't what to be in the plan. Does this tell us something about the plan?

2. Why was another provision put in that allows union member not to be taxed on their employer contributions to their health plan but the rest of us will be taxed on the amount that our employer's contribute. Again, if this is such a good plan, why do they have these provisions? If Mr. Obama cares so much about the middle class, why is he adding another tax on us?

I agree that there needs to be something done about the health care situation but this bill is not the way to do it. Do we really want government run health care? What government agency is run efficiently? Why are people in countries like Canada, England and France warning us not to go down this road? We need to slow down and do it right. I don't buy the line "We know this is not the best, but we need to do something so we will pass this and tweak it later." Is this what we really want?

Michael Jackson & Farah Fawcett passing

The news is full tonight full of the passing of two celebrities, Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett so I thought I would share my thoughts on both.

Michael Jackson's music was great. I really liked the Thriller album but that's not what I think of most when I think of his work. For the fans of Disneyland these is another side to him, Captain EO. This was a great 3-D movie and one of my favorite attractions at Disneyland at that time. It was always a must see. It was was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and executive produced by George Lucas. So, for Disneyland fans, his passing is another mark in the park's history.

Growing up there was Charlie's Angels and Farah Fawcett. I don't know if she is known more for the work or the poster that found it's way into many a bedroom. I remember one quote that summed up her at that time. It went like this: "There are silver faucets, there are gold faucets, but there in no faucet like Farah Fawcett."

Along with Ed McMahon, Michael and Farah will be missed.

Obama in trouble with PETA

Earlier this week President Obama was giving an interview with CNBC. There was an uninvited guest, a fly. So, Obama does what millions of Americans do every day, he kills it.

Well, this has up set PETA according to an AP story (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hNw_VW9Dlp19RvvaxvSLo5TZRwSQD98SQ0606). PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday "We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals. We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals." He went on to say that PETA supports "brushing flies away rather than killing them" and was disappointed that the President had gone ahead and squashed the pesky fly.I guess PETA has never lived or worked next to a dairy farm, or any place livestock roam.

For those of you that agree with PETA you can get a humane bug catcher for $8.00 at the PETA web site store. As for me, I will continue to deal with flies the old fashion way.

New cell phone threat

I saw the latest cell phone threat on Fox news and also on CNN's web site. If the threat of brain tumors or the risk of driving and talking were not enough for you to put your cell phone down then maybe this will. It is called Cell Phone Elbow. Yes you read that right.

They say that holding the phone to your ear pinches a nerve in your elbow that will cause tingling in your fingers. I have attached the link to the CNN web page: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/02/cell.phone.elbow/

I would think that you would have to be on the phone a long time for this to happen. The interesting thing is that this only happens with cell phone and not land line phones.

The only issue I have with my cell phone is finding it at times. I don't know how many times I have called it just to find it.

Council authorization for $8 million

At tonight's council meeting the council voted 5 to 1 for the authorization to proceed to secure councilmatic bonds for the remodels/reconstruction of a police facility and library. These bonds may be done in two $4 million issues or one $8 million. There was no firm date given as to when the bonds will be issued. Tonight's action started the process. In future council meetings the final proposals for both facilities will be presented and voted on.

The council member Melpezzi was not present and council member Zimmerman voted against.

I agree with council member Ingram in that we need to get our police into a proper facility. Tonight's action is the first step in the process.

Flag Day

Today is Flag Day. I want to thank the Boy Scouts for adding to the day with the additional flags that they have put up through out the city. Here is the one in front of our condo.

Update Clarification - The Boy Scouts put flags up in front of homes through out the community. The Ferndale Kiwanis Club puts them up on Main Street.

Update 6/16 - The boy scout troop that is doing this is Troop #483. Thanks guys

Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday. Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1, § 110[2] is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the President's discretion to proclaim officially the observance.

2nd Ave Workshop Meeting

I attended the 2nd Ave improvement project workshop last night. My overall impression of the project is that it will be a big help to the traffic in Ferndale. It will also remove most of the street traffic through the neighborhood which will make it safer for the residents living there.

I expressed my concern for the medians though. It was stated at the beginning of the meeting that there is not enough stimulus money to do the whole project. Therefore, my suggestion was to eliminate the median, which most in attendance last night agreed with, and use that money to finish the park part of the project. Another resident suggested the money used for the medians be used to put sidewalks in along Washington to the park, another good suggestion.

