People Speak
Wake up you “Silent Majority.” Wake up. All you see on TV and read about in the newspapers (even the one sided ones) is about the greed, cronyism, bribes and fraud in the Federal, State and City government. Laws being passed for big business, special interest and the rich. Like the “Health Care”, “Energy” and the biggest joke of all called “Deficit Reduction”. These laws were passed and even written by the “K” street lobbyist by perks, bribes and arm-twisting. They think the average person is stupid when they call laws deficit reduction. When they cut $50 billion dollars from education, health care, school lunches, care for elderly and the poor, while adding $70 billion for tax cuts for very rich people and special interest and call this deficit reduction. While I don’t have a college education I can see this adds $20 billion to the deficit and is not a reduction.
Now we also have constitutional liberties being ignored. This system is being played out in the State and City Governments.
Mr. Sonderegger of the Post calls the City Council the Silly Council. He has the name right but has named the wrong people. This system was going on in the City for years and is why we changed some Council members in the last election, so there would not be a “rubber stamp” for the administration. We just didn’t change enough members. The taxpayers wanted some responsibility for their actions. Now we have recall petitions against two members of the Council. Let us see for what reasons.
One wanted fireworks to be used over the 4th of July holiday. Another said some City department was like a “cesspool.” This is really terrible isn’t it? The City wants the money from the fireworks stand permits but doesn’t want the people to use them in the City. Most people want to use what they buy. As far as Mr. Brown, he is right. Could have used a different word than “cesspool” but this is his job to see that the taxpayer’s money, and this is the taxpayer’s money not the City’s or the old boys network, is being legally and properly spent.
As far as these groups, whatever they call themselves these days, Do the Right Thing, Citizens Empowerment Committee, Citizens for Responsible Government (All who are interlocked) and are paying for and running these recall efforts and going to Council meetings and yelling, ranting and waving their arms about. Where were you when “no bid” and “No Council Approval” contracts were signed for the health care for City employees costing hundred of thousand of dollars more for the City. Or when the old police station on West Clay was sold for thousands less than what it is appraised for. Or when subdivisions are being built outside the City limits but want to hook up to City sewers when we are being told our sewer lines are old and need work. Or when letters are sent to St. Louis Police Department for a “Top Cop” who was fired in St. Charles and who has a million dollar lawsuit against the City. I did not see you on TV at Council meetings then.
I personally think that if this “Top Cop” lawsuit is won and if that letter was in anyway help for that lawsuit, the taxpayers of this City should file suit against the writer of that letter for our loss. For as I stated earlier, that this is taxpayer’s and not the city’s money. This “good ole boy” system is what we wanted changed in the last election. But it seems like some people don’t like it. Why don’t we read or hear about the recall petition (for the Mayor) that was at the library. Maybe we can get the Mayor’s husband to round up signatures for this one like he did for the other two. Who knows, stranger things have happened.
And for ‘Battlin Bob’ who used to be for the City to do the right thing, what happened? I was a union man all my working life and when co-workers who worked beside you told you what they thought and felt about things and if they were made a supervisor by the company, his talk then was 180 degrees from what it used to be. We called him a turncoat then.
So I call on all you “Silent Majority” if you want to “Stay the Course”, just sit in your easy chair. But if you want change in your City, State and Federal Government, get up and get out and VOTE in all of the City, State and Federal Elections. It’s time to be mad as hell and don’t take it anymore.
Walter Dietz
Tony: This is a copy of a Letter to the Editor of the Journal that I e-mailed earlier this evening.
Subject: Letter to the Editor
Editor, St. Charles Journal:
In his letter in the January 29 Journal, Mr. Richard Blalock, of St. Charles County, takes Mr. Riddler to task for proposing some realistic rules for filing recall petitions, and suggests that politicians fear those petitions because they may be removed from office. This is quite true in the present situation in St. Charles. However, the recall petitions currently filed in the Third and Seventh Wards are not quite what the recall process is meant to be. These are not grass-roots efforts sponsored by ordinary citizens with no agenda or ulterior motives other than dissatisfaction with the way they are being represented. This is more in the nature of political assassination. Look at the names on the affidavit forming the committee to circulate the petitions; do you see some familiar names? You do if you follow politics in St. Charles and St. Charles County. Look at the reasons given for the recall; Ms. Greer sponsored a bill to find a better way to handle the annual fireworks fiasco; Mr. Brown called a city department a cesspool. That’s it? Give me a break! I’ve only lived in St. Charles for 50 years, but almost every one of them included at one time or the other some attempt to appease everyone concerning fireworks stands and the discharge of fireworks within the city, and no one was ever recalled for such a frivolous thing. And while I don’t condone Mr. Brown’s words, I hardly consider them grounds for removing him from office. No, what we’re witnessing here is the first phase of a blatant attempt to take control of the city by a dedicated group of movers and shakers, heavily funded, cleverly orchestrated and implemented for the most part by a paid group of people who have no concern for the residents they are collecting signatures from, other than the dollars on their paycheck for each one they manage to coerce, cajole, pressure or harass into signing their petition. Why would they be concerned about the people they’re soliciting? Most of them are from some other municipality; some are not even from St. Charles County! There’s more to this story, but I’m approaching my 300-word limit or over it so it will have to wait. Watch this space.
