Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 25, 2011

13

LEFT TURN/RIGHT TURN

 Mountain Views News Saturday, June 25, 2011 

HOWARD Hays As I See It

GREG Welborn

VIETNAM REDUX

Germany, with the world’s 
fifth-largest economy, is 
a good example of how 
a nation’s prosperity is 
proportionate to how many 
of its citizens are allowed 
to share in it. A third of its 
workers are union members 
(vs. 12% here), but virtually 
all its workforce shares in 
the benefits of collective 
bargaining. Corporations 
with over 1,000 employees are required to have 
labor equally represented with management on 
boards of directors.

Restricting healthcare to those who can afford 
it, or cutting education to balance a budget, 
would be unthinkable. German workers can 
expect a decent income, vacation time with 
families and a secure retirement. Germany’s now 
being asked to help bail out those EU economies 
which aren’t doing so well.

It’s the sort of prosperity we used to enjoy here, 
before President Reagan pushed for dropping 
upper tax rates for the richest while gutting unions 
and middle-class protections. Thanks to policies 
continued under President Bush, workers’ share 
of national income has plummeted to its lowest 
point in history. The top 1% have seen their share 
of national income increase more than 120% 
over the past thirty years, while the bottom 40% 
have seen their share drop almost 30%. That top 
1% averages $1.1 million a year in income, while 
the bottom 90% averages $31,000. Congressional 
Republicans threaten to shut the government 
down and crash the economy to prevent tax rates 
for the wealthiest from returning to where they 
were under Reagan.

I wrote two months ago that Sweden’s Ikea 
was looking to exploit cheap labor in Virginia, 
as American companies used to hunt for cheap 
labor in Mexico. Now, it’s Germany’s BMW 
looking to do the same in Ontario right next 
door in San Bernardino County.

For over forty years, union reps at the BMW 
distribution center in Ontario would sit across 
the table with management and reach agreement 
on contract renewals. No problems, almost 
routine; workers now make $25 an hour with 
healthcare for their families. But In talks earlier 
this month, for the first time management was 
joined at the table by a lawyer from the union-
busting firm Jackson Lewis.

The lawyer was not there to negotiate, but to 
announce that the jobs of the nearly 100 workers 
would be ending August 31. BMW would be 
contracting with an outside firm to bring in 
unskilled, minimum wage workers to staff the 
facility. 

Teamsters Joint Council 42 President Randy 
Cammack explained, “These foreign companies 
think that our recession creates an opportunity 
for them, an opportunity for them to exploit 
American workers as a means to increase profits 
in their sales of fancy foreign cars. The Teamsters 
are here to tell them that this isn’t the American 
way.” (BMW workers in Germany are fully 
unionized - as required by law.)

It’s not just foreign companies, though. 
American corporations themselves yearn for 
an exploitable third-world workforce right 
here at home; where rather than going against 
management for good wages and benefits, 
workers instead go at each other for whatever’s 
left in a race-to-the-bottom job market . Workers 
used to share in a company’s success, so they’d 
make enough to be able to pump money back 
into the economy. Now, billions in profits are 
stashed in tax-free havens overseas.

Since corporations can more openly buy 
politicians, they’ve accelerated efforts to extend 
this new reality to the public sector. Rather than 
having public funds spent on union wages and 
benefits, they’d love to see that money instead 
go to private contractors hiring unskilled, 
minimum wage workers to fight our fires, teach 
our children and keep our streets safe.

Wisconsin showed how an intentionally-
created budget crisis (happens every time when 
giving tax windfalls to millionaires) can be used 
for union-busting. The same tactic was employed 
on a local level in Costa Mesa, which sought to 
replace half its employees and put public money 
in the pockets of well-connected contractors.

Costa Mesa’s police chief Steve Staveley, a 30-
year law enforcement veteran, resigned in disgust: 
“They have pushed finance and the budget 
process around to get the kind of numbers that 
benefit their position . . . They have, in essence, 
lied as they create the appearance of crisis . . . “ 
As for laying off a dozen cops, “ It takes five years 
and millions of dollars to train that many police 
officers. That’s not fiscally responsible. That’s just 
stupid.”

Police in Broward County, Florida, are taking 
another approach in responding to Republican 
Gov. Rick Scott’s efforts to bust their union 
(which supported him in the last election); an 
event called the “Party to Leave the Party”, where 
guests are invited to come and switch their voter 
registration. The purpose, as explained on the 
invitation, is “to send a message to the Republican 
Party, the governor and the Republican-led 
legislature -- those that are wreaking havoc on 
the lives of public employees -- that we will not 
sit idly by and take it. Supporting the GOP means 
supporting those that are working hard against 
your interests and those who believe that labor 
unions are bent on destroying America.”

