Worth re-reading is the
OC Register's editorial on the 4th District race from March 22, 2010 titled
"Editorial: Fourth District supervisor race draws six". Here is a sampling to wet you whistle.
"Two members of the Anaheim City Council, Harry Sidhu and Lorri Galloway, have filed their intentions to run. Mr. Sidhu said he is running to "alleviate some of burdensome regulations in the county" in an effort to help create "more makers and less takers."
Ms. Galloway says in a video on her Web site that she wants to focus on jobs and the economy, though an example she gives as a job generator is high-speed rail, a tax-funded, big-government boondoggle."
The editorial closes out with this:
"The Register's Editorial Board plans to talk more with the candidates for supervisor in the coming weeks, assessing their positions and competence for the nonpartisan job. At the very least, the next supervisor must be a staunch advocate for property rights and opposing eminent domain, for reducing the size of county government, and, most importantly, for hard-nosed pension reform."
For those who missed it, the
OC Register said that
"At the very least, the next supervisor must be a staunch advocate for property rights and opposing eminent domain, for reducing the size of county government, and, most importantly, for hard-nosed pension reform." It is clear who that person will be, Shawn Nelson. He is the only candidate who meets ALL of the Register's requirements. June 8th is fast approaching and I smell victory!
My Grandma - A Eulogy
LET'S TALK ABOUT 1914 FOR A MOMENT.
FOR STARTERS, GRANDMA WAS BORN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1914 IN HER FAMILY'S ATWOOD RANCH HOUSE.
IT IS WORTH NOTING THOSE ALSO BORN IN 1914:
JACK LALANNE
JOE DIMAGGIO
DANNY THOMAS
AND WHO DIED IN 1914:
JOHN MUIR, THE FAMOUS NATURALIST FOR WHICH NUMEROUS ROADS, PARKS, HOTELS, AND NATURE RESERVES ARE NAMED.
IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT IN 1914 WOODROW WILSON SIGNS MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION AND BABE RUTH MAKES HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT WITH THE RED SOX. MOTHER'S DAY AND BASEBALL- TWO OF MY FAVORITES!! (PERHAPS HER NICKNAME "BABE" CAME FROM BABE RUTH???)
GRANDMA WAS BORN INTO A PERIOD OF TIME FILLED WITH TURMOIL. IN JUNE OF 1914 ARCHDUKE FRANZS FERDINAND WAS ASSASSINATED. WITHIN ONE MONTH WORLD WAR I RAGED ACROSS EUROPE. TWO DAYS AFTER HER BIRTH HOWEVER, GERMAN AND BRITISH TROOPS INTERRUPTED WWI TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. (PERHAPS THEY PAUSE KNOWING THAT A GREAT WOMAN WAS BORNE) WORLD WAR I CONTINUED UNTIL THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IN 1919.
ALTHOUGH SHE WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, SHE SAW THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS CREATED AND THE 19TH AMENDMENT WAS APPROVED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS GUARANTEEING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN TO VOTE.
SHE LIVED THROUGH MANY NOTABLE EVENTS. LIKE THE 1933 LONG BEACH EARTHQUAKE OR WHEN ATWOOD FLOODED ALONG WITH MOST OF ORANGE COUNTY IN 1938 AND THE FLOOD-WATERS CLAIMED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE, 43 OF WHICH WERE FROM ATWOOD! ALL OF THIS DURING A TIME THAT WE READ ABOUT IN SCHOOL AND KNOWN AS "THE GREAT DEPRESSION". SOMEWHERE IN ALL OF THAT SHE FOUND THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, GRANDPA LEO, GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, GOT MARRIED, AND HAD KIDS!
THEN THERE WAS WORLD WAR II. FROM PEARL HARBOR TO HIROSHIMA, GRANDMA WAS RAISING MY UNCLE BOB AND MOM ARLINE. WITH AIR-RAID SIRENS AND BLACKOUTS SHE WAS A WIFE AND MOTHER. WHAT A TIME TO RAISE CHILDREN! I BET GRANDMA'S PARENTS WERE ABEL TO TELL HER A THING OR TWO ABOUT RAISING KIDS IN WARTIME.
GRANDMA WAS THERE WHEN THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HELD THEIR 3RD ANNUAL NATIONAL JAMBOREE IN 1953. SHE SAW AIRBASES OPEN IN '42 AND CLOSE IN '99. SHE WATCHED WALTER KNOTT START UP HIS BERRY FARM AND WALT DISNEY TURN ORANGE GROVES AND STRAWBERRY PATCHES INTO DISNEYLAND!
SHE SAW THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE FADE AWAY INTO HISTORY AND SPACE TRAVEL EXPLODE BEFORE HER WITH THE FIRST LUNAR LANDING. JUST IMAGINE HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS. FROM TUBE RECTIFIERS TO SUPERCONDUCTORS; FROM TRANS-ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLES TO SATELLITE TV.