Gene Jones
St. Charles
Dear First Capitol News
I agree with the writer in tonight’s paper to inform St Charles residents what happens at council meetings. As I understand, only slightly more than 50% of our residents have cable tv. Sometimes we take for granted everyone can afford cable. The paper is free, as is the coffee at Hardees (for seniors). This is how they get informed for free. Unfortunately, they don’t get the whole picture.
I would also like to see a restaurant review started. Not so much to review the food as the BATHROOMS & cleanliness & service! I’ve lived in St Charles for over 35 years and eat out quite regularly & see some of the worst bathrooms, dirty silverware & dishes. Remember the saying....if the bathrooms are clean so is the kitchen. On the health dept website, they give a score only....so if some restaurant gets an 80 (out of 100) you have no idea what the 20 deficiency was for. Not to mention names but the restaurant bathroom near an old bowling alley is disgusting. This info would at least improve cleanliness in restaurants. I’m amazed at the servers in our local establishments...they have limited social skills, dress like bums and these kids are going to Lindenwood ? to get an education. Some of them look like they come from 3rd world countries. It’s time we, as a city, say this is enough! Since the owners of the restaurants give little pre-training, probably due to fast employment turnovers, we are becoming complacent to bad service,
uncleanliness & a strange code of common decency. We were at a restaurant on Main St., well known, and I asked for hot tea as my drink. I was given a cup of hot water with a tea bag string hanging over the edge of the cup. No spoon. no saucer, no cream (and yes it was asked for - but should be standard service). What do they expect us to do with the tea bag? Throw it on the floor or eat it? St Charles Restaurants have the most laid back way of serving customers I have ever experienced. And their prices are no lower than St Louis County/City.
Tonight we went to dinner, again on Main Street, and the silverware was really dirty. We asked for clean ware & were given 2 new sets of wrapped silverware & that was dirty also. My drink of water had a black speck floating in the water & I had to ask for a new drink. Let the buyer beware in this town! We were served by an exposed “belly dancer”.
We are accepting bad service & unclean conditions as a way of life. Not all the restaurants in town are bad, BUT, all of them have something that needs attention. Last summer we went to OB on 94S. They had a major toilet problem & no matter where one sat in the restaurant the smell lingered. Two or three weeks later the smell still lingered. We haven’t returned. We used to go there regularly. I don’t know what kind of liability is involved with writing a review on a restaurant but it would definitely clean them up if they knew they were going to be in the paper.
I noticed the Post’s website has a restaurant review copied from their paper. They use an A,B, C method, whereas St Charles County uses the 100% method. Just in case you ever need a clean bathroom??? Hands down, any Target in America! They are so clean and LARGE! And if you ever go to ______, don’t use the bathroom or you may get sick! Check them out. Back to Main Street..it’s beginning to remind me of Laclede's Landing, dark & dirty. As I understand, the restaurants on Main are hurting for business. Maybe they need to be reviewed by some outside source. Surely there is a business that will point out problems that turn away customers. Having lived in this town for over 35 years I can see the difference in the over all quality and its not going up. Our schools teach everything but good manners & respect for each other. Its a me, me, me mentality.
I would like you to cover the potential permit being considered for a resident to open an open outdoor bar-b-queue grill & separate trailer on a parking space (no less) at Lyons Ice Cream. It will be open until 8pm every night, every day. I would like the residents of the Wards close to the affected area to know about this before the vote is taken at the next city council meeting. This type of business belongs in Frontier Park, not in a residential area with 3 schools very close(by). It reminds me of 2 years ago when some man wanted to open a couple of covered wagons on Main Street to sell jellies & such dealing with foods of the past. Main St merchants had a hissy fit and it was promptly thrown out. The P&Z members voted to approve the bar-b-queue by 100%. Don’t the resident’s opinions count for anything, only Main St merchants? How can the council vote no on the covered wagons & yes on an open fire until 8pm every night? Wards 7,8, 9 & 10 are most affected. Your paper needs to branch out on new topics. Sooner or later these controversies will end(or will they). Your addition of a sports department was well received. Its time to add new departments to keep the readers interested in picking up that little red paper. In the past you reviewed the shops on Main Street. There are many new shops now. I was in one the other day & it was really nice, a step above. Its called the Shepard’s Corner. I appreciate your listening to me rant & rave and next week you will think of me when you open an envelope.
Have a good year & please stay in business.
NJP
Editor’s response
Thank you for reading the First Capitol News. You have some excellent suggestions and we will see what we can do to implement them. As you can understand we did delete the name of the restaurant with the bad bathroom. We wanted an opportunity to contact them to see what could be done. If you have any further ideas on how we can improve the First Capitol News please send them to us. They are always welcome.
