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OPINIONOPINION

Mountain View News Saturday, March 1, 2025

RICH JOHNSON 

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME IS...OTIS

MOUNTAIN 
VIEWS

NEWS

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR

Dean Lee 

SALES

Patricia Colonello

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John Aveny 

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Peter Lamendola

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Lori A. Harris

Michele Kidd

Stuart Tolchin 

Harvey Hyde

Audrey Swanson

Meghan Malooley

Mary Lou Caldwell

Kevin McGuire

Chris Leclerc

Dinah Chong Watkins

Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Rich Johnson

Lori Ann Harris

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Deanne Davis

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Jeff Brown

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Hail Hamilton

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LaQuetta Shamblee

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STUART TOLCHIN

PUT THE LIGHTS ON


CONSEQUENCES OF READING

Alright, I’m coming out of the closet. My middle name is Otis. I’ve been 
known to hid it by identifying myself as Richard O’Johnson. It’s not really 
a typo. Rather a diversion.

How many other people named Otis do you know? The most famous 
Otis is, of course, the elevator guy. No, Otis didn’t invent the elevator. 
The first elevators, referred to as “ascending rooms” came along 30 
years before Otis invented and installed his first elevator brakes. Otis brakes were not 
the first brakes, but they were the first brakes that WORKED! You see, the “ascending 
rooms” became “descending rooms” if the brakes failed. And going down was faster 
than going up. Before 1857, if you were on an elevator 10 stories up and the brakes went 
out, the fall wouldn’t injure you. It’s true. On the other hand (or leg) the sudden stop at 
the bottom would not be good for your long term health.

People were so wary of elevators, that when the word went out elevators were installed 
with Otis brakes and fatalities had dropped dramatically, people started using them…
but only if they knew the brakes were made by “Otis”. This is why, to this very day, you 
see a shiny metal strip with the name “Otis” on the ground in front of most elevators. 

Back to my middle name, truth be told I’m not even the second most famous “Otis”. 
That honor belongs to the town drunk on the “Andy of Mayberry” show. Sadly, the 
physical resemblance is not all that different. By the way “hooch” is not my vice of 
choice. If you must know I’m a Hostess Twinkie addict. 

Frankly, I’m not even my most favorite Otis. Two ahead of me are my grandfather, Otis 
Larson and Otis Redding the singer.

I’ve thought of legally changing my name. But Tom Cruise was already taken and Pee 
Wee Herman just didn’t work on several levels. By the way, I’m not the first public 
person to consider a new “nom de plume”. Not to be confused with “nom de guerre”. 
A “nom de guerre” is a pseudonym (pretend name) chosen by someone headed out to 
fight in a war. I guess you don’t want people to know your real name in the unfortunate 
event you accidentally shoot them. “So sorry!” might not cut it.

The more traditional term is a “nom de plume”. Writers tend to adopt nom de plume’s 
in case whatever you are writing enflames people around you. Or you become rich and 
famous and want your real name on your mailbox.

Sometimes you change your name for more practical reasons. Award winning actor 
Ben Kingsley’s (he played Ghandi) real name is “Krishna Pandit Bhanji”. It may be hard 
to believe but Freddie Mercury is not really Freddie Mercury. His parents knew him as 
“Farrokh Bulsara”. One of my favorite actresses, Helen Mirren, was born “Ilyena Lydia 
Vasilievna Miironov”

This may come as a big surprise to you but your favorite wrestler is not really named 
“Hulk Hogan”, Real name? “Terry Gene Bollea”. We can go back a couple centuries and 
yes, they were doing it back then too. “Samuel Langhorne Clemens” became famous as 
“Mark Twain”

Back to this century “Dana Owens” started calling herself “Queen Latifah”. “Calvin 
Broadus, Jr.” we know as “Snoop Dogg” (And you thought it was really his name! Sorry.)

