Mountain View News Saturday, February 28, 2026 
B4B4 OPINIONOPINION Mountain View News Saturday, February 28, 2026 
B4B4 OPINIONOPINION 
MOUNTAIN 

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Susan Henderson 

PASADENA CITY 
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Dean Lee 

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Patricia Colonello 
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Lori A. Harris 
Michele Kidd 
Stuart Tolchin 
Harvey HydeAudrey SwansonMeghan MalooleyMary Lou CaldwellKevin McGuire 
Chris Leclerc 
Dinah Chong WatkinsHoward HaysPaul CarpenterKim Clymer-KelleyChristopher NyergesPeter Dills 
Rich Johnson 
Rev. James SnyderKatie HopkinsDeanne Davis 
Despina ArouzmanJeff Brown 
Marc Garlett 
Keely TotenDan Golden 
Rebecca WrightHail Hamilton 
Joan Schmidt 
LaQuetta Shamblee 

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STUART TOLCHIN PUT THE LIGHTS ON 
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THAT OLD 
GANG OF MINE? 

Last week my article in the paper was entitled “I WANT 

TO BE A PART OF A MOVEMENT WITHOUT MOVING 

VERY MUCH. The movement I described involved simply 

avoiding watching television. I extolled the virtues of this 

movement because it did not even require leaving the bouse or 

even getting out of bed and, furthermore, could be conducted 
for long periods of time. In response people questioned me as to how I could 
expect to do something by doing nothing. My younger sister not raised by 
grandmother, simply replied, asking if this was supposed to be an example of myhumor. Well, it was, and it wasn’t. I decided to take myself seriously and stopped 
watching television almost until yesterday when I inflicted the pain of watching 
the Presidential State of the Union message upon myself. So, did anything happen 
resulting from the TV avoidance?

Yes, amazing changes have occurred. Over the next couple of days and 
decided to try and do a little reading. These days I have trouble reading and 
focusing and concentrating but I tried anyway. First, I looked at the Brothers 
Karamazov, one of my favorites, but I couldn’t stay with it. Next, I tried a little 
Shakespeare and just could not focus. Eventually I stumbled upon the Joys of 
Yiddish by Leo Rosten which I had not previously read. I managed to look at the 
preface and noticed his statement that a Yiddish man could not ever become a 
ruler. As you know I consider myself to be a Yiddish man although I have little 
acquaintance with the actual religion or its practices. My father was born in the 
Ukraine and my maternal grandmother spent most of her life in Lithuania and 
Yiddish always remained her most comfortable language. 

For those of you who are not familiar with Yiddish, as opposed to 
Hebrew, they are completely separate languages exhibiting the features of verydifferent cultures. First, Hebrew, is an ancient language pre-dating English and 
Yiddish. Today it is the language of the nation of Israel which was established in 
1948 as a part of a nationalistic patriotic movement emphasizing strength and 
independence. The long in place Prime Minister of Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu,
born in 1949 in Tel Aviv Israel who I assume never spoke Yiddish.

Yiddish is something very different. Rosten, in his preface, describes 
Yiddish as a language that “never takes its tongue out of its cheek. It is a language 
that adores irony; sarcasm and Rosten describes its utility as a substitute for 
weapons valuing knowledge to compensate for earthly rewards always recognizing 
the injustices of the world. It is emphasized that Yiddish is the only on language 
on earth that has never been spoken by men in power. 

Yiddish is the language of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe, and 
its way of thinking has completely influenced my use of English. One rarely 
understands my meaning by taking me literally. A part of me is to celebrate 
seeming weaknesses as a sign of acceptance and strength. Other people, generallyfirst- or second-generation Ashkenazi Jews recognize this tradition and value its 
seeming disconnections. An example of this kind of language usage occurred to 
me yesterday as my wife and I called and wished Happy Birthday to my old friend 
from Junior High Schol Days. I told him I had been thinking about what Jewish 
culture has meant to me and he agreed explaining that he maintains his heritage 
by thinking about “lox” although in the city where he lives there are no delis and 
even if there were he would not want to spend the money to purchase it.

I read last night that the very area where my father my father lived in the 
Ukraine was eradicated by the Chernobyl explosion on April 26, 1986, which I 
realize only now was my 42nd birthday. Nevertheless, Ukrania is held together 
today by its Jewish President, a comedian- I wonder if he speaks Yiddish?

