It’s a fact that San Bernardino County was giving little attention to Needles. Case in point: The Colorado River Medical Center (CRMC). While it was being managed by a private industry health care provider, Lifepoint Hospitals, Inc. (LP), LP built their own hospital right across the river in Arizona. This was in direct competition with CRMC. Although LP managed/owned both locations, Arizona was less restrictive and a plus for LP was that they own the AZ facility. LP then made plans to downgrade CRMC is an “Urgent Care” facility and provide only limited acute care (and to drop the full Acute Care License at CRMC). LP even gave a powerpoint presentation (ppt) to show how the Arizona facility and the CRMC facility would be sister facilities (all the while moving emergency equipment to the Arizona hospital from Neeldes hospital).

The City of Needles didn’t want this and approached San Bernardino County about taking over management of the CRMC. San Bernardino County turned around and contacted the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) to have them manage CRMC and operate is as a…an urgent care facility… providing only limited acute care. In fact, ARMC presented a ppt that was the mirror image of the LP presentation! Side fact: ARMC had a $106 million defecit in the 3rd. quarter of CY 06! Much of the emergency equipment that was taken to Arizona by LP was purchased w/Calif/Fed. medical grant money w/San Bernardino County as the fiscal agent who is responsible for oversight of the allotted money. San Bernardino County never held LP accountable for the loss of the equipment!!! It’s clear that LP, San Bernardino County, and ARMC were working together to bleed Needles. Now add in the fact that the county controls the police. Needles has to pay the San Bernardino County for law enforcement protection (which is the basic duty of the San Bernardino Sheriff anyway), sound familiar? Normally, if you do not live in a city which has a police force, the county and state are responsible for police actions. So, when you stand back and look at the whole picture, its clear to see that the people of Needles are tired of being manulipated, blead, and pretty much taxed w/out representation!

No wonder they want to leave California! Too bad…who will help them? Answer: No one, they are on their own and the only choices are to stand up and fight or go on being bullied by private industries, crooked (local) politicians, and county governments. The current elected officials have undertaken a huge responsibility of fixing decades of problems and need as much support as they can muster.

Over the years I have always seen Needles as dirty, slums and crime infested. It needs to be cleaned up! There are so many homes there that are in dire need of a makeover, garbage needs to be cleaned up and crime there needs to get handled. It is not safe. Maybe for the locals it is all ok but for the rest it is not.

There are so many problems with the hospital, if it’s still operating, and used to be excellent care. But politics got in the way. I was almost attacked there one night while traveling and getting a hold of police was an act of god! I’m sorry but Needles reminds me of Watts in Ca.

Now if Needles was to become part of Az or Nv then one of them have to pick up the bill to clean up Needles. We in Bullhead feel that Ca. needs to step up to the plate and take care of an historical town. Every state has them. But why should we go in and clean that mess up when local residents don’t even do that for themselves by maintaining the homes? I’m not talking about the homes that sit up on the hill either.

I don’t think that you should go after another state to get funding and cheaper taxes when you should go after your own and fight them to do their job and get what you pay taxes for. You have the highest gas prices and people don’t realize that all they have to do is come over the bridge and it’s a lot cheaper. Worth the drive.

Needles is why we are the Tri-State area. Getting a new state to “adopt” you would change history. The money that it would cost to change everything from maps to history books, not to mention geographical costs and legal costs… This is outrageous! Use the money to beautify Needles and draw tourist’s in. Needles can stand as a town of it’s own with good people that live there and are fighting for change. But you need to change Needles first.

Do you happen to still catch the reruns of Matlock Sundays on the Hallmark Channel, along with Diagnosis Murder? Did you know both shows are produced and created by the same person, Dean Hargrove.

By any chance have you also seen Walker Texas Ranger?

I loved Matlock! LOL

I have to leave here but later this afternoon, I will wander over to Janice’s and see what is going on!

xxx

Your statement: “Wouldn’t you rather have the will of the people re-instated”
My answer: Yes, so start listening to the people who are talking to you outside of just your fellow Council members. It’s time that personal agendas be set aside.

Back to the main subject at hand: Secession…bad idea, not enough support, money or expertise to pull it off.

Speaking about Mayberry, remember Andy Griffith in that lawyer show Matlock? He still had a lot of energy, even in his later years.

Please let me know when you post something on Janice’s Blog. Because i want to show you a topic we are discussing on there.

Also check out Alisyn’s blog if you have some free time.

