~ Now, For Some REAL Facts on CSA......

We have heard all of the half-baked explanations and excuses schmoozed on us by the mayor and other city powers about how things went down concerning the subsidized, low income housing on Belleview just 50 feet south of the highly touted Premiere World Class High Tech Research Center called SkySong. 

• On the 25^th of April 2006, the City Council authorized the mayor to sign contracts with CSA subject to final negotiations and scope which the council had never seen or heard about.
   

• On June 22^nd 2006 without even one public outreach meeting or council consultation or final negotiations, our esteemed mayor very quietly signed the contracts with CSA.
   

• On September 28th, 2006, the mayor wrote the following email to the council after her secret scheme was discovered by Brian Powell of the Scottsdale Tribune: Geez, you didn't really think it would be the Manross "owned" Scottsdale Republic did you?

=================================================================

Dear Council:  I wanted to inform you about a media interview today with Brian Powell of the Tribune. He called asking questions about redevelopment opportunities underway in and around the ASU Scottsdale SkySong site. In particular, he asked questions about a Community Services of Arizona (CSA) proposal.

Following my conversation with Brian Powell, I followed up to learn more about this proposal. CSA is a statewide, non-profit housing and community development organization that specializes in revitalizing older neighborhoods in need of reinvestment. CSA reports that they are in the very preliminary phases of purchasing parcels on the north side of Belleview. Their goal for Belleview would be to move forward in the next few years with a combination of live-work units, attainable ownership units with mix of market rate options.

This is the first time I am aware that a private or non-profit organization has indicated strong interest in creating a comprehensive revitalization strategy for Belleview Street. Also, I was told that CSA has met with the Human Services Commissioners and that funding for this proposal came from Human Services and Housing Board in the form of Community Development Block Grant funding allocations of approx. $825,000. These funds are to be leveraged with private financing secured by CSA.

CSA's plans are preliminary only. They informed me that they would plan additional public outreach opportunities. One of their most immediate next steps will be to go to the Human Services Commission some time in October to update the Commission on the preliminary concepts. CSA also reports that additional details will be shared with the City and our community as they become available.

Sincerely,

Mary Manross

============================================================

If our esteemed mayor didn't know what was going on in the southern portion of the city and on Belleview as she apparently claims by the above note;

• Why did she sign the three contracts on June 22nd without knowing what she was signing?

• Why did she sign the three contracts on June 22nd without explanations to the council?

• Why did she wait 3 months until Sept 28th to tell the council?

• Did she alert ASUF and ASU about the CSA Contracts? If so, when?

• Did she alert the developers who are planning a large development east of SkySong? 

• Why did J. Osborn sign for the City Attorney Robberson and say nothing?

• Why did Suzanne M. Welsh of Risk Management sign and say nothing?

• Why all the secrecy?

Below are the signed contracts as on file with the City of Scottsdale, Click link to open:

         SDOC 1965                                     SDOC 1966                                     SDOC 1967

Below are the signatures as seen on contracts above.

       Mayors Signature

       Witness signature

       Suzanne M Welsh Signature

       John J. Osborn Signature

================================================================

The following is a letter we just received today which exposes a lot more:

Letter to the Editor,

I’ve read in the Scottsdale Activist and other media concerning the Mayors denial about knowing what was up with CSA and I can’t sit still and let this pass.

The mayor is lying about her knowledge of the CSA and their program plans.

She knows (darned) well what CSA is all about including their plans. Those plans have been on the table within City government since April 2006 with the CNR's group and the mayors full knowledge.

For over a year CSA has been working with other entities in Scottsdale to create a variety of housing options.

Scottsdale does not have a housing program other than what is offered through Human Services.

The Scottsdale Housing Board has zero funds to distribute and was organized to examine issues and advise Council, not to spend funds they don’t have.

The Head of CSA is Brian Swanton, who used to work for the Scottsdale City Housing Office.

He quit there following the Future Search Conference to examine housing issues, which was about the time Manross first took over the Mayor’s office and Dolan came on board as the city manager, both clamping down on any discussion of housing options.

Sorry, but to be fair and honest with my fellow citizens, I can't sit back and let the mayor’s lies be taken as gospel any longer.

A loyal but anonymous city person

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 ~...And, Some REAL Facts on Light Rail

Over 70 of those citizens who were interested in hearing more about light rail got up early and attended a meeting last Saturday morning at Chaparral Suites sponsored by  the Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee  www.norailforscottsdale.com .