During the meeting it seemed that the city staff did not really want to hear what the public had to say. They seemed set on medians and were reluctant to consider removing them. There seemed to be an agenda behind their comments, especially Bill Henry.

For the council members present, 5 out of 7, they seemed interested in what the public had to say and even asked questions but gave no indication on how they felt about the medians and if they would consider removing them. (Malpezzi and Hansen were not present.)

In the end, it was the public's opinion to remove the medians. Bill Henry said that the project was going out to bid with the medians in but that they could be removed at a later date. There was no time/date set for when or even if the council will consider this and make a decision. Bill's comment was that they have about 6 weeks to look at this and make the decision.

The race is set

It is official. The race for Ferndale City Council Position 7 is set between Mr. Olson and myself. I am looking forward to the next few months. I have a positive outlook and I look forward to the opportunity to serve the citizens of Ferndale. I encourage anyone to contact me and I have no problem answering questions.

I would also like to wish good luck to Ken Downey in his race. If you did not know, there are three challengers to Ken.

Where is Ken Downey?

As of the this posting there is still one current city council member not accounted for in the list of filed candidates. That council member is Ken Downey. I have a few thoughts as to why he is not on the list. They are:
1. I know he has until Friday afternoon to file and his schedule may not have allowed him to get to the Auditor's office until later in the week.
2. He has decided not to run again and has not made this public as of yet.
3. He and council member Olson or Zimmerman have a plan to switch positions at the last moment.

You might be wondering why I put option three down. Follow this logic. Mr. Olson files first thing Monday making everyone think he is going for position 7 again. Then, on Friday afternoon he withdraws his candidacy and refiles under position 5. Then Mr. Downey files for position 7. This is perfectly legal. There is nothing to say that either one can't change positions. The idea behind such a move would be to try and throw off their challengers. This might not happen but it is an interesting thought for discussion. How would such a switch effect the outcome of the election, if at all? Your thoughts?

I am planning on being at the County Auditor's office Friday afternoon to watch the comings and goings seeing this is my first election. I find this all fascinating and this is only the beginning.

It is official

I just returned from filling for Ferndale City Council position 7. For those of you that may not know, the seat is currently held by Mr. Keith Olson and he has also filed his papers to run again.

I am looking forward to the election this year and running against Mr. Olson. Running for office is the next logical step for me. I have been volunteering in various ways in the communities that I have lived in since the early 1980s. I look forward to bringing this experience as well as my technical background to the council.

In the near future I will be posting more information and I will have a web page up soon.

Correction to last post on the $14,000

It is true the new contract that was recently approved by the council will end up costing the city over $14,000 more than what was originally presented to the Public Utilities Committee.

The correction is that it is not the whole council's fault but that of the three members of the committee led by council members Olson, who was filling in for another council member, Ingram and Zimmerman. The actions of the committee are what cost the city the additional money and put the whole council between a rock and a hard place.

If the council had not approved this contract at the last meeting, it would have cost the city even a lot more money, maybe as much as $100,000. The reason being that there is such a small window of opportunity for the disposal of the sludge via the proposal presented to council. If that window was missed then the disposal of the sludge from the treatment plant would have to be sent to eastern Washington for disposal thus costing the city the additional amount. So it was either approve the contract knowing that it would cost the city more this year or by waiting and thus end up costing the city a whole lot more than $14,000.

Council decision costs city $14,000

Our Ferndale city council strikes again. This time it cost the city over $14,000. What caused this? According to the minutes of the May 18th council meeting Director Cecile had made a presentation on April 29th to the Public Works and Utility Committee recommending the approval and forwarding of a contract to Fire Mountain Farms, Inc. in the amount of $59,724.75. This contract was an ongoing one and just needed to be approved this year with the Consumer Price Index rate of inflation increase. The committee rejected this and the contract had to go out to bid.

When the bids came back guess what, Fire Mountain was the sole responder but the amount of the contract went up to $73,945.00.

Recently our council has a trust issue. They seem to be questioning our city staff's recommendations every chance that they can get. I don't understand this. We have a great city staff and they have a lot of experience. So why the questioning and the confrontations both at committee meetings and at council meetings?

