I decided to post this on my blog because I have tried about everything to get it corrected and no one is listening in the City government or the Rockwall school system.Letters and phone calls have already been sent to the school, the RISD, the Parks Department-- nothing has happened.

So what exactly am I talking about-- Dobbs Elementary School in Rockwall, Texas is the POSTER child for bad lighting and Lighting Code Trespass here in Rockwall, Texas. The school has several high light poles in the parking lot with just about the worst lighting fixtures I have ever seen. They cast shadows on the ground a quarter mile  away inside Harry Myers Park, where we setup each month for our free public star party. They are on all night long-- and waste an incredible amount of energy every night.

I have asked everyone in the local government I know to point these lights down toward the ground and or replace the fixtures with a fully shielded type. Nothing has happened! 

The lights are so strong that they almost blind you from a 1/4 mile away, and ruin our monthly observing event. I am hoping someone in City Government will read this and do something about it. It appears that our City lighting codes are not being followed by the school system or they were grand-fathered -- at least at Dobbs Elementary School.

Mr. Mayor, City Council Members, or anyone -------------- can you get these lights FIXED??? I am sure the astronauts on the International Space Station can see them when they pass over Rockwall, Texas!

http://www.volt.org/Geteducated/Trespass.html

Joe Lalumia

Rockwall, Texas

As I watch the stock market chart, it looks just like the roller coaster at Six Flags. The radio stations are filled with report after report of doom and gloom- AIG bail-out, Fannie & Freddie BROKE-- banks failing and being merged at .50 cents on the dollar, and politicians still promising FOUR chickens in every pot!

However, no one is talking about my problems. What are they? Taxes and more taxes, along with an intrusion of local, state, and federal governments the likes of which I have never before seen. Am I a wealthy RICH guy? Well no! Last year I filed a pretty typical Income Tax return showing about $70,000 in gross earnings for that year. This puts me squarely in the middle of the MIDDLE Class. However I could have grossed much more in my small business except for taxes-- here is what I paid to the "Temple" MONEY CHANGERS:

Income Tax - $5200

Property Tax - Home $3800

Property Tax - business- $15,900

State Franchise Tax- $2300

Assorted Licenses and business fees-  $2580

Personal Property Tax- $1550

Drivers License Tags- $164

Sales Taxes Paid- $830 (according to IRS booklet)

FICA taxes mine-- $10,500 

FICA taxes my employee portion- $11,450

Total Taxes-- $54,274

When I hear politicians say that I need to pay my share of taxes -- well this really ticks me off; as I believe I am ALREADY paying MY SHARE! In fact, taxes and fees are eating me alive!

I guess I just need to forget about all this, pay off my home, as I have been doing on-time for many years, and forget about how intrusive government has become. But I just wish for ONE TIME in my entire life a politician or government employee would enter my place of business, without their hand out looking for more money, and just say, "hello, I am with the government and I am here to HELP you!". 

"Can I just have a very small piece of the BILLIONS in bail-out money? Since apparently I have Co-signed for all those bad loans", or "How about you DEED me one of those foreclosed homes?... nothing fancy-- say around $150,000 in estimated cost would be just fine!", I say.

Fat chance of that ever happening! !  :(

Joe Lalumia

Rockwall, Texas

The following is a letter to the editor by Robert Hall, published on the "American Thinker" web site. I have posted it here --- yes this is a politically incorrect article! STOP READING NOW-- if you are easily offended or do not have a sense of humor about American politics.

As Mark Twain once said: "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything".

letter to the editor
I’m voting Democrat because like most Americans I trust lawyers more than anyone else; I think only lawyers should run the government, and all the Democrat Leaders are lawyers: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, John Edwards, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader Harry Reid, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry, to name just a few. (Al Gore dropped out of Law School, so I don’t trust him as much, except on Global Warming.)

I’m voting Democrat because the Democrats support the trial lawyers and I think this country needs more lawsuits and less tort reform. And I don’t believe the trial lawyers’ contributions have a thing to do with it.
 
I’m voting Democrat because Congress has done such a wonderful job under Democrat leadership the last two years, that I want a lot more of the same.
 
I’m voting Democrat because I want to get my health care from the same competent, efficient, cost-effective, customer-service-focused folks who run the US Post Office, the Pentagon, FEMA and the state Registry of Motor Vehicles.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.
 
I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama has promised to cut the taxes of 95% of the people, including the 30% who don’t pay taxes.
 
I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama has promised to take away the secret ballot in union elections, and I think the union bosses should know if a workingman or woman is with them, or against them.
 
