Black, white or pink with purple polka dots

I hear a lot these days about racism, particularly as it is directed against Republicans and Conservatives. Seems that so many people are more than willing to buy into the typical liberal mantra of when you are losing an argument based on the facts, start calling names. The facts are that throughout our history as a nation, it has been the conservative Republican party and not the Democrat party that has brought about change in civil rights. While these are facts not in dispute, our liberal, progressive population continues to try to hang the racism bib around our necks. The most current example is the Tea Party movement protest recently held in D.C. The major liberal media are attempting to get all the mileage they can out of a non-issue. Does anyone out there with half a brain believe that if racial slurs had been vocalized, they would not have been caught on camera? That said, as a realist, do I believe that racism in our society is extinct? No, I don’t. There are and always will be those who hate just because they want to hate. But, those people are a minuscule part of our population and on both sides of the aisle. Most people today, if they have racial prejudices, choose to keep them to themselves and practice live and let live.

We all have our biases, our likes and dislikes, even our prejudices. To say we don’t is to say that we thoroughly do not understand our human nature. Each and every one of us likes our self better than we like the other guy. If we don’t, we need help. Most of us like our country better than any other. Most of us think our race or ethnic origin is better than others. After all, isn’t racial superiority what started the whole slavery thing? And before you start blaming America for slavery, acquaint yourselves with these few facts. Slavery as we know it, began on the north coast of Africa within the Muslim faith. It was the Portuguese who were the main slave runners. Of all the Africans captured and sold into slavery, only 6% came to the United States. The other 94% went elsewhere. Because of the Civil War we get the main blame. Finally, Lincoln did not free all the slaves, only those in the combative states and cities.

So it is not that we have our individual likes and dislikes, it is the manner in which we deal with them that is important. As for me personally, I would never stand in anyone’s way of advancement or obtaining their dreams. I will compete to the best of my ability and let the more qualified person win. On the other hand, I don’t believe that I should give anything to anyone who did not earn it. No one gave me what I earned and I have a better respect for what I earned because of my struggles. I make my choice as to whom I lend my hand and I reserve the right to withdraw it any time I choose. I don’t like whiners, snivelers and complainers. I have no use for those who think that they are entitled to what others worked hard to get. Those who have no respect for the law or those who enforce it irritate me. People who disrespect our servicemen and women and emergency responders disgust me. Bad neighbors, bad and abusive parents, people that abuse children, deadbeat husbands, people that don’t take personal responsibility are not my favorites either.

Other than that, if you are responsible for your self and position in life , if you work hard and take care of your family, respect those who protect you and our way of life, if you like your country and respect its Constitution, are informed and think for yourself, are a good neighbor and friend, etc,etc, then you are my kind of countryman and I applaud you.

I make note here that both sides of the above descriptors are represented by all races, genders, nationalities, political persuasions, sizes, shapes and religions. Other than that, I don’t care if you are black, white or pink with purple polka dots.

Being thankful . . .a rallying call

I constantly strive to be a better person. I read books on self-improvement and how to be positive in deed and thought. I try to forgive those who have harmed me, past and present, and I try to be a grateful and giving person. All this, only because it is the right thing to do. I am not pro-war, in fact I hate violence, but I keep my options open and if we must go to war, then I believe that we should give everything we have to the cause until the enemy capitulates. There is no other way to prosecute a war. War is for the purpose of killing and breaking, no other. The side that kills and breaks the most wins. There is no pulling back, cease fires or off limits targets. Everything that can be considered an implement or accessory of war whether for housing, training or harboring the enemy is a legitimate target for destruction. Collateral damage, while tragic is a real possibility and should be avoided if possible and accepted if not. Any country who wishes to declare war on these United States or harm any of its citizens should be prepared to feel the full economic and military wrath of this country. I believe in open debate, dialog, discussion and even turning the other cheek in an effort to avoid violence. There is a time, however, when one must realize that the other half of the discussion is not sincere and is only testing our will and resolve. It is here that we must draw a firm line in the sand, on the one side of which is peace and harmony, and on the other side is death and destruction. The enemy must know in his heart that we sincerely wish the former, but will go to the latter under the above criteria of prosecuting a war. There can be no other way. We will not give up our sovereignty, our freedom, our land, our Constitution or our government under any circumstances, to any country, at any time.

All that said, I am grateful to my left of center American counterparts for a number of lessons they have taught me over the last couple of decades. They’ve shown me how to stretch the truth beyond any form of recognition. I now recognize that oral sex in the oval office, while on the phone with a Foreign Head of State, is acceptable behavior; that “is” has many definitions; that pulling and hiding 900 FBI files is no big deal, but that looking at candidates passport data is. I’ve learned that racial hatred from a white person is despicable, but racial hatred from a black minister or black politician is ok. I’ve learned that a woman from Arkansas moving to New York and being elected Senator is ok, but a State Senator from Riverside, California who has a home in Elk Grove and wants to run for Congress in that District is a Carpetbagger. I’ve learned that questioning a liberal candidate’s voting record is off limits and a personal attack, but smearing a conservative candidate’s character is ok. I’ve learned that when conservative officials gets caught in an embarrassing situation, they are removed from office, but when a liberal politician gets caught doing the same thing or worse there are a number of reasons it’s not so bad. I’ve learned that there is a conservative definition of illegal and a liberal definition of legal. But wait, there’s more.

I’ve learned that one President can have a failed attempt at rescuing American hostages in Iran costing the lives of American service men because someone failed to check the weather. That this same President can completely fail at resolving the conflict between Palestine and Israel and go on to win the Nobel Peace prize. That the next President brings the hostages home without a shot, and engineers the fall of the Soviet Union and the reuniting of Berlin and is considered an old fool. That the next President serves only one term because he made a promise he didn’t keep, but our current president has already broken all of his campaign promises with no retribution. I learned that one president bombs an aspirin factory, lets our soldiers die in Somalia and their bodies desecrated with out so much as a whimper, goes to war in Bosnia stating our troops will be home in a year and they are still there. This same President has Bin Laden in his sites and fails to kill him, but the next President is blamed for the war and 3000 deaths on 9-11 and 4000 deaths in the current war. I’ve learned that when a democrat candidate for President lies about her and her daughter dodging sniper fire in Bosnia on a trip there as First Lady, it is called a mistake even though it was stated more than once. I’ve learned that there are more important things to talk about than a presidential candidate’s moral values, character and propensity for lying. I’ve learned that the Constitution is a dusty old document that has no current value, And I’ve learned that if you are a conservative you must prove your qualifications to run for the office, but if you are a liberal you don’t. I could go on like this for two more pages, but there must be a point to all this.

The point is the people always get the type of government they want. They express that want in either a positive or negative fashion. Unfortunately, elections, at least in my time, have always been between the not so good and the really bad. Rarely do we have a choice between bad and good, I believe that Reagan was one of those rare choices. By sitting out an election merely because the not so good candidate fails to completely float your boat, you are in fact casting a ballot for the really bad candidate. Remembering back to the early nineties, certain conservative segments of the electorate sat out the 1992 election because George H.W. Bush raised taxes when he said he wouldn’t. What did we get? Bill Clinton and all of the above lessons. In 1996 that same segment sat out the election because Bob Dole was not conservative enough. Again, we got four more years of Bill Clinton. To be honest, George Bush II did not completely float my boat, but by comparison, Gore? Kerry? Oh my.

In November of this year we are going to be faced with another choice between another two years of a Pelosi/Reed Congress and Senate, or whether we will stand up, be counted and change it. Are we to be treated to more of the same lessons? Perhaps yes, if we have not learned those of the past. With our country on the edge of social, financial and fiscal take-over it must be clear that the liberal side offers nothing but more of the same. The same elitist philosophy of knowing what is best for us, cradle to grave care, more spending on social programs that don’t work and less freedom for us. My buddy Thom has a story about how to catch wild pigs. It is a good lesson in what is happening to us. “First, you find where wild pigs frequent, and then you put out free grain. When the pigs get used to the free grain and are no longer wary of it you put up one side of a rectangular enclosure and continue the free grain. Again, when they are no longer wary, up goes the second, and then the third side. Finally, you put up the fourth side with a gate in it and when the pigs go in, you close the gate. The pigs realize that they are trapped, but heck, there is all that free grain.”

So, the question is, what kind of country do you want and what are you willing to do to get it? What kind of country do you want for your children and grandchildren? If you are conservative more or less, or very, are you going to sit this one out and get more lessons in the liberal way or are you going to get involved and make sure that our country is safe from those who would see this experiment in a representative republic ended. Currently, we still have our Constitution, freedom of speech, the right to defend our selves and the rest of the Bill of Rights. Two or three Supreme Court appointees by the wrong President and confirmation by the wrong Congress could change all that. If and when that happens and you watch your children and grandchildren suffer under a different form of government without the freedoms we now enjoy, will you find comfort in that you did everything you could or will you be one of those wretched souls who, deep inside, suffers doubly because they know they could have done so much more? Your choice, I’ve made mine, I hope you make yours correctly and soon. God Bless America

As California goes, so goes the nation

The title of this offering is a catch phrase that is often heard here in the Golden State. How true it is, I don’t know, but if it is at all true I want to apologize to the rest of the country for what we are about to export to the nation. A warning, if you will, to take a good look at current California politics, policies and business climate. If we are any indicator as to what is coming your way, please take heed.

