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Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011 11B
COMMUNITY
PERSPECTIVE
Encourag, e ),our school to start recycling
WHERE I STAND
WASTE MANAGEMENT
As summer ends and stu-
dents head back to school, the
recycling experts at Waste
Management remind stu-
dents, educators and parents
to think about the recycling
program at their schools.
Every year, schools produce
millions of tons of waste that
can be recycled or reused,
from paper to discarded
cafeteria food. However,
Waste Management officials
say even in areas where
there are residential curbside
recycling programs in place,
many schools report that
they have limited recycling
programs, if any at all.
"We believe in helping
school boards, administra-
tors, council members,
teachers, parents and stu-
dents realize better economic
and environmental benefits
from their waste programs,"
said Justin Caporusso, com-
munications manager for
Waste Management.
Some simple waste reduc-
tion school tips include:
--Creating an organized
group to implement a recy-
cling program. School-related
groups might include science
classes, environmental clubs
and parent-teacher organiza-
tions. Increasing the flow of
reusable and recyclable mate-
rials can even generate extra
funds for school departments
and groups.
--Donating leftover school
supplies. Students who leave
school supplies in their
lockers or desks at the end
of the year should be re-
minded to save them for sale
or donation. The same goes
for office and teacher
supplies.
--Establishing a collection
center. Schools are a great
place for stationary reuse
and recycling drop-off points.
A container where people can
drop off their reusable and
recyclable products should be
put in an easily accessible
holding area, such as a park-
ing lot.
--Composting. Composting
is the controlled biological
decomposition of organic
material, such as food scraps
or lawn trimmings, It is also
a waste reduction method.
Lunch food and cafeteria
leftovers can be added to a
compost bin on mpus.
Compost can be used as a
soil additive to improve soil
texture, increase the ability
of soil to absorb air and
water, suppress weed growth,
decrease erosion, reduce the
need to apply commercial
soil additives and degrade
some toxic materials in the
Soil.
--Electronic recycling.
Old computers, cellphones,
stereo equipment, televi-
sions, VCRs, PDAs, video
games and other electronic
equipment can be recycled
and refurbished for reuse in
schools and community
organizations. Goodwill also
will accept these materials.
--Purchasing recycled
products. Using products
made from recycled materi-
als is critical to the success of
recycling. Most paper prod-
ucts offer a recycled-content
version.
--Education. Notify com-
munity members about the
waste reduction program.
Local government or commu-
nity groups can spread the
word and participate in the
program.
--Rewarding participants.
A reward system could pro-
vide incentives to help the
success of the waste reduc-
tion program. Pizza parties,
gift certificates, badges or
donations to charities are
examples of good rewards.
Caporusso added that
Waste Management helped
one California school district
develop a recycling plan that
included parent and student
participation. The school and
classroom participation
reached 100 percent, and re-
cycling throughout the dis-
trict increased 23 percent.
One of the schools decreased
solid waste volume by 95 per-
cent during its "Trash.less
Tuesdays," often producing
just two bags of waste for 700
students.
Schools interested in
starting recycling programs
can call their local Waste
Management facility for in-
formation or visit wm.com/
enterprise/k-12-education.
LETTERS to the EDITOR
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 300
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.
Shared sacrifice
I think billionaire Warren
Buffet has a very cogent
argument. He says, "Our
leaders have asked for
'shared sacrifice' but when
they do the:asking, they
spared meJ;x:and while most
Americans struggle to make
ends meet, we mega-rich
continue to get our extraordi-
nary tax breaks."
Buffet goes on to say, "My
friends and I have been
coddled long enough by a
billionaire-friendly Congress.
It's time for our government
to get serious about shared
sacrifice."
According the Bernie
Sanders, the House has voted
to lower the Social Security
income of persons 80 years
old by $1,000 a year by 2012, a
whopping sum to retirees
who are barely getting by as
it is. At the same time they
have voted to lower the taxes
of the very rich who cannot
even begin to spend all the
money they have now.
Raising, not lowering, the
taxes of America's billion-
aires might solve some of our
worst economic problems.
