Ruminations - 19aug2009 (updated 20aug09)

George Rebane

Toyota wants to shut down their bay area assembly plant employing 4,600 for all the obvious (to non-socialists) reasons.  The state of California is trying to stop them by threatening to charge Toyota hundreds of millions of dollars for ‘clean up’ fees before they can move to a more business friendly climate.  And the California legislature continues dominated by politicians who believe that prosperity is just one or two tax hikes away.  (WSJ)

BTW, did you notice, in the comment thread of my column in the 15aug09 Union, the number of Nevada County residents who also firmly believe that higher taxes do the most to increase GDP and the general public welfare.  Just in case anyone wonders how those tax-and-redistribute politicians get elected.

The Sacramento tea party on 28 August will involve many more folks than just people like Jo Ann and me. It seems that Tea Party Patriots are becoming a national focus for protesting all kinds of government interventions and obstructions of personal freedoms and productive activities.  Tea Party Patriots co-ordinator Mark Meckler reports that

On August 28, groups who have never come together before, farmers, ranchers, miners, loggers, trucking companies, cement makers, builders...productive, hard working people from all political parties, social affiliations and industries will descend on the state capitol in Sacramento.

Get all the information on this event here.

It turns out that the Democrats have been planning on the nefarious ‘public option’ to be the Trojan horse for getting the country into a single-payer healthcare system since 2007.  They didn’t really care who would be finally nominated as long as they got all the real contenders – Obama, Edwards, Clinton – on board early.  The Heritage Foundation has all this dug up and sorted out for you here.  

Apparently the Chief Forked Tongue himself was apprised of the stealth route to socialized medicine, and signed on to the ruse in 2007 before the campaign got hot and heavy.  Now the White House claims to be “mystified” as to why the country has focused on this aspect of Obamacare.

[20aug09 update] "You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.  What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.  The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government doesn't first take from somebody else.  When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half will take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get  half of what they work for, that my friend is the beginning  of the end of any nation.  You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."   Adrian Rogers 1931 - 2005. 

Comments

[Russ Steele]

Yes, and as the Former Union Editor (FUE) likes to point out more an more of the tax and spend liberal are moving in to Nevada County and we will all receive our just rewards in the next election cycle. The trash talk in the Union is just more noise. According to the FUE County Government will soon be repopulated by tax and spend liberals, rather than the fiscal conservative BOS we have today. Look around, which cities and towns are in trouble and which counties are in trouble, then look at the leadership. Our County Leaders have done a good fiscal job. Can not say the same for Grass Valley and Nevada City.

[John S]

You can say it and you can put it in writing, it doesn’t make any difference. They still want to get in there and control. They don’t care too much about the cost or what they may or may not do to the budget, they just want to be the ones in control and put a stop to stuff. And one thing for sure, they NEED more money to do what THEY do.
I just returned from the RCRC (Regional Council of Rural Counties) Board meeting in Sacramento. We have a County Supervisor from each of 32 rural Counties in attendance. The RCRC staff does nothing more than keep up on legislation being proposed by our State Legislators. They try to just give us updates on where we are and how these things may affect us. I can tell you folks it is scary as all get out. It is quite apparent to me that nothing will stop these guys; they don’t seem to care at all what it costs to implement new legislation, even when faced with a really bad budget problem. AB32, new Water bills, waste water legislation, and lots of other bills purporting to gain more control, and to save protect and put a stop to the warming of the earth.
In the Bay area they are already adjusting their regulations to account for rising sea levels that will most certainly happen (according to the believers). Setbacks on the books are being increased.
The Bay-Delta water plan (in the process) I thought didn’t really pertain to us in Nevada County, until it was brought to my attention that by the inclusion of 3 little words “and its tributaries”, everyone is now included.
In the Federal water regulations they are wanting to take out one word “navigable”. If this word is removed the Federal regulations will control EVERY water way of any kind. So where the Feds use to confine themselves to only those waters that were navigable, we will have to get the Feds involved in everything that deals with water, anywhere in these United States.
These people are out of control. Be very careful who you elect.
Just say NO to any new legislation of any kind. Its already broke, I think now they want to set it on fire.

[Steve Enos]

County Supervisor John Spencer, you post "Just say NO to any new legislation of any kind", does that apply to local County "legistation" being undertaken by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors??

You say "just say NO to "any new legislation of any kind".

That's a very bold, inflexable and wide ranging statement to make. Interesting that you, an elected repesentative are against "any new legislation of any kind" considering that's part of your "job".

You might want to review the new legislation being proposed by State Assembly member Dan Logue and tell him he does not have your support for "new legislation of any kind".

Maybe you could also provide a press release to The Union letting those you represent know that you are against "any new legislation of any kind".