California has been under a progressive and liberal controlled legislature for 40 years starting with Governor Jerry Brown (governor moonbeam to the locals) in 1970. Prior to that we had one of the best educational systems in the country, one of the best highway systems in the country and our unemployment rate was generally below the national average. We had water, fuel, housing and our Central Valley agriculture produced more of just about any commodity than any other state in the country. We were the 5th largest economy in the world.

Currently, our school system spends more money per student than any other state and produces a student that ranks 49 out of 50. Our highway system is in such a state of disrepair that it is said that a blind person can tell when crossing the border into any of our neighboring states by the change in the smoothness of the highway. Our current unemployment rate is 12.8% and shows no indication of going down. 650,000 manufacturers have left the state and our population has a net decline of a million or more. Our agricultural industry is short on water, our oil industry is all but shut down, real estate prices are in the tank, we are 8th or 9th in world economies, our bond rating is non-existent and we have a projected $20 billion rolling deficit for the next five years.

The causes are many and include a litigious society, public sector unions, teacher’s unions, fraudulent environmental science, entitlements, unfriendly business climate, legislators who believe that businesses are the deep pockets of government, government regulations and uncontrolled bureaucracies and policies. It is the last of these I wish to focus on here.

In 2006, the legislature passed two bills, one in the Senate (SB375) and one in the Assembly (AB 32). The former covers Land Use and Planning and the latter Business and Transportation. Both are unfounded mandates to local government by the state. In SB375 we learn that our future is one of walkable and sustainable communities with emphasis on public transportation and restricted areas of development through conservation easements and other planning restrictions. All of these are directed to compressing the rural population into the urban areas so that living in the country will be a thing of the past. SB375 will determine the type of living quarters you have and where it is located so that you no longer need a vehicle, thus controlling your movement about. AB32 sets up the California Air Resources Board as judge, jury and executioner with regards to business. CARB is the lead agency of AB32 and writes the regulations, requires reporting from businesses on their carbon production, verifies their reporting, enforces the regulations and sets and collects the fines. Another facet of AB32 is the control of diesel equipment used to transport people and goods, including agricultural products. Required is the upgrading of diesel engines to the tune of between $20,000 and $80,000 each. All of this is obviously passed on to the end user, the consumer.

Though these Bills were passed in 2006, their main effects to not take place until 2011 and 2012. Currently there is a ground swell of public outrage against them as the folks get wind of how this legislation will affect their lives and freedom. Organizations such as The California Association of Business, Property and Resource Owners (CABPRO) that I currently work for are as active as their budget permits in rolling back this onerous usurpation of public rights. We can only hope that we are successful. If you want further information on what is headed your way, I suggest that you go to the following web sites: www.cabpro.org, www.killcarb.org, www.suspendAB32.org, or The California Climate Solutions Act 2006.

AB32 Crisis

Why should we worry about Assembly Bill 32 (California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006)? This bill was passed and signed into law by the Governor 4 years ago. It hasn’t affected me in the slightest, so why should I get involved? Besides, I have things to do, places to go and people to see. This sounds all too familiar to those of us who fight for the rights of the uninformed. They are uninformed by choice and that’s ok, but not when they vote for politicians who craft and pass a bill as dangerous to our way of life as this one. Remember that the liberal, progressive Democrats have been in control of the California Legislature for more that 40 years. They own the current problems that face this state, including AB32. Here is the answer to a couple of the above questions as to why you should worry.

First the main emphasis of this Bill will go into effect in 2011 (9 months from now). Secondly it will cost businesses over $49,000 per year and homeowners more than $3800 per year. Tell me, do you want to give another $3800 of your dollars away to an unproven theory? I don’t. And who do you think will pay for that $49,000 businesses will incur? The consumer; that’s you and me. It’s called “cost adjustment”. Bear in mind that the government has no money but that which they take from us. It’s called taxes and fees. Both the State Government and the Federal Government feed from the same trough and we are the ones that fill that trough with our hard earned dollars. I know of a few elected officials that work hard, but none of them work as hard as you or I do and they generally get paid a lot more than we do. Remember, also, as my friend Thom said, “they work for us and not the other way around”. We must balance our budgets every month or work harder and produce more. Our politicians just go to that trough again for more money.

AB32 is only a 17-page document and I urge you to go on the Internet and print yourself a copy(www.arb.ca.gov/cc/docs/ab32text.pdf). One of the first things you should notice is that it is a State mandated local program with no reimbursement to the local governments (page 3). This means that local governments must tighten their belts to comply or come up with new taxes or fees to cover their costs. You pay for this and the State doesn’t have to feel the bite of their actions. Note please that counties receive about 14 cents on the tax dollar to run the county. Next is the authority given to the California Air Resources Board (CARB from here on). CARB is empowered to make the rules and regulations needed to achieve the goal of reducing Green House Gases from the current level to the 1990 level by 2020. Furthermore, they are authorized to require reporting and verification of that reporting of statewide Green House Gases from the sources. And finally they are empowered to monitor and enforce the rules, regulations and reporting and they set the fees or fines for the infringements (page 2).

What a money making deal this is. CARB has all the government factions; legislative, judicial, enforcement and sentencing all in one place. Don’t get on the wrong side of CARB on this one. Third, this bill is all about money (page 4). California seems to believe that by enacting this program it will be at the “forefront of national and international efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses”. Accordingly it’s predicted that such action will positively effect our “economy, technology centers, financial institutions and businesses.” California hopes to make a bundle from new green businesses coming into the state which according to one local writer could be as many as 112,000 by the year 2020. I’m sure that will make up for the 650,000 manufacturing businesses that have thus far left California for greener pastures (pun intended) according to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Then you must ask yourself why would a green business settle in California with all its unfriendly business regulations when it could go to Nevada, produce the same product and make a larger profit? If you will recall, most businesses have a profit motive.

Still, you’re not convinced as to why you should get involved. Chapter 3 is all about definitions and most are scary, but one in particular caught my eye (page 6i). “Greenhouse gas emission source”; this can be “any source or category of sources”. I think this could include you and me and our house and our car and our lifestyle. What do you think? Right now CARB is targeting businesses, transportation, and greenhouse gases from all electricity consumed in the state. The big ones first. Transportation is not just your buses and businesses are not just your big factories. Diesel engines are one of the main focuses and those are used in all of our transportation forms, whether they are transporting people or goods. Diesel engine refits or upgrades can cost between $20,000 and $80,000 per vehicle and that cost is passed on to you and me the consumer. This is not just the big trucking company, this could be the local backhoe operator, the independent logger, moving company, and farmer or as I stated before, in definitions, “any source” including the small home business. Any small business can be that source and, as such must report all its greenhouse emissions to CARB who will then verify that the reporting is accurate (page 7). In the case that CARB finds inaccuracies, enforcement and fines apply. The fines are set by CARB.

With the governor and legislature’s approval, the California Air Resources Board has become a self-supporting money-making organization with little or no oversight. With a little, if any needed, extrapolation, AB32 can be extended to any and all of us, controlling where we live, how big our house is, how we travel, where we shop, and on and on. There is a companion Bill to AB32 and that is SB375 (www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm) passed by the legislature in 2008. SB375 deals with zoning and land use, automobiles, right down to the community level (page 1&2). Specifically it speaks of walkable and sustainable communities, individual homeowners’ greenhouse gas emissions, type of travel, building sites, housing needs based on income, open space, conservation easements and a bundle of other measures that, in fact, restrict the land area that can be developed in the future. The plan is renewable every five years and only contains policy mandates on local planning.

The two Bills represent everything we have feared from our government. Together they continually reduce the amount of land that is capable of being developed through mandated policy on local General Plans, Conservation easements, Zoning and other regional land use policy. The greenhouse gas emissions controlled in AB32 are directly applied to homeowners in SB375. If these Bills are allowed to stand, our whole way of life and that of our children and grandchildren will change and country living will be a thing of the past except for the few that manage to live on farms. Once our mobility, food supply, water supply along with our housing choices are controlled by government there will be very little we can do to correct the situation.

We cannot let this happen. Not now, not ever. There is an initiative petition called the “CA Jobs Initiative” that puts AB32 on hold until the state unemployment rate holds at 5.5% for one year. It is a must that you seek out and sign this petition and get it on the November ballot for passage. When the Governor signed AB32 California’s unemployment rate was 4.8%. Now four years later it is 12.7% and shows no signs of declining. Businesses are leaving our state, people are leaving our state, taxes and out of control spending are going up and, according to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, we currently have a rolling $20 billion deficit for the next 5 years. We must band together and stop this nightmare here in our state. There is a saying that as California goes, so goes the nation. Exporting any part of either AB32 or SB375 would be a terrible legacy for the people of California. Get the Bills, read the Bills and join us in turning back this tide.