None of these police officers, or Ontario 
distribution center workers, are demanding to be 
paid enough to afford a new BMW. But they want 
to make the point that the well-being of a nation 
is dependent on the well-being of its working 
men and women. Just ask anybody in Germany.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate Miss California, 
Alyssa Campanella of L.A., for winning the Miss 
USA crown. Of 51 contestants, she was one of 
only two (the other being Miss Massachusetts) 
to state “unequivocally” that evolution should be 
taught in public schools. She described herself as 
a “science geek”.

I don’t know what’s more regrettable; that 
49 out of 51 young ladies have mixed feelings 
about teaching science in science class, or that, 
of all those I hung out with in school who were 
described as “geeks”, none bore the slightest 
resemblance to Ms. Campanella.

Modern liberalism cut its teeth on opposition 
to the Vietnam War, and from that point forward, 
liberals have been fast on the draw to see 
Vietnam-like defeat imminent in almost every 
regional conflict in which the United States 
has been engaged. The great irony here is that 
liberals learned the wrong lessons from Vietnam 
and are now at the point of turning victory in 
Afghanistan into defeat.

Every objective critical analysis of Vietnam 
has verified that the U.S. did not lose the war 
militarily. It lost the war politically. Stephen 
Hayward, author of the seminal biographical 
work on Ronald Reagan, documents beyond a 
shadow of doubt how Johnson’s incremental 
escalation and apologetic prosecution of the war 
convinced the North Vietnamese general staff 
that the U.S. had no desire to actually win the 
war. Thus, despite massive losses which the 
North Vietnamese sustained in almost every 
major battle, they knew that given sufficient time, 
the U.S. would eventually cut and run. Thus, the 
North Vietnamese had no reason to surrender 
or even to seriously reconsider their tyrannical 
aspirations, and they won.

With President Obama’s speech this week, it 
appears almost certain that the U.S. will lose the 
Afghan war. What other conclusion can possibly 
be drawn when the President of the United States 
tells our major adversary that come 2014, we will 
withdraw? Note, telling someone that you intend 
to withdraw is singularly different than telling 
someone that you intend to withdraw on a given 
date. The difference lies in the commitment – 
or lack thereof – to victory as a precondition of 
that withdrawal. There was never any doubt in 
anyone’s mind that the U. S. would withdraw its 
forces from the theatres of WWII, but everyone 
(especially our enemies) knew that we weren’t 
going to withdraw until we won. 

Admittedly, the Afghanistan war is not as large 
or wide-ranging as WWII, but that doesn’t mean 
it is any less important. What liberals, and this 
president specifically, do not understand is the 
importance of the U.S.’s credibility in determining 
the direction of world events. Enemies decide 
whether to confront us, and friends decide 
whether to stay loyal to us, based on their cold, 
hard assessments of whether we mean what we 
say about supporting democracy and freedom 
and opposing tyranny and aggression. 

It has been less than 48 hours since the 
president’s speech, and already Afghan citizens 
are being quoted as questioning our commitment 
to them and therefore the wisdom of their aiding 
us. Surging 30,000 troops to Afghanistan and 
then informing the enemy of a date-certain 
departure is a betrayal of credibility of the first 
order. Sadly, it is not a new phenomenon for this 
administration.

Other betrayals 
preceded this one. When 
we publicly denounce 
Gadhafi, claim that he 
must leave “now” and 
then lift less than a finger 
to actually bring that 
about, we have betrayed 
our credibility in the 
world. When we step 
up the pressure on Hosni 
Mubarak of Egypt to force out a man who at least 
supported our war on terror, but we fail to move 
against Syria’s Asad who has aided and abetted 
those terrorists, we’ve betrayed our credibility. 
When the U.S. fails to lead the free world, but 
instead stands behind and insists that the feckless 
and corrupt U.N. lead the world, we have lost 
credibility in the eyes of those who should fear 
us. When we pledge to support the fledgling 
new democracies of Eastern Europe and then 
summarily refuse to put Poland and the Czech 
Republic under a missile defense umbrella, 
leaving them to the mercies of expansionist 
Russia, we have lost credibility in the eyes of 
those who need us and whose support some day 
we will need in return.

As much as I have studied the left over the 
years, it constantly amazes me to realize just how 
ignorant of human nature they truly are. Every 
thing that the left does or attempts to do is based on 
their vision of how they want the world to work, 
not on how it actually works. Their insistence 
that there is no enemy that can’t be brought to 
civility and peacefulness by negotiation and 
compromise is the most dangerous risk to world 
peace today. It is of a magnitude worse than the 
aggression of the Taliban, Iranians or terrorists 
because it emboldens those same enemies of 
freedom and democracy to push their agendas 
forward.