I was secretly hoping I was 

To combat feelings of isolation, I joined a book club at Arcadia 
Library. With meetings and deadlines approaching, I 
motivated myself to read two full books, only one of which 
was available in Large Print. Like many Americans I have of 
late been unable to read full books. This to me has been a 
great loss as the enjoyment of books has always been a major 
pleasure in my life. Motivated to read the two full books 
already had provided me with a feeling of accomplishment 
and I looked forward to discussing the books at the meetings of the book club. 

Sadly, my participation at the book club meeting was unwelcome. I wanted to 
discuss how the reading of the books was not only informative but also broadened 
my perspective and understanding about current events. The leader of the 
group responded to my comments by saying repeatedly “Let’s get back to the 
book”. Another member said something like. “I only read for entertainment 
and distraction, and I give this book only three stars because it had so much dull 
history in it, and I could not keep track of the characters.” I suggested perhaps 
taking notes and heard another member say “I don’t want to study the book. I 
already had enough School."

Unfortunately, or fortunately, it is always my desire to increase my perspective 
and discuss how what I read applies to my overall understanding. I left the meeting 
disappointed and without noticing that I was leaving without checking out a 
book that I had had picked up at the meeting. 

I was stopped by a Security Guard before I realized I was carrying two copies of 
the same book one of which I had picked up at the meeting. I went back to the 
checkout desk to return the books and was informed that I had damaged one 
book by writing in the margins. (I know, unforgivable, but old habits die hard.) 
I was told that I had to pay $22.50 for damaging the book which I was now free 
to keep. I was humiliated and incensed but handed over my credit card and left 
the library downcast.

Now I did not want to talk to anybody and stopped at an unfamiliar restaurant 
which looked like it catered to people who did not want to talk to anybody. I 
should point out that I generally love talking to strangers but not this time. Surprisingly, 
with many other free counter seats available some old guy asked if it 
was okay for him to sit next to me. I nodded and soon found myself involved in 
conversation although at the time that was the last thing I wanted to do.

I shared my experience at the library and said that I was disgusted that people 
were unwilling to discuss anything of significance. 

Unexpectedly the man asked if I had ever heard of William Shockley. Of course 
I had. Shockley was the Nobel Prize Winning inventor of the transistor and was 
scheduled to speak at my college graduation in 1965 but was disinvited because 
it was revealed that he was an advocate of eugenics programs and believed in 
policies inhibiting Black Women from giving birth because of their supposed 
intellectual racial inferiority. I knew at the time that racial and gender prohibitions 
existed at many public universities seemingly were just accepted. I recalled 
that during my three years at UCLA Law School there were no people of color or 
females in the in the student body. 

 The man and I had an interesting conversation although we had different political 
views. I had a copy of last week’s Mountain Views which had my column, 
and I handed it to him, and he read it. Lastly, I guess the man was interested in 
talking to me because I was wearing a special tie-dyed shirt that a friend’s wife 
had made for him, but he did not like that it attracted too much attention. As 
an unintended consequence of his wife’s efforts, I have now, and in the past, have 
received attention related to the shirt. 

Perhaps that is why I wore it to the meeting in the first place. Actually, it is 
my hope that by bringing the day to day events of my life to my readers there 
will be the intended consequence of people gaining a greater understanding of 
themselves and the world which is, coincidentally the reason that I always loved 
reading in the first place. 


HOWARD Hays As I See It


“there’s something about raping companies and 
leaving them in debt and setting up Swiss bank 
accounts and corporate businesses in the Grand 
Caymans. I have a real serious problem with 
that.” – Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), 2012

That election of 2012, President 
Obama up against Republican Mitt Romney, 
seemed to turn on Romney’s role at Bain Capital 
– one of those “vulture capitalist” private equity 
firms that acquire companies, often through leveraged 
debt, lay off workers and cash out whatever 
assets re-main. They walk away with their fees 
and golden parachutes, leaving a shell of what was 
and devastated communities behind. 

 

The goal of management is not the success of the 
company, but to enrich the new managers along 
with their investors. As seen over the past several 
weeks, it’s the approach now being taken in managing 
our federal government.

 

With Donald Trump, using the office of President 
of the United States to enrich himself began before 
the Inauguration with the launch of the $TRUMP 
meme coin. It’s been described as a “pump and 
dump”; insiders purchasing at the outset to jack 
up the price and then bailing, leaving others holding 
the bag.

