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Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter Wednesday, April 27, 2011 111B,
COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE
College will not be the same after cuts
WHERE I STAND
DR. RON TAYLOR
SUPERINTENDENT/PRESIDENT
FEATHER RIVER COLLEGE
I am often amazed by
Feather River College stu-
dents. In the last few days, I
have been participating in re-
hearsals for the big Quincy
Star Follies event that is com-
ing up in May, and this activ-
ity has put me side by side
with students who are just
amazing in their energy,
their positive outlook, their
good social skills and their
eagerness to pitch in and
help. They make me proud to
be associated with the col-
lege, and they remind me of
the benefits of having a com-
munity college here, with
wonderful faculty and staff
who provide a rich experi-
ence for these budding young
professionals, our students.
Unfortunately, I have to re-
port that the college is facing
a deep cut to its state rev-
enues that will put these ben-
efits at risk, and compromise
the FRC experience.
Gov. Brown and the state
Legislature recently failed to
agree on a budget plan for the
coming fiscal year. The citi-
zens of Plumas County de-
serve to know the impacts of
this failure on them. Since I
know about the impacts to
the college, I will speak to
these in particular. Other im-
pacts to our area are becom-
ing clearer day by day (in last
week's paper, for example,
we heard about reductions to
county government).
The state must close a $25
billion gap between projected
expenditures and anticipated
revenues. This gap repre-
sents roughly a quarter of the
state's budget. Those who
wish to reduce taxes insist
that the gaP be addressed by
cutting expenditures, rather
than raising revenues (taxes
or fees).
In January, Gov. Brown
proposed a budget that ad-
dressed this gap both by cut-
ting expenditures and by
proposing a June ballot mea-
sure to extend certain tempo-
rary tax rates. In this way,
the governor's budget made
up the gap halfway with cuts,
halfway with revenue exten-
sions. The governor made it
very clear at that time that if
the tax extension measure
did notget onto the ballot, he
would propose an ell-cuts
budget to close the gap. Well,
the measure failed to get the
necessary votes in the Legis-
lature. It will not be on the
ballot in June. We can now
expect an all-cuts budget.
The expefted cut is truly '
devastating. Since February,
FRC has been developing a
budget plan that would make
the necessary reductions. We
project the cut as an overall
reduction to.our state Gener-
al Fund revenues of 15 per-
cent, to be implemented for
the start of our fiscal year in
July. Moreover, since state
revenues are not projected to
improve until 2015, we must
assume that the reduction is
for the long haul.
While we expect to propose
to the FRC board of trustees
that a portion of our reserves
be used to blunt the impact of
such a deep cut, and to allow
us time to implement reduc-
tions in a reasoned and prac-
tical way, we also know that
such one-time measures are
inherently limited, and that
we must plan real reductions
to ongoing costs, as the state
clearly intends.
A 15 percent reduction to ,
our state funding will mean
cuts to every part of the col-
lege, and will affect the lives
of all staff and students.
Clearly, as an educational in-
stitution, we will do our best
to keep most classes open,
but it is inevitable that we
will need to cut classes as '
well as impose reductions to
operational costs.
In order to ensure that full-
time, degree-seeking students
have the classes they need in
order to get a degree, we will
have to cut classes that com-
munity members are used to
taking. We hope to provide
some of,these opportunities
as fee.based community edu-
cation courses.
The impacts to operations
and staff will be severe. We
have already identified
$600,000 in reductions to sup-
plies and services. Student
employment will be reduced.
Faculty, staff and administra-
tors are all expected.to take a
reduction in pay, or to pay in-
to their benefits cost at an
equivalent amount, or to take
unpaid furloughs. Even this
substantial reduction will
not prevent layoffs, however.
We anticipate proposing a
layoff of classified staff and
See Cuts, page 12B
You can minimize the dangers of cellphone use
WHERE I STAND -- the pleasure chemical--
............................................................................................................. so why would you give it up?
DON DAILEY Why? Because you can kill
RETIRED SCIENCE TEACHER
"It's a conspiracy by the
wireless industry who creat-
ed social networking to turn
everyone into empty-headed
zombies so they can enslave
us and rule the world!" --Wi-
ley Miller, Non Sequitur
Comic, S.F. Chronicle
There are other problems
with cellphone use. Even
though laws have been
passed outlawing use of a
cellphone while driving, peo-
ple are still doing it. They've
become addicted to their
cellphones and can't give
them up, even for a moment.