There is no need to expound on what was heard from Randall O'Toole or John Semmens during the seminar, Simply click on the links below to get all the information you'll ever need concerning Light Rail.

     Goldwater Institute Report

     American Dream Coalition

    The Public Purpose

 ~ How about the Mayors Secret Light Rail Plan?

Let's take an educated shot at the plans the mayor has hidden away deep within the bowels of city hall to get her pet light rail project built in Scottsdale that the vast majority of citizens don't want coming into their city .

Her plan is simple. She will first try to sell the citizens on allowing her to try to negotiate a deal  where if she can't get a good portion of the funding subsidized by the county or **RPTA, there won't be any light rail in Scottsdale (Proposed funding is most probably already secretly in place waiting for her to con us into approving it). What she's saving until last to tell you is that she plans to increase both property tax and sales tax to match the portion provided by **RPTA and/or MAG.

She'll try to pull this off by having Councilman McCullagh vote as the 4th vote to put Light Rail on the ballot so that he'll look like one of those who really doesn't want it at all and is a "councilman of the people". The purpose of this chicanery is so he'll look good and get re-elected and continue as her puppet just like Kevin Osterman was to maintain her majority. Do we need to have a public vote on Light Rail? Absolutely!!

If that plan doesn't work, she'll attempt to highjack the decision away from the Scottsdale citizens by claiming that the **RPTA should be the only entity running the public transportation in the entire valley to establish one public transportation system Valley-Wide for efficiency. The lame-brained excuse will be that we have already given tax monies to both MAG and **RPTA (where she is the representative for Scottsdale for both) and we should take our fair share.

What our highly secretive mayor won't tell us is how many BILLION$ in taxpayer dollar$ will be required from $cottsdale taxpayers for Light Rail;

• to make her personal and private light rail dreams come true to prop up her legacy,

• how she will protect the local business people during 3 to 4  years of construction,

• where the additional overrun monies will come from (Phoenix is already far over budget)

• how will she compensate for the loss of roadway lanes for passenger and other roadway bound vehicles on our already cramped roadways.

The other fact she won't allow us to know is that we can still get our fair share and if we work it right by using environmentally efficient busses and shuttles, which will cost about 25% of the cost of Light Rail and provide 10 times the availability of public transportation with the obvious advantage of keeping the fleet and routes new and moving with the population and job centers without the use of rails or electric cables above the roadway.

Rather elementary, don't you think?

Ah, but that wouldn't suit the mayors plan at all now would it?

If there is a doubt in your mind as to how bad Light Rail will be for Scottsdale, just try, I repeat, TRY to take a trip into downtown Phoenix where streets are generally wider than those in Scottsdale and see where the tracks are compared to how much roadway has been eaten up by the overgrown, bottomless money pit called Light Rail.

Better yet, stop and talk to the scores of small businesses that are fighting to stay in business, or are going out of business because the city of Phoenix, nor RPTA is subsidizing the huge losses incurred by those businesses during the construction of the light rail system.

**Here is the low down on RPTA:

History and Local Funding for RPTA  (Click VM logo for more Info)

In 1985, the Arizona State Legislature passed a law enabling the citizens of Maricopa County to vote on a sales tax increase to fund regional freeway improvements and provide for the creation of the Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA).

In October of that year, Maricopa County voters approved passage of a proposition that approved a one-half cent sales tax to fund freeway construction with a portion, or $5 million per year (inflated annually), as seed money for regional transit service expansion. The RPTA received this funding through 2005 and was charged with developing a regional transit plan, finding a dedicated funding source for transit, and developing and operating a regional transit system.

In 1988, the residents of the city of Scottsdale passed a transportation tax that allowed funding for transit and transportation projects.

In 1993, the RPTA Board of Directors adopted Valley Metro as the identity for the regional transit system. The Valley Metro name and graphic design were chosen to give all buses a more recognizable identity and to help unify public transit systems in the Valley. The Valley Metro logo and purple and green paint scheme have been incorporated into the region's fleet of bus, vanpool and dial-a-ride vehicles. In addition, a number of cities have adopted this regional identity into their fleet of vehicles.

 ~In the Final Assessment.........