I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama has over three years experience in the Federal Government, and “Hope” is a great strategy.
 
I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama voted “present” instead of “yes” or “no” over 120 times in the Illinois State Senate, and I think we need a decisive president.
 
I’m voting Democrat because I think that drilling for American oil is foolish, when we can buy oil from the Middle East.
 
I’m voting Democrat because I think windmills (except off Hyannis) are a better answer to reliable, clean energy than Nuclear Energy.
 
I’m voting Democrat because I don’t think we give enough to other countries in foreign aid.
 
I’m voting Democrat because I’m for putting up barriers to free trade, as they did in 1930 with the Smoot-Hawley bill. That made things much better then.
 
I’m voting Democrat because I miss the high unemployment, inflation and interest rates of the Jimmy Carter years.
 
I’m voting Democrat because parents shouldn’t get to choose the school their kids go to. Parents should leave their children’s education to the teachers and stay out of it.
 

In just a few days you and I will be CO-signers for all the foreclosed property and bad loans written over the last few years. No one told me that I was buying these properties or that MY GOOD CREDIT and bank account were going to be garnished to pay off the notes for all the DEAD BEATS in America! (along with those bank vice-presidents that got paid great money to write a bunch of worthless loans!)

Right now circulating around the Internet are several versions of "BUBBA"S" bailout plan. Although I know it will never happen it is very interesting to run the numbers and speculate a little--------- so here goes. 

1. Forget about the 700 billion bailout-- let all of these worthless bankers crash and burn. Someone will buy up the smoldering ruins at a great price and or the companies will be split up into various profitable and unprofitable units.

2. Take back the 70 billion dollar bailout of AIG-- and let it crash. The Insurance portion of the company will be bought and remain since it is highly profitable.

AND --------------

3. Take the 70-80 billion from the AIG bailout and spread it equally among about 100 million taxpaying Americans-- 100 million is about how many received the $600 or $1200 rebate check a few months ago. What would happen next is absolutely intriguing!

Every taxpayer would receive a check for about $8,000 dollars What would happen? What would a husband and wife do with $16,000 dollars?

a. Bad mortages would be brought up to date-- lots of them! So many in fact that the banks would be in good shape again.

b.  High interest credit cards would be paid off, along with other debts -- Americans would be almost entirely Debt Free!

c. A huge chunk of it would be placed into bank CD, the stock market and business investments creating an explosion of new jobs, and big gains on Wall St. The banks would have lots of cash (held as CDs) to re-loan -- the money would circulate about 11 times for product purchases, and payroll! 

Virtually every small business would see sales increase-- cities would see Sales Tax revenues increase dramatically...... and entirely new round of home and commercial property construction would begin---- driving the US Economy to greater heights!  

Then we could take a small fraction of the proposed 700 billion bailout and restructure the entire energy infrastructure of the USA-- eliminating our dependence on foreign oil, while driving oil prices down!    or so says "Bubba".

But what does HE know! Only the Government bigwigs-- Congress, and elite Wall St. bankers are capable of knowing how to spend our money. Oh well -- I can dream can't I?

Joe Lalumia

Rockwall, Texas

We need to throw the BUMS OUT! Yes-- you heard me right; throw all of them out including the baby with the bathwater and try again!

We have probably the worst Congress in my 62 year memory-- both Houses are filled with idiots and or power hungry politicians. What do I intend to do? Well-- when I go into the voting both I will vote for ANYONE who is not an incumbent. Yes that's right! I will vote for anyone NOT currently holding public office. 

Drastic you say?-- what will happen you say? I don't really care! Time for a good old American political revolution-- throw the bums out! 

Day by day I hear NOTHING about the critical issues affecting our country. Namely:

Immigration Reform- no one is talking about this-- just too hot an issue for our spineless politicians.

Energy Reform- this has all but disappeared off the table, or Bills have been presented which do nothing (or almost nothing) to achieve energy independence. Just more double talk from Congress!

The SIZE of Government-- it's just way to big. Several Government Departments need to be completely shutdown. Like the Department of Education-- boy they have been doing a great job! .... and the Department of Housing and Urban Development-- another "fine" bunch of government bureaucrats!

Term Limits-- we need them NOW! Twenty three members of Congress are OLDER than John McCain-- they have been there for DECADES!

Line Item Veto-- the President must have the ability to LINE OUT special interest programs and PORK that the Congress amends to every Bill they send to the President. 

Anyway-- sorry for the RANT, but the current crop of politicians NEED to be sent packing for home. It's time for a REAL change!

Joe Lalumia

Rockwall, Texas