SHE SAW MORE IN HER 93 YEARS THAN MOST OF US WILL EVER READ ABOUT, LET ALONE LIVE THROUGH!
OF THOSE 93 YEARS IT IS MY HONOR TO HAVE BEEN HER GRANDSON FOR 35 OF THEM. SHE WAS MY MOTHER WHEN MOM HAD TO WORK. SHE WIPED MY NOSE AND PUT FOOD IN MY MOUTH. SHE LET ME PLAY WITH GRANDPA EVEN THOUGH SHE NEEDED HIM TO TAKE HER TO THE STORE. SHE WAS MY GRANDMA AND I WILL MISS HER IMMENSELY.
JUST LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM; SHE DID THIS. SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE INTO THIS WORLD AND TOGETHER TODAY. THIS IS HER LEGACY.
A Dedication To My Loving Wife, Stacey. Thank you for all you do for me!
Brad Paisley - I Thought I Loved You Then
I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
3 weeks later in the front porch light taking 45 min to kiss you goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet but I thought I loved you then
Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.
I remember taking you back to right where I first met you
You were so surprised
There were people around
But I didn’t care I got down on one knee right there
And once again I thought I loved you then
Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.
I can just see you with a baby on the way
I can just see you when your hair is turning gray
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before.
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Well look back some day at this moment that we’re in
And I'll look at you and say I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then...
For those who missed it, the OC Register said that "At the very least, the next supervisor must be a staunch advocate for property rights and opposing eminent domain, for reducing the size of county government, and, most importantly, for hard-nosed pension reform." It is clear who that person will be, Shawn Nelson. He is the only candidate who meets ALL of the Register's requirements. June 8th is fast approaching and I smell victory!
How does Shawn Nelson feel about oil rigs off the coast of O.C.? Is this something that the county should not waste money learning more about?
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to small government, how do you Greg feel about states going it alone in the Gulf of Mexico with BP? How many states will eventually be involved in litigation as the plume of oil moves up the current on the Atlantic Coast?
As a Libertarian that sucks at answering these questions for our party, I ask how you feel about this?
Who should regulate such international corporations? How much time and energy should be spent to ensure that your beaches aren't fowled like Santa Barbara in 1969, Prince Williams Sound in Alaska in 1989 or the current crises in the Gulf of Mexico?
Last night on CNN, Ted Nugent said the parties involved in the BP oil spill that is destroying the livelihoods' of so many Americans and the destruction of the planet should be prosecuted and jailed. If there are no government watchdogs to enforce, prosecute and hold these international corporations accountable, what will become of this country and the rest of the world? Is this just up to the federal government or something that local jurisdictions should be involved with? Can even a county as wealthy as O.C. possibly afford to police and regulate international corporations that don't care about the livelihood of local business persons?
Nuclear energy, GM crops and water issues are just a few more topics that Libertarians don't seem to have adequate answers for. Communism, libertarians and their ideas only work in small groups. When the world is involved neither philosophy stands up to the test of we the people.
Republican strategist Grover Norquist said "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."
This would allow people like Exxon, BP, Monsanto, Wal-Mart, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Halliburton, Enron, Kraft Foods, Koch Industries, Blue Cross, and others to call the shots.
I am rethinking my values as a libertarian and will be changing my party affiliation before the November elections. I no longer feel compelled to hand more power to those that are more interested in quarterly profits than a healthy populace and country. Although the Supreme Court says these corporations are the same as you and I, I disagree. They can't be sentenced to the death penalty for their crimes and they can't have children. They don't die and they don't have any moral obligations. These are not the the attributes of good neighbors.
Please rethink your ideas about government and stay involved to move positive ideas forward. By being involved you can help your local representatives properly represent your views and values. You are half way there but seem to be lacking in perspective when faced with the big picture.
Greg, I give you a hard time but that's because you are my favorite brother. You are almost a Jedi, but until I die like Yoda, you still have not finished your training.
ReplyDeleteYou do a lot of research and won't accept bull sh*t for answers. Good on you.
Sometimes I think that you would be better at what I do than I am and vise versa.
I dig maps and hydrology. I can even do math. Try substituting the decimal system for a clock that has 36 hundred seconds in a one hour unit, and back timing. It's like inches to centimeters but backwards.
Your blog has been expanding and doing what blogs are supposed to do. Keep it up and thanks for not blocking me.
We disagree on many things, I think because you are in the middle of one of the most conservative areas in the country that is part of the second largest metro area of broadcasting influence. A lot of money gets spent influencing you and your neighbors. Those with the most money have the most influence and get their message across to the most people. You are being programmed to think different than I am. Where I live, I am the programmer. If I think the guys on the radio are idiots, I can fire them and replace them with something better.