If it ain’t broke, we’ll fix it till it is

Recently I was asked to research and write an article about the Progressive majority in both the California legislature and the US Congress. My initial thought was this is not only a huge research task, but it could fill several months worth of articles. What with the massive debt we have now incurred, unemployment at well above 10%, health care, energy, global warming (oops, climate change), two wars, terrorists getting Miranda Rights and civil trials, never mind the falling dollar and world opinion. My God, who would want to own all that and how do we deal with them? Then it occurred to me that the answer is in the mind set. On one hand, conservatives as well as some center-thinking liberals recognize that as of today we still live in a Constitutional Republic with a representative government. To conservatives, the Constitution is our guiding principle in every matter that is non-spiritual. Every law, regulation or ordinance must pass Constitutional muster.

Several years ago the parents of my daughter’s Australian friend stayed with us for a couple of days while on vacation from down under. One morning over coffee and politics, the husband asked me, “What’s with you Americans and this Constitution thing?” I had never been asked that, but I told him that’s who we are. Our Constitution determines our form of government and who we are as Americans. It is our founding document and we have fought and died for it. It is the Law of the Land. He just could not understand that devotion to a document. So then, here is how it breaks down, Constitutional Americans, regardless of what letter they put in front of their political affiliation, believe that the Constitutional guarantees of freedom and the placement of the ultimate power in the hands of the people, is the reason for this country’s wealth and success. Progressives do not see it that way. Progressivism is a political movement that believes in political or social reform by continuing steps or stages or degrees (Webster). They look way into the future and see the world the way they think it should be according to their beliefs and then, by incrementalism, set out to create that world. It makes very little difference whether or not their methods are Constitutional. The fact of the matter is they see the Constitution as a dusty old document that has out-lived its purpose.

Look at our recent history; seat belts, every year here in California after every holiday weekend the CHP publishes the number of traffic fatalities that occurred over that weekend. Invariably, the percentages are that 49 to 51% or so were not wearing their seat belts. Sounds like a significant percentage until you flip it and realize that 49-51% of those killed were wearing their seat belts. Smog control, as I recall it, was 1967 when the first smog devices were put on our vehicles. Since that time we have put more and more vehicles under mandated smog control as well as paid more for expensive smog devices and smog checks. Certain vehicles that were said to produce no hazardous smog in 1967 (diesels) are now being required to retrofit at a very outrageous cost to the owner. Certain engines are not sold in California (lawn mowers and tractors) and still we are told we need more. I submit that if our air is still that bad, then just maybe all we have done since 1967 hasn’t worked and maybe we should scrap it. Global Warming (Climate Change), we were told that there was a hole in the Ozone layer, then it got smaller, then the earth was heating and the glaciers were disappearing and we were all going to drown because some scientists said it was so. Well it is getting colder and the glaciers aren’t disappearing and the polar bears aren’t endangered and the earth has warmed and cooled many times in the past and man’s contribution to the so-called greenhouse gases is less than 1/3 of 1% or .028 hundredths for those “Spocks” out there. Logging, we were told that all logging was bad and we would denude our country and create an environmental catastrophe. People were sitting in trees, the Sierra Club was challenging every logging plan and mills were closing left and right. The result was that our forests became, in a short time, overgrown and a fire hazard. Witness the catastrophic fires of the last two decades. Oh! Don’t forget the spotted owl fiasco, water shortages, gas shortages, power shortages and the medical scares, ad nauseum.

The point to all this was that each time the progressives find any imagined catastrophe, they exploit it for all it is worth and we lose a little more of our rights as individuals. Whether it is your house, your vehicle, what you wear, what you eat or how you care for and teach your children there is a progressive telling you that he or she knows better. Never mind that they have never succeeded at anything they have tried. They still know better than you. We need to change our mind set.

I read an interesting set of statistics the other day about oil. Of all the oil pollution in the world, 47% of it is natural seepage, 2% is from drilling off- shore, 4% is from pipelines and the remaining 47% is from oil tankers. Considering that the majority of our oil comes to us in tankers and we have ample supplies right here offshore and inland, maybe we ought to rethink that offshore drilling ban. Furthermore, considering that gangs, recidivists and illegals commit a significant percent of all violent crimes, maybe we ought to rethink our intelligence gathering, parole and immigration policies. Considering that the Department of Education and the Department of Energy, both established in 1979 under the Progressive Administration of Jimmy Carter have both failed in their mission for 33 years and cost the taxpayer approximately 100 billion per year, maybe we ought to reconsider the necessity of these two departments. Considering the billions of dollars we give in foreign aid to countries that hate us and use it to fund terrorist activities, maybe we should stop doing that. And finally, considering all the federal grants that go to progressives who don’t work and use their grants to slander and bite the hand that feeds them, maybe they should just do their progressive, anti-capitalist, anti-American, pro-socialism handiwork on their own dime and not ours.

In California, we can’t drill offshore or anywhere else, we can’t build refineries, our cars cost more because of smog devices that don’t work, our gas costs more because of special treatment, our state is controlled by political correctness, illegals cost us 14 billion each year, the Department of Education in California consumes more than half the total budget and produces a student in the bottom of the 50 states, the Police and other EMS personnel are understaffed and underpaid and over-worked, our logging and mining industries have all but disappeared, businesses suffer from over-regulation and are leaving the state in droves and as a result, state revenues are down and the state can’t pay its bills. Oh! By the way, did I mention, the California legislature (both houses) has been under total liberal, progressive control for the past 30 plus years? The same is true for the Federal Government. Liberal Progressives with an R or D in front of their name have controlled Congress for at least 50 out of the last 54 years that I can remember. They own today’s difficulties.

The problem is we, the people, must change our mindset and vote for those who respect our roots. We must defeat those who don’t. By the way, did you know that a one-term member of either house in the Federal Government does not pay social security and gets his full salary and benefits for life? We need to change that. We need to remind ourselves that our votes do count, that we can be an informed electorate, that we need to get involved and stay involved and that our Constitution is the Law of the Land. We, the people, need to speak up and confront progressives at every opportunity, letting them know that we know their plan, and it ain’t going to happen, not on our watch. Otherwise, they’ll fix it till it’s broke.

Thinking it Through

What is the infantile lack of ability to think things through that afflicts a considerable number of people these days? For instance, spreading the wealth, Robin Hoodism if you will. Taking from the rich to give to the poor or more bluntly Socialism. This, at first blush, may sound like a good scheme. After all don’t the rich have more than enough money to fully support at least some of those less fortunate? The answer is probably in the affirmative. Sure they do. So, how is it that we manage this massive transfer of wealth? We know that if the government manages it, a whole new bureaucracy will be needed and the cost of that alone will consume the majority of the transferred wealth. How much do we take from the rich and how much do we give to the poor? Who decides who is rich and who is poor? How many people who are close to the poor line and working 40 plus hours a week would quit their job and take a little less money not to have to work at all? All these folks not working will definitely affect the job market as there is less people to hire and when a business hires it will cost them more to pay the employee so their profit margin either goes down or they must raise their prices. If the business owners accept a lower profit margin then they have less wealth to transfer so they must lower their standard of living. The employee who will no longer get his annual COLA or any raises must now accept his place in life and soon he will see the merits of not working at all for less money.

It is not difficult to see the vortex that is created here. Sooner or later the system reaches the point of diminishing returns, where it can no longer support itself and falls apart, leaving those on the dole with no income whatsoever; hungry and on the street, they will have no skills and they won’t be happy.

If you think any government program through, you wind up with similar results. Why? Well, one reason is because the government has no money of its own. Whatever the source, the funds eventually come from the consumer. Import, export taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, etc, etc, etc. And don’t forget fees that are taxes by another name that require a smaller percentage of votes to pass on to us. Any money the government has, either directly or indirectly, comes from us. Even if they print more of it, our debt increases and who is responsible for that? You guessed it, you and me. The only money the government has originates with you and me. This cannot be anymore clear. Any time the government gets involved in any program, the price of that program goes up, if for no other reason than the bureaucracy that must be created to manage it. Even as small a business as I own, when gasoline prices went to $4.00 per gallon, I didn’t pay for the increase, my hourly rate went up appropriately. When larger businesses receive cost increases, they pass it on to the consumer. It doesn’t work any other way.

There is no such thing as a government funded program. There are only consumer/ taxpayer funded programs, period. The next time some politician talks about a program to benefit a certain group of people, grab your wallet. If he is bringing to this state large money for special projects, grab your wallet. It is all our money and we deserve better management of it. Think it through.

It’s Not About Us

Most of us, in these days of high unemployment and economic recession, are very concerned about where our meals are coming from and how we are going to pay our rent, let alone some of the niceties of life. If we are of retirement age, we wonder if what we have will last or if we must find some other form of income. A lot of Americans have just given up looking for work and this is not just mainstream work force people. It is especially hard on young, first-time job seekers.

In the meantime, our government continues to give themselves raises (5.3%) to run their individual congressional offices this next year; this in a time of a strong recession. The unemployment rate is almost 10% and rising. Some say that if you count those who have given up and are no longer looking for work, the unemployment rate would be about 19%. That is not a recession, but a depression.

Add to all this that we have a person seated in the White House holding the most powerful office in the world and is, at best, totally incompetent, a socialist surrounded by America haters, and unvetted commissars bent on the ruin of this great nation, and at the worst, a person ineligible to hold that office and determined to change us from a Constitutional Republic to an Oligarchy of some sort. He continues to blame the prior administration for his failures, has already spent more and increased our debt more than any other administration or maybe all of them combined. Our grandchildren and their children will be paying for our mistakes.

