Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 27, 2014

B4

OPINION

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 27, 2014 


Mountain 
Views

News

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

CITY EDITOR

Dean Lee 

EAST VALLEY EDITOR

Joan Schmidt

BUSINESS EDITOR

LaQuetta Shamblee

PRODUCTION

Richard Garcia

SALES

Patricia Colonello

626-355-2737 

626-818-2698

WEBMASTER

John Aveny 

CONTRIBUTORS

CoCo Lasalle

Chris Leclerc

Bob Eklund

Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Dr. Tina Paul

Rich Johnson

Merri Jill Finstrom

Lori Koop

Rev. James Snyder

Tina Paul

Mary Carney

Katie Hopkins

Deanne Davis

Despina Arouzman

Greg Welborn

Renee Quenell

Ben Show

Sean Kayden

Marc Garlett

RICH Johnson

Laws and Other 

Acts of Government

The Thing I Miss Most 

About Summer

 
Sierra Madre Government: Can I make a suggestion? Change 
the 2 hour parking restriction to a 3 hour parking restriction. 
I have a reason. And I am willing to compromise. If you won�t 
change from 2 to 3 hours on the street parking certainly change 
the restriction in the parking lots. 

 First, I get the need for a restriction. If we offered all day 
parking on the street, the employees of all the shops on Sierra 
Madre Blvd would park there. Not good for business. As it is 
now, there are a number of spaces in the back parking areas that 
one can park all day. And those are, rightfully so, mostly populated by the employees 
of the shops. 

 Why do I think we should add an hour to the parking restriction? Thanks for asking. 
I will tell you. I was sitting at an outside table of one of our local eateries when I 
overheard one half of a phone conversation. This woman on the phone was headed into 
one of the six hundred hair salons in downtown. She was negotiating a post salon lunch 
with the person on the other end of the phone. I overheard her say (approximately), �I 
would love to have lunch with you here in Sierra Madre but I don�t want to have to 
move my car. Why don�t you meet me at (some Pasadena restaurant).� Because of the 
2 hour restriction we, the city, and the local restaurant lost both business and revenue. 
Add one hour to the restriction and we could add more business. Sounds like a good 
idea to me.

 All local, county and state decision makers turn legislation into law. And many of 
those laws can be�well I�ll just share some of California�s more colorful ordinances 
with you:

In Pasadena it is illegal for a secretary to be alone in a room with her boss.

 In LA County you may only throw a Frisbee at the beach with a lifeguard�s permission.

It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the 
target is a whale.

 Everyone knows in Arcadia peacocks have the right of way to cross any street, 
including driveways.

 In Belvedere, CA, the law reads: �No dog shall be in a public place without its master 
on a leash.�

 In fashion conscious Carmel a man cannot go outside wearing a jacket and pants 
that do not match.

 Detonating a nuclear device within Chico city limits may result in a $500 fine.

 No one may annoy a lizard in a Fresno city park.

 It is expressly illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Blvd. 
at one time.

 Don�t try bathing two babies in the same tub at the same time in Los Angeles. Its 
illegal.

 It�s illegal to cry on the witness stand in Los Angeles.

 Toads may not be licked.

 In San Francisco it is illegal to wipe one�s car with used underwear.

 Also, in San Francisco, persons classified as �ugly� may not walk down any street.

 In Walnut, kites may not be flown above 10 feet over the ground.

 If a guy wants to dress as a female in Walnut you need a special permit from the 
sheriff.

 Thanks to the folks at dumblaws.com for their wealth of information on the law. I 
am serious about switching the restriction from 2 to 3 hours. It adds a time cushion for 
visitors to downtown to visit more than one shop. Thanks for your consideration.

By Dr. James L. Snyder

Summer is over and winter is beginning to give us her cold shoulder. The only 
way I can really handle winter is the hope of summer coming again in all her 
warm embraces. I can only take the shivers for so long.

 In our home, there is a divide over the subject. The Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage lives for winter and I live for summer. How two people who can be 
so opposite and still live together harmoniously is one of the mysteries of matrimonial bliss. I endure her 
complaining about how hot it is during the summer and she somehow endures my shivering throughout 
the winter. And boy, do I shiver.