Scottsdale needs to get back to being the original, individual, and unique Scottsdale the world knew when we were lead by Mayor Herb Drinkwater and those who came before him. Whether you loved him or hated him, he definitely helped this city define itself by standing head and shoulders above the rest with it's uniqueness and individuality. We are not and do not want to be San Francisco, Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Boston, Chicago, Tempe, Portland or any other city just because they "did something".

Scottsdale does not care about "The Joneses" and we don't need to keep up with anyone. But, we do need to do something unique, efficient, economically sound and environmentally friendly to come back to being the Beverly Hills of Arizona we once were. Beverly Hills doesn't have Light Rail and few high rise buildings, why should Scottsdale?

Scottsdale needs to be the leader of the pack high wide and handsome, not follow some city that really doesn't know where it's going like Scottsdale does currently. With our current wishy-washy,  omnidirectional administration and the majority of our management teams, we've become tag-a-long followers with secrets and therefore just another run of the mill city buying into the stupidity of "I want one too" by spending irresponsibly  for no fiscally solid reasons.

It's time for a reassessment and a solid change in direction for Scottsdale on many fronts.

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The following is an updated listing of roundabouts, circular intersections or traffic circles, and their status.  I've also attached a separate listing of neighborhood traffic management projects and their status.  Cost data is generally not broken out separately by feature, instead is calculated by square footage and other measures (landscape materials, etc).  We are working on identifying planning level costs for all listed projects for which information is available, and will provide that to you separately. 

Please call me at 480-312-7696 if you have questions regarding the attached information.  Mary O'Connor

Thank you for the info.

I'm not at all pleased with the plans for these things and will do my best to expose this useless spending of taxpayer monies.

We need less traffic congestion, not more which these things cause as described by most traffic flow consultants with whom I've talked. That doesn't even address the horrendous costs to maintain and repair the things for which you have overlooked  giving me any annual costs let alone a breakdown per unit so we can really see what the costs are for the different types.

These types of devices were meant to help traffic flows in low traffic count areas to eliminate stop signs or signals, not to restrict flow on streets needed for proper traffic flow to clear intersections or reduce congestion.

Before we do any more of these expensive "experiments" and accidents-waiting-to-happen objects, we need massive public outreach and input city-wide. We have far better places for taxpayer monies than putting it into "street furniture" which needs constant repair and maintenance.

When has there ever been a city-wide public outreach to discuss these monstrosities? When has the city as a whole ever been invited to address this mess one intersection at a time? Dates and times please!

From the info I've received, most cities who have built these things are tearing them out because they are more trouble and cost intensive than a regular roadway, but not all of my requests for information have been returned to date so that I can quote specifics at this point in time.

The information I have received shows that they work fair to good in newer established neighborhoods where there is little to no "flow-thru" or "cut-thru" traffic. They do nothing but cause more congestion, road rage and neighborhood problems when they are installed as you have designed them in Scottsdale.

You also don't address the increased pollution caused by vehicles having to decelerate, then accelerate again as they traverse these ridiculous obstacles as well as the noise those maneuvers bring to quiet neighborhoods.

 ~ The Status Chart for Traffic Calming

We would all like to know who is making the above requests,
citizens or city staffers?

Addressed to City Staff, and elected officials,

I work at LA Fitness on Scottsdale Rd and Palm Lane and I drive east and west on Palm Lane occasionally 3-4 times per week.

Recently I saw a large family moving truck having a difficult time navigating around a traffic island, and I watched as some of the wheels on his right side roll up and over the island, making a lot of noise and causing some surface damage to the island. Not very "calm" to the neighborhood.

I'm sure if you go over there you'll see for yourself.

I never noticed cars speeding on Palm Lane before the islands were constructed. I don't ever see any people or children outside in their front yards needing protection from speeding cars. I understand the benefit for these type of "calming" islands in SOME urban and suburban HIGH DENSITY family neighborhoods and areas, but I do NOT understand the need for the one on Palm Lane. I'm not talking about the intersection circle. I haven't experienced the circles enough to offer an opinion yet.

I'm talking about the island in the middle of the road that I see no reason for. Except to placate perhaps one loud complaining homeowner who lives on that street?? I'm not sure why we all pay for this homeowner to have an island on his street.

What am I missing??

Why don't I understand this expense of our tax dollars ?

David Rajput,
Scottsdale Homeowner, 85251
Chairman,
Citizens Against Bad Government

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~ Home of the Week

Pride of Ownership in what's now considered Southern Scottsdale is spreading like wildfire. These Hallcraft homes are all well built solid brick homes and continue to age and renovate extremely well.