When I say our mistakes, I mean all of us and not just the ones who voted for the hope and change they will never get, but also those of us who are uninformed and did not vote and those who think that all they have to do is vote and their job is done. Not So!!! Starting with those who are retired and those, like me, who would like to be. It is no longer enough that you vote and then sit back and go on your vacations abroad, while this nation that you worked hard to build, goes down the drain. You have the wisdom of life and the country needs that from your letters, your blogs and your involvement in organizations that support this country. You need to be vocal when you are not on that well deserved vacation. Those in the younger brackets working for their future retirement and still raising kids, you are the ones who need to over see the school boards, audit classes as concerned parents, study with your kids and teach them how to research and question, write letters to the editor and your representatives, show your children what it is to be involved with government. Finally, the youngest group, those just starting out, recently graduated, getting married and starting a family, settling into a career. Yours is the toughest group. You can, however, research, write and get involved with conservative groups that need young people and young ideas.

I want to tell you a brief story of a man that I met when he was 85 or so years old. At the time I was the publisher of a small magazine. This fellow was a retired WWII Naval Lt. Commander. He was aboard the North Carolina in the 1930’s. He left the navy in the mid to late thirties then re-entered in 1941 going aboard the submarine USS Narwhal for WWII. Then came Korea and he was aboard Cruisers and finally left after some time in the Mediterranean aboard Destroyers. He returned to be involved with fire fighting, becoming a high-ranking fire officer before his retirement. Since then he has been involved with a variety of groups that work for the benefit of this country, giving of his time, research and money. I could write a book on this true American hero, but he would not want that. As he would say, “I was just doing what had to be done.” He passed away a few weeks ago in his mid 90’s. Among his final concerns was that he made sure that his research papers and other information that he had accumulated over the years of defending this nation went to the appropriate person who he believed would carry on. (That person is the force behind CABPRO-www.cabpro.com) The point of all this is this great American never gave up the fight and neither can we.

It is not about us. It is about our children, their children and their children yet to be. Any thinking American knows that. If not us who, if not now, when? It is no longer enough to vote every election and then sit back and watch. Now is the time for involvement and commitment. Time, money and energy on your part are the only commodities that will save this country from the destruction that the left has planned for it. They are organized, funded and on the move and most of us just sit. No more. Now is the time to determine what kind of country our descendants will inherit and what legacy we will leave them. The man I talked about earlier never quit, neither will I nor will I let my family quit in the fight for this country that has given me so much.

It is not about me, it is not about you and it is not about us.

Let’s Open a Conversation

The purpose of this open letter is to find someone or more than one on the other side of the political spectrum to converse with me on the issues of the day. Let’s do it here in print for everyone to read. The only rules would be: 1. no name calling, 2. information that is presented as factual must be followed by the source of that information or it must be labeled opinion, 3. if a question can be answered by a yes or no, the yes or no must come first followed by any explanation or mitigation and not the other way around, and finally, answer the question and stay focused. To give you a hint as to where I stand on most issues, I am a fiscal conservative and a social moderate to conservative. My issues would be; the size of government and its intrusion into our lives, over regulation, mismanagement of funds, the nanny state, global warming - real or contrived and how much do we have to do with it, the Constitution, is it real or just an old piece of paper, sovereignty and nationalism, immigration, the supreme court and the illegitimate president, to name a few.

My opinion on the above issues (note the word opinion) is government is way too large and getting bigger, it over regulates us and mismanages our tax monies almost to the point of being criminal. I think our legislators have way too much time on their hands and are trying to justify their existence by ridiculous legislative action. I believe that over regulation is driving businesses out of California and lowering the tax base. I believe that right down to the county level, our elected officials mismanage the funds they are given and want to tax or put a fee on virtually everything we do. I believe that global warming or cooling is a complete product of sunspots and the earth’s natural heating and cooling cycles. We contribute an extremely small percentage and if we stopped all our contributions, the earth would still warm or cool in spite of Al Gore’s movie. I believe that the Constitution is a founding document and is the supreme law of the land, that it is not a living document but the ultimate document by which every legislative action must be judged. No activist judge should ever be appointed to the Supreme Court. Sovereignty, nationalism and immigration go almost together. We are a sovereign nation and as such have a right and duty to control illegal and legal immigration. Our borders should be closed until we get a handle on drug traffic and illegal immigration. Lastly, I believe that there is evidence indicating that this current occupant of the White House is in fact an illegitimate President. He is not a natural born citizen as required by the constitution and should be removed from office.

So, there you have it, my opinions in a nutshell. What do you think and where do you want to start the conversation? This publication is a place to start. I think it is a winning situation for all involved. The readership would like it, you get to challenge me and I you. We both get our voices heard. What do you think, other side? Are you game, I am. Let’s have at it. Quite frankly talking to the choir is not all that fun when all that are listening agree. It is safe and non- threatening. It seems to me that a point and counter point in this forum and elsewhere, allowing time for adequate research and response would stimulate thought and shine some light on the issues of our time. We don’t need others to tell us what to think, we can think for ourselves, right? I’m Dick Marshall, let’s talk.

They Still Don't Get It

On April 15th Thom Forsythe, his daughter Ciera and I went to a party in Sacramento, a Tea Party. Thom and I do a couple of Community Access Television shows at NCTV, Channel 11, so our intent was to interview anyone we could and get enough footage for two or three half-hour shows on NCTV. I interviewed and Thom ran the camera while Ciera went off and shot background. I guess we shot about three hours or more for future editing. My conservative estimate of attendance is 12,000 to 15,000. These people felt it necessary to take the day off from work and participate in sending a message to our elected representatives in California and Washington. Will it work? Only time will tell. It is a good start and we must persist through any venue we have.

We conducted 50+ interviews and, without exception, those interviewed were polite, well versed and respectful. They were also very angry at the way they are being treated by their elected officials. I spoke with electricians, plumbers, carpenters, teachers, newscasters, celebrities, homemakers, equipment operators, mechanics, sales people and as many others as I could. Only one person refused me an interview and I’ll talk about him later. The responses to questions were very much along the same line; too much spending, wasteful spending, lack of respect for the taxpayer and working man, out of control elected officials, too high taxes and too big of a government. The one question that I asked almost all of the persons interviewed was can we sustain this momentum and the answer was most always “ we must”.

There were those who thought that the police presence was over the top. I did not think so. There was a mounted unit, a bicycle unit, four shooters on the roof of the Capitol, but their rifles were never in view, six or more CHP patrolmen, who were very low-keyed and I’m sure there were a requisite number of undercover officers mingling with the crowd. To those who think this was over the top, I might remind them that there were, by my count, less than 30 Law Enforcement personnel to control more than 12,000 demonstrators. Further, it is the duty of the CHP to protect the Capitol and it is the duty of Law Enforcement to assure that our right to protest goes unhampered. The officers that I saw were pleasant, friendly and congenial. I was glad they showed a presence at this event.

Several politicians spoke at the event, as did some celebrities. Eric Hogue, KTKZ 1380AM, was the general emcee. Our own Representative, Tom McClintock, was a key speaker, among others. Most of the state legislators, with the exception of Assemblyman Dan Logue and Senator Sam Aanestad, hid under their desks and refused to come out and meet the people. Dan Logue, against the advice of his staff, left a meeting for a short while and came out to see the people. I saw Sam Aanestad standing on the steps of the Capitol talking to folks. I interviewed Tom McClintock, a Fox 40 newscaster, the chair of the Republican Chairman’s Association, our own County Chair Bill Neuhardt, McClintock’s field rep Kim Pruitt, Vets just back from Iraq, a WWII vet who was stationed in Alaska, Eric Hogue and Mike Reagan(twice). What a class act they all were, particularly Mike Reagan. We interviewed Mr. Reagan early in the day but had some technical problems and lost the interview. Later, as we were packing up I saw him walking down the steps of the Capitol. I explained our technical difficulties and asked if he had another minute or two. He graciously consented and we got our interview. What a classy guy.

Nobody there could have considered this gathering anything but a grassroots rally and protest; except, of course, the likes of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi who referred to all of us as funded by the high end. Pelosi said of the Tea Party, “We call it astro turf. It’s not really a grassroots movement. [Supported] by some of the wealthiest people in America, to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of the middle class.” Liberal economist Paul Krugman said, “The tea parties don’t represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They are AstroTurf (fake grass roots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects.” Krugman went on to indicate that we were all dupes to “the work of a party hi-jacked by hard liners and financed by the usual right wing billionaires.” If you were there, you know that Pelosi and others still don’t get it.

The absence of public officials and elected representatives, except for the few I mentioned, speaks volumes for their concern for their constituents and we heard it loud and clear. Where were they? They were actually in session working on very important legislation; spaying and neutering of animals and smog checking motorcycles were two subjects that were brought to my attention. Where was their staff? These brave emissaries (staff) of the public wishes for their Assemblymen and Senators, they were hiding in the Capitol, but all peering out the windows and ready to hide under their desks at the appropriate time. What an opportunity missed for them to explain their view to a group of concerned citizens who were participating in the government forum in the only way guaranteed by the Constitution. The excuse I’m sure was that the crowd would have become unruly. I assure you that had Eric Hogue introduced any one of these less-than-brave legislators with the statement to the demonstrators to be respectful and listen that would have been the case. But to the contrary, the courageous men and women of our government, instead of being part of the solution, chose to remain the problem. They still don’t get it.

