Letters to the editor

Job well done

Thank you, Ramona Municipal Water District.

On Friday morning, Aug. 16, we woke up to water gushing out of the roadway near San Diego Avenue and Cook Street, due to a leak in a 50+-year-old 14-inch water main. The repair crew was dispatched quickly, was very courteous, informative, and had our water back on within 10 hours. Thank you for your hard work and professionalism men. Job well done!

David and Trisha Morris

RamonaSolar is the way to goThis is in response to the letter on SDG&E rate increases explained in more detail by Walt Wands in the Ramona Sentinel on Aug. 15, 2013.My wife and I live in what was once referred to as a “Gold Medallion Home” (i.e. everything is powered by electricity — no propane gas). Our monthly usage of electricity was always putting us in the second or third tier. Maybe once a year we reached tier four. We had replaced our incandescent light bulbs with energy conserving LED lights, and reduced usage of hot water, but still had outrageous electric bills.Not anymore! Mr. Wands convinced us that solar was the only way to go. We have installed 18 solar panels in our back yard. Since February 2013, we have seen a dramatic reduction in our electricity bills. In the August 2012 billing period, we purchased 1110 kwh from SDGE&E. This August billing period we only had to purchase 266 KWH. The solar panels supplied the additional kilowatt hours of energy.We don’t see our billing in the future ever going above tier one.We went through the economics last February and with the grant we received plus the federal tax credit that’s still coming, we figured the system would pay for itself in nine or ten years. However, with the upcoming rate increases, it should be six or seven years.Ramona Municipal Water District had a solar electric system installed at the Santa Maria Wastewater Plant by a leasing company. The leasing company sells the electric energy to RMWD at a reduced rate, saving the taxpayers money.I’ve seen a number of solar panel installations on the roofs of people living in the San Diego Country Estates so you don’t need a large backyard to install a solar electric system. A nearby neighbor, who has propane gas, installed enough solar panels on his roof where his kilowatt hour meter shows a negative use of KWH’s of energy each billing period. (i.e. he is providing electrical power to SDG&E). Hopefully, his annual electrical billing, including taxes and overhead charges, will be zero.

Everett “Red” Hager, P.E.

RamonaFair-ly thankfulMy name is Blake Williams and this was my first year in Ramona Stars 4-H club raising two pigs, which I sold at the Ramona Junior Fair.I would like to thank Ramona Disposal service for buying my pig, Paige. I would also like to thank Ramona Disposal for being very supportive to the 4-H clubs by purchasing 13 pigs at the Ramona Fair! I would also like to thankRamona Sentineleditor Maureen Robertson and her son John Robertson for buying my other pig, Jamie. I appreciate the support so much.This year was very fun and hard in raising my pigs in 4-H, which is why I appreciate them for buying my pigs. Thanks again!

Blake Williams

RamonaBoycott ‘The Butler’Jane Fonda’s acting the part of Nancy Reagan in the new film “The Butler” is angering veterans across the country, and “Hanoi Jane” isn’t doing much to help the situation.If one would not think there was a sinister, greedy plot to cast Jane Fonda in this movie, they would have to be brain-dead.Irregardless of what her motive was when visiting Hanoi while we still had boots on the ground (including my boots), it was wrong. One has a constitutional right to say whatever the want in the U.S., but to go to the enemy side and be stupid is treasonous.All these years I have thought we could’ve handled the Vietnam war differently. I had no real problem with people protesting the war in the U.S. That’s why soldiers go fight for our country — to protect those rights.I urge you all to boycott the movie — if you are an American. And that’s my take on this, folks.

Joe Minervini

Ramona