The spacious exterior and well designed interior of this cozy home are beautifully kept, neat, painted, well trimmed and just plain lovely to look at and appreciate. Irrigation in not necessary on this property due to the xeriscape front yard.

This is one lovely home during the Christmas Season!

There are many wonderful and beautiful neighborhoods within the city of Scottsdale. Do yourself a favor and take the long way home sometime and see what other home owners are doing to improve their neighborhoods. How does your home compare?

If you know of an outstanding home which you feel should to be honored by having the picture displayed in the Scottsdale Activist, send the address to editor@scottsdaleactivist.com .

We have been asked why we don't include homes in HOA controlled subdivisions. We are looking for exceptional homes in areas where the homeowner has to be the driving force behind the beautiful home, not the HOA rules and regulations. We would definitely look at any home in a HOA controlled area that is exceptional and owner maintained rather than by a lawn or landscape service, but so far, we haven't been advised of any that meet that criteria.

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 ~ View Past City Council Meetings

We can now access the city council meetings by clicking on the following link

http://scottsdale.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3

If you have any problems, check your firewall and other safety features which could block access to the city site.

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  ~ If the State says English is our Legal Language......

Dear Editor: 

After reading the editorial, "English already "official" here" in the Arizona Republic, I opened my mail box and found a sample ballot and a booklet describing the upcoming election.  Both were written in both English AND Spanish.  I don’t think we can find anything more "official" than the ballot box. 

Voting is a right of only American citizens and the last I heard naturalized citizens had to prove a proficiency in English before they could become citizens.  So why is something as official as our ballot written in a foreign language?  The solution is simple. 

Vote "Yes" on Prop. 103 and then put pressure on congress to do the same nation-wide. 

Sincerely,
Jack C. McVickers
Scottsdale, AZ

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 ~Indian Bend Road Improvement Plan Looks Great !!

After attending the meeting last Saturday at the City Design Center, I was happy to see that the silliness of a ridiculously expensive tunnel between Scottsdale and Hayden Roads has finally gone bye-bye.

I think the art aspects suggested are wonderful and will be a huge attraction for residents, bicyclists, pedestrians, winter visitors and animal watchers, and the lovers of flora and fauna .

I can see that the city has finally listened to the citizens on this issue and I applaud them for their plans and the way the plans are progressing right along.

We will have an architecturally beautiful and functionally useful addition to the city for many years to come.

Thank you!

A. Arnold
Scottsdale

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 ~ Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee

The Scottsdale Citizens Transportation Study Committee, an independent citizens committee opposed to light rail in Scottsdale,  is planning to present their own independent report to the  public and city council prior to any council vote on light rail.

The committee will announce the date and time of the presentation in the Scottsdale Activist as well as other media.

Please go to  www.norailforscottsdale.com for more information on the committee.

Thank you,

Sam West, Chairman

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 ~Thank You for Your Time !!

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man.

College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way.  In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams.  There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son.   He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday."  Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom.  Yes, I heard you.  It's been so long since I thought of him.  I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you.  Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing.  He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said.  "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him.  He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word.  Jack caught the next flight to his hometown.  Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment.  It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time.  The house was exactly as he remembered.  Every step held memories.  Every picture, every piece of furniture.... Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk.  I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside.  All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone.  Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box.  He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.  "I better get some sleep.  I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died.  Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox.  "Signature required on a package. No one at home.  Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package.  The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago.  The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.  Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package.  There inside was the gold box and an envelope.

Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett.  It's the thing I valued most in my life."  A small key was taped to the letter.  His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box.  There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover.  Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most was...my time"

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.  

"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend wit h my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you. 

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you. 

4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep. 

5.  You mean the world to someone. 

6. If not for you, someone may not be living. 

7. You are special and unique.  

8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better. 

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it. 

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.  

11. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you. 

12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks. 

13  Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy .  

14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great. 

Copy, then send this letter to all the people you care about, if you do so, you will certainly brighten someone's day and might change their perspective on life...for the better.  

To everyone who reads this,  "Thanks for your time".

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~THE CORRECT WAY TO FORWARD E-MAILS

These are excellent rules of etiquette for using an email system.

A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails.

Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures.

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.

Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it? Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses and names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer.

Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel! How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:

• When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
   

• Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC:(blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.
   