Just as the great liberal, President Johnson, 
misunderstood the North Vietnamese commitment 
to defeating us, so too has our modern-day great 
liberal, President Obama, misunderstood our 
enemy’s commitment to sustaining their efforts 
until we leave. As it’s going to turn out, Vietnam 
and Afghanistan will look more alike than any 
liberal has ever imagined.

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 gregwelborn@
earthlink.net.


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Read The Paper Online At: www.mtnviewsnews.comVOLUME 5 NO. 23
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011Inside This Edition...
CALENDAR Page 2 
Sierra Madre News Page 3More News Page 4Pasadena/Altadena Page 5Arcadia Page 6Monrovia/Duarte Page 7Education & Youth Page 8Class of 2011 Page 9Good Food & Drink Page 10Arts & Entertainment Page 11Legals Page 12Left/Right Page 13Opinion Page 14The World Around Us Page 15 
The Good Life Page 16Homes & Property Page 17 
FYI Page 18Research Supporting 
Mitigated Negative Dec-
laration Called “Woefully 
Inadequate”
By Susan HendersonOn Thursday, the Sierra Madre 
Planning Commission heard from 
both supporters and opponents of the 
Final Mitigated Negative Declaration 
(MND) for the Alverno High School 
Master Plan. The plan includes 
expansion of the school’s facilities 
that include a 12,860 square foot, two 
story multi-purpose building; a 2,900 
square foot amphitheatre and a new 
multi-purpose sports field to replace 
the existing softball field.
Currently the school is operating 
under a Conditional Use Permit 
that was originally approved in 
1959. Alverno has not done any 
major renovations since that time. 
It is proposing the improvements 
and expansion in order to maintain 
its ability to compete with other 
private schools and maintain its’ 
enrollment. Currently the enrollment 
is approximately 350 young women.
After years of negotiations with 
neighbors and city officials, an Initial 
Study was done in March of this year 
to review the overall impact of the 
project on the community. In May, a 
Final Mitigated Negative Declaration 
was prepared for the Sierra Madre 
Planning Commission. On Thursday, 
the MND was reviewed and the 
commission requested additional 
information from city staff before 
approving the document.
Residents who live in the area sur-
rounding the school are split in their 
opinions of the project. Many of the 
more vocal opponents have lodged 
their complaints with the school and 
the city. As a result, a series of com-
munity meetings were held last year 
that resulted in the school and the city 
mitigating certain issues, but there are 
still concerns being expressed over po-
tential increases in noise and traffic. 
There is also concern about the impact 
of the project on the trees in the path 
of the expansion. 
According to CEQA, a Negative Decla-
ration (or Mitigated Negative Declara-
tion) can be prepared only when there 
is no substantial evidence that the 
project may have a significant effect on 
the environment. And while the city 
has submitted documentation to sup-
port a MND, opponents do not agree. 
The consensus of those opposed to the 
project is that the data used to support 
the MND was “woefully inadequate”. 
Before the MND was submitted 
to the planning commission, the 
state’s clearinghouse submitted the 
application from Alverno to numerous 
agencies for review. Reviewing the 
application to insure that the school’s 
plans would not violate any state laws 
or have an adverse impact on resources 
in the area were the California 
Departments of Fish and Game, 
Parks and Recreation, Transportation, 
Regional Water, Quality Control, Cal 
Trans and the Highway Patrol. In 
addition, the North American Heritage 
Commission reviewed the application. 
Of the agencies contacted by the state, 
only one, Cal Trans, issued a letter to 
the city. In it, the agency asked the city 
to limit heavy construction equipment 
to off-peak hours and to remain 
mindful of concerns regarding water 
run-off.
The planning commission listened to 
speakers on both sides of the issue in 
a marathon session that resulted in 
postponement of any action on the 
MND until July.
The 2011 Election Committee is 
looking for a few more volunteers 
for the Altadena Town Council Elec-
tions on Saturday, June 11. There are 
five polling locations to choose from: 
Charles White Park 77 Mountain 
View Street (Ventura Street side) 
Farnsworth Park 568 East Mount 
Curve Avenue 
Gordy’s 843 West Woodbury Road 
S& J Auto 1904 New York Drive 
Webster’s 2450 North Lake Avenue 
Shifts are:
9:00–11:00; 11:00–1:00 and 1:00–3:00 
We also need ballot counters from 
3:00 to 4:30 at the Davies Building at 
Farnsworth Park. Feel free to take a 
