Memorial Day mailbag

OK, so less of a mailbag, but I love coming into work on a holiday and finding a full comments section from a recent column. Let's get the ball rolling:
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"I think Jon gets a kick out of writing stuff that gets people all fired up, little does he know, it doesn't make him good or smart ... just the opposite happens. Its pretty clear that he is someones puppet." — Ubbo Coty

I've never worked that well with strings attached — if I did, I could probably make a whole lot more money than I do now. In this case, I really think that the public interest is best served by a government that's as open to the people as possible. And I'll stand by that whether it appears I'm on the take or not.

"Then by the same 'moral standards,' won't you please be so kind as to tell us how much Mark (Connolly) is spending on front page advertising in the Tracy Press?" — Francis Hineman

I would love to, but I can't. I simply don't know. And that's by design. In a business where advertising pays the bills and you often have to cover issues involving your advertisers, it's better that the people producing the content don't know who's paying how much.

"After reading this and the first article again, now I think the City wants to have their cake and eat it too. I mean if they think that the councilwoman must be named in the appeal then why did they defend her with their lawyers. If the lawsuit is really against her and they can't make her turn over the records then why did they defend her in the first place. I hope she doesn't get away with this. Miscarriage of justice would be the term. The legal system never seems to get to the bottom of anything." — Drama Queen

When I left the Sacramento courtroom, I felt as though I was part of a wildlife transfer program. It's a disorienting experience.

"According to your opinion pice, the Press has some excellent legal arguments, but, unfortunately, their attorney screwed up some totally basic legal issue, forgot to list Tucker's name on some legal forms, and as a result, the court may simply ignore your legal arguments altogether because the Press' lawyer was too stupid to fill out the forms correctly? Is that right?

"If your description is correct, the irony would be quite enjoyable." — Friend of JM

It's only enjoyable if you don't demand accountability from public officials.
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Keep that feedback coming, alert readers, and I'll keep answering.