Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| October 19, 2011 Indian Valley Record |  |
|
©
Indian Valley Record. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 19 (19 of 30 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
October 19, 2011 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
]
Wednesday, Oct.,19,2011 11B
Co
MMU
NITY
PERSPECTIVE
Quincy residents say, .'We are ,00.he 99 percent,
WHERE I STAND
OCCUPY WALL STREET .
Robert Turcotte: "My concern
has to do with the money in
politics and honest politics.
Until we make elections
publicly funded, we're not
going to have honest
elections."
Joan Parkin: "I'm here because
I hate Wall Street. It's disgust-
ing -- giving tax breaks to the
rich while the middle class is
losing their homes."
Photos by
Mona Hill
Joe Willis: "1 like to see larger
and larger gatherings of peo-
ple; that makes me feel safer
in challenging the dominant
paradigm. Since the Supreme
Court established corporate
peoplehood over 100 years
ago, we've had the wool
pulled over our eyes. I'm hop-
ing it will grow so Congress
knows that people don't think
the system is fair."
Approximately 70 residents occupy the corners of Main and Court streetsin Quincy Wednesday, Oct.
12, joining the "Occupy Wall Street" protests spreading around the nation. This group
focused on representing the "99 percent," based on the concept that the top I percent of the Amer-
ican population controls as much wealth as the remaining 99 percent combined. Their demonstra-
tion was done by 6:30 p.m. Feather Publishing asked several participants, "Why are you here?" See
their answers to the left.
Pluma;; supervis,vrs should cry'ate a jobs plan
WHERE I STAND
B.J. PEARSON
FORMER DISTRICT 1
PLUMAS COUNTY SUPERVISOR
Unless you have been in a
coma for the last year, I'm
sure you have read that the
average unemployment in
the United States is 9.1 per-
cent. If you add in the people
who have become discour-
aged and just stopped look-
ing, it is close to 16 percent.
Here in Plumas County the
unemployment rate is 19.9
percent and to top off the bad
news, the cost of living in
Plumas County is 15.6 percent
higher than the U.S. average.
Couple that with the fact
that housing values have de-
clined 9.37 percent in the last
year and what you tfave is an
economy that is approaching
that of a third world country.
Now with all of this bad
news, I bet you would think
.that your Plumas County
Board of Supervisors would
have devised a plan to create
new jobs. If you think that,
you would be dead wrong.
What they have been doing is
continuing to reduce the bud-
get to match our ever-shrink-
ing revenue base.
The fact is, you can't even
tall to them about trying a
program to bring in new jobs
to Plumas County. They just
keep lowering their collective
heads and hope that the econ-
omy will get better on its
own. Well, that's not going to
happen. What is likely to hap-
pen is Plumas County will
reach the economic "tipping
point" where the majority of
the people will qualify for
food stamps and/or welfare.
At that point, the
Greenville schools will likely
close, our hospitals will be
over-burdened with MediCal
patients, and those people
who really want to work
(which is the vast majority of
everyone here) will be leav-
ing the county in droves.
If the board would try to at-
tract new jobs, then maybe
there would be Cause for hope
for the future. But, with the
exception of providing a few
dollars for toui'ism and the
local chambers, nothing is
being done. I for one, met
with the County Administra-
tive Officer (Jack Ingstad)
and one supervisor, and of-
fered a plan that I believe
would work but was met with
more or less silence. This is
not acceptable!
The people of this county
should not allow the board
members to go to meetings,
lower their heads, try or do
nothing, and then expect to
collect their paycheck at the
end of the month. If they
don't have a plan to create
jobs of their own, then try my
plan or any other plan that
may have a chance to suc-
ceed. But if they continue to
do nothing, then they should
step aside and allow others a
chance to save our county.
The fact is, the people who
live in Plumas County will
never be rich, but all of us.
who have been accustomed to
the comforts of middle class
life should not be forced to re-
ly on public assistance for the
first time in our lives.