• Remove any "FW :" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
   

• ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it?

• By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.

Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses.

A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just ain't so!)

Some of the other emails I hate include:

Before you forward an 'Amber Alert', or a 'Virus Alert', or some of the other emails floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to  www.snopes.com .

It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.

So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.

Finally, here's an idea!!! Let's send this to everyone we know (but strip my address off first, please). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded, so do it.

Amen!

~ Just for Giggles 
 

 ~ Summary of  Life
  
    
GREAT  TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE  LEARNED:

1)  No matter how hard you try, you can't baptise cats.
2) When  your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your  hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They  always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year  old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to  watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting  your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the  same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass  of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white  shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is  Grandpa's lap.


GREAT  TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1)  Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a  tree.
2)  Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly  sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just  yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good  exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is  when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the  toy.

GREAT  TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1)  Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget  the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3)  When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while  you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the  same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a  roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the  answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6)  Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7)  Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes  alone.

THE  FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1)  You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa  Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa  Claus.

SUCCESS:

At  age 4 success is . . not piddling in your pants.
At age  12 success is . . . having friends.
At age 17 success is .  . having a drivers licence.
At age 35 success is . having  money.
At age 50 success is . . . having money.
At age  70 success is . .. . having a drivers licence.
At age 75  success is . . . having friends.
At age 80 success is . . .  not piddling in your pants.


Pass  this on to someone who could use a laugh.

Always  remember to forget the troubles that pass your way;

BUT  NEVER forget the blessings that come each  day.

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~ Here & There

~TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS IN SCOTTSDALE

Oct. 12, 2006

The following is a partial list of road construction projects and traffic restrictions taking place in Scottsdale Oct. 13-22. For more information, contact mphillips@ScottsdaleAz.gov

SHEA BOULEVARD, 85TH PLACE TO SCOTTSDALE ROAD
The westbound curb lane on Shea Boulevard from 85th Place to Scottsdale Road will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through Oct. 27 to permit utility work in manholes.

BROWN AVENUE, CAMELBACK ROAD TO SHOEMAN LANE
Brown Avenue will be completely closed from 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, through 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16, to permit concrete work.

GAS LINE PROJECT ON SCOTTSDALE ROAD:
These road sections will be closed during the following time periods through Sunday, Oct. 15, to permit installation of a gas line:
** Northbound curb lane on Scottsdale Road from McDonald Drive to Indian Bend Road from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily
** Two northbound lanes on Scottsdale Road from McDonald Drive to Indian Bend from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly.
** The westbound curb and left-turn only lane on McDonald Drive from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly.
** No right turns for westbound traffic and no left turns for eastbound traffic from Rose Lane on to Scottsdale Road from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly.
** Lane closures in both directions at times on Lincoln Drive at Scottsdale Road from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly.

OTHER SCOTTSDALE ROAD RESTRICTIONS
** The northbound center lane on Scottsdale Road at Chaparral Road will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16, for utility line work.
** The intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell roads will be reduced to one lane in each direction from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Oct. 23-27 to permit work on water lines.

INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD RESTRICTIONS:
** The Westbound curb lane on Indian School Road at 75th Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Friday, Oct. 13, to permit utility work.
** The Westbound curb lane on Indian School Road at 78th Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16, to permit landscape work.

OSBORN ROAD, WEST OF SCOTTSDALE ROAD
The westbound curb lane of Osborn Road west of Scottsdale Road will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Wednesday, Oct. 18, for road work.

PINNACLE PEAK ROAD RESTRICTIONS
** Pinnacle Peak Road from Scottsdale to Pima roads will be restricted to one lane in each direction from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Friday, Oct. 13, to permit repaving work.
** Traffic restrictions, including lane closures, will take place at times on Pinnacle Peak Road between 81st to 83rd streets through October to permit work on a sewer line project.