Every time you get a tweet
or a text or a call, your brain
squirts out a little dopamine
yourself.
Talking or texting on a
cellphone while hurtling
along at 60 miles per hour in
a 2-ton vehicle is "beyond
stupid, it's nuts!" according
to Jacquielynn Ford in the
Dallas Morning News. A re-
cent study found that when
drivers of heavy trucks text,
they're 23 times more likely
to crash. Half of drivers be-
tween the ages of 16 and 24
have acknowledged texting
while driving.
David Strayer, a Utah psy-
chologist, says, "Your dri-
ving performance while talk-
ing on a cellphone is im-
paired at levels comparable
t ° , or worse than, driving
drunk. Cellphone users are
about 20 percent slower to
respond to sudden hazards
than other drivers."
Drivers using cellphones
cause as many fatal colli-
sions as drunk drivers.
They've driven off cliffs, into
rivers and into stopped traf-
fic, causing terrible pile-ups
and multiple deaths. In 2009,
6,368 fatal crashes involved
drivers aged 16 to 19. The
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention estimate that
car crashes kil!ed nearly
40,000 people last year and
according to the Virginia
Tech Transportation Insti-
tute, nearly 80 percent of
them resulted from drivers'
la.ck of attention to the road.
Besides the deaths from in-
appropriate cell PhOne use,
there are other problems
with cell phone technology
most of us don't know about:
Because they're so small,
cellphones are more likely to
be tossed into the garbage
when newer versions are
purchased. Like most other
electronic devices, cell-
phones are packed with
parts made from toxic metals
such as arsenic, cadmium
and lead. Although each
phone may contain just a few
ounces of hazardous materi-
als, millions of discarded
phones add up to a toxic
mess which can pollute wa-
ter and soil.
In Europe, manufacturers
have established take-back
programs that recycle old
phones. Write your cell-
phone producer or your local
legislator and let's start a
take-back program here.
Would you voluntarily car-
ry a device that tells the gov-
ernment where you are 24
hours a day? Too late! You
may not realize it, but your
cell phone already sends out
signals that can be used to
track your every movement.
No warrant is necessary for
this invasion of your priva-
cy. Marketers are also able
to track your buying habits
and what you do with your
spare time. Data collection of
users is big business.
In the Democratic Repub-
lic of the Congo, in Africa,
5.4 million people have been
killed in the deadliest war
since Adolf Hitler marched
across Europe. Soldiers from
Rwanda and half a dozen
,.,r .
other African nations are
now rampaging and killing
throughout the Congo look-
ing to take gold, diamonds,
coltan, cassiterite and more
which are sold to U.S. corpo-
rations on the black market.
Most valuable is coltan,
which is needed to make cell-
phones. "The ongoing holo-
caust in the Congo may seem
very far away," said Johann
Hari, but "you are almost
certainly carrying a blood-
soaked chunk of the slaugh-
ter (coltan in your cellphone)
in your pocket."
There is a growing body of
literature, including unpub-
lished studies in the United
States, that link long-term
cellphone use to adverse
See Dangers, page 12B
L E T T E R S I.:; E D I T O R
Guidelines for Letters
All letters must contain an ad-
dress and a phone number.
We publish only one letter per
week, per person and only
one letter per person, per
month regarding the same
subject. We do not publish
third-party, anonymous, or
open letters. Letters must be
limited to a maximum of 3001
words. The editor will cut any !
letter in excess of 300 words.
The deadline is Friday at 3
p.m. (Deadlines may change
due to holidays.) Letters may
be taken to any of Feather
Publishing's offices, sent via
fax to 283-3952, or e-mailed to
mail@plumasnews.com.
Last chance
I am fully aware that
many of you are fed up with
politics and politicians. You
may or may not believe the
country faces bankruptcy. If
you are a faithful Democrat,
you won't believe a word the
other side says, and if you
are a faithful Republican,
you won't believe what the
Democrats are telling you.