Another cogent comment
goes back to about 600 B.C.
Aesop says, "When the rich
surrender the rights of the
poor, they give up a weapon
to be used against their own
privileges."
Hold on to your hats, we
are heading for a very bumpy
ride.
Salvatore Catalano
Taylorsville
Artistic fusion
To those of you that missed
Chris David's production of
Stars in the Barn on the
weekend of Aug. 19 - 20, all I
can say is, I hope you put it
on your calendar for next
year.
A grand performance both
Friday and Saturday night
featured the aero gymnastics
of Christine VanLoo. To give
you an idea of her perfor-
mance, picture the stunts in
Spiderman 1, 2 and 3 ... yes,
that was Christine, Kansas
Carradine (daughter of
David) twirled her trick rope
from the ground and is as
equally skilled from the back
of a horse performing in a
variety of sporting events
around the world. Blending
skill and communication be-
tween horse and horseman,
Dianne Olds Rossi thrilled
the audiences with her
amazing dancing horses.
Musicians Milton Merlos, the
classical flamingo guitarist,
and Tim Snider, a recording
artist who uses his own
personal style on violin and
guitar, with vocals and
percussion, enchanted the
audience. From the Truckee/
Lake Tahoe area, the Inner
Rhythms dance group main-
tains the mission statement
to use dance and music to
- create life skills in youth.
Saturday afternoon, Olds-
Rossi and David held a horse
training demonstration
which allowed the audience
to experience what it takes to
train horses to perform the
great dancing movements
needed for Stars in the Barn.
This is the second year for
this relatively undiscovered
performance weekend. Alain
Gauthier was again the
talented co-director and
choreographer for Stars in
the Barn. The concept was
developed by producer, co-
director and performer Chris
David, a local resident and
businessman in the Eastern
Plumas County area. And,
many thanks go to those
behind the scenes, who with-
out, a production such as
this, could not be.
I, for one, wanted to pinch
myself to realize that I was
still in the mountains of
Plumas County watching this
awesome artistic fusion of
multi-talented entertainmeIlt
... and, in an old Blairsden
barn! Thank you, Chris
David; and, thank you for
including Horses Unlimited.
Shirley Leschinsky
Quincy
"Supes' increase"
I have news for our super-
visors, Bob Nelson was
correct when he said that
they shouldn't have accepted
the cost-of-living increase.
There hasn't been an in-
crease in the cost of living
since 2008. How do I know?
Social Security told me so!
It states it right at the top
of my Social Security benefit
statement and I quote: "Your
Social Security benefits are
protected against inflation.
By law, they increase when
there is a rise in the cost
of living. The government
measures changes in the cost
of living through the Depart-
ment of Labor's Consumer
Price Index (CPI). The CPI
has not risen since the last
cost-of-living adjustment was
determined in 2008. As a
result, your benefits will not
increase in 2011." (They
didn't increase in 2010 either
for the same reason.)
Now either the CPI is
consistently incorrect, or
our elected representatives
haven't read it because they
generally always vote them.
selves a cost-of-living in-
crease. Not just our elected
representatives here in
Plumas County, but nation-
wide. Maybe there's different
CPIs for diierent folks. You
think?
Nansi Bohne
Quincy
Editor's note: There are
different consumer price in-
dexes for different folks. The
Plumas County supervisors'
salary is tied to the California
Consumer Price Index all
urban consumer series using
the April-to-April comparison.
Blessed
Once again the Fridens
have gone above and beyond
what is expected to care for a
patient. On Aug. 9 I went to
see Dr. Friden because I was
seeing black spots. Dr. Friden
determined that I was having
a retinal detachment and that
I needed to see a specialist
immediately. I did not have a
ride to Reno, but felt I could
go home, call around and find
someone. Dr. Friden told me
this was an emergency and I
needed to go right away. Mrs.
Friden volunteered to take
me. After the retinal special-
ist evaluated me, I was taken
directly for surgery.
