Joseph Mitchener of Pioneer wrote a sharp retort titled “One-sided class war threatens our freedom” in the August 27, 2021 edition of the Ledger Dispatch (Letters to the Editor). He explains in his letter how he agrees with Mr. Carl Gillette that Americans have indeed lost their freedom due …

There haven’t been any intelligent or valid arguments against requiring vaccination for nearly all public and private locations, gatherings and events. The same people who were fake climatologists are now pretending to be Constitutional scholars and medical experts. Stop spreading your opini…

Creative Support Alternatives (affiliated with Interwork Institute/SDSU) provides Community Living services for adults with developmental disabilities. Since 1992 in San Diego, and 2007 in Calaveras/Amador/Tuolumne, our team of Direct Support Professionals has provided the daily face-to-face…

Over the summer, my 7-year-old son took swim lessons at the Jackson Pool with Martha Quinn and the assistance of the pool lifeguards. Martha mentioned how my uncle, Dennis King, hired her to run the program many years ago. I thought it pretty neat that my late uncle picked her to run such an…

Never say “good luck” to an actor. Instead say, ‘break a leg!” This is one of many sayings, superstitions and habits that have brought actors together over the thousands of years since some of our ancestors stood around the campfires and reenacted events, both dramatic and comedic, for their…

Since the 2020 presidential election, state Republicans have passed 18 voter suppression laws in 30 across the country. And there will be more coming out of GOP-held state legislatures before the end of the year unless Congress acts swiftly to protect our voting rights.

We are living a nightmare: our forests turning to smoke, our air, food and water increasingly contaminated, democracy handed over to Zoom and our freedoms more and more restricted.

The curtailment of our individual freedoms must be defended, even from those who may act mistakenly to constrict those rights. Vaccine passports and vaccination mandates can be viewed by some as supporting the public welfare, when in fact, they are a blatant attacks on our personal freedoms.…

To Ledger Dispatch Publisher Jack Mitchell:

In response to Ione City Councilmember (Dominic) Atlan’s rebuttal to Mr. Gonzales’s article (“Don’t believe the hype when it comes to City of Ione recall,” Letters to the Editor, Ledger Dispatch, August 20, 2021), everything he blamed on me is a lie. As a Planning Commission member, I had no…

I would like to take a moment to sincerely thank some of our county’s unsung heroes – the people who work at the County Public Health Department/Emergency Management. Thank you for taking such good care of us. Just a thought.

Time and again, Assembly member Frank Bigelow has proven to be the kind of leader we can count on to stand up for small towns and rural communities because he’s one of us. Unlike a lot of politicians who go to Sacramento and lose their way, Frank has stayed laser-focused on fighting for the …

Biden has a choice to make: Does he want to establish his legacy as a president who fought for voting rights, or not?

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This is a time for each of us to reach out to those around us and take steps to prevent suicide. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s theme for the month is “Together, we can help #StopSuicide.”

In the August 20, 2021 Ledger Dispatch (“Amador County not exempt when it comes to addressing homeless,” Letters to the Editor), Andrew Rodriguez and Terri Works – past co-Presidents and Terri still a current Family to Family support group leader in NAMI Amador – spoke almost by name of only…

Do we ever ask, is this representative form of democracy working? Are we the people really being represented? Are our local representatives actually standing up for our interests?

When Jean and I got our mail-in (recall) ballots, I was confused by the fact that I had two ballots sent to me in the same envelope. I examined them carefully and concluded they were identical. I called the Amador Election Department and explained my dilemma – which should I destroy (I would…

Carl Gillette wrote a sharp Letter to the Editor (“We the people”) in the August 6, 2021 Ledger Dispatch. He said that socialism and communism are taking over America, causing us to lose our freedom. He wants a drastically reduced federal government.

Let’s all remember something. The staff at the school sites are not making policy. They are doing what the district tells them, who are doing what the state, health department (both county and state) and CDC say. 