PIMA ROAD RESTRICTIONS
** Southbound Pima Road is reduced to one open lane, from Via de Ventura to Inner Circle Drive, through October to permit road work.
**Northbound Pima from Thompson Peak Parkway to north of Haulapai Drive will be reduced to one lane from 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through October to permit road widening.
All work is scheduled for completion in November. For more information on the project visit:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S2104&status=S2104

CACTUS ROAD RESTRICTIONS
** The westbound curb lane and the eastbound center lane on Cactus Road at 102nd Street will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily starting Monday, Oct. 16, through Nov. 6 for work on utility lines.
** The westbound curb lane on Cactus Road at 100th Street will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily starting Monday, Oct. 16, through Nov. 6 for work on utility lines.
** Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Cactus Road at Hayden Road through October to permit road widening and other improvements. Restrictions are part of the Hayden Road widening project. For more information on the project, visit:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S2103&status=S2103


HAYDEN/CACTUS ROADS INTERSECTION
The Hayden Road/Cactus Road intersection is reduced to one lane in all directions through November to permit road improvement work. Redfield at Hayden will be restricted to one lane in each direction through November. For more information on the Cactus Road widening project, visit:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S2103&status=S2103

HAWKNEST ROAD AT 86TH PLACE
Short sections of Hawknest Road will be completely closed from roughly 86th Place to 87th Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Oct. 23 to permit sewer line installation. Flaggers will be directing traffic in the area during closures.

HIGHLAND AVENUE AT SCOTTSDALE ROAD
The westbound curb lane of Highland Avenue at Scottsdale Road will be closed through Oct. 23 to permit road work.

CAMELBACK ROAD, 64TH TO 68TH STREETS
Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Camelback Road from 64th to 68th streets through Nov. 11 to permit street improvements.
More information on this project is available at:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S0301&status=S0301

DOWNING OLSEN DRIVE, EAST OF PIMA ROAD TO 89TH PLACE
Downing Olsen Drive will be completely closed to traffic from east of Pima to west of 89th Place through early December for work on water lines. The recommended alternative route is 94th Street south to Bell Road.
More information on this project is available at:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/capitalprojects/proj_report.asp?proj=S2104&status=S2104

EXETER BOULEVARD, WEST OF 66TH STREET TO EAST FO 64TH STREET
Exeter Boulevard will have restrictions, including a complete closure at times, from west of 66th Street to east of 64th Street through Oct. 20, to permit utility trenching.

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The Scottsdale Activist is very pleased to announce an effort on the behalf of the residents and taxpayers of the city of Scottsdale to promote open, honest and accountable city government. The Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) has been created to take legal action to hold the City accountable when its actions are contrary to state law, the City Charter, City ordinances or the public interest.

The most necessary ingredient to make the SLDF work will be confidential contributions from concerned Scottsdale citizens who are willing to help their community.  By contributing, we can change the way City Hall does business and insure that our tax dollars will be spent wisely.

No funds from the SLDF will or can be used for any political purpose.

Contributions shall be kept confidential as permissible by law and can be made in any Washington Mutual Bank to account number 3114165786 for the Scottsdale Legal Defense Fund. Branch locations are listed below. Contributions are not tax deductible.

The SLDF has retained the law firm of Miller LaSota & Peters, PLC, in connection with the patently illegal action taken by the Mayor and Council appointing the most recent Scottsdale City Attorney, while ignoring the residency requirement of the Scottsdale City Charter even though the new City Attorney’s contract (according to Scottsdale Republic reporter Laurie Roberts) requires that she reside in Scottsdale.  The City Council action was based on a legal opinion which was reportedly rendered during a closed door Executive Session of the City Council by a subordinate to the then acting City Attorney, who was subsequently appointed to the City Attorney position by a vote during a public City Council meeting. The opinion has been requested as a public document under state law, but the City has not yet provided it. The SLDF will take other appropriate legal actions based on the conduct of the Mayor and Council.

Washington Mutual Bank Locations at which contributions to the SLDF can be made are:

72^nd & Shea                    7337 E. Shea Blvd #120                480-609-8524
Hayden & Chaparral     7908 E. Chaparral # C-113            480-949-0069
Horizon                            14854 N Frank Lloyd Wright         480-614-6660
Scottsdale Ranch          10155 E. Via Linda Blvd #131       480-767-2060
Kierland Village              6501 E. Greenway Pkwy #133     480-315-2905

There are many other branches throughout the Valley.

Proposition 100; Bail for undocumented immigrants

– Would give Judges the authority to deny bail to illegal aliens when there is convincing evidence that they've committed a serious felony, class 4 or higher or Aggravated DUI.  Recognizing they pose a great flight risk and are already in violation of federal law of entering and remaining in the U.S. Illegally. We have thousands of illegal aliens that have committed serious crimes and fled to Mexico and the Mexican Government has refused to extradite them back to the U.S. (25 people killed each day by illegal aliens; 13 by DUI and 12 by stabbings and shootings). 