 I am not so sure what it is about winter that is so fascinating for her. Maybe it is because she gets to wear 
more clothing than she can during the summer. Or, maybe she just likes the cold. That is not exactly true 
because once I gave her a cold shoulder and I have been paying for that ever since. She does have that cold 
stare when I am in trouble, but that comes during the summer as well as the rest of the year.

 Maybe she likes winter because in the middle of winter is Christmas. If anybody loves Christmas, it 
is my wife. She begins her Christmas planning in January and knows exactly what she is going to buy 
throughout the year. I think it has something to do with when things go on sale or something like that. 
Personally, and do not let this get back to her, I think it is just an excuse to go shopping. I will not say she 
is a Shopaholic, but give her a coupon and she is off to the mall. You did not hear it from me.

 Also during the winter season is Thanksgiving where my wife outdoes herself in making Thanksgiving 
dinner for all the family. She makes enough for an army and out of deep respect for her, I eat like an army. 
Actually, I eat until I hear that little whisper from the other end of the table, �Don�t you think you have 
had enough?� What she does not understand is, when I am eating I am not thinking.

 As for me, I enjoy summer and all the laziness associated with summertime. All those lazy, crazy 
days of summer were designed for people just like me. When it comes to lazy and crazy, I am the expert. 
I can remember years ago when I was doing something and my wife thought it was a little out of line, 
she would say, �Are you acting crazy?�

 She does not say that anymore because she has concluded, and rightly so, that I am not an actor. If I 
were acting, she is sure I would get an Oscar.

 However, something about summer makes a person slow down a little bit and not be in such a hurry. 
One of my excuses is that it is too hot to do anything today. I love that excuse because my wife always 
agrees. I cannot use that excuse in winter for obvious reasons. According to her, an activity will warm 
me up. I have never warmed up to that idea.

 I like summer because there are so many fun opportunities to get together with family. Every summer 
we go and spend a week with my son and his family, which is one of the highlights of the summer. I only 
have one week out of the year to spoil his children so I try to make the best of it.

 If I had the ability to manipulate seasons, I would make sure that 11 months out of the year it would 
be summer. I would have to give one month to my wife for winter, but I would only give her one month. 
That is about all I can handle. Summer is a time to enjoy the nature God has created. It is wonderful 
to see green grass and green leaves on the trees and watching blossoms turn into full-fledged flowers. 
What could be better than sitting on the back porch with a tall glass of iced lemonade watching the 
sunset? I love hearing the crickets in full concert and that only happens during the summer. Here in 
Florida we have little frogs that think they are crickets and chime in adding their voice to the evening 
music.

 Did I mention picnics?

 What would summer be without a picnic? In my mind, a picnic is an excuse to overindulge in the fine 
art of stuffing yourself. The picnic is a little different so that somebody cannot query me with, �Don�t 
you think you�ve had enough?� The �Food Whisperer� is not allowed at picnics. After all, at a church 
picnic it is imperative that I sample every dish brought to the picnic. I do not want to leave anybody out 
on this. The picnic is the time to let down your hair, if you have any, and just enjoy food and fellowship. 
It amazes me how fast time flies when you are not paying attention. King Solomon understood this when 
he wrote, �To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven� (Ecclesiastes 3:1). 
One man�s winter is another man�s summer and the joy of life is learning to appreciate what you may 
not really like.

 Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives 
with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.
net or website www.jamessnyderministries.com.

 

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HOWARD Hays As I See It

GREG Welborn


How To Ruin A Great State 

 �President Obama got it right with Ebola. The president must also do 
the same with ISIS.�

 - Greg Welborn in the MVN, September 20, 2014

�Consider the difference between the president�s response to ISIS and 
his response to the Ebola outbreak.�

 - Brit Hume on �Fox News Sunday�, September 21 2014

 

 One thing I learned from last Sunday�s talk shows is that Brit 
Hume must be reading Greg Welborn�s column in the MVN. One 
thing I didn�t learn is that there in New York City on that Sunday 
one of the largest demonstrations in our nation�s history was taking place, along 
with 2,700 other events occurring in 150 countries on that day. In discussing the war 
against ISIS on ABC This Week, The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel included 
in her listing of �real security challenges� facing America �a catastrophic climate 
crisis which the Pentagon has called �a clear and emerging danger� � there are a 
hundred thousand people marching outside this studio today because of that.� Aside 
from that mention, the subject was pretty much ignored. 

