As I read the article in "Editor and Publisher" for March 29, 2008 http://www.editorandpublish..., I see that the overall advertising incomes for newspapers are down by 9.4%. I also have noticed that a lot of the Tehachapi-friendly news and advertisers are no longer in the Tehachapi News. I am not for certain sure as to why the changes have taken place as of lately, but it would seem that the News would be concerned and try to find out what they are doing wrong.

Of course, the editors could go to the same ole rhetoric and blame it on the internet, but in reality, I don't see all the papers suffering alike. In fact, some local papers are actually fun to read and interesting to say the least. I would like to suggest that the News take a close look at the changes it has allowed or made to cater to certain "special interests groups" over the past year and perhaps reconsider the stance that has been taken to dissolve the relationship it has had in the past with the bigger advertisers. Perhaps, the old was was actually better than the new ways that are being forced into our community?

Patrick Young, Owner, Custom Home Integrators, Tehachapi.

Before you make up your mind on how to vote, consider the following.  Are you really voting to help an issue or are you being misled to throw more money into a bottomless pit?  THERE IS PLENTY OF MONEY IN OUR GOVERNMENT TO DO EVERYTHING THAT IS ON THE BALLOT!   We do not have to add more propositions to our already high tax burdons.  If we do, then we are giving our government leaders permission to be lazy and uncreative.  
Make them get off their spending sprees and work with what they have.  Make them get rid of the burdons that are costing us billions every year.  Make them do thier jobs!
Illegal Immigration is a cost out of all our pockets that is so high nobody has any idea what it actually is.  It would take a huge study to find the costs behind such actions, but I would predict that such a study would find our expences far above what they are asking for in various propositions on this year's ballots.
Force your legislatures to do their jobs and fix the problems instead of putting band-aids on them out of our pockets.  Anyone can do those jobs that illegals do, don't let anyone fool you into thinking they cannot.  We can once again become a united country if we get smart and quit giving in.  If the farmers and contractors think that they can get around the system by hiring such illegals, then they need to be fined for their incompetance to pay back the government for their actions.
A better way would be to subsidize the employer who hires those LEGAL individuals to do the work that the illegals do.  It would overall be cheaper, create more tax flow into the system and illiminate unimployment.  A person who works for a living has a much better attitude about life than one who sucks from the system...even if that person is working for minimum wages.
Please use your brains when you vote this election.  Ask if the individual you are voting for is for bigger government and higher taxes or are they for using the moneys they already have in a more creative manor?

Whenever we see another Proposition or Tax increase on the Ballot, usually it's because of another problem going on that is taking away the existing tax-base we currently have. Think about it...How often do we see taxes actually decrease once voted in? Our political leaders tend to think that throwing money at a situation will always fix it...however it does just the opposite. Take for example a typical government budget. Whenever the Government is short of spending all the allotted budget for the year, they go into a tailspin to spend the balance in areas that are really unnecessary. As a businessman, I find my business increases more if I cut back my spending. I am praised for finding areas that cut costs.  However in Government its just the opposite. When a buerocracy fails to meet its expected spending limits, it is looked down upon for not fulfilling the allotted expence.  But it is praised for exceeding it!
The nation's biggest expence is paying for those who do not pay taxes--the freeloaders.  I feel the cost for schools, hospitals, emergency aid and housing plus the costs of all the crime that comes along with it adds up to billions of dollars annually that could be used toward roads, medical care, pollutions and all the other stuff we see on our ballot this year.
Proposition 1A sounds like a good thing. Raise the Sales Tax by 1/2 cent.  Not a problem.  Why don't we raise it by 10 cents and call it an Illegal Immigration Tax?  That way every one--encluding the illegals have to pay the taxes.  We could at the same time decrease the useless spending such as how to improve the education of our young children studies that go to waste.