Finally, I said previously that there was only one person who refused me an interview and ran away (he didn’t run, but he walked really fast). This person was the brave leader of the California Republican Party, Mr. Ron Nehring. I introduced myself to him as being from a conservative public access television show, which should have been a clue that I was a friendly, and asked for a couple of minutes for an interview. Mind you, when I saw him he was casually standing on the steps of the Capitol, apparently just watching the show. He became, upon my question, very nervous and said he had business elsewhere and would return shortly. Then he scurried off to the north, never to return. He may still be scurrying for all I know. What I do know about Ron Nehring is that he has been invited as a speaker on numerous occasions to Republican events here in Nevada County and has never once accepted. Further, I know of several attempts to contact him for information regarding substantive issues that were never responded to. This guy is the head of the CRP, he can really scurry, he is part of the problem and he still doesn’t get it. Let’s all of us keep the momentum going until they all get it. God bless America.

It’s Tough To Be A Patriot

We live in a state where most of the coastal counties and cities are liberal. Most of the state’s population lives in these counties and therefore, liberals hold the large majority of our legislative offices. The fact that, of the 58 counties in the state, less than 10 are blue and the rest are red, makes no difference, since the majority of the population lives in those blue counties. It is also a fact that in the counties where we hold the edge we don’t do our part and get out the vote. Not only do we fail in our job to get out the vote, we fail to get out the message or support those who are trying to do just that. The same is true across this nation, with the large urban areas holding most of the population and being mostly liberal. Liberals are liberals and we know what they do and we know what they say and how they act. They never take responsibility for their failures and indeed (according to the liberal play book) it is always someone else’s fault, namely anyone who is not liberal. Have you ever heard a liberal say either that he was wrong, made a mistake or that one of his own fell into either of those categories? I’ll bet not. We know this and yet we fail to combat it.

I know that it is tough to be a patriot, particularly when most of those around you drive Volvos or Subarus with Obama and Charlie Brown bumper stickers. They are also the folks who are anti everything you stand for. They expect you to dig into your pocket and give money to every transient, liberal cause and nonsense art project they can come up with. If you don’t, they will dig into your pocket for you. These are the people who spend their day applying for grants so that they can get more money to apply for more grants. They don’t really work unless it is for someone else and then they have fixed it so that they cannot be fired even if they wear a tutu to work. Liberals are anti God, marriage, self-employment, entrepreneurial efforts, the death penalty, smaller government, lower taxes, stronger military, law enforcement, the flag, meat, cars, trucks, any form of growth (with the exception of government), logic, truth in science, paying their taxes, defending your free speech, the two party system, equality, national sovereignty, secure borders, legal immigration, private property rights, second amendment rights, the Constitution, fair elections, you keeping the profits of labor, national security, using natural resources, living where you want to live, your pursuit of your own happiness, and many more. In this atmosphere it is tough to be a patriot. Emotion will almost always win out over logic and truth. What you must remember is that almost the entire liberal platform is an emotional one and the liberals largest fear is that their own will discover the truth. Should this happen and the liberal base discover that their hardcore leaders do not have their best interests at heart, rather paramount is their own self interest, power and the destruction of this great nation, the base will be in a much deserved dither.

This is where conservative patriots have a great opportunity and duty to get the word out. It will not be easy and it will take some of your hard earned money. You have four choices; stand by and do more of the “nothing” a significant portion of conservatives have been doing and watch as the liberals have their way and the country of our founders ceases to exist, or you can donate time, words, or money. It you don’t have the time to get involved, or like some that I mentioned in previous articles you can’t bring yourself to identify yourself as a patriot and speak the words, then give the money to those who are looking out not only for your best interests but the interests of your children and grand-children.

We have enemies in this country who want to see the end of this great experiment in self-government we call a Republic. Some are religious fanatics from the outside and others are our own, from the inside. Both groups are hungry for power and control over us. There are two other groups here in this country; those who quietly sit by and acquiesce, letting whatever happens happen, and those who realize that the troubles facing this nation are bigger than each of us as individuals and are willing to defend this nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Which group do you belong to? It is indeed tough to be a patriot.

Well There’s a Meeting Here Tonight

The other day I went to a meeting with the newly elected Congressman from our district, Tom Mclintock. The Congressman had wanted a meeting with the organizations that represented county businesses as well as other sectors of the county. The purpose was not to listen to him speak, but primarily for him to listen to the concerns of these organizations and their associated business clients. The group, while small, was fairly representative.

The Congressman gave a small opening statement that was par with his usual talks. No notes, just straight talk that we associate with Mr. McClintock. It was informative and current. The Congressman followed by answering questions from the group for about an hour, in a very informal setting. When the meeting was over he stayed for an extra 45 minutes just talking with those who wanted to ask a question they hadn’t gotten the chance to ask earlier.

This brings me to the purpose of this article. In every meeting of this type, there are two types of people; those who are there for legitimate enlightenment, and those who are there for the furtherance of their political egos. You can always recognize these folks, as they are the ones that monopolize the questions, but right in without asking for acknowledgement, want to carry on a conversation and control the Congressman’s time. They are also the ones that, after the meeting when everyone is just conversing, want to monopolize the face time, ignoring others who are waiting, or but into a conversation with almost a childish, “look at me, look at me”. It always irritates me, but I guess when your ego needs to be stroked that badly, you will do ridiculous things. As if the Congressman had not been in office long enough to recognize this syndrome.

Who gets shorted by these folks? We do, since the Congressman gets only a portion of the information he came to get. Oh, and when the Congressman holds the next meeting, these people will be there trying to get their egos, fragile as they are, stroked again.

I’ve got news for this type, we don’t need you to interpret for us, we don’t need you to but into our conversation with your feeble attempts to stroke your own ego, we don’t like your silly little anecdotes. We can converse on our own very well, thank you. We will quickly state our information and respectfully let the Congressman move on. I suggest you do the same.

I.O.U.’s?

Wow, here we are in February of 2009 and our legislators are sniveling about the budget and a $45 billion deficit. They can’t pay their bills, they say. They may have to issue I.O.U’s for tax returns this year. Don’t you think it is time we told them, in unequivocal terms, that they should live within their budget and control their spending?

If you hired a tradesman and paid him top dollar and he produced an inferior product, would you keep him or fire him? The Department of Education does just that and they continue to ask for more money. For your information, the Department of Education last year received about 50% of the entire State budget, $64 Billion dollars and produced a student who qualifies for the bottom rungs of the ladder. And, if that’s not enough, they get an equal amount from the Feds, plus monies from local bonds, state bonds, and don’t forget the lottery. Altogether, they get about a $150 billion each year, which is three times what California is left with to run the entire state! Still, with all this money, they ask for bonds to repair roofs and fix schools. Where does the money go? Maybe there is some waste here that we could cut.

Then we could go to the medical costs of illegals in this state, which is well over $12 Billion. What about the uninsured motorist costs of our illegal population? Jail incarceration and trial costs born by the state. How much do these add up to?

Let’s turn our attention to our legislators and their perks, gas cards, travel expenses, money for extra lodging if they travel far. I have no difficulty with the per diem payment for a legislator who travels far, but there are those who live right around the capital who take the money under the reasoning that they have to stay late on occasion and return early. How many of you taxpayers who live in outlying areas and work in Sacramento have ever worked overtime and still had to return for work the following morning? Did you get an additional check for a room for the night? I’ll bet not. Maybe it is time that our “leaders” show some leadership instead of just feeding at the trough and complaining. There are a few who do, but not many.

Finally, to the I.O.U.’s. What would you do if you went to the store and purchased an item for $14.75 and gave the clerk a $20 dollar bill to which the clerk handed you an I.O.U. for $5.25 explaining that the store was out of money and did not know when it could pay the I. O.U. This is exactly what the State of California is doing to us when and if they issue I.O.U.s. They have had the use of our money all year, collected interest on it and used it. Not necessarily as we would want. Will they pay interest on our change when they finally pay it? No. If you are late with your taxes, do you pay interest? You bet, at about 1% per month.

Let’s inform our state legislators that if they issue promises to pay, we expect interest in the same amount they charge. They are sent to Sacramento by us, to represent us and do the state’s work. That means, get the budget done on time, spend our money wisely and live within the budget they created. They are to help the state turn a profit and that means get out of the way of business growth. Businesses are leaving the state in record numbers and revenues are going down. All because of unnecessary over regulation by our liberal controlled state government. Talk about change, we really need it here.

In Our Country

Anger cannot describe my feelings toward the liberal left at this time in history. While watching the Fox News channel this evening (1/7/09) the main topic was, of course, the conflict between Israel and the Hamas controlled Palestine State particularly in the area of Gaza. In the past year, 3000 plus rockets have been fired into Israel from Palestine. Finally, having had enough, Israel has retaliated. Already the liberal left has been questioning the retaliation in terms of its appropriateness. What is this nonsense? The object of war is to make the enemy surrender without conditions and whatever force is necessary to accomplish this is appropriate. Where do the liberals come up with this crap about appropriate response?