The job of county supervisor
was never meant to be strictly
ceremonial with the county
CAO making all the decisions.
When you ran for office, you
claimed to have the knowledge
and experience necessary to
help the people who you repre-
sent. The time has come for
you to earn your paycheck.
So to the supervisors, I
would say this: Either, at
least make an effort to make
our economy better, or move
aside and let others give it a
try.
LET00I'ERS to the EDIT,5)R
Guidelines f0€ 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.
Kudos and condolences
We want to acknowledge
the men and women of PG&E
for their professional and
timely response to the
downed wires at the Spanish
Creek bridge. We were
among those without power
for a few days, l)ut were kept
informed, and power was
brought back Up Thursday
night, well ahead of the
anticipated date. This was
accomplished in spite of the
tragic accident earlier that
day that claimed the lives of
two of the PG&E workers'
colleagues.
Our thanks and apprecia-
tion go out to these hard-
working men and women. We
also wish to express to them
our sadness at the loss of
their co-workers.
Jeff and Deb Hurff
Quincy
Rewriting history
Sal, Sal, Sal, trying to
rewrite history? You should
be ashamed, Salvatore.
World War I ended in 1918.
In 1924, a grateful Congress
voted to give a bonus check
to World War I veterans
$1.25 for each day served
overseas, $1 for each day
served in the stites. The
catch was that payment
would not be made until 1945;
do the math, 'they would wait
a long time. In those years
people did not live as long as
they do today.
By May of 1932 (the veter-
ans) "needed their money
now." To make their point
15,000 veterans and family
members, many unemployed
and destitute, descended on
Washington, D.C., to demand
immediate payment of their
aforementioned bonus. They
proclaimed themselves the
"Bonus Expeditionary
Force."
The Great Depression
started in 1929; and Salva.
tore, you grossly distort
history as "class warfare" in
your last letter, to support
your inane point; the
veterans were not the equiva-
lent of, nor should they be
compared to, today's dregs
of society camped on Wall
Street. The veterans were
focused; they knew why they
were camping out.
Oh Sal, the Germans and
Japanese didn't win World
War II either. Your beloved
socialist Roosevelt got us
involved in World War II,
which cost America 407,316
lives of your so-called
"middle class." In 1935
Roosevelt had taken the
nation off the gold standard
(whoops) and allowed deficits
in the budget, and he made
concessions to labor unions.
Roosevelt gave us: Social
Security, higher taxes on the
wealthy, new controls over
banks and public utilities,
sounds like Obama, deja vu.
Without World War II the
Depression would have
continued.
Sal, Democrats had Con-
gress for two years, why
didn't fhey vote in higher
taxes in 2008? Today, the top i
percent of incomes pays 40
percent of the nation's taxes;
the bottom 47 percent still
pay nothing.
Dr. Trent Saxton
Lake Davis
Rattling swords
Romney's comments re-
garding his foreign policies
should he be elected sound a
great deal like G.W. Bush's
ill-conceived evil empire
speech. I don't know where
Romney has been these last
50 years, but when we rattle
swords and invade other
countries and/or interfere
with their internal affairs, we
always bring grief to others
and to ourselves.
We are all human. Perhaps
a friendlier attitude toward
those nations with whom
we disagree for one reason
or another might bring a
healthier relationship with
the people of those nations.
What Romney calls
Obama's. "feckless" policies
have diminished the world's
hatred toward America that
the Bush/Cheney adminis-
trations incurred.
Romney should be looking
at America's internal prob-
lems. He should be address-
ing himself to the bipartisan
swelling of anger over the
questionable practices of the
big banks and the failure
Of big business to hire
American workers.
Good luck, however.
Salvatore Catalano
Taylorsville
Fragile beauty
I am extremely grateful
for several local grassroots
organizations that are in-
creasingly inspiring and
vitalizing community in-
volvement in local educa-
tional environmental conser-
vation activities.