I am suggesting you forget
your alliances and think on-
ly about what is happening
to our country and before
you vote the next time, edu-
cate yourself about the facts.
When you hear any politi-
cian tell you they ran for of-
fice to help the "American
people," do you believe
them? Or do you believe
they really care about re-
taining their power and win-
ning the next election when
the people only want the
truth? I suppose if you don't
pay taxes, and many of you
don't, you couldn't care less
so long as you get what you
feel entitled to..
We continue to send the
same people to office year af-
ter year after year, and they
make promises the country
can no longer afford to keep,
just to get your vote. These
promises are now bankrupt-
ing the country.
Please think about this
and force yourself listen to area, and everyone knows
both sides. This may be our what everyone, else is doing.
last chance to save the free-
dom we have enjoyed, for
our kids and grandkids.
Pat Burke
Lake Almanor
Goofy stuff
Well, it appears once again
the local highway patrol is
at a loss for something to do.
I've been hearing stories
about CHP stopping people
for no apparent reason, then
asking if they've been smok-
ing pot, taking pain pills, us-
ing medical marijuana.
One woman, on her way to
pick up her teenagers from a
party, totally sober, wearing
robe and slippers, was taken
from her car and given a so-
briety test, which she of
course passed. But, get this,
they didn't ask if she had
been drinking; they asked if
she had been smoking pot.
A man leaving work,
stopped for a tail light, was
asked if he was high on
meth.
Someone being designated
driver for several inebriated
people was questioned be-
cause the car smelled of alco-
hol. With several drunk peo-
ple in the car, I would expect
that it would.
What I'm hearing is that
none of these stops were due
to erratic driving. It appears
the CHP is just pulling peo-
ple over at random. Is this
legal?
I'm remembering a few
years ago when CHP and
sheriff would tailgate people,
then pull them over for
speeding up. One time a few
years ago .when several of us
were coming back from a
hospice class, we were
stopped by a CHP who said
to the driver, "You ap-
proached the middle line,
have you been drinking?" I
heard of this happening to
several other people around
that time.
Dear CHP, here's the deal:
this is a sparsely populated
Of course we don't want any-
one driving under the influ-
ence, but if you start doing
goofy stuff, everyone is go-
ing to know!
Judith Parks-Stevens
Meadow Valley
So familiar
I am writing to say thank
you for your wonderful po-
em to Margaret Elysia Gar-
cia -- I loved it so much I cut
it out of the paper. I was
born in LA and this is all so
familiar to me. Thank you
again!
Carilyn L. Gist
Portola
Saddened
I was saddened to read
that Kay Whipple had re-
cently passed away. Kay was
truly a good friend to both
myself and especially my
mother, Gertie Semer. As
my mother became very ill
from the effects of
Alzheimer's disease it was
Kay who remained faithfully
by her side until the end. I
could never thank Kay
enough. As most may know,
Kay was at her best while
working at Bob's Fine
Foods. She really did care
about everyone, had a terrif-
ic sense of humor and al-
ways kept your coffee cup
full. I will miss you, Katy.
Rest in peace my friend.
Jerry Selby
Pasadena
Cut the waste
We, our government, has
been for some time spending
way more than it has been
taking in. Our debt has been
escalating for some time,
and we need to seriously re-
verse that trend. Nearly
everyone agrees this is the
No. 1 priority. Cut spending,
first and foremost, by elimi-
nating, as much as possible,
waste, fraud and abuse.
Would that not be signifi-
cant? You tell me.
Also, we need revenue.
Not only because of the grav-
ity of the debt situation but
because we do need to spend
money, for one example, on
our crumbling infrastruc-
ture. And since the top 2 per-
cent or whatever tier you
• want to explore, have en-
joyed tremendous financial
gain over the past 30 years,
they are the most logical rev-
enue target. And just how
much profit margin do the
oil and gold miners enjoy?
We do need more revenue,
for a while, at least. And if
we cannot get it together
within a decade, God help
us!
What is so absolutely for-
eign about raising taxes on
the wealthy, just a little bit?
Personally, I would go 10
percent at the get-go and see
how it shakes out. But the
Dems haVe been talking
about 3.6 percent on the
richest 2 percent or anyone
who doesn't have to choose
between eating or going to
the doctor and making a
house or rent payment.