 

The Trump family made some $100 million in 
trading fees alone. Early insiders raked in some 
$6.6 billion and then, in less than three weeks, 
over 813,000 smaller investors lost a cumulative 
$2 billion on the coin. But it remains a useful 
conduit for those wanting to pump millions into 
Trump family coffers - with no worries of public 
disclosure.

 

The largest source of the president’s wealth is 
Trump Media and Technology Group, with its 
Truth Social subsidiary the primary outlet for 
the president’s missives. For those seeking White 
House favors, it’s simply a matter of buying a big 
chunk of shares, raising their value and increas-
ing the wealth held by the Trump family; a handy 
alternative for foreigners barred from making 
campaign contributions.

 

A former federal prosecutor was quoted in New 
Republic, “The entire force and power of the United 
States government is now part of the business 
support structure for the Trump family.”

 

Under vulture capitalism, it’s not only managers 
stuffing their own pockets but also investors seeking 
maximum return.

 

Elon Musk invested $277 million to get Trump 
elected, and he intends to realize maximum return 
on that investment. His personal wealth has been 
pegged around $400 billion, but much of that’s on 
paper. Actual wealth depends on the value of his 
companies, and that value depends on how much 
business they do – with profitability depending on 
the regulations they have to deal with along the 
way.

 

Musk has pulled in $21 billion in government 
contracts since 2008, with $77 million just since 
Trump’s inauguration. There’s $20 billion in new 
contracts promised, which could grow to $90 billion 
with the right people in the right places making 
the right decisions (for Elon Musk).

 

SpaceX had been fined by 
the FAA for ignoring rules 
on rocket launches. But with 
DOGE rid-ding the agency 
of hundreds of those with 
accumulated knowledge and 
expertise, Musk is now positioned 
to argue that the safety of our 
skies should instead be entrusted to a 
private company – like SpaceX.

 

A $400 million deal is in the works with 
the State Department for “armored electric 
vehicles” (presumably reconfigured 
Cybertrucks). As soon as news of that 
deal came out, though, the name “Tesla” 
was scratched from the paperwork.

 

It’s not only securing contracts for Musk’s 
businesses, but targeting those who regulate 
them – like the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, researching 
the safety of self-driving cars (like 
Tesla) and the Consumer Financial Protection 
Bureau – dealing with hundreds 
of com-plaints from Tesla owners. 

 

There’s gutting the National Labor Relations 
Board, with 24 investigations 
currently underway involving Musk 
companies, and the SEC - dealing with 
shareholder suits and investigations 
into stock manipulation connected with 
Musk’s purchase of Twitter. There were 
firings at the FDA of those overseeing 
clinical trials at Neuralink, Musk’s company 
for brain implants.

They’re going after those at the IRS working to 
nail wealthy tax cheats. Tesla is valued at over $1 
trillion, with billions in profits. In 2023 they paid 
1.4% in federal taxes; in 2024 it was 0%. Importantly 
for both Trump and Musk, they’re wanting 
to gut the Federal Elections Com-mission – so 
they won’t have to worry about the consequences 
of some future “free and fair” election.

We have rules in place regarding transparency, 
disclosures and conflicts of interest. White 
House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt assures 
us, though, that should there be any conflict 
between Elon Musk and the “contracts and the 
funding that DOGE is overseeing”, Elon Musk 
will let us know. When President Trump was 
asked about such conflicts, he promised he’d be 
“personally checking”.

 

To paraphrase Rep. Clyburn, when it’s clear 
there’s something about raping our government, 
we should all have a real serious problem with 
that.

 

Closing with a quote from last week’s acceptance 
of the Lifetime Achievement Award from SAG: 
“And by the way, ‘woke’ just means you give a 
damn about other people.” Jane Fonda is 87. 
Our son described that as “pretty badass”. I told 
him that, over fifty years ago when we were out 
in the streets over Vietnam, she was “pretty badass” 
then, too. 


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