 Estimates put the number of demonstrators at from 300,000 to over 400,000. It 
reminded me of the question ten years ago as to why, if the prospect of war with 
Iraq was so unpopular, there weren�t the protests like back in the Vietnam days. 
There were, in fact, protests � particularly in 2003-2005, when tens of thousands 
demonstrated in Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and throughout the 
world. 

 The difference was in the coverage. In the Vietnam era, network news departments 
were still independent of the commercial, revenue-producing side of the business. 
With that separation now gone, news coverage is more often adjusted so as not to 
offend sponsors � such as by avoiding stories that might raise concern over a rush to 
war or the �clear and emerging danger� of climate change.

 Sunday�s march came in advance of Tuesday�s address by President Obama to the 
U.N. General Assembly and the gathering of 120 world leaders on the subject of 
climate change. In the meantime, much of what coverage there was of last Sunday�s 
march in NYC was on the fact participants had left trash to be picked up.

 The U.N, meeting and surrounding events were a prelude to negotiations on a global 
agreement to take place in Paris next year. In his address, the president described 
climate change as �the one issue that will define the contours of this century more 
dramatically than any other . . . an urgent and growing threat� that is �changing 
faster than our efforts to address it�. He mentioned the draft rules his administration 
presented on limiting carbon emissions from power plants, and his executive order 
that climate change be factored into considerations of international development 
projects. He emphasized the need for a �global compact� in which �nobody gets a 
pass� � and spoke of his discussion with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, noting 
that as the world�s two largest emitters �we have a special responsibility to lead. It�s 
what big nations have to do.�

 Also last week, Shaun Donovan used his first speech as our new Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget to state, �Climate denial will cost us billions of 
dollars.� He mentioned �extreme weather events�, and the $65 billion price tag of 
Superstorm Sandy alone. There�s also the longer, more intense forest fire season, 
draining resources of the U.S. Forest Service to where there�s nothing left for forest 
management. As Donavan put it, �So we spend what we have to in order to put out the 
fires, and then we under-invest in the tools that can help mitigate them, only leading 
to higher costs in the future�.

 With wonderful irony, last week the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, established with 
the fortune brought by Standard Oil a century ago, announced it had joined the 
divestment movement by taking its money out of fossil fuels � as it had already pulled 
its investments in coal and tar sands. It�s now banking more of its funds on alternative 
energy. As Steven Rockefeller (son of Nelson) put it, �We see this as having both a 
moral and economic dimension.�

 Google, Inc. had been a backer of the American Legislative Exchange Council 
(ALEC), a Koch-backed group pushing voter suppression and re-purposing public 
programs for private profit. But, as announced last week, it was their positions against 
clean energy and pushing climate �denial� in schools that led Google to pull their 
support. According to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, �Everyone understands climate 
change is occurring and the people who oppose it are really hurting our children and 
our grandchildren and making the world a much worse place, and so we should not be 
aligned with such people � they�re just, they�re just literally lying.�

 Also last week, Republicans on the House Committee on Science, Space and 
Technology (you can�t make this up) thought they�d school White House Science 
Advisor Dr. John Holdren when he came to testify. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) 
observed that when an ice cube melts in his glass, the water level doesn�t go up. Rep. 
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) insisted on knowing the level at which CO2 could damage 
humans, despite Dr. Holdren�s trying to explain it was CO2�s effect on the climate, 
not on humans directly, that�s damaging. When Dr. Holdren suggested to Rep. Larry 
Bucshon (R-IN) he refer to the scientific literature, the Congressman replied that with 
�all the climatologists whose careers depends on the climate changing . . . I could read 
that, but I don�t believe it�. 

 On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart compared the hearing to �pushing a million 
pounds of idiot up the mountain.�

 At the U.N., President Obama warned, �The alarm bells keep ringing. Our citizens 
keep marching. We cannot pretend we don�t hear them. We have to answer the call.� 
That�s regardless of whatever sideshow might be happening in Congress, or even 
whether or not the subject is mentioned at all on the Sunday talk shows.

When I came to California with my parents as a young lad, my 
folks were enthusiastic about the move they had made. They were 
coming to a state which was respected nationwide for its almost-
perfect position geographically and economically. It possessed a 
wonderfully temperate climate, an entrepreneurial, anything-is-
possible culture, good infrastructure, a great school system and an 
advantageous position on the western coast with the burgeoning 
Asian markets just over the horizon. Many of those benefits have 
disappeared, and those that remain are being squandered. To figure out what went 
wrong, we need look no further than those now-familiar red/blue political maps.