Does anything I have written make much sense to you; it barely makes 
sense to me. I know that an authentic Yiddish person like me values their heritage 
which in addition to lox includes the recognition needs for equality, avoidance of 
war, honesty, and concern for human welfare. It ain’t about status or getting rich. 
Maybe my continued writing and your continued reading indicate that underneath 
it all there is an understanding that life is something greater than winning, and 
that true value lies beneath. I wish our President spoke Yiddish. 

HOWARD Hays As I See It 

“It’s for your favorite president. Get your watches today at GetTrumpWatches.
com. These make a great gift.” – President Donald Trump in ad 
promoting his branded line of wristwatches. Really. Check out the website 
online if you don’t believe me. 

And speaking of online 

– I didn’t want February 
to be over and gonewithout sharing some favorite posts from 
this past month: 

In dealing with immigration, House Speaker 
Mike Johnson (R-LA) comments, “Imagine 
if we had to go through the process of 
getting a judicial warrant.” Tennessee Holler 
then paraphrased; “Imagine if we had to 
follow the law.” 

With a map of the United States in red and 
blue, Shannon Hill posts, “I don’t see a single 
blue state. Just blue cities trying to tell us 
all how to live.” Climate Defiance responds,
“More people live in Brooklyn than North 
Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming combined. 
New York State has 2 senators, those 
states have 6.” 

“Dr. Oz suggests Americans should retire 
later to help pay down the national debt”. 
Michael Linden posts, “I have a much better 
idea: Maybe rich people could pay back 
a fraction of the trillions in tax cuts they’ve 
been given over the past 20 years.” 

White House press secretary Karoline 
Leavitt says, “The president believes in 
the United States Constitution, however . 
. .” MaineWonk responds, “I’m sorry . . .
‘however’?” 

Posted question; “Why are all history teachers 
left-wing, what’s the explanation?” Posted 
answer; “because they studied history”. 

Trump suggests, “It is time to turn the page 
on the Epstein scandal”. New York Governor 
Kathy Hochul responds, “Won’t matter. 
His name is on the next page too.” 

At a congressional hearing, asked why no 
Epstein clients had been indicted, AttorneyGeneral Pam Bondi responded, “The Dow 
is over 50 thousand right now, the Nasdaq is 
smashing records, that’s what we should be 
talking about.” Tommy Vietor posts, “The 
stock market is up so we don’t have to prosecute 
pedophiles is one of the worst political 
messages I have ever heard.” 

Laura Loomer complains about the Bad 
Bunny halftime show, “Not a single white 
person or English translation at the Super 
Bowl. This isn’t White enough for me.” 
Meisha responds, “If the Halftime show 
wasn’t ‘White enough’ for you, go read the 
Epstein files, it’s all in English and full of 
white people”. 

Referring to the American figure skater 
holding a Pride flag, Jack Jokinen posts,
“My 6 year old just asked why Amber 
Glenn has this flag sometimes. I explained 
she’s queer and what that means, then we 
both just moved on. Much easier than Fox 
makes it seem”. 

Bambi posts, “Yes the UK has free health 
care but you might die before a doctor 
bothers to figure out what is actually wrong 

with you”. The response; “In the US you get 
to pay large sums of money for the same 
experience”. 

On the arrest of the former Prince Andrew, 
Julian Sanchez posts, “So SCOTUS, 
with its fabricated-out-of-thin-air immunity 
doctrine, has actually made American 
presidents less accountable than LITERAL 
royalty”. 

Yale Law School professor Scott Shapiro 
notes, “UK: Prince Andrew arrested, South 
Korea: Former President Yoon sentenced 
for life, Brazil: Former President Bolsonaro 
serving a 27-year sentence, USA: President 
Trump demands $10 billion payout from 
taxpayers". 

Trump spoke of visiting a factory in Georgia 
where the owner, according to the 
president, said, “’Sir, I want to kiss you so 
badly’ and I said ‘No thank you.’”. Melanie 
D’Arrigo posts, “Oh, so now he understands 
consent?” 

There are those “meme” posts – pic of a 
celebrity showing a blank expression with 
an added caption. One from Hassan Mafi,
“Americans realizing they can go to prison 
for criticizing ICE but every pedophile in 
the Epstein files is still free”. Another from 
Bark, “Realizing American citizens paid 
$175 billion in illegal tariffs and it’s being 
refunded to companies instead of back to 
us.” 