I hope you arent affected by those wildfire up in AZ. I just heard about it, apparently it started by a hiker who was lost, and started it to get the rescuers attention. But i guess it got out of hand and spread.

It reminds me of all the wildfires down in CA. I heard the air quality down there is really bad, definately not good for people with lung problems.

I will have to check out Janice’s again– I like her– I love her weather reports and the pictures she posts! LOL

Now between the two of you– Betty/Don and Needles/Native, I call this a interesting debate– And well written!

xxx

I don’t think a town the size of “Mayberry” needs 17 police officicers and a dog to catch the occasional kid breaking a window. Please feel free to read our police logs posted in our local paper. We have very little crime and did not have it even when we had our own city run police department. For example, on june 25 according to the local paper there was no reports taken last friday night. Saturday night some kids were fighting, a report was taken –no injuries– no arrests. Sunday a case of beer was reported stolen–WOW!!!! call out the police dog!!! and all officers.. Several years ago the people voted two to one to keep our city run police dept and not to contract with the county. The City Council went against the voters wishes, dismantled the city run police dept and contracted with the County. Wouldn’t you rather have the will of the people re-instated and the savings(up to $2,000 per household annually) applied to a reduction in your electric bill? With a population of less than 2,500 adults “Andy & Barney wouldn’t know what to do with 17 officers and a dog!!!

You definately have to make some time to check out Janice’s and Alisyn’s blog. Because i have posted some grerat topics for discussion over there, and i noticed some of them didnt appear right here, and i have tried many times. So please try and check them out whenever.

Greta is not the reason for that blog turning sour, its just the people that posts there. Often times i have seen her post interesting topics, but i am afraid to respond fearing bashing from those posters.

Why dont you consider posting more often on Janice’s blog. Because i posted some great topics for discussion that cant seem to appear right here.

this is why I quit posting over at Greta’s– because of all the name calling– I still wander over there and read her threads– she puts up some interesting ones-

Needles Native–

My AC bill is awful too– And I try to conserve as well!! But I can’t fight the heat here– and I refuse to be uncomfortable but I don’t run my AC as some others do– I have a neighbor who has her AC on 74– it is so frigging cold when I walk into her house!! totally absurd and what a waste!

For The Shadow knows!

Don’t be silly Susan, there really isn’t a dude dressed in black. Everyone know he wears red.

And: Yes, i miss our converstations too. Hopefully we get it back soon.

You should also consider posting at Janice Dean’s blog, as well as Alisyn Camerota’s. Those are just as good as this one.

I think this blog is moderated for a reason, to keep hate filled and nasty comments from appearing. I never post on Greta Wire, simply because they are so much arguments and people calling each other names, like some immature children.

Its the same with another blog i post in, i got bashed by some person and everyone else joined in, because i posted a simple response about the 6 Flags them park incident.

Your beef with the SBSO warrants a totally different discussion. Granted, those fee increases you referred to are also a result of what’s wrong with CA and government’s regulatory interference. But aside from getting rid of CA Workman’s Comp and AZ & NV paying lower wages, would the remainng costs really be that much different? And think about it, there’s a reason why we have such a low crime rate…good law enforcement. Go ahead and try to negotiate a better contract but don’t try to fix what isn’t broken or reinvent the wheel. The SBSO’s services work well for us.

I also think you are misinterpreting citizens wanting smart, well informed, responsible decision making as a fear of change. That just isn’t so. Change can open the doors to progress but, done recklessly, can open the doors to disaster.

Sharon Biddle:
“Utilitys/ What has happened?? You can double your electric compaired to what Arizona pays.”
You’re absolutely right about the discrepancy in utility costs as well as the other necessities of daily living. My three summer months utility bills last year were each more than my monthly mortgage payment even with my conservation measures; i.e. thermostat set at 80 degrees when home and 83 when at work, totally blocking off my dual-paned tinted windows (FYI: R-19 wall and R-30 roof insulation), running only my upstairs A/C unit and using my downstairs tile floors to hold the cool. I’ve now also replaced both my A/C units with newer, more energy efficient models and I’m already headed in the direction of last year with my bill. Of course, the City’s added power purchase adjustment fees haven’t helped either. Maybe Needles could offer the “Gov” some free land and some of our leftover water rights to bring in some of the newly evolving solar energy generation industry. Maybe even look into the also newly evolving wind energy industry and be on the leading edge for a change. The area from Bullhead City to Needles has highly rated sustainable wind flow patterns. Hmmmm…