Proposition 101; 2006 Taxpayer Protection Act

- Would amend the Arizona Constitution to require, beginning in 2007, that counties, cities, towns and community college districts determine their primary levy limit based on the actual tax levy in 2005. This proposition would be a step forward towards controlling liberal governments by limiting the ability of a municipality to tax its citizens by basing the municipal tax increases on the previous year’s collections.  Even further, some municipalities have a maximum allowable tax levy growth of 21.6%, which is outrageously high.  This proposition would limit that growth to 8.3%. 

Proposition 102; Standing in Civil Actions

- Would amend the Arizona Constitution to prohibit an illegal alien from being awarded punitive damages in the courts of Arizona. This is a proposition that I worked on as part of my larger immigration reforms.  It was my intention to protect the rights of legal U.S. Citizens by not allowing frivolous law suits brought by illegal aliens to result in punitive damage awards.  We have to ensure that our judicial system is not allowing those who break the law profit at the expense of U.S. Citizens. 

Proposition 103; English as the Official Language

- English must be designated the official language of the state of Arizona. Like President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "We have one language here, and that is the English language, and we intend to see that the [assimilation] crucible turns our people out as Americans. Former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm wisely observed that "a nation needs a common language just as it needs a common currency." A common language promotes unity and understanding among the citizens of a nation. By making English the official state language we provide an even greater incentive for all immigrants to learn English, apply for citizenship, and become empowered and productive Americans, (this referendum is Official English not English Only makes appropriate exceptions for trade, tourism, communication purposes, emergencies, etc.) By making English the official language, we also eliminate the wasteful spending used to translate millions of state documents into hundreds of languages.  

Proposition 104; Municipal Debt

- Would amend the Arizona Constitution to allow incorporated cities and towns to exceed their debt limit by up to 20% for: public safety, law enforcement, fire and emergency service facilities, streets and transportation facilities. This proposition plain and simple opens the door for municipalities to potentially increase taxes.  It would allow cities to incur additional debt to pay for certain services.  This debt will have to be passed on and paid for by its citizens through increased tax rates.  

Proposition 105; State Trust Land Reform

- Would amend the Arizona Constitution to allow urban state trust land to be conveyed to a county, city or town for permanent conservation, and up to 400,000 acres of rural state trust land to be conveyed for permanent conservation to the county in which the land is located. All provisions are dependant on Arizona voter approval in November 2006 and the US Congress must amend the Arizona-New Mexico Enabling Act by 12-31-08. This proposition streamlines the process for selling and leasing State Trust Land, without creating any unneeded bureaucracy.  The money created from these transactions exist for the sole purpose of benefiting Arizona’s schools. 

Proposition 106; Conserving Arizona’s Future

- Would amend the Arizona Constitution to permanently conserve and protect 690,000 acres of land and provide a classroom funding stream though improved planning and management of trust land. All provisions are dependant on Arizona voter approval in November 2006 AND the US Congress must amend the Arizona-New Mexico Enabling Act by 12-31-08.  This is a proposition that might as well have been written by the Sierra Club.  The measure creates a new bureaucracy designed to grant environmentalist an enormous amount of trust land as low cost.  The more land that is granted to the environmentalist will directly correlate with a decrease in funds for the education community. 

Proposition 107; Protect Marriage Arizona

- Would amend the Arizona Constitution to define marriage as only consisting of the union of one man and one woman, and would prohibit the state and its political subdivisions from creating or recognizing any legal status for unmarried persons that is similar to that of marriage. This proposition protects the sanctity and tradition of marriage the enactment of this proposition would also ensure that independent cities or towns could not infringe on the moral will of the voters by enacting an immoral definition of marriage. 

Proposition 200; Arizona Voter Reward Act

- Would amend state laws to establish a voter reward random drawing every two years with a first prize of $1M or more. Voters who cast ballots in the primary or general elections will be eligible to win and the money will come from the Arizona Lottery and private donations.  This is an absurd measure that equates the civic duty of voting with the media ploys used on television games shows like "Who wants to be a Millionaire."  Voting is a privilege and right granted to each citizen of this country.  We should not patronize nor trivialize our civic duty. 

