Just when you think it can’t get any worse, those in charge schedule another council meeting designed to demonstrate their stick-tuitiveness in finding ways to stick it to you.  I well remember the regime of Courville and Salmons and their modus operandi.  If staff or the favored council child doesn’t get what they want, keep bringing the item back until you con the dupes on the council to go your way.               

Such is the nonsense on increasing fines on the public for not going along with the mass hysteria panic-demic Kung flu public health and safety order from any tyrannical control freak lodged in government.  First, you have the fact that no one in Dixon has been diagnosed with this flu … NO ONE … as in not even one.

Second, who is not complying?  Those who wanted to go to church for Easter?  At least two congregations got visits from the police.  The members of the Moose Lodge who choose to exercise their right to peaceful assembly while quaffing down a couple of cold ones before scooting out the back door when the gendarmes arrive?  Those who gathered after a funeral at a private home?  The point is this isn’t a daily mass thumbing of their noses at authority issue.  It is the distaste government has for individuality and choice.

So what is on the agenda for this week’s council meeting (and yes I am writing this before the meeting occurs)?  The city liar has shown his incompetence once again and his use of the previously mentioned old style in bringing back increased fines for the third time because $500 fines for the first offense wasn’t going to fly as an urgency ordinance.  The hilarity of incompetence is contained in the details.

Why pass a fine schedule which won’t go into effect for 30 days when it is predicated on the shelter in place order being retained?  The pressure is on to reopen California and businesses verified by the Huntington Beach protest, one scheduled for the Capitol on April 20, and the President’s push for plans from various governors in whose States the disease statistics are dropping.  With outdoor temperatures rising to 90 this coming Friday, I suspect the little bug has seen its better days.

Why is White holding a closed session briefing on a “THREAT TO PUBLIC SERVICES OF FACILITIES” when those facilities are shut down?  Why can’t he present this before the public if he is recommending easing?  As the facts show the threat is non-existent, he should be able to argue before the public if he still thinks there is a threat so those of us who aren’t sheep can tell him he is off his rocker.

Next on the idiot’s list for White are actions concerning the Independent Voice newspaper of Dixon.  While I can’t blame White for the council’s reticence against ending the vendetta against this paper, I can ask him how he is able to be so persuasive with dubious arguments yet can’t convince these councilmembers when they are teetering on being personally sued in Federal court.

Dave Scholl’s long ongoing lawsuit should have been settled long ago.  To compound matters, as I told you last week, White took it upon himself to start his own feud by ignorantly claiming that the publishers were in breach of contract where no contract exists and should have adjudication removed because of a transfer of ownership.  White stands to profit as his self generated litigation will cost all of us unnecessarily as we pad his pockets once again.

I will make the not so large leap to presume this is the unidentified potential litigation on the closed session list.  Where the humor lies is there is an item on the regular agenda for a request for proposals for legal advertising.  I can thank White for proving that you can teach a dumb old dog a new trick since for the first time in five or more years he actually placed this on an agenda in a timely manner.

So tell me Dougie, if the paper shouldn’t be adjudicated, why are you going out for an RFP when there is only one other paper in town?  Legally until this is settled in court, if it goes there, you would have to do this.  On the other hand, given your warping of constitutional law before Superior Court judges, you could add to your billable hours.

Let’s leave the lying lawyer for bigger game on the Richter scale of ridiculousness.  We have a vote coming in November on the tripled water rate repeal.  I hope you are enjoying the April 1^st 50% rate increase which is the second of four increases coming your way.  According to my theory which is actually fact, the city staff will continue to repeat their arguments about why they need the increase while not answering the public’s pertinent questions.

During public comment at the last council meeting I asked Jim Ernest to investigate the cost of electricity as a component of the annual expenses.  Scat Pederson asked for a full review of the finances of the system.  So what did we get?  A report from the city engineer, Joe Leach, repeating the fallacies contained within the consultant’s fantasy of projects with nothing on cash flow statements of yearly revenues and expenses.

Giving budgetary figures is not the same as actuals.  How much did we pay to pump water at all of our well sites?  If you can’t answer that simple question, you need to look for another job elsewhere shuffling paper.  What I did see brings up this question.

Why was $1.7 million the figure for operating expenses for this current year and only $1 million is budgeted for next year?  Maybe Ernest should take his own advice and “write a book on how to operate the system for 50% less”.  By the way, capital outlays are not part of operating costs although they could be included in maintenance depending on what was purchased.  Without details, who can tell?

Again instead of directly answering questions such as determining all alternatives for re-drilling wells, this staff person continues to bleat the council backed mantra of we need your money to waste. 

I will remind you that Joe Leach is the one who told us all that our streets would be undrivable by 2019 without a sales tax devoted to road repair. Well our streets are being maintained and brought back thanks to a hot tar machine and slurry seals by an outside contractor.

These are the types of people put in charge of your city with your vote.  What is the unintended consequence?  You have a disgusted mayor who gave up trying to work with these people. 

I am sure this isn’t what the good people of Dixon really want for this town.  We don’t need tyrants dictating to us.  We don’t need fools following fallacies instead of readily available facts about a flu.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some actual thought emanating from our representatives?  How about a plan for solving our city’s problems?