Come on! Is it that hard to
figure out?
This myth about hurting
job creation if you raise tax.
es on a lawyer, movie or
sports star, stockbroker or
any sort of specialist is crazy
talk. The current tax break
has been in place since 2000.
Check the job growth. Not!
We are in debt not only be-
cause we spend, but because
we do not have enough rev-
enue. I would argue that
along with attacking vigor-
ously the waste, fraud and
abuse, we should be spend-
ing more money on a variety
of things. I believe President
Obama's budget proposal is
where we as a people need to
start in spite of all the vilifi-
cation we have had to en-
dure from talk radio, Fox,
the Republican leadership
and now the tea party. Just
the facts, please.
Tom Slavik
Mohawk Vista
Universal laws
Mr. Michael Condon,
Historical fact: spending
on public works projects and
social programs during a
time of economic crisis only
serves to deepen the crisis
by debasing (lowering) the
value of the currency due to
more deficit spending. In 301
A.D., Rome had a population
of about 1 million; the gov-
ernment was handing out
free wheat to approximately
200,000 citizens. That
equaled out to 20 percent of
the population on welfare.
Emperor Diocletian (Oba-
ma?) issued his infamous
"Edict on Prices," the death
penalty for selling goods at
more than the government-
mandated prices. He also
froze wages. To Diocletian's
surprise, however, prices
just kept rising. Merchants
could no longer sell their
wares at a profi{, so they
closed up shop. People left
their careers to seek one
where wages weren't fixed,
or accepted welfare from the
state. Yes, the Romans actu-
ally were the first to invent
welfare.
Diocletian (Obama?)
adopted a guns and butter
policy, putting people to
work by hiring thousands of
new soldiers (government
employees) and funding nu-
merous public works pro-
jects. This effectively dou-
bled the size of the govern-
ment; add the cost of paying
all these employees to the
swelling masses of the un-
employed poor receiving
See Letters, page 12B
Contact your elected officials...
PLUMAS COUNTY SUPERVISORS - 520 Main Street,' Room 309, Quincy,
CA 95971; (530) 283-6170; FAX: (530) 283,6288; E-Mail:
pcbs@countyofplumas.com. Individual supervisors can also be
e-mailed from links on the county website, countyofplumas.com
PRESIDENT. Barack Obama, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW Washington, D.C. 20500. (202) 456-1414. Fax: 202-456-2461.
E-mail: whitehouse.gov/contact /
U.S. SENATOR - Dianne Feinstein (D), 331 Hart Senate Office Bldg.,
Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224-3841; FAX: 202-228-3954; TFY/TDD: (202)
224-2501. District Office: One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 393-0707; Fax: (415) 393-0710 Website: feinstein.senate.gov.
U.S. SENATOR - Barbara Boxer (I:)). District Office: 501 I St., Suite 7-600
Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 448-2787; FAX (916) 448-2563; OR 112 Hart
Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224-3553. FAX (202) 228-0454.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, 4TH DIST. - Tom McCiintock. 508 Cannon HOB,
Washington, D.C. 20515. (202) 225-2511; FAX (202) 225-5444.
mcclintock.house.gov. DISTRICT OFFICE: 8700 Auburn Folson Rd., Suite
#100, Granite Ba CA 95746; (916) 786-5560, FAX: (916) 786-6364.
STATE SENATOR, 1st DIST. - Ted Gaines. State Capitol, Room 3056,
Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 651-4001, FAX: (916) 324-2680. Roseville office:
2140 Professional Dr., #140, Roseville, CA, 95661. (916) 783-8232, FAX (916)
783-5487; Jackson office: 33 C Broadway, Jackson, CA 95642, (20?) 223-9140.
STATE ASSEMBLYMAN, 3RD DIST. - Dan Logue, State Capitol,
Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 319-2003; FAX (916) 319-2103.
District Office, 1550 Humboldt Rd., Ste. #4, Chico, CA 95928; (530) 895-4217,
FAX (530) 895-4219.
GOVERNOR- Jerry Brown, office of the Governor,
Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814. Website: gov.ca.gov/
(916) 445-2841. FAX: (916) 558-3160.
State