 The red/blue political map of the state of California shows a narrow strip of blue 
(Liberal) population hugging the coastline from San Diego up through San Francisco 
and an overwhelmingly wider red (Conservative) landmass in the rest of the state. If 
we look a little harder, we�ll see that California is being ruled by a liberal aristocracy 
huddled together in their thin blue coastal ribbon where they have been successful in 
insulating themselves from the disastrous consequences their loopy policies inflict on 
the rest of the state.

 As we move through our umpteenth year of draught, water policies are a good 
starting point for our effort to understand the ways and wiles of the Liberal, blue 
zone elite. Much of coastal southern California gets its water from the Pyramid Lake 
reservoir. The San Francisco area draws on a similar reservoir devoted to its geography. 
These reservoirs have been maintained at roughly 90% capacity throughout our current 
draught so that LA and San Fran suffer very little from water shortages. To keep them 
filled, water has been diverted from other uses, such as agricultural in the interior of the 
state. For way too much of the water that does remain inland, it is diverted to replenish 
streams (which flow to the sea) so that small fish can live while humans suffer. Liberals 
in the coastal ribbons can exercise their almost religious-like commitment to extreme 
�environmentalism� without suffering the same burden that such devotion-to-cause 
inflicts on the rest of the state.

 The same environmental approach wreaks havoc on energy availability in the state. 
California has vast reserves of oil off-shore and newly discovered fields of natural gas. 
But these remain largely off limits because of Liberal environmental hysteria. Hysterias 
have their costs, but here too these burdens are not equally, or even fairly, shared. 
Along the blue coastal ribbon, the interaction of sun and ocean keeps temperatures 
for most of the year within a range where air conditioning and heating are sustainable 
with manageable energy consumption. In the center of the state, and up through its 
mountains, summer and winter both impose substantially greater suffering.

 Freezing nights and sweltering days in the interior can only be mitigated by vastly 
more energy than is needed in the blue zone. Because energy supplies are kept artificially 
low through restrictive exploration policies, energy costs are higher and shortages more 
common in the interior than on the coast. The Liberal coastal elite easily avoid a burden 
their policies impose on the rest of the state�s population.

 Consider the effect of Liberal domination of the education hierarchy. Liberals from 
the blue zone have implemented such disastrous economic policies that California 
now ranks close to the top in per capita education spending and close to the bottom in 
education quality. We pay a lot for very little.

 But not all schools are the same. Many among the blue zone elite can access private 
schools or live in smaller enclaves where the advantages of parental involvement, 
expectations, and financial contributions can overcome almost any education policy�s 
unintended consequences. Over the last several decades, there have been a number of 
attempts to institute a state-wide school choice or voucher program so that poor families 
would have the same choices as their blue Liberal elites. In each case, minorities and the 
poor overwhelmingly supported choice and vouchers, only to see Liberals vote it down. 

 Tax policy is similarly founded on such exemption from consequences. Liberals 
are great champions of progressive tax policies wherein the tax rate on the wealthy is 
supposed to be higher than the tax rate on the poor. But the state needs money, and 
when the coffers got low, blue zone Liberals easily voted in sales tax increases that exact 
the greatest toll on the poor. Those in the upper income strata can easily absorb a 20% 
or so increase in sales taxes. They�ve got money to spare. For someone who literally lives 
paycheck to paycheck and struggles to save for the future, a 20% increase in the price of 
daily necessities hurts. If you question my math, remember we used to have a sales tax 
in the 8% range. Now it�s in the 10% range with all the local surcharges. That�s easily a 
20% increase in tax burden.

 I still love California and have hope that its future will be brighter � that we will once 
again be the envy of the nation, and perhaps the world. Accomplishing that, however, 
will take many changes in a vast number of policies, rules, and taxes. Perhaps that 
seems impossible to some, and it may be so long as blue zone Liberals are exempted 
from what they impose on the rest of a red state�s population. But the simple change of 
demanding that everyone bear the burden of stupid and fanatical policies would hasten 
the day when reason and plenty return to California. 

 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 
gregwelborn2@gmail.com

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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com