Following up on this topic, there was a video sequence showing Palestinian people in their native garb shouting “down with Israel, death to the Israelis, Israel should be eliminated” and other niceties regarding the destruction of the State of Israel. This is a common sight in the area now considered Palestine. The problem is, this was not in Palestine, it was in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Yes, you read it right, this was in our country. Why were the liberals in all their pompous, self-serving ideology not screaming foul, hate speech, hate crimes, etc?

You see, I’ve noticed a pattern when regarding liberals. First, they never answer a question. They always deflect the answer with a response that transfers the question to the put down of the conservative philosophy. Secondly, they never acknowledge any fault with their side of the issue. All their people are perfect and all ours are flawed. On the very face of this, they fear that if a question is answered directly, or a flaw admitted to, their Achilles heal will be discovered and all will be lost. They are right in this fear. For when anyone discovers that their platform is an emotional one not based on fact and truth, that person will walk away from them and go elsewhere.

It becomes clear to me that emotion will always trump facts and truth. What is unclear is how any intelligent, thinking person who seeks the truth and wants the best for his/her country can listen day after day to the party line and never question it in any form. Does that mean that liberals are mindless, un-thinking lemmings following their leadership blindly into the sea? I fear so. The difference between Liberals and Conservatives is the intestinal fortitude to go against the grain. Maybe that explains why liberals are for big government, more taxes, weaker military, bashing America, bashing the military, a weaker America, pro-terrorist and a variety of other items not in the best interest of this country. I would like to ask a liberal what color the sky is in their world and how it got to be that way? But, alas, they wouldn’t answer the question.

The Cowards Amongst Us

Although I’ve written about this before, the other evening it was brought dramatically home to me again. I was talking to some Republicans leaders who also own businesses. The issue became fear of outing themselves as conservatives and openly becoming engaged in the cause of saving our country from the socialism of the far left. A few years back, when I was trying to sell advertising for The Republic News and Issues Magazine, store after store and business after business, that I knew had conservative owners, would respond the same, “I really believe in what you’re doing and I read the magazine every month, but, I can’t advertise because I would offend my liberal customers and I would lose business and I can’t do that.” This philosophy irritated me then and it irritates me now.

But this is not new to this brand of Rino, neo-con cowards. Thomas Paine referred to them as Sunshine Patriots and Summer Soldiers during the Revolution. George Washington had them in his Continental Army and they caused him nothing but grief and almost lost the War of Independence, which gave us this free land. This country was bought with the blood of patriots who understood that the cause was bigger than themselves, their families or their businesses. Even so there was a segment of colonial society that was ready to surrender it all for the promise of 1000 English pounds, a pardon and the ability to keep their home and business. When Lord Howe, the British Commander, made just such an offer, thousands of these sunshine patriots took him up on it.

Nothing seems to have changed today. The same type people, who talk big at a conservative gathering, fall short when asked to speak up or stand up or lend support in a public manner. They feel they might out themselves as conservatives. These are the same people who allowed Hitler to gain power, Stalin to commit his atrocities, the better red than dead crowd. These are the same people who will stand by and watch as the Governor of this state sells out his principles because he lost a battle a few years back and wanted to get re-elected and be liked. These are people who, as elected representatives, will admit privately that that there are billions of dollars of waste in the state budget but remain silent publicly. They will use the phrase “it was the best deal we could get.” The truth is they were afraid that if they stood their ground they would not get elected again and might lose their gravy train. What in the world has happened to principle? Certainly very little of it remains in the Republican Party.

It occurs to me that when one is too weak to stand on a piece of ground and say this is mine to stand on, regardless of the consequences, then that person stands for nothing. When a business owner is so afraid of his liberal customer base that he allows that base to force him to remain silent except when in the company of other conservatives, then he has no real business. By his own admission he only has a business by the permission of the liberal left. That’s not having a business, that’s cowardice and hypocrisy. Cowardice, because you are void of the fortitude to stand for your beliefs; hypocrisy, because you spout the conservative mantra only when you are safely surrounded by real conservatives.
I could go on and name names, but to what avail? These people won’t change and they know who they are and probably the reader knows who they are. I do wonder though what it must belike to be devoid of personal courage. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to be so lacking in fortitude that I would not stand up for my principles and the needs of my Country. What must it be like to stand down in the face of adversity? Do you lie to your children or grand-children when they ask questions about why your organization or you don’t stand up for the truth or do you teach them that it’s better to say nothing because to get involved might hurt your business? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Well, consider yourself lucky that there are those of us who will stand up as we always have for the undeserving likes of you. There are brave young men and women around the world and on our local streets who are defending your right to be a coward and a hypocrite. Enjoy the freedoms and rights that you and your ilk have done nothing to earn. One day when the likes of our soldiers, police, fire and emergency service personnel are too few in number to do much to keep the gangs, terrorists, socialists, liberals and corrupt politicians from your door, remember you once had the chance to stand bravely and show courage. You chose not to.

Holding Feet to the Fire

Disappointment sometimes comes in large doses, as was the case for me June 13, 2008. An article in the local paper about the supervisors approving user fee increases to several County Departments caught my eye. Those departments included Building, Environmental Health and Planning. These increases are significantly large and inappropriate at this time. My disappointment stems from the fact that I worked to elect each one of these supervisors. Most everyone, rightly or wrongly, believes the county is in an economic slow down. Construction is way down. The contractors I talk with are scratching their heads. One I spoke with over coffee asked if I had ever seen it like this. And it is not just construction, with gasoline at $4.69/gallon and rising, most other businesses are slumping.
If my memory serves me, during the last presidential election cycle, when there was a small but significant downturn here locally, the Board of Sups gave themselves a significant raise. Then several months ago they unwisely spent our money to rent a very expensive building to house the District Attorney. This was followed by a hefty wage increase for all the County Department heads and the County CEO. And now they top it off by significantly increasing the cost of county services. Here is what it’ll cost you to use county government after August 4th: Building Department--$125.78/hr, Environmental Health--$143.22/hr, Planning--$119.62/hr, Agriculture--$86.44/hr and County Surveyor fees will be $128.00/hr. Bear in mind that you actually pay twice each time you use a service from the county. The first time you pay is through your taxes. Taxes support the county budget and within that budget every department is funded to perform its function. A department budget includes wages for all in that dept. and office equipment and supplies. If a department’s services are not needed, operation continues at a slower pace and at the end of the year, that Dept may have a surplus. The second time you pay is when you actually use a service and those costs just went up. I’ve been told that user fees are an attempt by the county to recoup the money used by each department for the expense of running that department. Does that sound like double talk to you? Does that sound like a Board of Supervisors’ who cares about you as a constituent?
What this appears to be is a board that is trying to keep the county coffers full in a time of supposed economic tribulation. Construction is down and as a result so is user fees. Bureaucratic logic dictates that in order to maintain their departments financial status quo fees must be raised. Hence, the less you use county departments the more it costs you when you do. I remember in the 1970’s when we had a drought in the southern part of the state and water rationing was common. Homeowners were asked to reduce their usage by 10 –15%. Since we all knew that the drought was in fact real, we complied. As a result, Department of Water and Power revenues went down with the reduction of personal water use. Guess what? The DWP increased their rates to compensate for the loss of revenue.
This is exactly what this Board of Supervisors is doing right now. I strongly urge every member of this organization to send an email to their supervisor and demand that they rescind this fee increase until the economy justifies it. Remind them that they are all elected by the people of this county, that they work for us and that they can be recalled by us. If there is not enough money coming in to completely fund each department, then three choices exist; reduce unnecessary spending elsewhere, reduce the size and function of that Department, or ask for a tax increase from the people and justify the request. The BOS and the government bureaucracy is side stepping asking for a tax increase that they know they would not get because it requires a 2/3 majority vote of the people. Raising user fees only requires a majority of their vote. It is time to rein in this board. Let them know we are not happy and that their political future hangs in the balance.

Nevada County Fire Plan

Is the Fire Plan about our safety, control of property rights or grant money? There is plenty of evidence to support your choice. The current draft is a 118-page document covering all of the above. Most of us here are aware of the fire danger we face each year. We live out in the “Wildland-Urban Interface” (woods) because we want to. Generally, we do the necessary maintenance to keep our property fire safe. We understand the fuel ladder concept and the term defensible space. All of us should do our best to keep our weeds down, our trees trimmed up, remove dangerous brush and interrupt the fuel ladder. Further, we need planned escape routes, acceptable shelters and numerous, available water sources. If the Fire Plan dealt with these issues alone, there would be far less concern on the part of the citizens and the Plan would not be 118 pages of bureaucratic shell games.

We are protected by 9 different Fire Districts, two City Fire Departments, Cal-Fire, United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (Sec.1-3 Fire Plan). In addition, we have a County Fire Marshal who has specific duties that include: enforce, inspect and review projects based on fire safety codes and regulations under county jurisdiction, ultimately reporting to the Board of Supervisors. Five other local fire districts also assume Fire Marshal duties and responsibilities based on their jurisdiction. Finally, the County Fire Chiefs association also reviews local, county and state Fire Safety Codes. To sum up, we have in place (LRA’s) Local Responsibility Areas, (SRA’s) State Responsibility Areas, and (FRA’s) Federal Responsibility Areas. All of these organizations have their own jurisdictions and many overlap, particularly in the areas of the Fire Marshal, Planning and Building Standards (Sec. 1-1).