polling shift, a ballot counting shift 
or both!
Email atcelection@yahoo.com to 
volunteer or contact Eric PierceChair- 2011 Election CommitteeAltadena Town Council atcelection@
yahoo.com or call 626 664-4300Alverno's Principal, Ann Gillick, was 
among several from the school and 
contracted specialists who made 
presentations at Sierra Madre's 
Planning Commission recent meet-
ing. Over thirty persons spoke dur-
ing public comment, with only a 
handful of dissenters. The commis-
sion discussed the current iteration 
of the plan until 11 p.m., asking for 
further work from the school. The 
plan will be revisited next by the 
commission in July. 
Photo by Chris BertrandPost Commander Dave Loera sa-
lutes as Paul Puccinelli performs 
Taps at Memorial Day serviceA standing room only crowd es-
timated at more than 200 people 
turned out to honor the nation’s 
fallen soldiers at Pioneer Cemetery 
today, Memorial Day, at a ser-
vice put on by Sierra 
Madre’s Harry L. Em-
bree VFW Post 3208.
Commander Dave 
Loera presided over 
the ceremony, which 
began with the posting 
of the colors by mem-
bers of the VFW, fol-
lowed by the Pledge of 
Allegiance.. Rev. Pat-
rick Brennan of Mater 
Dolorosa gave the in-
vocation, and Patrick 
and Mary Cronin led 
the crowd in singing 
the National Anthem, 
America the Beau-
tiful and God Bless 
America.
Commander Loera in-
troduced Mayor John 
Buchanan, who spoke 
briefly about Memo-
rial Day, thanking the 
veterans and applaud-
ing the VFW members 
for the spirit in which 
they present the ser-
vice on an annual basis. He asked 
the crowd to remember that “this 
day is their special day, but so too, 
is tomorrow.”
Buchanan then introduced keynote 
speaker Council Member Mary-
Ann MacGillivray. Ms. MacGil-
livray spoke for just under twenty 
minutes, reciting statistics on the 
number of casualties and deceased 
in various wars, and quoting presi-
dents, statesmen, historians and 
military figures. She reminded the 
audience that Sierra Madrean How-
ard Miller, who is buried in Pioneer 
Cemetery, and whose widow, Tom-
mie Anne still lives in town, was 
one of the men who raised the flag 
at Iwo Jima. And she spoke of what 
America is, and that others strive to 
be like America.
“We’re a collective mix of greatness 
and greed, high tech and heart-
land. We are the country of Mickey 
Mouse and Micky Mantle, from 
John Smith to John Glenn and Atlas 
Booster, from Charles Lindbergh to 
Charlie Brown, from Moby Dick 
to Microsoft. We went from Kitty 
Hawk to Tranquility Base on the 
moon in less than seventy years. 
We’re blue grass and rock and roll, 
Marvel Comics and the Bill of 
Rights. In short, we are everything 
that everybody wants to be.”
She spoke of the recent passing of 
a 110-year old WWI veteran, the 
last remaining veteran from World 
War I. And she spoke of the need 
to keep the stories of our WWII 
veterans alive. She then introduced 
the VFW members that had served 
in WWII, allowing each to stand 
and be recognized, and they were 
recognized with a standing ovation 
and a long round of applause.
She introduced Staff Sergeant Ken 
Anhalt, who was a tail gunner on 
B-24 bombers. Petty Officer Gor-
don Caldwell, who served on the 
USS Saratoga, was next, followed 
by Staff Sergeant Art Contreras, 
who served in the Pacific The-
ater and was awarded the Purple 
Heart for his service. Michael Do-
menico, a US Army Engineer who 
served in Belgium, Luxembourg 
and Germany, as well as the Pacific 
Theater. She introduced Petty Of-
ficer Ted Evans, who served from 
1945 to 1949 in the Philippines, 
Japan and China, and Petty Officer 
George Metzger, who served from 
1943 to 1946, including Okinawa. 
“These gentlemen are our World 
War II heroes,” she concluded the 
introduction.
She closed by reciting the third 
verse to America the Beatiful, call-
ing it a “fitting end to this day.” The 
words to that verse are:
O beautiful, for heroes provedIn liberating strife.
Who more than self their country 
lovedAnd mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refineTill all success be noblenessAnd every gain divine!
Following the traditional laying 
of the wreaths by members of the 
VFW, Paul Puccinelli performed a 
flawless rendition of “Taps” on the 
bugle. The service was followed by 
a lunch of sandwiches, chips and 
beverages.
Entire video link: http://www.sier-
ramadrenews.net/?p=2497Photo Story by Jeff Brown at 
http://www.youtube.com/user/
jab3jab48#p/u/0/-izPdOIrVbEHEROES: REMEMBERING AND REMEMBEREDMemorial Day Services Hosted by VFW Post 3208Story and Photos by Bill CoburnPost Commander Dave LoeraVeterans Gordon Caldwell and Art ContrerasALTADENA TOWN 
COUNCIL SEEK-
ING ELECTION 
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