Wow! The Fridens saved
my eyesight. I am so grateful
for them. We are truly
blessed that they chose
to come to Quincy and have
become such a vital part of
our community. It is also
important that we, as com-
munity members, support
them.
Josephine Marian
Keddie
Confused
Recently, 8B48 was passed
into California law, which
mandates schools fo teach
children as young as 5 years
of age about homosexuals,
bisexuals and transgenders
in history. Unless repealed
by the California voters in
November, all children in
public schools will receive
this instruction beginning
in January 2012. To qualify
for the ballot in November
500,000 signatures must be
gathered by Sept. 30.
This agenda has been
forced upon your children to
accept a deviant lifestyle,
that is abhorrent to the
majority of California
citizens. Children are being
confused about gender identi-
fication.
To obtain petitions please
contact The Pacific Justice
Institute online or go to
stopsb48.com to obtain peti-
tions to put this law on the
November ballot.
You will find us by the
Chester post office at noon on
many days with a petition in
our hands for you to sign.
Fay Almond
Tracy DuBord
Chester
Compromise
Today's political pride in
believing compromise is a
bad idea has infected both
parties, and our country is
paying a big price.
One of the most important
components of a happy
marriage is compromise. At
face value, that seems un-
romantic, but in reality,
whenever we compromise
(both people giving and
gaining something), we lay
another brick of trust and re-
spect; great fuels for romance
when compared to stubborn
self-righteousness.
The same principle is true
in all human arenas. We
either work towards mutual
understanding (which is far
more complex and interest-
ing than bullying), or we
bicker our way into weak-
ness and disintegration.
This country needs
strengthening. That takes
time and effor f. Let's not be
seduced by the stubborn,
chest-pounding attitudes of
far too many citizens and
politicians. We will benefit
far more from pragmatic
leaders who understand the
power and importance of
compromise.
Michele Adams
Indian Falls
Bullies
I know it sounds like the
CHP are trying to improve
their image, but we are tired
of these bullies following us
around five days a week to
and from work and lunch.
They then want us to play
with them on weekends.
After years of bullying we are
pretty tired. Carpenter, in his
letter dated Aug. 17, says that
we are picking on (Sheriff
Greg) Hagwood and others.
No, they were there to dis-
cuss the CHP's problems. The
man complains no CHP at the
truck accident at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 17. They
are bullying us in Quincy
and Portola at quitting time!
Also remember that' these
guys are off duty but still
profiling us driving around.
The CHP is a cash cow for
California and they are not
about to slow down. The
money goes to the general
fund, then the DMV, then to
the highway patrol. These
guys even get overtime to go
to court when off duty. If I'm
wrong, prove it.
I would really like to see
something positive get done,
but when they stop kids from
coming out of the movie
house and ask them what
they are on or have they been
drinking, really what a
hungry bunch of bullies they
are. I guess if Carpenter can't
cut it they will replace him
too.
I am tired of people telling
me they are scared of the
CHP and they don't want to
get profiled and intimidated
by them. People of Plumas
County, don't let these bullies
get away with this. Get
a lawyer, make a formal
Written comp.laint, call or
write our elected officials.
Keep this going. All they
want is that big money.
We will always have CHP
up here but let's hope they
will transfer a whole bunch
out of here. A lot of us are
just getting by. Next ticket
tell the judge you can't afford
it and do jail time. Boy what
a mess that would be.
Art Vieira
Quincy
Laffer Curve
Bob Kimberling disagreed
with Bryan Hansen that lower.
ing tax rates can increase
future tax revenues. Hansen
referred to a concept called
the "Laffer Curve," named
after economist Arthur Laffer,
who opposed a tax increase fa-
vored by Republican Gerald
Ford in 1974. Laffer received
an MBA then a Ph.D. in eco-
nomics in 1971 from Stanford.
In 1974 he was a tenured pro-
fessor at the University of
Chicago Graduate School of
Business. Laffer was not a
conservative ideologue; he
was a Libertarian who voted
for Clinton in 1992 and '96
because of his fiscal conser-
vatism.