In these tough economic times we can't afford to have a council that makes these types of decisions. How are they going to pay for this mistake? Here is my suggestion; cut council's pay to just $1.00 per month! There are a lot of people who give more of their time for free to this city and they do productive work. Recently the council seems to be getting paid only to do blunder after blunder. They are even complaining about attending workshops where they could get additional information to help them make wise decisions.

I would love an explanation from any of the council members on this and I will post any and all of their responses. So, how much more will this council cost the city? Stay tuned.

Great Americans

Who are our great Americans? For some it revolves around their political party. To others it may be a current or past family member. If you listen to Sean Hannity's radio program is it either him or his callers. To me none of these are great Americans.
To me, the only truly great Americans are those that put on one of the various armed service uniforms each and every day. Those that serve voluntarily day after day, year after year are the great Americans.
Over the years I have had the pleasure of meeting and working beside men and women who served during WWII. They're great Americans. I have been to Washington DC and walked amongst the memorials to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom that we have today. It is a very moving experience. Yet nothing compares to walking though Arlington National Cemetery. Those resting there are great Americans.
On this Memorial Day I hope each and everyone that reads this takes just a few minutes to pause to honor those that are the greatest Americans of all, the men and women of the armed forces - Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard.

Bellingham a "sanctuary city"?

Recently in the local news we hear & read that there is a group of folks wanting Bellingham to become a "sanctuary city" for AWOL military. This confused me because I have always heard the term used in reference to illigal immigration not the military. Either way, both are protecting a person who has done something illigal. Why would you want to condone that kind of behavior?

I support our military and as in any large group you will have people that do the wrong thing. As far as I know, no one is forced to join the military. We don't have a draft going on now like we did in the past. So why protect these people? They have committed a crime otherwise no one would be looking for them. If they were man or women responsible enough to step up, raise their right hand, go through boot camp, then they should also be responsible for their action of being AWOL.

I would like to here other's comments on this.

Great Planning Commission Meeting

Last night, May 13th, the Planning Commission had a great meeting. The main topic of discussion last night was the proposed changes to the city's UGA (Urban Growth Area) boundry. It was also nice to have members of the public there as well. Their comments on some of the proposed changes was very helpful and informative. The city staff, Jori, did an excellent job and having the power point slides to go with the discussion really helped.

For those of you that were not in attendence last night and have some thoughts on the UGA changes, there will be other opportunities to comment. The next one will be Monday, May 18th at the city council meeting. Well worth attending. Check the city's web site for more information.

Zimmerman Surprises All At Council Meeting

At the May 4th City of Ferndale council meeting, council member Zimmerman surprised everyone with his vote on the Parking Standards Ordinance. At the meeting city staff presented the new Parking Standards Ordinance that the Planning Commission had been working on and recently forwarded to council for the final public hearing and vote. There was no public at the meeting wishing to comment on the ordinance. Therefore, the council had their discussion amongst themselves and then a motion was made to approve the ordinance. When the vote came there were 5 votes for the new ordinance and then council member Zimmerman voted against it (one council member was absent). This was a surprise vote as he did not say anything during the discussion that he opposed anything in the ordinance or why he could not support the ordinance. In fact, his vote was such a surprise that a fellow council member's jaw dropped and the look on her face was that of "what?"
Council member Zimmerman did not stop there. Later in the meeting he did the same thing when the discussion was on the Grandview Annexation. Again there was some discussion by council members but when the vote came down both Zimmerman and Downey voted against moving the process forward. Again, this was a surprise as neither one had voiced any opposition to the matter during the discussion.
I am not criticizing their vote as they have every right to vote the way they did. My concern is with the fact that they did not enter into any discussion with other members of council or express any reason for voting the way that they did. Were they afraid to go on record as they did not have any valid reason for voting the way they did? Were they trying to make some kind of point by their votes? Were they supporting the citizens of Ferndale by their vote? We will never know as they remained silent.