The Fire Plan places responsibility for fuels issues with private property owners in the unincorporated area of the county. “All private and public land owners need to accept stewardship responsibilities, whether by regulatory process or not, to fully address the complex wildfire problem” (Summary-2). “Citizens are responsible for ensuring their family, personal needs and domestic animals are adequately prepared to evacuate or shelter safely and efficiently during an emergency” (Sec 1-9). “ The County of Nevada is not required by State or Federal regulations to provide fire protection services for the public and assumes no authority for providing this service” (Sec.1-3). All of this would appear to indicate that, should a fire start on your property and the county or local government blame it on you, they will. And yet the County bureaucracy wants to maintain control by asserting, “local and county governments assume responsibility to protect and assure safe development of private property in wildland areas”(Sec. 1-10), “local government has the responsibility and authority to ensure public safety and to provide the ordinances and policies to meet this requirement”(Sec.2-1). There is a management adage that says, “You cannot give someone the responsibility without the commensurate authority”. But the Fire Plan does just that. Appendix A of the plan defines the four vegetative type zones that we live in. Further, it gives us instructions of what to do in each type to make it fire safe. Appendices B and C require that none of this can be done with mechanical equipment and must be done by hand within 100 feet of a water course or riparian area. By hand currently means weed eaters, chainsaws and lawn mowers. It is clear that the terms mechanical equipment and by hand need to be more defined. There are also prohibitions based on soils, endangered species, archeology, nesting birds and aesthetics, etc. The problem is that, you, who are responsible for the steward ship of your land, can only do it in a manner that is almost impossible and always under the watchful eye of county government. So, is it for our safety? Partially yes, but mostly no. It is about the preservation of special interest areas at the expense of all else.

Is the Fire Plan about money? Definitely yes. Section 1-10, and 1-11 speak to Public Resources code 4290 that establishes minimum development standards in the unincorporated areas. PRC 4291 discusses defensible space. Section 4-1 directs our attention to the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 and many other plans. The DMA “stipulates that local governments must develop plans to address disasters…. in order to maintain Federal grant eligibility”, “Local governments must have a mitigation plan as a condition of disaster assistance.”(Sec. 4-2). “The importance of developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan is to identify potential projects to minimize a potential wildfire disaster and show that communities are identifying federal hazardous areas in order to receive federal funding for these projects.” (Sec. 4-3).

It is clear to anyone who reads the current draft of the Fire Plan that County bureaucracy is directing its focus on establishing environmental controls on property owners of a type that were defeated several years ago. Secondly it is clear that this Plan’s main purpose is to establish the necessary credentials to secure the County’s place at the government feeding trough. Finally, the Fire Marshal’s office is building a fiefdom never intended, with control over building, development, house structure, planning, grading, landscaping and property stewardship. It concerns this writer that the County boldly states that it is not responsible for your fire protection and that you most definitely are. Yet, it also proclaims that it is responsible for public safety and is using this premise to force an additional plan upon us solely for the purpose of establishing eligibility for grant money. I would prefer that the county get into the fire business with a County Fire Department whose sole responsibility would be to extinguish fires.

The written comment period on the Plan ends February 5th and the presentation with a public comment period is February 12th. I urge everyone to get a copy of this plan and read it thoroughly so as to understand its positives and negatives. Furthermore, put Feb.12th on your calendar and plan to speak on the plan at the BOS meeting. You have 3 minutes. This Plan affects us all and needs our closest attention.

Running Scared and the War in Iraq

Do you ever ask yourself why we never hear in the local News media or any news media for that matter, what is going right in Iraq? You should. It is certainly not because things are going badly, they are not and have not. Our American troops have done a magnificent job of liberating that country as well as its neighbor Afghanistan. They have repaired and rebuilt almost the entire infrastructure and but for those who keep blowing it up, and others here in the United States who blatantly gives aid and comfort to the enemy, the job would be done. This has been done with a minimum loss of life on both sides. I understand of course that if you are a family who has lost a loved one in that conflict your loss is great and one too many. My heart goes out to those families, but anyone who has done any research on the subject knows that what I have said above is true. Furthermore, America is the most giving nation in the world and we have sacrificed more for world peace than any other nation, undisputedly.

Why then is it that the media in general give us nothing but doom and gloom? Is it because that is what we want? No, it is because that is what they, the media, want. There can be no logical reason to constantly give out exaggerated misinformation and refuse to print the truth other than pure determination to support an agenda that is contrary to the welfare of these United States. The truth is there for anyone to see, just not in the major media. But an even deeper truth exists that eventually we all will have to face and that is what did we do to overcome this media blitz designed to damage our country. Each and every one of us must find that piece of ground that we stand on and defend. There is a line in a country song that said, “you’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”. In this case, probably a very big reality and a very important statement.

The facts about the war are real whether you like them or not. The necessity of our presence in the Middle East, long term, is a reality, whether you like it or not. If unchecked, the Islamic radicals, upon having their way, will give your children’s children three choices: convert, subjugate or die. No others will be offered, like it or not. The only safety valve for our future generations, the only check on the radical movement in Islam, the only way to assure that your grandchildren will not be ruled by Islamic law is you and me, right now, today. The only way for us to do that is to stand on a piece of ground and defend it. Let’s start with truth in the media. Let’s insist on both sides of the story. If the media is going to constantly publish stories about problems then let’s insist that they balance it with stories of success. Certainly the number of soldiers killed in action is newsworthy, but so are the schools opened, the water plants built and the businesses opened. Every soldier I talk to is proud to be a part of the effort and I might add often wonders if the media are reporting on the same war in which he or she is involved. Furthermore, they talk of winning, success and the positive attitude of the Iraqi people toward our troops and their mission. Meanwhile the news media reports that we are losing, the people don’t want us their and how things are going badly. Then they trot out some has-been General to verify their story, demean the troops he supposedly once led and vilify the character of his Commander in Chief. The bad news is that you and I are responsible. The government is us, you and me. We own it. The politicians work for you and me. If we choose to relinquish our authority, our elected representatives will run further amuck than they currently are. We also own the media, indirectly. We buy it, we read it, we advertise in it. Why do we do it?

I believe that regardless of which side of the political spectrum you are on, our issues are generally the same. Recent surveys [American Solutions.com] indicate that on a variety of issues 80+ percent of us agree. These surveys questioned Republicans, Democrats and independents on issues of the war, national security, privacy, education, environment, immigration and many others. The results verified the 80+ percent not only on identifying the issue, but also on the method of solution. Why then do Americans not get what they want? I believe that a few extremists on both sides have got us running scared for fear of being singled out by the thought police, the land use police, the cell phone police, the fast food police, the feel good police, the “don’t spank your kids” police and the "can’t we all just get along” police. Isn’t it time that we said no to the extremists and send them packing. This is our country and the majority of us agree on how we want it administrated. It is time to stand up, stop running and be counted

Travels in Time

I am currently home from a road trip to the state of Minnesota, having traveled there to see a new grandson. In so doing, I have noticed interesting differences in the states along the way and what we like to call our great state of California. Some of the important differences are the roads are better, roadwork goes on weekends and at night, rest stops are beautiful and staffed as information centers. State budgets are smaller, yet more efficient, graffiti is minimal, religion is prominent and most of the farm labor I talked to are documented.

California just approved a $140 billion budget and our roads are worse than the nine states I have traveled through. I’m not saying a little worse, I’m saying terribly worse. Doesn’t it make you wonder why that is? It does me. I have traveled I-5 and 99, as well as a variety of other California interstates, county and local roads and in comparison they are desolate, barren, dirty and generally not fun. In my own Nevada County the situation is similar and that is the fault of the Board of Supervisors and the DOT directly. Likewise, the blame for State Highways and roads falls on the State legislators and Cal-trans. In many of the states I’ve been through, highway construction and repair is contracted out to private companies who are in the business of making a profit and are given incentives for early completion and penalties for failure to meet deadlines. Thusly, they and their crews work weekends and nights with what seems to be greater efficiency. Can you imagine the brouhaha that would ensue if Cal-trans workers were asked to do that on a regular basis? Now, admittedly, these states don’t have the population or traffic use, but they do for the most part have more severe weather and significantly smaller budgets. Kind of makes a person wonder where our money is being wasted. One legislator told me there are billions of dollars of waste in our just passed budget of $145 billion dollars.

