Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 28, 2011

13

LEFT TURN/RIGHT TURN

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 28, 2011 

HOWARD Hays As I See It

GREG Welborn

“Congress “http://www.
washingtonpost.com/business/
economy/dire-warnings-
on-debt-limit-hark-
back-to-reagan/2011/05/14/
AF0PJp3G_story.html” consistently 
brings the government 
to the edge of default 
before facing its responsibility. 
This brinksmanship 
threatens the holders of government 
bonds and those 
who rely on Social Security and veterans benefits. 
Interest rates would skyrocket, instability would 
occur in financial markets, and the Federal deficit 
would soar.” - Ronald Reagan on raising the debt 
ceiling, 1987

Congress is at it again. Treasury Secretary Tim 
Geithner came up with a temporary fix last week, 
where bills would be paid by borrowing against 
the pension funds of federal employees. (You remember 
pensions - where funds are contributed 
for a secure retirement, rather than to subsidize 
Wall Street gamblers.)

This should work until August 2; then there’ll be 
no more pension funds to borrow against. When 
that happens, the reality might sink in that this involves 
more than shutting down public radio and 
Planned Parenthood; this is not about expanding 
government, but of paying debts we’ve already incurred. 
There’s the threat to Social Security and 
veterans’ benefits mentioned by President Reagan, 
as well as payments to Medicare providers, Medicaid 
help for states, and “skyrocketing” interest 
on credit cards, car payments and mortgage loans, 

The “full faith and credit” of the United States 
would be sacrificed in an effort to make President 
Obama look bad for 2012, and to further the concentration 
of wealth accelerated under President 
Bush. Intentions become apparent when you look 
at those targeted - seniors, veterans, middle-class 
consumers - while Republicans vehemently protect 
Bush’s billionaire tax cuts, and those billions 
in taxpayer subsidies for the oil companies that 
reported $35 billion in profits for the first quarter. 

Long-term goals of the corporatocracy have 
been advanced by union-busters taking over 
statehouses, a Supreme Court writing its own update 
of our Constitution, and a Senate minority 
insisting things go its way or no way at all. The 
only thing standing in the way is the fact people 
are becoming wise to it.

Lawmakers face increasing hostility from constituents 
demanding to know how Republicans 
can back a Medicare plan where seniors face an 
additional $500 a month out-of-pocket, while defending 
a 15% tax rate for hedge fund managers 
making that much an hour. They want to know 
how Congressional Republicans like Joe Walsh 
(IL), Tom McClintock (CA), Dan Webster (FL) 
and Jamie Beutler (WA) can tell voters back home 
they oppose oil industry subsidies right after having 
voted to maintain them. They want to know 
what they might have done in a past life to deserve 
Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ), who denies in front of 
them that oil industry subsidies exist at all.

There’s a threat posed by people knowing too 
much, or at least of developing the research skills 
necessary to find out what’s happening. That 
might explain Republicans’ focus on favorite targets: 
education and, more specifically, teachers.

Two weeks ago, John and Ken on KFI spent days 
railing against teachers who, they claim, “make 
over $100,000 a year - more than a lawyer!” (the 
statewide average in 2010 was $68,000). Hector 
Tobar in The L.A. Times wrote about L.A. Unified 
doing away with 85 teacher-librarian positions. 
Author Andrew Sorkin noted on HBO’s Bill Maher 
show that American companies are now going 
overseas not just for cheap factory labor and call 
centers, but for doctors, scientists, engineers and 
computer technicians - talent our educational system 
no longer adequately produces here at home.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the 
LEARN Act to promote literacy, noting that only 
42% of eighth graders are proficient in reading. At 
the same time, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) introduced 
legislation to slash 43 federal education 
programs, including Teaching American History, 
Excellence in Economic Education and Reading 
Is Fundamental.

Bill Allen, former Editor-In-Chief of National 
Geographic, hurled a particularly stinging insult 
our way when he accused California of trying to 
“out-dumb Texas” in our schools. Texas has long 
been a laughing-stock for insisting its schools 
downplay our Founding Fathers’ separation of 
church and state, explain that Sen. Joe McCarthy 
wasn’t such a bad guy, rename the “slave trade” 
as the “Atlantic triangular trade”, and teach “creationism” 
alongside science in biology class.