Just during the past
several months the Coordi-
nated Resource Management
group (CRM), Feather River
Land Trust, Sierra Buttes
Trail Association, Audubon
Society, Ro5 Wade's outdoor
education program, Quincy
Natural Foods and the
Feather River Outdoor
Recreation Group have orga-
nized and presented free
educational tours of stream
and riparian wildlife, non-
motorized trail maintenance
and new construction of
popular community path-
ways, watershed cleanup and
restoration, and community
bird/wildlife/vegetation tours.
The "Green Fire" film
about the life and conserva-
tion insights of Aldo Leopold
and the Wild and Scenic Film
Festival displayed more
drama, comedy and interest-
ing content than the vast
majority of commercial films
available at theaters and
I didn't even get pulled over
by the CHP on my drive
home; miracles never cease
to surprise me.
The volunteer activities
of these 'groups enhance
our awareness of the fragile
beauty of our rural environ-
ment while providing public
opportunities to restore,
enhance and appreciate our
natural surroundings. It's a
good formula that industry,
government and individuals
could also practice especially
during these times of fiscal
austerity to promote good-
will, good business and good
community.
These organizations are
making Plumas County an
even more scenic, healthy
and happy community in
which to live.
Paul Stancheff
Quincy
Common sense
"Common Sense" by
Thomas Paine influenced the
American people in creating
a new government. Our
Founding Fathers created a
new Constitution with a Bill
of Rights. They neglected to
add a list of responsibilities
which were probably already
understood by the people
who had served their country
and risked their lives and
fortunes.
Our government is begin-
ning to show some common
sense in returning control
To send a legal: typesetting@plumasnews.com
To send an advertisement: maiJ@pJumasnews.com
and responsibifitles backt0
the local communities. AB
109 with all of its faults is
returning some prisoners
back to the counties where
the crimes were committed.
Depending on y.our perspec-
tive it puts either a burden
or responsibility on the
communities to watch for
criminal activities and report
viOlations to the authorities.
Grizzly Lake Community
Services District is putting
the responsibility of lighting
in Delleker back to the
customers who receive the
service. It is another sign of
the enlightened leadership
making changes to lower
costs to its customers and
to focus on their water and
sewer systems.
To provide lighting the
management would have to
petition the Local Agency
Formation Commission for
approval, which means
another financial burden for
all customers to provide
service for a few. By not
'pf0Yidiiig service they are.
eliminating themselves as a
middleman and placing the
responsibility for lighting
with the consumer and the
actual service provider.
Liberty Energy is providing
service in good faith. Termi-
nation also eliminates the
red tape of a Proposition 218
procedure for rate increases.
All of this is "common
sense" to the management of
the new CSD. From their
experience they found that
the few would not approve a
necessary rate increase and
expected other, customers
to shoulder the financial
responsibility. This was
considered unacceptable by
some customers.
Residents of Plumas
County are getting better
service when under new
management. We should be
grateful and accept the good
changes that are taking
place.
Larry F. Douglas
Portola
Contact your elected officials...
PLUMAS COUNTY SUPERVISORS - 520 Main Street, Room 309, Quincy,
CA 95971; (530)283-6170; FAX: (530) 2836288; 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: 202456-2461.
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; TTY/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 (D). District Office: 501 1 St., Suite 7-60(
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 McClintock. 508 Cannon IOB,
Washington, D.C. 20515. (202) 225-2511; FAX (202) 225-5444.
mcclintock.house.gov. DISTRICT OFFICE: 8700 Aubum 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, RoseviUe, CA, 95661. (916) 783-8232, FAX (916)
783-5487; Jackson office: 33 C Broadway, Jackson, CA 95642, (209) 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
!lll:Vlttl,lllll!il'llflRllff[l:|lllllllllllllllllltTIllt!lTlll7 l!!llllltilli/| 'IIRI/1111l't1171 lllllll!liiKlllllliI"_ - - - i t _,'!IWII