Following the same theme, who in their right mind would want to stop at a California rest stop unless it was a dire emergency? Not me. They are dirty, poorly landscaped, they smell, appear foreboding, and short of gangrene of the bladder, it’s a pass for me. Conversely, when you leave our fair state, just the opposite is true. Clean, pleasant, inviting and staffed for the most part during the daytime with friendly people who supply information to the person on the highway. To quote, “Why is that? Intelligent people want to know.” The reason is that no one appears to care. This is a liberal state controlled by a liberal legislature and a liberal governor. I would like to remind you readers that it wasn’t too many years ago that we threw Gray Davis out of office for, amongst other things, his runaway budget of a mere $93 billion dollars. All of the budgets, of all of the states I drove through, added together don’t top $20 billion dollars! For all the money we give the state we have the right to expect at least good roads and clean toilets

Finally, roadside trash. Have you noticed the abundance of it along our roadways? Not so in other states. Do they simply clean more often or do they have less trash? Or, here’s a thought, maybe they have more respect for their environment than we do here. Our environmentalists talk the talk but take no responsibility for the results. Also, I did not see one purple spiked haired kid all across the mid-west. All the Hispanics spoke excellent English. There were no chains around the neck and very few pierced body parts. All were respectful and could kid and fool and make change and carry on a conversation. It kind of makes you wonder what our Democrat controlled legislature does with all that money.

Right Simply Because It’s Right - Part II

Recycling

Most would identify recycling with the left side of the continuum. Not so. It is neither left or right, conservative or liberal. It is simply the right thing to do, it is simply common sense. We as a people do in fact, have a very large waste issue. It is not as large as some would have us think, but it is large enough to support a thriving industry, if the powers that be would just get out of the way.

As I see it, there is nothing that we use today that could not be recycled. Let’s start with the house we live in. It is made of concrete, wood, tin, wire, steel, porcelain, glass, other man made products and plastic. Concrete can be ground up and used for a variety of products. So can the wood. Steel and tin can be melted down and remanufactured. Wire can be stripped and the copper re-used, the wire insulation, mostly plastic, goes into the plastic category. Glass, porcelain and cultured marble get ground up and used for abrasives, if nothing else. Insulation causes the most difficulty, but even it can, theoretically, be washed and reused as insulation. Even the roofing. mostly tar, could be used as, well, re-manufactured roofing.

The automobile is no different, steel, wire, fabric, glass, synthetic rubber and plastic. Household waste, mostly the same products as above can be similarly recycled. Former unregulated dumpsites as well as the new highly regulated sites produce methane gas that is a source to be tapped as a source of energy. I’m not a scientist so I can’t say for sure that it pollutes more or less than fossil fuels. What I do know is that it is escaping into the atmosphere anyway and it seems only logical to get some use of it while on its way.

Finally, the very sensitive subject of the use of human waste. For centuries we have been using animal waste as fertilizer for our farm produce and while I am not suggesting that we do the same with human waste, I am reminded that in the Eastern part of the world and in the Orient the same was used to grow rice under the name of “night soil”. Years ago I had the opportunity to discuss the purity of human waste water returned to the creeks after processing as well as the use of solid waste processed at a local sanitation plant. The answers I received did not surprised me. The wastewater returned to the creeks was 98% pure and cleaner than standard drinking water. The solid waste after treatment was free of dangerous biohazards and used in the landscaping of some of our road projects.

So the question is, if my logic is correct and this is all possible and would help with our energy difficulties, relieve the pressure of the waste problem and promote new businesses, then why are we not full throttle into it? I suggest several possible answers; government interference, environmental organizational interference, over-regulation from both of the above and the failure of recycling programs in the past, again because of the above. In my opinion neither the government nor the so-called environmentalists have ever solved a problem. Rather they have both stood in the way of solutions by the entrepreneurial spirit of this great nation. It is time for us to stand up to both and reinstate common sense to the solutions of the issues of our time. It’s right simply because it’s right.

Showing Signs of Weakness

Remember when you were a kid, in your formative years, in grade school right on up through high school? Who was it that the bullies, be they male or female, always picked on? It was never the strong guys or girls, it was always the weaker ones or the ones that appeared weaker. Showing signs of weakness seemed an open invitation to the bullies to engage you for their pleasure at your expense. Those who appeared strong and gave the impression that they would stand up never seemed to have difficulties with bullies. It is human nature to force your will, if you are so inclined, on those who are easy targets.

I remember while on the basketball team in high school, I was 6’3” and 180 and my nemesis 6’4” 210. Generally he pushed me all over the court and was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. The day came that he pushed my button and the fight was almost on until the coach jumped in between us, and saved me from my inevitable ruin. The point is not that he would have won the altercation; frankly he would have mopped the floor with me. The point is he learned that I was willing to defend myself. He was not a bully, just a big guy wanting his way. Afterwards we did not become friends, but we did have a different, mutual respect. Sometimes in life you have to risk personal safety to protect your personal space. We have all grown up, but the rules haven’t changed, there are still bullies in the world and what is at stake now is our very way of life.

Showing weakness to our enemies is the surest way to invite them to push further and further and further, until we stop and push them back. When I drive around town I see a variety of bumper stickers; Mothers for Peace, Grandmothers for Peace, Support World Peace, and many others in the same vain. My question would be at what cost? The present enemy has publicly stated that it is their intent to take over our country and convert, subjugate or kill us all. Any sign of weakness enables their cause. One of their methods of operation is to talk and gain concessions, bit by bit, until they are in a position of strength and we are weak. At that point their law becomes our law and we become theirs. There is no doubting this strategy. It is in play all over Europe and the Middle East. It is in play here in this country. We have faced bullies before; Hitler, Stalin, Khrushchev and more recently Sadam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. All engaged us because they thought that we were weak because we created that impression.

In some cultures politeness is seen as a sign of weakness. Particularly in gang cultures here in the United States where strength is all that is respected. They never attack people straight up; it is always via drive- bys or in groups and never anyone who appears to be able to defend himself. Pacifism never begot anything but more oppression. So, we must look at the signals we are currently sending to our enemies. We are unwilling to stay the course. We will play by their rules, i.e. no bombing of mosques, even though they are armed, and absolutely no collateral loss of life. No aggressive interrogation of enemy combatants even though it is all right for the enemy to murder captured members of our armed forces. Yeah, that’s in the Geneva Convention. These and more are all signals of defeat and only encourage the enemy to hold out until the Americans go home. We are showing our enemy nothing but signs of weakness and as long as we do he will exploit them.

It is time we change our approach, not only to our enemy abroad but here at home. It is time to change the rules of engagement in the war. It is time to shut the borders and Mexico and Canada can snivel and whine all they want. It is time to allow our police here at home to do their jobs where gangs and organized crime are involved. It is time to put an end to this politically correct nonsense, junk science, environmental fanaticism, et al, and get down to the real business of National security and preserving our way of life.

Right Simply Because It’s Right

Everyday I hear things that make me wonder what we, as Americans, hold dear. It seems that most of the time there isn’t a nickel's worth of difference between the way Republicans act and the actions taken by the Democrats. One party would take everything away from us and the other would give everything that is ours away. And, there isn’t any consistency as to which party is which. I happen to be a pro-choice Republican. Not that I think abortion is right, I don’t, but I believe in the sanctity of a person's body and the decision making process belongs to the individual. I must answer to my God for my actions, not yours. That is your responsibility. Pregnancy occurs in this day only for four reasons; force, stupidity, want or God's will. In only force or mother’s health, do I support abortion as a solution. Society offers too many alternatives. Still, it remains the woman’s right to choose her course of action. Some things are right simply because they are right.

I am also very pro 2nd Amendment. I believe, as did the founders, that it is my right to defend my family and myself if necessary from my enemies and my government. The founders felt the same way. (Am I smart or what?) An individual's right to self-defense is not to be tampered with in any fashion. Some things are right simply because they are right.

The same truth can be applied to our border situation. Closing it to unwanted or undocumented is right simply because it’s right. No country with an open border policy ever held its sovereignty for long. Furthermore, dangerous people are coming across our borders by the hordes and the current administration is doing nothing about it but talk. But alas, both sides of the isle are leery of touching such a hot button issue for fear of offending someone. I can only surmise that popularity in the polls and desire to win their next election, trumps doing what is good and right for our country. Just once I would like to hear a politician of either party stand and support the closing of the border because it is the right thing to do and if Canada and Mexico are offended, oh well. Maybe they should control their people and offer them a reason to stay in their own country. How long would you put up with me if I moved into your house, spread my political rhetoric, religion and ill will about your property? How long would you put up with me if I complained about the way you treated me, if I demanded that you share your income with me, give health care to me and my extended family, educate me, cloth me and tolerate the way in which I attack the standard of living you provide for me. If you would do that for me or anyone else, then open the door, here I come.

Recently I spoke with some southern California Republicans about supporting the idea of a resolution demanding that our leaders close the border. Most did not return my calls, a few wanted to see the Resolution and a couple wanted nothing to do with it. The reasons given were without a doubt the lamest I have heard in a while. "Closing the border at this time will hurt business in my county. We hire a lot of Hispanics to fill our labor force. Such a resolution would offend our Hispanic workers", and the most absurd of all, "we are trying to build the Republican Party here in this county and that Resolution would hurt our efforts." Where did love and loyalty to country go? What happened to intestinal fortitude? Spine? Backbone? Grit? If this had been the attitude during the Second World War, we currently would be speaking a different tongue. Oh, excuse me, we already provide for that.

Close the Border Now. Demand this of your politicians. Join others who love this country, across party lines. Write letters, insist on a response, and insist on action. It is our country. We are the people. Make this an issue and hold feet to the fire. Let’s take back this country. Let me know what you think while you still have free speech.