The target of Allen’s jibe was just down the freeway 
at the Los Alamitos Unified school board. 
With a planned advanced placement course in 
environmental science to be offered this fall, 
board member Jeff Barke complained he’s “not 
a big fan of global warming” and feared teachers 
would “impose their liberal views” - presumably 
by teaching only science in a science class. 
Henceforth, teachers will have to assure the board 
they’re presenting the “opposing view” of “controversial” 
subjects. (A blogger asked if teachers 
would also be required to present the “opposing 
view” on such topics as the moon landing and the 
Holocaust.)

In the field of economics, such an “opposing 
view” might come from the halls of Florida State 
University. As reported in the St. Petersburg 
Times, the billionaire Koch brothers, funders of 
Gov. Scott Walker’s assault on public workers in 
Wisconsin, gave millions to FSU’s economics program, 
but with strings attached: Koch would have 
to approve professors, curricula and materials 
used in the program, have the right to review the 
work of the economics faculty and could terminate 
those exercising unacceptable independence. 
In 2009, 60% of FSU’s recommendations to fill 
slots in the program were rejected by Koch.

Other Koch-financed academic programs include 
those at George Mason University, where 
the Bush anti-regulatory policies were developed; 
West Virginia University, where an economics 
professor argues that mining regulations make 
coal miners less safe; and Brown University, which 
produced a study showing how banking de-regulation 
helped the poor.

It’s no wonder why so many today show less understanding 
of economic realities than that shown 
by President Reagan 24 years ago, and why some 
would rather we stay uneducated. Now would be 
an especially good time for Rep. Hunter to reconsider 
his efforts to gut federal support for our 
schools - and in particular that program, “Excellence 
in Economic Education”.


Smart Money & The GOP Agenda

There are those who want to revisit the 2010 
election and pretend that the results were not what 
they were. Those wishful dreamers are pointing 
to the Democrat’s win in Tuesday’s special Congressional 
election as proof that 2010 was a spasm 
and that voters really don’t want to unwind all the 
delicious spending that Obama and Congressional 
Democrats unleashed upon the land last year. 
The smart money now says that Obama, Congressional 
Democrats and Obamacare are cruising to 
election redemption in 2012. The problem is that 
the “smart” money is usually pretty dumb.

New York’s 26th Congressional District has 
been solidly in Republican hands for 50+ years, 
and the district voted for decisively for George 
W. Bush and John McCain, so to see a Democrat 
take the seat is pretty big news. Lending some 
credence to the claim and promise of electoral 
redemption is the fact that the Democrat in this 
race made the Republican’s support of Medicare 
reform a central issue. 

The Democrat won the race with 47% of the 
vote. This is a plurality, not a majority, and the 
difference is significant. The third party candidate 
ran as a Tea Partier (ie: on a platform of fiscal 
restraint and limited government) and took 
9% of the vote. Together with the Republican’s 
43%, the vote against the Democrat was 52%. It’s 
more likely that this election was decided by the 
siphoning of votes by the third party candidate 
than by the Democrat’s Medicare argument. 

In fact, several post-election surveys show that 
more than 55% of the electorate agrees with the 
basic GOP argument of fiscal restraint and Medicare 
reforms, while only 36% agree with the Democrat’s 
spend-at-full-speed approach. Nationally, 
the numbers are even more convincing where a 
huge majority of Americans across the spectrum 
say that their primary concern is the out of control 
pace of spending in Washington and the resulting 
national debt. We remain a basically conservative 
nation whose citizens are appalled by the fiscal insanity 
which has ruled Washington politics.

The 2010 election was as clear and concise a 
message as politicians are ever going to receive. 
Americans want fiscal sanity restored. They are 
tired of the red ink, and they will not stand by and 
watch their children’s and grandchildren’s futures 
be leveraged to the point of national bankruptcy. 
What’s more, they are tired of the arrogance 
which allowed the Democratic administration 
and Congress to push Obamacare forward over 
the massive complaints of the citizenry. How 
quickly the bloodbath of 2010’s Congressional 
elections have been forgotten.

The bigger message still remains. Conservatives 
have the winning argument. They just need 
to find their confidence and their voice. Thus, it is 
heartwarming to hear Speaker of the House John 
Boehner tell the Economic 
Club of New York that 
“the big myth of the current 
budget debate is the 
notion that in order to balance 
the budget, we have 
to raise taxes. The truth is 
we will never balance the 
budget and rid our children of debt unless we cut 
spending and have real economic growth. And 
we will never have real economic growth if we 
raise taxes on those in America who create jobs.”