Don't give up, you are smarter than they are.
The Big Picture.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the Big Picture?
Is it whether or not the Humboldt County Sheriff enforces the rights of medical marijuana users? Is the Big Picture whether or not two men can be married? Is the Big Picture the right of the State to spend limitless amounts of money in the name of education? Perhaps the Big Picture is the experience of a religious epiphany. Perhaps the Big Picture is retirement.
For me, the Big Picture are those three children sleeping in our home and my wife beside me. That is it, nothing more.
ReplyDeleteIt is my opinion that county government should not exceed its grasp into international waters. It is also my opinion that the federal government in its current state has failed itself, us.
If the oil rig was owned by Venezuela, would you feel that the U.S. would be justified in bombing them? Of course not, but how could the U.S. government regulate the activities of another country in international waters? In this case, the U.S. counties on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico have some recourse, albeit a lengthy legal process.
I always thought the term "corporate greed” was ironic since the soul purpose of a corporation is to profit. Is profit, in and of it self bad? I think not, less the contrary be shown. Each state has the right to regulate those corporations which operate within the state. Blue Cross is regulated and when they deny my claim, like they just did, I appeal once to the company. If a suitable remedy is not reached, I appeal with the Ca. Dept. of Managed Healthcare. I appealed and won in the past and am confident I will win again. My point is that the states have all the authority they need to regulate the business practices within their jurisdiction. If we think those companies are not being well regulated in that their business is harming the citizens of the state, then we have to fix the system within the state. The county, at least in California, is the local administration for the state. As Bill Hunt said, this June we begin taking back California one county at a time. And, thanks to the internet, we will.
Who is in the local media are you talking about? Certainly not the papers or local television. Perhaps radio? All of the right wing folks are syndicated from the East Coast as far as I know. So, there is only a tiny minority of local radio that is what it think somewhat conservative. I tend to listen to KFI because I can pick up the signal from anywhere in So Cal. Of those on their weekday programming you have Bill Handel who is liberal on a lot of issues and conservative on very few. Then you Rush from Flori-Duh..nuff said. At noon Bill Carol comes on for two hours and rants about local L.A. stuff which being from Canada makes or some interesting pronunciations. Then at 2pm to 7pm you get the John and Ken Show. I agree with them on most things but not all. Strangely, they have some outrageous ratings if their rants are that far off the mark. They tend to have a libertarian philosophy. Then at 7pm we are blessed with Tim Conway, Jr. He is funny but I don't listen too often. Last we find Coast to Coast...Nuff said there.
I've tried spinning the dial to find CBS, ABC, and PBR but haven't had success with their respective signals.
ReplyDeleteSo, what's a person to do? How about reading several papers, news sources, and blogs? That's a good start for researching. Next is to talk to the people involved, watch the council and board meetings, and get involved.
You hit the nail square that there is a lot of money being spent to get a message out. Unfortunately, public employee unions are the ones who are spending the lion's share to get union-sympathizers elected. For a long time, 10, 20 years maybe, corporations have been aloud to contribute unlimited fund to PACs which could in turn spend whatever on campaigns to lift or squash an idea or person. But I do agree that corporations should not be afforded rights based on human rights, the Bill of Rights, or any other system which is comparable to those of the People. Otherwise, corporations can squash the rights of the People. Perhaps we have seen that a few times.
I am a member of the California Teachers Association and not by my own choice. I tried to opt out but the fee to opt out is the same as the fee to join. So I am in, though I disagree on nearly every issue they hold near and dear. I have watched from the inside the way we throw good money after bad and claim that it will somehow benefit the children. I believe that the Dept. of Ed. spends several million tax dollars on programs that are duplicated through other institutions. Unfortunately, that's normal.
Before term limits we kept track of the nut jobs in the State Assembly- they were our elected representatives. Now they office hop when they get termed out, often being appointed to a board or commission that is really just a miniature fiefdom of special interest expenditures, usually in the name of the children, or the disabled, or the agriculture industry, or the plastics industry, or any one of a hundred topics. In order to change the Sacramento mentality we need to get our local governments functioning a little better. We need to elect people who actually believe that they are there to be the voice of their constituents, not the public employee unions. Then we can begin working on our state with a little more force.
I believe in Shawn Nelson's ability to do what is right for OC's 4th District. If he fails to meet my expectations, he'll hear about it.
I have lost faith in the Fullerton City Council members. I think they all believe they are doing what is best however misguided their votes are. This November we will see a big shake up at City Hall. With Nelson likely moving up to the OC BOS we will have 3 open seats. You never know who you'll get in a situation like this but I'm sure the outcome will be good for the city.
Thanks for the comments. Please spread the word and keep them coming.