Trump threatened “consequences” should 
Netflix not fire its board member, former 

U.N. Ambassador and Obama advisor Susan 
Rice. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) 
posted in response; “A president does not 
dictate what speech is allowed. A president 
does not dictate who a company can hire or 
fire or have sit on their board. A president 
does not dictate when a merger pleases him 
and when it does not. Only a dictator does. 
And we will not allow one in the United 
States. Not now. Not ever." 
Gotta add four more: 

From Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) to “Dear @
DHSgov: Alysa Liu, gold medalist, daughter 
of refugee, and Heritage Asian American. 
Did I get this right?” 

From Geoff Wilt: “Alysa Liu is amazing. 
She was like ‘I’m not on a diet, I stay up late, 
skating isn’t the most important thing for 
me my friends are’ and then did the most 
beautiful skating routine I’ve ever seen. The 
hero we need right now.” 

From portraitsofthejerseyshore: “Alysa Liu 
did more for America’s image in one night 
than Trump has done in his 5 years total in 
office.” 

And finally, from alysonwonderland: “Between 
Bad Bunny’s halftime show and 
Alysa Liu’s joyful gold-medal skate . . .it’s 
almost like we’re getting a glimpse into a 
better timeline, and I just wanna grab it and 
hold on tight.” 

RICH JOHNSON 
PROVERBS and REVERB 

The word “proverb” is coincidentally from the Latin word 
“proverbium”. The word essentially means a truth based 
on common sense or experience. A common attribute of a 
proverb is its brevity which means shortness. 
The indisputable king of proverbs is King Solomon. You 
will find him and his work in book we call the Bible. It’s 

one of the books in the Bible. Old Testament. About halfway through. 
The book is coincidentally and conveniently referred to as “The Book of 
Proverbs”. Remember that for the test which might be at the end of this 
column. 
Here are some memorable proverbs (not from the Biblical Book of 
Proverbs):
One from an early concert of mine: “I clapped because it’s finished, not 
because I liked it.” 
A fool and his money are soon parted. The rest of us just have to wait 
longer.
Experience…is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. 
Oscar Wilde 
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. 
A successful woman is one who can find such a man. Lana Turner (Sexist 
humor from the 1940’s)
If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner. 
Tallulah Bankhead 
When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When 
they’re finished, I climb out. Erma Bombek 
My only regret in life is that I am not someone else. Woody AllenLife isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright 
until they speak.
In retirement, I look for days off from my days off.
There are two classes of travel – first class and with children. Robert 
BenchleyCats are smarter than dogs. Try getting 8 cats to pull a sled through snow.
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. Oscar 
Wilde 
Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need most. 
Addison H. Hallock 
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain…and most do. Dale 
CarnegieIt’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much 
about the problem. Malcolm Forbes 
A bore is the kind of man who, when you ask him how he is, he tells you. 
Channing Pollock.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not 
sure about the universe Albert Einstein 

And two of my favorites:
People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of 
us who do. Isaac Asimov 
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” 
AnonymousSpeaking of proverb…errr reverb…my band, JJ Jukebox is performing 
at Nano Café, Saturday night, March 28th. It is the perfect way to end the 
Wistaria Festival. The concert begins at 6:30. Come for dinner, drinks 
and dancing to the music of The Moody Blues, The Doobie Brothers, 
Creedence, the Beatles, and a bunch of one or two hit wonders from the 
50’s, 60’s and 70’s. 
Call in your reservations after 5:00pm Wednesdays through Saturdays.

(626) 325-3334. Nano Café is in Sierra Madre at 322 W. Sierra MadreBlvd. (Corner of Sierra Madre Blvd and Lima.
Have a splendiferous week. 
DICK POLMAN 

TRUMP’S TARIFFS RIPPED YOU OFF. 
DON’T EXPECT YOUR MONEY BACK. 

It’s nice the U.S. 

Supreme Court 

decided the oth


er day to take 

Donald Trump 

to the woodshed 
and school him on the Constitution. 