[George Rebane]

John, I take your words to apply to the Calif legislature and Congress. Re the zoo in Sacramento, it's worth noting Marinucci's article ('Governor looking at part-time Legislature') in today's SF Chronicle about the 2010 initiative to have future zoo hours limited.
http://www.sfchroniclemarketplace.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/20/BAOD19AR2E.DTL

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said, "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."?

[Russ Steele]

Steve,

You might want to rethink your statement about "does that apply to local County "legistation" being undertaken by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors??"

To legislate, according to the dictionary, is to "make or enact laws." Only the Congress can make federal law and only State Legislature can make state laws. The BOS has no law enacting authority, they have the power to make rules, but not laws. Thus they do not legislate, they administer. Big difference.

By the way when are you going to make it official that you are going to challenge John Spencer for his seat on the BOS? You are spending a lot of time trashing his every post on this blog. Big waste of time if your not after his seat on the BOS.

[Steve Enos]

Russ, Russ, Russ, while it's very nice that you come to the defense of Supervisor John Spencer it would be nice if my elected representative, County Supervisor would respond himself. What about holding our elected representatives accountable for what they say? Does this standard only apply to those elected representatives that you don't like? Your double standard is showing Russ.

Supervisor Spencer has a long history of posting some over the top, groundless and flat out wrong statements on line. Supervisor Spencer does this of his free will and when asked to provide an explanation or to back up his statements after shooting off his mouth he goes silent.

Here’s an example for you Russ:

I posted a comment here about Sarah Palin quitting her Alaska Governor’s term early. Then Supervisor Spencer posted a slam against me instead of responding to the issues I raised. Supervisor Spencer publicly posted that I did not completed my elected term to the Grass Valley City Council, that I was in fact the one that was quitter.

Well Russ, that was not the truth. You see I was elected to the Grass Valley City Council in 2000, served my full four-year term to 2004. I did not run for re-election and after my term was completed I moved to Buffalo for a while, then returned to Grass Valley.

Supervisor Spencer was wrong and considering that I served my four year term sitting right next to Supervisor Spencer’s wife, my fellow City Council member Patti Ingram! Did Supervisor Spencer take 3 seconds to check in with his wife to see if his claim was correct BEFORE he posted it? Looks like the answer is no, he did not, and this from my elected representative. So were is the accountability for this Russ? Shouldn’t our elected representatives be held accountable for what they say?

Russ, where were you to defend me when Supervisor Spencer made his unfounded and flat out wrong claim against me? Seems you are very selective about who you hold accountable for their statements. Once again Russ, your double stand is showing.

You say I must be running for the BOS because I have posted a few (and as the facts show it has been very few) responses to Supervisor Spencer’s posts, because I dare ask my elected representative to explain what he is saying?

If this was the standard requirement for running for public office, you Russ would need to run for President of the USA, along with running for the economic and climate change Czar of the world. Russ, why don’t you run for office? A big part of your blog is attacking those elected’s that don't agree with you and your views. Very selective application of your standards Russ, very selective indeed.

I give credit to Supervisor Spencer and every other citizen that steps up to run for public office and credit to those that serve regardless if I agree with them or not. But I do have the right to ask my elected representatives to support their claims and statements, something Supervisor John Spencer refuses to do. When asked about his statements elected representative Nevada County Supervisor John Spencer goes mute.

Supervisor John Spencer is a big boy and doesn’t need to hide behind your double stand skirt Russ. My elected representative to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors is John Spencer and all I have ever asked is that he backs up and explains his wild statements. But Russ, you seem to think me asking of this is attacking him.

So Russ you run for President and I'll run for county supervisor.

PS: Supervisor Spencer, will you explain your posted comments or will you continue to “post and run” and let others respond for you?

[Russ Steele]

Steve,

Supervisor Spencer apologized for his mistake. What did you want from me? I had no idea if he was right or wrong. You cleared up the issue, what more could I have done to meet "your standards?" I really think that you should start your own blog and then your can have control over "your standards" for comments and posts. You are always complaining about my standards on George's blog and Media Watch. Set your own!

We all make mistakes from time to time, and I try to correct mine when someone points to my error. I certainly give John Spencer credit for being brave enough to post on the local blogs, not true of other local political leaders. I guess Cookson is going to give it a try. Let's see how long that lasts before the local 2 digit IQ set start attacking her.

[Steve Enos]

Russ, I proved just one example of Supervisor Spencers posts. My issue is he makes statements and then refuses to respond to questions about his statements. This is wrong considering he is an elected representive and he chooses to make these public statments and then duck.

Accountablity by our elected representives for what they say is a good thing, as is being consistent in the standards you apply to people and what they say and do.

My elected representative to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors is John Spencer and all I have asked is that he backs up and explains some of his wild statements. But Russ, you seem to think me asking this is attacking him.