Proposition 201; Smoke-Free Arizona Act

- Would amend state laws to prohibit smoking in all enclosed public places and places of employment.  Prohibiting smoking in all public and private businesses establishment tramples the private property rights of the business owners.  The founding fathers viewed the right to own private property as one of the most important issues protected by the Constitution.  A government should not have the right to take the legal act of smoking and make it illegal to do on ones private property.  

Proposition 202; AZ Minimum Wage Act

- It would impose a state minimum wage of $6.75, and would create a new politically appointed "Commission" to oversee minimum wage and employment practices in AZ, which would have no term limits and wouldn’t be accountable to the legislative branch or the voting public.  The Commission would have full access to all records of any employer.  It would grant any labor union or special interest group the power to access employment records.  

Proposition 203; First Things First for Arizona’s Children

- Would amend state laws to use an increased sales price (an additional $.80) on tobacco to provide funds for early childhood education for children ages 0-5. This proposition is a further expansion of all day Kindergarten, an issue championed by Governor Napolitano.  This proposition would create a new source of revenue for state subsidized daycare.  The new source of revenue would be in the form of tax increases amounting to more than $188 million per year. 

Proposition 204; Humane Treatment of Farm Animals Act

- Would amend state laws to provide six years for the state to adopt more human practices regarding pigs during pregnancy and calves raised for veal.  This forces the agricultural community to adopt nonsensical standards regarding the way that they raise there privately owned life stock. This is an initiative pushed by out-of-state animal-rights activists, which would ban common practices used by livestock producers to house breeding pigs and veal calves (even though there is no veal production in Arizona), and subject farmers to as much as $20,000 in fines and six months in jail. 

Proposition 205; Your Right to Vote

- Would amend state laws to provide that all registered voters automatically receive a mailed ballot from the election official before every election and that a limited number of county-wide polling places shall remain open on election days for on site voting. This proposition is an attempt to circumvent the voter enacted and protected standards established by Proposition 200.  This is achieved by eliminating almost all polling places thereby negating the need for legal citizens to present identification when voting.  Mail in ballots are currently readily available to any registered voter who requests that they be sent this paper work.  Why would we want to make it more difficult for the already small percentage of people who do vote to do so? 

Proposition 206; AZ Non-Smoker Protection Act

- This smoking ban proposition is less costly for business owners and tobacco consumers than Prop. 201, because it would allow smoking in bars and does not include a tax increase.  It recognizes private property rights.  Signs must notify patrons and employees where smoking is permitted.  Still prohibits minors in smoking areas.  

Proposition 207; Private Property Rights Protection Act

- Would amend state laws to define public use and declare that the public benefits of economic development, including increased tax revenues and employment, shall not constitute a public use. This proposition is an effort to protect Arizona citizens from infringement and regulatory taking of private property like recently happened in Connecticut.  In that case the state government stole private property from its citizens for the purpose of increasing its tax base.  This proposition on the most basic of levels protects the rights of private property owners from the unlawful takings of land by dominating governments and additionally protects these owners from government facilitated attempts to diminish the value of private property.  

Proposition 300; Public Program Eligibility

- Would amend state laws to require recipients of certain state-funded services to be legal residents in the United States and would direct the entities that provide these services to report on the number of people who applied to participate and the number who were not eligible for those programs due to their non-legal status.  After the back door veto of 2004’s Proposition 200, by Governor Napolitano and Attorney General Terry Goddard, this proposition would once again allow the voters to demonstrate there willingness to protect social services by ensuring that only legal U.S. citizens have access to tax payer funded services. By offering these services to illegal aliens, it increases the burden on our state programs and robs our own citizens of services they’ve paid for with their taxes.  Above all, free state services for all takes away the incentive for illegal aliens to become citizens and legitimate members of American society. It is vital that we spend our tax dollars on helping Arizonans and not aid and abet illegal aliens. 

Proposition 301; Probation for Methamphetamine Offenses

- Would amend state laws to prevent a person convicted of drug charges involving methamphetamine from being eligible for probation under the Drug Medicalization, Prevention, and Control Act of 1996.  This proposition recognizes the methamphetamine epidemic that has swept the nation and closes loopholes currently available for those individuals convicted of methamphetamine related drug offences.  

Proposition 302; State Legislators’ Salaries

- Would authorize the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board to adopt a capital outlay budget which exceeds the District’s capital outlay revenue limit by not more than ^$11,800,000 per year for seven (7) years.

shoutandspout@scottsdaleactivist.com