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8B Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
EDITORIAL
AN D
OPINION
EDITORIAL
!
Leave it to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Cali-
fornia Legislature to come up with a way to
raise $50 million a year from rural homeown-
ers who live in areas served by CalFire with a
new state responsibility area fire fee. But
here's the real rub CalFire won't spend any
of that money actually fighting a wildfire any-
where across this great state of ours. Instead
the money goes to fire prevention activities.
The State Board of Forestry and Fire Protec-
tion, stacked with Brown appointees, ap-
proved the fee last week after the Legislature
failed to provide additional direction to clean
up AB 29, the bill that authorized the fee.
The Regional Council of Rural Counties ana-
lyzed the bill earlier this year and reported the
state will levy up to $150 per structure intend-
ed for human habitation, including mobile
homes in areas served by CalFire. Residents
who live within the jurisdiction of another
f].re agency will receive a $35 discount mak-
ing the fee $115. The state responsibility area
fee will be adjusted relative to inflation start-
ing in 2013. No other structures such as barns,
sheds, etc. will be subject to the fee. Nearly 90
percent of the estimated 850,000 residential
structures outside city boundaries or federally
protected areas, for which the state is respon-
sible, are expected to qualify for the discount.
RCRC represents 30 of the state's 58 coun-
ties, and its membership opposes the fee.
Plumas County is a member of RCRC. Ted
Gaines, Plumas County's representative in the
state senate, opposes the fee. Dan Logue,
Plumas County's representative in the Assem-
bly, has co-authored AB Xl 45 -- legislation
that seeks to repeal the state responsibility
area fee.
Opponents of the fee argue the state is sim-
ply trying to balance its budget on the backs of-
rural taxpayers, They also.argue the tax is un-
fair because many of these homeowners al-
ready pay local taxes to other fire protection
agencies: in effect, homeowners are being dou-
ble-taxed for services they already receive.
They also point out it costs CalFire more to
fight fires in urban areas than rural areas.
In addition, the legislation authorizingthe
fee may not survive several expected court
challenges. The opponents argue the fee is un-
constitutional because of Proposition 26, ap-
proved by the voters last year. That measure
requires that new fees that benefit the public
broadly must pass by a two-thirds vote of the
Legislature or local voters.
Don't look now, but Logue's website reports
the administration now wants to increase the
fee to $175 per home and $1 per acre.
We encourage our supervisors to join with
RCRC, Gaines and Logue in protesting this un-
fair (don't-call-it-a-tax) fee.
Fea ing
spaper
Breaking News ....
go to plumasnews.com
Michael C. Taborski ............. Publisher
Keri B. Taborski ...Legal Advertising Dept.
Delaine Fragnoli ......... Managing Editor
Alicia Knadler ........ Indian Valley Editor
M. Kate West ............. Chester Editor
Shannon Morrow .......... Sports Editor
Ingrid Burke ................ Copy Editor
Staff writers:
Michael Oondon Dan McDonald
Ruth Ellis Brian Taylor
Will Farris Kayleen Taylor
Barbara France Theresa Humphrey
Mona Hill Sam Williams
Susan Cort Johnson Jason Theobald
Diana Jorgenson
Feather River Westwood
Bulletin PinePress
(530) 283-0800 (530) 256-2277
Lassen County Chester Progressive
Times (530) 258-3115
(530) 257-53211
Indian Valley
Portol a Reporter Record
(530) 832-4646 (530) 284-7800
v luefam t th r " II
EDITOR'S NOTES
DELAINE FRAGNOLI
Managing Editor
dfragnoli@plumasnews.com
I recently saw something very scary. No,
it wasn't the latest unemployment rate. Or
another video of Muammar Gaddafi's final
pathetic moments. Or more photos of the
Reno wildfire.
What chilled me to my core was a recent
analysis of teen values in America. Re-
searchers used television shows popular
with tweens and teens to examine what val-
ues they hold most important. The No. 1
value? Fame.
Rated 15th in a list of 16 values in 1987
and 1997, fame has vaulted into the top
spot. The top four values after fame were:
achievement, popularity, image and finan-
cial success.
In 1997, the top five were: community
feeling, benevolence, image, tradition and
self-acceptance. In the most recent assess-
ment, the two least-emphasized values
were spiritualism and tradition.
I suppose it's human nature for one gen-
eration to bemoan the narcissism of the
younger generation, and one could argue
that self-absorption is a hallmark of adoles- "happiness studies" as it's sometimes called,
cence and a necessary stage on the way to suggests that the values our children are in-
adulthood, creasingly eschewing are the very ones need-
But the swift reversal of values over the ed for longer, healthier lives.
last 10 years should alarm us. Values that Senior citizens who have a strong social
had been consistently important for 30 network think community and sense of
years have plummeted in importance in the belonging are more likely to thrive phys-
last decade. Community feeling was the No. ically and mentally than their isolated
1 value in 1967, 1977 and 1997, and the No. 2 peers.
value in 1987. Now, it's not even in the top Gratitude, as opposed to unfulfilled long-
10. ing for riches and fame, is another compo-
The shift parallels a documented rise in nent of lifelong happiness.
narcissism and drop in empathy among col- So is meaningful work, tied to effort. Re-
lege students, search indicates that people are happiest
Researchers point their fingers at the in- when they are in a "flow state," a state of
crease in social media for the dramatic absorption in which they feel challenged
change. The shift occurred as YouTube, but not overwhelmed by the task at hand.