The Laffer Curve was not
a Reagan invention. Laffer
notes that the idea was
mentioned in writings by Ibn
Khaldun in 1377, and British
socialist economist John
Maynard Keynes (famous in
the 1930s). In addition to the
obvious "arithmetic effect" of
applying a lower tax rate to a
"tax base" (earnings and
profits) which yields a lower
tax revenue, there is an
"economic effect" as lower
rates provide incentives for
businesses and the wealthy
to invest in the economy,
creating jobs and additional
wealth for investors and
workers. This additional
economic activity grows the
size of the "tax base" year
after year, which is the
beauty of "supply side
economics," . .........
Contrary to :.being de-
bunked, as Kimberling wrote,
a cut in tax rates in 1921 led
to the great economy of the
Roaring '20s. President
Kennedy proposed supply-
side tax cuts, then President
Johnson signed them in 1965.
That reinvigorated the eco-
nomy for a record 106-month
expansion. President Reagan,
an economics graduate, used
this concept to invigorate the
economic malaise left by
President Carter to become a
92-month expansion followed
by a 120-month expansion in
the 1990s.
Economic slowdown began
in April 2000 and President
Bush inherited a mild reces-
sion. Prompt tax cuts helped
keep the recession to only six
months. A success story!
Gene Kailing
Portola
Civil religion
As a Vietnam veteran
whose name is not on the wall
I become highly offended
when those in power abuse
our rights. The Constitution
and the Bill of Rights are the
sacred documents of the civil
religion of the United States.
"Civil religion" and religious
sects have been controversial
in Portola's City Hail in 2005
and again in 2010.
Most recently the Plumas-
Sierra Tea Party Patriots
were denied the right to dis-
tribute pocket copies of the
Constitution to students.
What could be more appro-
priate on Constitution Day
than our country's sacred
foundational document!
Now may be the time for all
good men to come to the aid
of their country and renew
Rousseau's "civil religion,"
his social contract and his
influence on the cultural
climate of the late 18th cen-
tury. The issue was touched
off by Robert N. Bellah, pro-
fessor at UC Berkeley, when
his essay titled "Civil Reli-
gion" first appeared in 1967
during the Vietnam conflict.
It touched off decades of
scholarly discussion and de-
bate. Some have ai'gued that
Christianity is the national
faith and others debate that
church and synagogue cele-
brate only the generalized
religion of "the American
Way of Life." Few have
realized that there actually
exists alongside and rather
clearly differentiated from
the churches an elaborate
and well-institutionalized
civil religion in America.
"We are a religious people
whose ins[itutions presup-
pose a Supreme Being. We
guarantee the freedom of
worship as. one.chooses. We
make room for as wide'a
variety of beliefs and creeds
as the spiritual needs of man
deem necessary. We sponsor
an attitude on the part of
government that shows no
partiality to any one group
and lets each flourish accord-
ing to the zeal of its
adherents and the appeal
of its dogma." (Zorach v.
Clauson)
Larry F. Douglas
Portola
Appreciation
I'd like to express our
appreciation for the commu-
nity meeting arranged by our
Sheriff Greg Hagwood in
Chester, this past Tuesday,
Aug. 23.
It was an informal conver-
sation in which he shared
what he as sheriff and his de-
partment hope to accomplish
to be always improving
public safety in our county,
despite the many financial
challenges we face. He pre-
sented many solution oriented
plans for dealing with the
anticipated influx of inmates
and parolees sent by the state
of California, as well as ways
to finance a much-needed
new county jail. He invited
us to come tour the jail
facility any time in Quincy.
He welcomed our input and i
encouraged us to stay in
contact with him and to get to
know his staff and deputies
both here in Chester and in
Quincy.
We are very fortunate to
have Greg Hagwood as our
Sheriff and look forward to
communicating with him
about how to help our
county.
Barbara MacArthur
Chester
This week at
plumasnews.com
The most read stories on our website for the
past week were:
"Economic gardening workshop"
"CHP leaders talk about improving public
relations"
"County balances budget -- with lots of cuts"
The CHP story received the most comments.