Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, July 23, 2022

1212 Mountain View News Saturday, July 23, 2022 OPINIONOPINION 1212 Mountain View News Saturday, July 23, 2022 OPINIONOPINION 
MOUNTAIN 

VIEWS 

NEWS 

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson 

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR 

Dean Lee 

PRODUCTION 

SALES 

Patricia Colonello 
626-355-2737 
626-818-2698 

WEBMASTER 

John Aveny 

DISTRIBUTION 

Peter Lamendola 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Stuart Tolchin 
Audrey SwansonMeghan MalooleyMary Lou CaldwellKevin McGuire 
Chris Leclerc 
Bob Eklund 
Howard HaysPaul CarpenterKim Clymer-KelleyChristopher NyergesPeter Dills 
Rich Johnson 
Lori Ann Harris 
Rev. James SnyderKatie HopkinsDeanne Davis 
Despina ArouzmanJeff Brown 
Marc Garlett 
Keely TotenDan Golden 
Rebecca WrightHail Hamilton 
Joan Schmidt 
LaQuetta Shamblee 

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PUT THE LIGHTS ON

STUART TOLCHIN 



THURSDAY MORNING SURPRISES

 Every week I delay writing my column as long as I 
can. This is not only because of my inherent need to procrastinate. 
As I recall being told by mother I was weeks late in beingborn and caused her all kinds of worry. Of course, if she wasn’t 
worrying about that she would have found something else to 
worry about. I remember filling out a questionnaire that asked 
“What do you like to do?” I thought about it for a while and remembered 
a phrase I had read somewhere - “You can tell what 
you like to by noticing what you do”. So I answered that what 
I like to do is worry. Consequently, you would think that this 
is a great time for me because there is so much to worry about. 
Guess what? It’s not so great.

Honestly, I think the reason I delay writing my columns as long as possible is because 
there is a new catastrophe almost every day and I don’t wat to ignore what will probably 
be on everyone’s mind on Saturday when the paper comes out. So now it is Thursday 
morning, and I have just a few hours left before my deadline. I think about the importance 
of waiting until the last minute as I reflect upon my column of January 6, 2021. I named 
that article which I wrote in the early morning hours of Thursday, January 7, 2021, “just 
another Wednesday?

Of course that specific January 6th date is still on everyone’s mind today as the 
House Committee Hearings continue which will undoubtedly bring forth other disturbing 
revelations. Can we not even trust the Secret Service? Of course there are a great 
many other things to worry about on this particular Thursday, you know the list as well as 
I do including the number of monkey pox cases and the continued presence of the unpenalized 
and unrepentant Donald Trump,

That’s enough for now. The point I wish to make is that in Sierra Madre all other 
concerns are overshadowed by the continuing debate relating to the potential sale of 
property by the Passionist Fathers of Holy Cross Province to developers. Their intended 
creation of the Meadows Project which foresees the building of 32 mansions on the property. 
I am strongly against the project but I didn’t exactly know why. Today I have some 
insights resulting from reading the book. The Flag, the Cross and the Station Wagon and 
tried to explain “What the Hell Has Happened” to America by Bill McKibben.

What I realized while reading the McKibben book is that “rich people are in a lot 
of trouble.” Two very separate classes have been created. The upper one tenth of the 
one percent that controls politicians and is responsible for the continued use of fossil fuels 
and the maintenance of a strong military which brings great economic rewards to them 
(not to us…we die in their wars). According to McKibben, these super rich are almost 
all white racist Christians who are responsible for just about everything bad in the world. 
This should not have been a surprise but something can be hidden which is right in front 
of your face or the top of the hill where no one seems to live.

The debate regarding the Meadows project which has involved claims of property 
rights and freedom of religion and prospective benefit to the City from increased revenues 
from taxes and the creation of a new park and the planting of trees. It is all potentially just 
another smokescreen. It is perhaps illustrative of another attempt to fool the public. It 
may be much like the deplorable frequently presented television commercial showing the 
old Indian pleading for you to respect his inherent rights and vote in favor of Proposition 
27 which would also provide for the homeless. It is a big sham! Fifty Indian tribes urge 
opposition to the proposition. The presentation by the one old Indian that supports the 
propositions is supported by just plain gaming interests. Read the small print at the bottom 
of the screen at the end of the presentation. 

This is the same point about the Monastery Debate. I believe the public is alwaysbeing deceived for the benefit of the manipulative rich people who basically control everything. 
Our whole system emphasizes the attainment of individual wealth and status 
and arguably we have all been manipulated to work in the interest of our overseers. Maybe 
times will change and rich people will pay the penalty. If that is what the Monastery debate 
is really about it shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m glad I waited this long to be able to present a 
possibly better understanding; but who knows what book I will read tomorrow. The immediate 
benefits of air conditioning are pretty powerful. 


TOM PURCELL 



TEENS NOT WORKING DOESN'T 
WORK FOR AMERICA 

Here’s a trend that may not bode well for the future of our country: 
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 40 percent 
of 16- to 19-year-olds have summer jobs — down from 75 percent 
of teens a generation ago. 
As it goes, according to the NerdWallet website, teen summer employment 
has been declining for decades. Why? 