Facebook and Twitter exploded. "If you Having a spiritual tradition of some kind
have 400 or more Facebook friends, which and connecting with the natural world
many high school and college students do, have both been shown to increase one's
you are on stage," one researcher said in a sense of well-being.
news report. "It's intrinsically narcissis- One thing that doesn't necessarily bring
tic." happiness is, yes, money. Beyond being
Researchers say that fame seems to be a able to meet basic needs, more money does
goal of many children, fed by unrealistic not equate to more happiness, say wellness
portraits of easy fame without much effort, researchers.
such as Hannah Montana. It seems to me that we parents need to be
Parental influence is "diminished" as more involved in helping our children cri-
kids live "so much of their lives online." tique social media. A teen may have hun-
Not only does the shift in values bode ill dreds of"friends," but how deep are those
for the larger culture, it portends great un- connections? How many of them could she
happiness for our children as they become call on in an emergency? How realistic is
adults. Hannah Montana's life? What are the costs
As one psychologist asked, "when being of fame? How much money does one really
famous and rich is much more important need?
than being kind to others, what will happen These are questions worth broaching
to kids as they form their values and their with our young people. To send them into
identities?" adulthood bereft of meaningful values is to
Recent research in positive psychology, or condemn them to a life of unhappiness.
Where in the World?
On a trip to Monterey to
celebrate her husband
Loren's birthday, Carrie
Gibbons stands in front of
the Monterey Bay Aquarium,
"which we really enjoyed."
NeXt time you travel, share
where you went by taking
your local newspaper along
and including it in a photo.
Then email the photo to
smorrow@plumas news.com.
Include your name, contact
information and brief details
about your photo. We may
publish it as space permits
REMEMBER WHEN
KERI TABORSKI
Historian
75 YEARS AGO ........... 1936
Classified advertisement: For Sale--20
Chester white weener pigs $4.00 each.
Call P.R. Evans, Genesee.
Advertisement: Free coffee demonstra-
tion. A representative from Schilling
Coffee Company will serve free coffee
and cookies all day Saturday at Kir-
patricksMarket. Sells for 2 pounds for
53 cents.
50 YEARS AGO ............ 1961
Plumas County's Plumas Eureka state
Park in Johnsville has drawn a fantastic
total of 55,000 visitors during 1961, the year
it was officially dedicated and opened. The
old stamp mill there is being reconstructed
there to show that more than $80 million in
gold was at one time processed there. The
original building measured 80 feet high
and was constructed in 1870.
25 YEARS AGO ........... 1986
There are still no suspects in the murder
of Lucile White, the 79 year old owner of
the Chester Manor Motel who was robbed
and killed November 17.
Lorraine Hansen of Taylorsville has
been selected by the Town Hall Theater
board as the first theater coordinator.
10 YEARS AGO ....... 2001
The offices of the Plumas County Drug
and Alcohol Department will move from
their location on Main Street in Quincy to a
facility located on Cemetery Hill in Quincy.
The new Plumas County animal shelter
will be built in Quincy after attempts to fi-
nalize a land deal in Greenville never mate-
rialized. The Quincy site is located on
North Mill Creek Road near Quincy near
the Sierra Pacific mill. A bid to move the
county's animal shelter jurisdiction from
the Sheriff's Department to the Health De-
partment has been denied by the Plumas
County Board of Supervisors.
Reporter resolves to make better choices
health, this year my focus will be dead on satisfaction of making a change. I left
what I can do to help my country at the the party of my habitual choice and
voting booth, registered as an independent. I don't
Primaries across the country are ap-know how many other choices I left open
proaching and I am eager to learn how to me but I'm certainly into exploring
many other people are just as determined my options.
to make a clean sweep of the "do noth- I watch televised debates, I track polls
ings." and I think .my first resolution of the new
While I usually try to give my home dis- year will be to learn how to go online and
MY TURN trict officials the benefit of the doubt for ef- check the voting records of my home dis-
M. KATE WEST forts on my behalf, I'm not so sure I will be trict's congressional representatives and
Chester Editor as generous going into 2012. senators.
chesternews@plumasnews.com Even though I'm a bit ticked at the en- Having said that, I am acknowledging
tire House and Senate I do realize the ef- that I not only have to find the time to be
Judging by the example of the Super forts of a half a dozen people with good in- more involved but also to find ways in
Committee this week, this certainly is no tentions cannot possibly turn the tide of which I can make better choices going into
time to play a game of follow the leader be- partisanship, the future.
cause there doesn't seem to be anybody Lots of folks like to say Washington is We have all heard more than our fair
out in front! broke. With the amount of money flowing share of the word "change" over the past
Talk about disheartening I really did- into campaign coffers I just can't buy off four years.
n't think the members of Congress would on the word broke. To me, Congress is like I suggest we all set partisanship aside,
let the American people down one more a victim of quicksand mired down, drop the party lines and put America first
time, but here we are again, stuck between slowly sinking and drowning us all with in 2012.
the perpetual partisan rock and a hard their lack of ability to make a sensible de- Can you imagine what change could be
place, cision or take action, brought about if we each made informed
I don't know about the rest of the world I know my optimism has been stretched decisions, candidate by candidate instead
but I am close enough to Jan. 1 that I am to the breaking point and I don't have one of by party?
ready to make a few resolutions, ounce of patience left for any form of parti- While I'm not sure we could pull this off,
While I usually lean toward annual sanship. I would certainly like to see each and
promises Of things I can do to improve my After the 2008 election I at least had the every one of us give it an honest try!
i