In response to Carl Gillette (Letters to the Editor, “We the people,” August 6, 2021 Ledger Dispatch): Hi Carl, haven’t read such nonsense since your last letter … Fox has fried your brain. This country is run by communism and socialism you’re saying? I’m sure that’s news to millions of Amer…

By now many of you have begun receiving recall ballots in the mail giving the voters of California a chance to replace the failed policies of Emperor Newsom. His smugness and hypocrisy have offended millions of Californians. His policies have led to some of the highest utility rates and high…

After four years, the Board of Supervisors Task Force has printed a lot of material that has embraced a lot of the different aspects of homelessness in a foothill county with our population. They have a clear understanding of how bad things are getting for County Administration. In all that …

We are glad to see that the Ledger is addressing the issues surrounding homelessness in Amador County, but are dismayed by the tone of some of the coverage. You say, “of the 10 interviews, nine were from out of town.” This is not our experience talking to the homeless neighbors we have met. …

In response to Richard Gonzales and “Civic responsibility” (Letters to the Editor, Ledger Dispatch, August 13, 2021):

The bad news is that COVID-19 cases are spiking in communities throughout Amador County. On June 8, our seven day average was 1 case per day. On August 8, our seven day average was 23 cases per day. The majority of the cases are among working-aged folks. Seriously ill people in Amador County…

First, the insult. Then, the bad news, and then it gets worse, and then the worst possible news.

It’s not inflation, it’s impatience. The news is full of the usual click-bait tactics, beating the “inflation” drum. The stories are full of examples of travel, housing, vehicles and durable goods being pricey and scarce. These price increases could have been easily anticipated after 15 mont…

The information that came – and still comes – from the CDC is confusing to be sure. Wear the mask. Don’t wear the mask. If you’re vaccinated, no need for the mask. If you’re vaccinated, wear the mask indoors.

I was sitting next to NAMI Amador current President Janet Caton while she was under oath on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in Amador County Superior Court Department 3 at 10 a.m. She admitted that last year’s suspension of the new Vice President involving now non-existent confidentiality issues t…

Extreme weather, rising sea level and warmer overall temperatures are impacting our lives. The question is, are we looking in the right place for solutions? Climatologists agree that Earth’s heat cycle is driven 95 percent by water and less than 4 percent by carbon. Evaporation and transpira…

A voice from nature regarding the death and suffering by an antiquated firefighting technique called back fire. For his many crimes against nature and nature’s God, the dead and suffering wildlife of California’s wildlands and forest, support the recall of California’s Governor Gavin Newsom.…

In response to the quote attributed to ACUSD Board of Trustees President Kandi Thompson in last week’s Ledger Dispatch (“ACUSD students will be required to wear masks,” Ledger Dispatch, August 6, 2021) regarding COVID-19 masking exemptions (“there are lots of doctors in Amador County willing…

I want to discuss the homeless population in Amador County. The homeless camp behind Walmart is being cleaned up along with blocking access to future homeless living back behind Walmart.

In 2000, my wife Susan and I moved to Ione. We have been enjoying the foothills and mountains all our lives and wanted a lifestyle change. After purchasing a new home in Castle Oaks, we were informed that the tertiary plant was inadequate for the town and prison. After being assured that upg…

Lest we forget, we the people are governed at our request. We grant powers to the government, not the other way around. Wake up America! We are about to lose our freedom. The forces of socialism and communism in our country have gained the upper hand. They now control the White House, Congre…

I wish to make corrections to the record as set forth by KVGC and in the July 30, 2021 Ledger Dispatch article “AWA moving forward with rate hike.” The total number of retail customers served by Amador Water Agency was stated at the July 27, 2021 Meeting of the AWA Directors as 7,396 by AWA …

What a strong, ringing, endorsement of Congressman McClintock in (the July 30, 2021) Ledger Dispatch (albeit inadvertent) by Brian Gray! “Mr. McClintock … request(ed) (no) additional federal monies for his district.” We are in the early stages of runaway inflation due to the Fed printing mon…

Boy were we tricked! The (Amador) Water Agency knew, the board members knew. All it would have taken to stop our bills from being doubled was 3,400 of the protest forms filled out and sent in. We thought the protest forms were if you wanted to protest the increase without going to the meetin…

The ideology of Conservatism, which is largely promoted by the Republican party in this country, upholds some of America’s highest virtues, among which are freedom, justice, fairness and frugality. Although you might not hear it from a Republican, these values, along with those of equality, …

We would like to take this time to thank our wonderful volunteers that helped us set up the Photography and Fine Arts building at the Amador County Fair this year. Without their many hours of hard work, we would not have been be able to showcase the exhibitor’s beautiful photos and art in th…