One reason is that jobs typically tailored for teens are either shrinking or being taken 
by older folks. Another is that more teens are attending summer school, participatingin extracurricular activities and volunteering. 

But a third reason is the most troubling: Fewer teens are willing to flip burgers or work 
manual labor during their summer vacation, according to recruiting firm Challenger, 
Gray and Christmas. 

Which is a shame, because work is good for teens. It exposes them to how industry 
works. It teaches them the value of a dollar. It gives them the dignity of exchanging 
their labor for money that they can use to support their education or maybe buy their 
first junker car. 

But most of all, teens who don’t work are missing out on some incredible growth 
experiences. 

I got my very first job in the summer before I became an eighth-grader. I persuaded a 
neighbor to hire me to cut her lawn for five bucks. She had an electric mower with a 
long extension cord — which I promptly ran over and destroyed. I got canned before 
I finished the job. 

The next few summers, I worked at a driving range. I had to wake up at 5 a.m., ride 
my bike 2 miles up a hill, then pick up a couple of acres of golf balls with an aluminum 
picker. Sometimes, I worked the evening shift. I wore a metal cage as I worked — as 
dozens of people tried to hit me with golf balls. I was paid $1.25 an hour for this honor. 

The summer before 10th grade, I built up a decent business mowing lawns, but the 
summer before my junior year — when I had my driver’s license, finally — I hit the 
mother lode. I put ads in the paper offering a service to rebuild stone and block retaining 
walls. 

After a few months of mistakes and mishaps, I learned how to bid the jobs. I hired two 
or three others to help me run the jobs. I slowly began to master the art of cutting and 
placing stones. And the cash came rolling in. I was doing mighty fine for a 17-year-old 
and had earned enough in a few months to pay for my first year of college. 

I worked a series of jobs in college: dishwasher, janitor, handyman, grass cutter. I 
worked as a bouncer, too, which involved kicking drunk people out of bars and mopping 
up that which some patrons couldn’t keep down — the most respect I ever got, 
then or now. 

In any event, these jobs helped me learn how to socialize and work with others. I 
learned how to sell, bid jobs and manage money. I learned self-reliance and the joy 
that comes with a job well done. 

As more of today’s teens miss out on such experiences, how might that affect their 
future? How might it affect America’s future? 

Are we encouraging more kids to rely on the government, rather than themselves, to 
meet their basic needs in their adult years? The Congressional Budget Office recently 
reported that big-government programs like ObamaCare will discourage people from 
working. 

A strong work ethic is what built America. We need to maintain our work ethic to 
keep our country going and produce our needed tax revenue. 

That’s why I’m troubled that fewer teens want to work these days. 

Tom Purcell, creator of the infotainment site ThurbersTail.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-
Review humor columnist. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com 

RICH & 
FAMOUS 

DOGS OR CATS? 
THAT IS THE 
QUESTION! 

So, are you a dog person or a cat person? According 
to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 38.4% of us 
own a dog and 25.4% are owned by a cat.* 


Here are some generally held distinctions between dogs and 
cats particularly when it involves interacting with their human 
owners.* 
*Many will argue nobody owns a cat. Cats own people. P.S. If you 
happen to know a cat named Monroe, don’t show him the article. 
He knows where I live. 

Dogs will tilt their heads trying to understand every word you 
say. Cats simply ignore you and take a nap. 

When you come home from work, your dog will be happy and 
lick your face. Cats will still be mad at you for leaving in the first 
place. 

When taken for a ride, dogs will sit on the seat next to you and 
stick their head out the window. Cats require their own private 
basket, or they won’t go at all. 

Dogs will wake you up if the house is on fire. Cats will quietly 
sneak out the back door. 

Dogs have masters, cats have staff or servants. 

Dogs see people sheltering, feeding and loving them and say,
“They must be God”. Cats see people sheltering, feeding and loving 
them and say, “I must be God.” 

I’m sure you have also always wondered how good dogs are at 
changing light bulbs. Apparently it depends on the breed:
We asked our canine friends how many dogs it takes to change 
a lightbulb. 

Dachshund: “You know I can’t reach that stupid lamp.” 

Pointer: “I see it, there it is, there it is, right there…” 

Jack Russell Terrier: “I’ll pop it in while I’m bouncing off the 
walls and furniture.” 

Rottweiler: “Make me.” 

Greyhound: “It isn’t moving. Who cares?” 

Poodle: “I’ll just blow in the Border Collie’s ear and he’ll do it. By 
the time he’s done my nails will be dry.” 

Boxer: Who cares: I can still play with my squeaky toys in the 
dark.” 

Old English Sheep Dog: “Light bulb? I’m sorry, but I don’t see a 
light bulb.” 

By the way, know anyone who wants to learn to play the guitar or 
advance to the next level of playing? A local friend of mine, Eric 
Byak, just may be the best guitarist I have ever had the pleasure 
to listen to. And he is taking on a select number of students. 
He teaches right in the heart of Sierra Madre, or he will come to 
you, or teach via Skype/Zoom. If you want guitar lessons from 
someone who can take you as far as you want to go contact him 
by phone (818) 321-1533. By email, ericbyak@gmail.com. And 
visit his website, www.EricByakMusic.com 

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