Swine Flu - A Nation In Crisis

Have we become a nation in constant crisis? It seems like we just go from one to another with the Swine Flu being the latest. Look at what's happening now? Schools closing, the vice president telling us to say home if we have the slightest symptoms, don't use public transportation or fly. On the news I heard of one school in Washington closing because a child there had a cough and a temperature. The conclusion made was that he "might" have the swine flu. Therefore, before the facts are in, close the school. Could it be he was just a typical kid with any number of "bugs" floating around inside of him? Why is this such a national story and why are so many people worried? I don't get it.
The United States has a population of over 300 million people. As of the writing of this, there were only 100 cases of Swine Flu. 100 out of 300 million. World wide there are only 497 confirmed cases and only 13 deaths. The population of the world is 6.7 billion.
Compare this to other illnesses. An estimated 600 people die of tuberculosis, about 1,400 people die from strep and 2,704 people die from a common asbestos-related lung cancer in the United States every year. Last year the seasonal flu took the lives of 83 children and an estimated 36,000 adults in the United States, according to the CDC. Were schools closing then? No. Why not? Where was the panic? Where was the news media?
So why the panic now? My feeling is this is created to take our eyes off the real problems facing the country. It is the old ignore the elephant in the room, let's deal with this small thing we have over here.
Yet, a crisis sells but who is the winner. It is definitely not the American public. I would be interested in who you think the winner on this latest "crisis" is. Any guesses on what the next crises will be?

River Walk artwork, is now the right time?

At the council meeting on April 20th, I was impressed, at first, with council member Malpezzi. At the beginning of the meeting he had come up with a creative way to keep city staff from having to take a 10% pay cut. For this I applaud him.
Later in the meeting the topic of the art work for the River Walk came up. At this point council member Malpezzi wanted to spend money even though there had been a discussion on the financial state of the city. During the artwork discussion, council member Ingram suggested that they wait a couple of months to see where the city is financially before committing to the art work. To me this was a great suggestions but council member Malpezzi was not interested.
Could it be that council member Malpezzi’s motives at the beginning of the meeting were only motivated by his support of the art work for the River Walk? It seems to me that art work should be the last thing that the council should spend monies on. I know it has been budgeted but still, is it the right thing to do? Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

April 15th thought

As today is the last day to file our income taxes, I thought it would be a good time to think about how government effects our lives. It can be sumed up in this simple thought:

When you turn and look to the government for answers and help it makes you dependant on that government and because of that dependancy you can never become prosperous.

Ferndale Councill makes wrong desicion on staff

Why is it when a government entity gets into financial trouble they take one of the following courses of action: 1. Raise taxes or 2. Let staff go? I was sad to read in the Ferndale Record Journal that our city council has recently taken option two. There is a third option and that option is to cut or postpone projects.

At last weeks council meeting our elected officials chose to eliminate city staff positions. I think this is wrong especially when there are several projects in the works that could be postponed thereby allowing the staff to remain. A good example of this is the Main Street project. This is a great example of a project that could be put on hold until the economy improves. Another example is the reconfiguring of the parking along 1st Street by the school.

Elected official like to do projects over people because they can point to a project with pride and say "See I got that done, aren't I great and don't I deserve to be re-elected?" The reality is they are only serving their own egos. Yes, underground utilities make a street look nice, but in this economy, it is the best use of our monies? Additional parking along 1st Street would be nice, but does it have to be done this year? Why aren't our council members asking these questions? Instead they hid behind closed doors, not letting the public listen to the their discussion or comment.

Our city staff does an excellent job and does not deserve to be treated in this manner. I would urge our council to reconsider their decision and look at all the projects going on and if after cutting or postponing there is still a shortfall, then implement the staff cuts.

Happy Easter

Have you ever wondered why there is no tomb or shire in Jerusalem dedicated to Jesus? There are other tombs and shrines for other religious leaders through out the world so why not for Jesus? The answer is quite simple, Jesus is alive, risen from the dead and sitting at the right hand of God in heaven.

Jesus was executed by professional Roman soldiers and placed in a grave guarded by highly trained Roman guards. On the 3^rd day Mary went to finish the burial ritual that could not be done because of the Sabbath. When she arrived the grave was empty. This news came as a big surprise to her and to the disciples when they heard the news.

It is because of Jesus’ death and resurrection that we today can have salvation and forgiveness of our sins, not by any of our works or good deeds, but because of the grace of God. As it is written, “God so loved the world that he gave his only son that who so ever believed in him would have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Therefore, there is no need to have a special tomb or shrine for Jesus. So on this Easter Sunday join me in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and the love of God.

Jesus is alive!

Welcome to my blog

Thanks for stopping by. Over the next couple of days I will be getting this up and running. My postings will have to do with local Ferndale, Washington issues as well as national, hence the beyond part of the name. I look forward to your comments as well.