2010 was a great beginning to the monumental 
task of taming the federal beast. Speaker 
Boehner’s endorsement and support of the Ryan 
Medicare reform bill showed that the Republican 
leadership is willing to listen to those conservative 
and independent voices which gave so much 
energy to the Tea Party movement and caused 
2010 to be the political earthquake that it was. 
And Boehner’s speech to the New York Economic 
Club demonstrates that he’s not throwing in the 
towel just because the going is getting tough.

2012 will be another significant and brutal election. 
There is absolutely no evidence in sight that 
Liberal forces, which want to increase the size, 
power and reach of the government, have learned 
the lesson of 2010 or that they are even taking it 
seriously. We can count on them to be emboldened 
by the false reading of Tuesday’s New York 
election and to redouble their rhetoric about the 
mean, uncaring Republicans who simply want to 
fix a system which is broken before it takes down 
other aspects of the country. Conservatives will 
have to stand tall in this debate and weather the 
full frontal assault they will face. Conservatives 
will have to draw strength from the basic morality 
of their key arguments: promising people 
what cannot be delivered is wrong, placing key 
medical decisions in the hands of 15 unelected 
members of a national medical board is wrong, 
restoring financial soundness to Medicare, Social 
Security and the rest of the federal government 
is right, as is returning control to the American 
people.

2010 has not been repudiated. In so many 
ways the battle to return America to her founding 
principles is gaining strength and urgency. The 
next 18 months are going to show just how out of 
touch the smart money can be in trying to understand 
the American people.

About the author: Gregory J. Welborn is a freelance 
writer and has spoken to several civic and religious 
organizations on cultural and moral issues. 
He lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 
3 children and is active in the community. He can 
be reached at mailto:gregwelborn@earthlink.net.


A BARKING GOOD TIME FOR 
A GREAT CAUSE

Photos and Story By: Chris Leclerc

The American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life of 
Arcadia event, held last Sunday in Eisenhower 
Park turned out to be quite a success. 

It was the first annual Bark for Life event to 
be held in Arcadia, so the total turnout of 
100+ human and canine participants was a 
welcomed beginning for what is hoped to 
become a long-term on-going annual event. 

Eager participants were cordially greeted at 
the gate by Bark For Life of Arcadia event 
chairman Carter Spruill, event coordinator 
Sherrie Powell-Russo and several young 
volunteers from Arcadia High School’s 
“Affinity for Animals” Community Service 
Club. Event activities were officially kicked off 
with an opening ceremony hosted by event 
staff, followed by a brief presentation from 
Marianne Cortland of Lending A Paw Therapy 
Dogs. By the time the start whistle blew, the 
huge crowd of enthusiastic participants were 
more ready to roll! 

Following the relay walk, canine agility games, 
contests, and a raffle were enjoyed by all. It 
was quite a festive day! Sincere thanks to all 
who participated! We hope to see you at our 
next up-coming Relay for Life event to be held 
on June 4th in Recreation Park in Monrovia. 


Due to the high demand for her tutoring and education services, bookstore 
owner, Sally Morrison, is opening a new learning center here in Sierra Madre. 
Mindspring Education Center will cater to students (children and adults) 
interested in furthering their reading, writing, math, spelling, and 
comprehension skills. In addition, Sally offers assistance in study skills, 
homework, and test preparation. She also specializes in helping students 
with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Those interested in summer 
sessions should contact Mindspring soon because space is limited.
As a result of this business expansion, Sally Morrison and Jeffrey Ingwalson, 
owners of Sierra Madre Books, will be closing the bookstore in June 2011. 
“We appreciate all the support we’ve received from our customers over the 
past few years, but are excited about our new venture. We look forward to 
continuing to be part of this community.”
For questions about Mindspring Education Center, please call (626) 355-1972.
For questions about Sierra Madre Books, please call (626) 836-3200.
Announcing:
The Opening of...
Mindspring Education CenterOne-to-One Instruction for All Ages37 Auburn Ave., Suite 7ASierra Madre, CA 91024(626) 355-1972www.mindspringEDC.com
Top: participants prepare for the race. 
Above: Charlee, the official dog of the Mountain 
Views News with contributor Chris LeClerc