Leos Roar!
Dear Editor,
I want to express my appreciation for the Oakdale Lions Club for their creation of the service group, the Leos. Oakdale Riverbank Escalon AAUW had their annual fundraiser on October 22 and the Leos came out to help with the set-up at the Gene Bianchi Center. We were their first project. They did a great job and worked hard. I highly recommend them for other service projects. Thank you again, Lions!
Diane Korupp,
Fundraising Chair, AAUW ORE
Thankful For Library Support
Dear Editor,
I am so grateful to see that Measure S passed so overwhelmingly. It extended the sales tax surcharge to support the Stanislaus County Library system for the next 12 years. Now, we can maintain what is in place, and still plan for more services into the next decade or so. The citizens of Oakdale and Riverbank will enjoy their branch libraries well into the next decade.
I am sorry to see that this election had such a poor turnout of registered voters. And most of those were of the mail by ballot kind. Yes, this was an off year election, but this was an extremely very poor turnout of registered voters.
Most voters who mail in ballots tend to do so early on. Measure S, was promoted very well indeed, but the mailers I got arrived two weeks after I mailed in my ballot. I can only imagine that there were thousands who were like me and received their campaign literature long after the ballots were mailed in. All of that maybe had an effect on those much later voters. The timing was sure off, and a waste in campaign dollars.
Voter public opinion for the library system was of course supportive even before Measure S was put up for a county wide vote.. I would like to thank all of the voters who voted yes on Measure S.
We need to vote in every election to keep our local and area democracy decisions made by the ballot box count for something. Failure to participate means someone else will make the decisions for you and us, and you may not like it at all.
Daniel Marsh
Going Somewhere For The Holidays?
Dear Editor,
For years, I have made people aware in newspapers and speeches how my life changed 25 years ago after a drunken driver hit me. I was 16 then. I urge all to have a sober driver if drinking and some are listening. Thank you.
I intend to bring more responsible, safe and sober drivers on the roads.
A new threat is quickly taking its place: Cellphones. I see people on them everywhere like in stores, restaurants, and even vehicles. Drivers of all ages are distracted in numerous ways, but cellphone usage takes the cake.
Driving with a cellphone is like driving drunk, if not worse. Who wants to drive a vehicle and not pay attention to the road just to text a petty message? Is this distraction worth the risk of injuring or killing others?
People travel on roads and highways in beautiful California for the upcoming holidays. Drivers need to place undivided attention on the road for safety. Navigating or texting on the phone prevents them from that.
Using the phone for just five seconds is similar to driving the length of a football field at 55 MPH, blindfolded. Clearly, that is irresponsible and unsafe.
Please, stop your vehicle when using the phone and do not drive drunk. This brings more safety to the roads every day.
Lori Martin