Two cheers to the high court for finally(albeit belatedly) doing something 
reining in Trump a tad. John Roberts’ 
majority opinion – employing strict 
constructionism, a traditional conservative 
tenet – pointed out Trump’s wanton 
global tariffs were illegal because 

(1) the 1977 “emergency” law he hasused as a fig leaf never once mentionsthe word tariff, and (2) a tariff is a tax,
and Congress alone has the power totax – as stipulated in Article I, Section8 of the Constitution. 
Indeed, the Founding Fathers “gave 
Congress alone ‘access to the pockets of 
the people.’” 

Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, in a 
concurring opinion, even tried to hose 
down the intemperate toddler: “Yes, it 
can be tempting to bypass Congress 
when some pressing problem arises. 
But the deliberative nature of the legislative 
process was the whole point of 
its design. Through that process, the 
Nation can tap the combined wisdom 
of the people’s elected representatives, 
not just that of one faction or man,” 
and hopefully some day anyone “disappointed 
by today’s result will appreciate 
the legislative process for the bulwark 
of liberty it is.” 

Nice argument – with a big hitch. 
The MAGA Congress has long been 
loath to indulge its “deliberative nature” 
as a co-equal branch of government. 
Until recently, it uttered barely 
a peep as Trump careened around the 
world slapping hefty tariffs on foreign 
goods, punishing whatever countries 
displeased him for whatever whimsical 
reason. Those tariffs were passed on 
to American consumers in the form of 
higher prices – as de facto taxes. 

And, big surprise, we won’t be getting 
that tax money back. 

The 2024 candidate who promised to 
defeat inflation has instead exacerbated 
it. The candidate who told voters this 
planned tariffs were “not going to be a 
cost to you” was either cognitively clueless 
or intentionally lying. According to 
a new report by the Federal Reserve 
Bank of New York, 90 percent of the 
2025 tariffs’ “economic burden” fell on 

U.S. firms and us consumers. Especially 
those of us who buy things like home 
furnishings, furniture, bedding, coffee, 
toys, and flatware.
Some prominent Democrats, on our 
behalf, are publicly demanding Trump 
send us refunds. That’s a worthy message, 
assuming Democrats can sustain 
it, because it would remind midterm 
voters about Trump’s perfidy. But vocal 
Democrats like J. B. Pritzker and 
Elizabeth Warren know darn well we’ll 
be aced out. Hundreds of importers 
may get refunds – many of them, including 
Costco, Toyota, J. Crew and 
Crocs, started suing for refunds before 
the high court even ruled – but there’s 
broad agreement among economic experts 
that little or none of that money, 
reportedly totaling $175 billion, will 
trickle down to us little people. 

Has Trump said a word about consumer 
refunds? As if. In his mind (or 
what remains of it) that would make 
him look weak and be tantamount to 
admitting failure. His brand is to never 
give an inch, even though 64 percent 
of Americans dislike his handling of 
tariffs. 

His only play is to double down. He’s 
trying to circumvent the high court byimposing 15 percent tariffs via a different 
provision – namely, a section of a 
1974 law that requires tariffs to expire 
in 150 days. He can let them lapse, then 
restart the clock – unless the courts tell 
him to knock it off. That would happen 
only after new lawsuits slog through 
the judicial system. 

Meanwhile, totally in character, he 
smeared the high court majority, including 
his appointees, as “fools and 
lapdogs,” as “very unpatriotic,” as tools 
of foreign interests. Never before has a 
president spewed such vile demagoguery, 
denouncing the judges as traitors. 
But in this benighted era, it was just another 
Friday. 

The end result, as in so many MAGA 
realms, is chaos. Natasha Sarin, president 
of the Budget Lab at Yale, wonders, 
“How should people budget for 
their families in the face of this much 
(economic) uncertainty?” 

Trump’s ongoing tariff con has left the 
business world in the lurch. Nobodyknows how to plan for the future. Nobody 
knows whether they should absorb 
costs, cut or expand inventory,
brace for more Trump levies, or fear 
retaliatory tariffs from (former) allies. 

Ron Kurnik, who owns a Michigan coffee 
company, tells Fortune magazine,
“It’s like a nightmare we just want to 
wake up from.” Join the club, pal. 

I’m reminded of something Tony Soprano 
once said: “I’m like King Midas 
in reverse. Everything I touch turns to 
s–.” 
How nice it would be if Trump had even 
a smidgen of Tony’s self awareness. 

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