By Assemblyman Joel Anderson
 
March 2, 2010 (Sacramento)--The RGP Prosthetic Research Center, a San Diego company that provides artificial limbs for California Children's Services, is in danger of having to stop providing these critical services for children in need... again.
 
I recently spoke with Mr. Thomas Guth, the company's President. Guth is understandably worried. Last Monday, California State Controller John Chiang warned the legislature and Governor that unless they found "cash solutions" by March, California would be unable to pay its bills. A grim reality looms ominously above California taxpayers once again - IOUs.

By Kathy Rallings
Chair, Health Care for All-San Diego Chapter

Recently, Anthem Blue Cross made the case for the California Universal Health Care Act (SB 810) by raising its rates 39% this year while pulling in record profits. The company blames rising health care costs, yet overall health care has only increased by 6%. Insurance companies like Anthem do not contribute anything to our health care and take billions of dollars out to satisfy their stockholders.

As Congress holds its hearing about Toyota recalls, and Rep. Brian Bilbray recently toured a Toyota dealership in Carlsbad, we need to ask a simple question. Why has Congress sat silently by while the private insurance industry has rushed to gouge us with exorbitant premium increases?
 
By Tracy Emblem

 
Between 2000 and 2009, there were only 34 deaths attributable to the Toyota vehicle defect. According to a recent 2009 Harvard Medical School study, nearly 45,000 people die each year in the United States -- one every 12 minutes -- mainly because people lack health insurance and cannot get health care.

By Emma Turner
 

February 17, 2010 (La Mesa)-- My name is Emma Turner and I am a Republican candidate for the office of the 78th State Assembly.
 

I am a retired Naval Officer, and am currently serving children in my community as the board President for the La Mesa Spring Valley School District. I have been elected twice as a School Board trustee and twice as a member of the Board of Directors for the California School Board Association, where I often advocate for improving student performance.

By Joseph Rocha

February 16, 2010 (San Diego) --On the first day of college, many new students across the country make the fatal error of trying to defend an argument on grounds of the Slippery Slope Theory. Without fail, this unfortunate bunch is met by the crushing blow of professors eager to send a message that this theory is not welcome in academia. Basic principles of logic identify the Slippery Slope Theory (a fallacy and obsolete premise to any argument) with this textbook definition: “It occurs when the conclusion of an argument rests upon the claim that a certain event will set off a chain reaction, leading in the end to some undesirable consequence, yet there is not sufficient reason to think that the chain reaction will actually take place.” (Ph.D Hurley-A Concise Approach to Logic)

Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr. was done a great disservice in never having been taught this fundamental principle.  He has irresponsibly brought this fallacy to the forefront of the debate on whether to allow all of our troops to serve under honorable, dignified conditions via repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy.

"The year in which we were supposed to send U.S. and Russian astronauts to Jupiter began with two death blows to the biodiesel industry."--Tyson Gustus, broken-hearted Jezebel admirer/owner

By Tyson Gustus

I love my car. I even named her. Jezebel. Jezebel and I go back a long time. (In today's disposable society, seven years is a long time.) The story of Jezebel is a simple one. Back in late 2002, I decided to trade in my Jeep Wrangler for something more fuel-efficient, comfortable, and overall better-to-commute in. I was also in a long distance relationship at the time, so that only amplified all of the above needs.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service should investigate bird deaths at wind farms

By Jim Wiegand, Wildlife Biologist

February 12, 2010 (San Diego)--Every day at wind farms across America threatened or endangered species are killed from collisions with blades of the prop wind turbine. This is considered legal because the offending wind farms either hold the "incidental take permit" or were not required to have one because they did not fully disclose environmental impacts of their activities. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services requires the procurement of an incidental take permit for any individual or private industry if threatened and endangered species will be killed in a project. This killing is referred to as "take" -- and the perrmit holder has immunity from prosecution.

By Tracy Emblem

February 11, 2010 (San Diego) -- Government is and should be in the business of stimulating the economy to help its citizens achieve national goals like putting people back to work. When Ike Eisenhower returned from Germany after World War II, he said we need an interstate highway system to move our people and goods coast to coast like Germany’s rail system. The same could be said today about rebuilding our country’s crumbling infrastructures.

FIRE BOARD AXES ITS CHIEF

 By Dennis Richardson

January 16, 2010 (Lakeside) -- The Lakeside Fire Board fired our Chief for doing his job far above the expectations. The rushed lynching of Chief Mark Baker was not announced or publicized to the public by the Fire Board.

This firing was done with the hearing room filled with his supporters who all voiced their heart-filled opinions to keep him; standing room only. The board went against the public outcry to keep Chief Baker.

By Miriam Raftery, Editor

January 18, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection Board wants to charge drivers who cause accidents for costs of emergency services—fees estimated at up to $2,100. Director Karrie Johnston says she wants to hold “irresponsible” people responsible for costs of public safety services.

What’s next? If you’re “irresponsible” and ignore doctor’s orders to lose weight, shall ambulance companies charge you for paramedic services if you have a heart attack or stroke? How about people with old wiring in their homes, or those are “irresponsible” by causing a cooking fire? Shall we force them to pay for firefighters to save their home?

"...the Governor has just proposed eliminating all of the state parks department funding from the general fund and replacing it with uncertain funding from an oil drilling project that has not been approved, as announced in his proposed 2010-11 State Budget."

 By Elizabeth Goldstein
President, California State Parks Foundation

January 15, 2010 (Sacramento)--From vast stretches of sandy beaches to much-needed recreational areas in bustling urban centers, California’s state parks system is the nation’s largest, attracting some 80 million visits a year and making an enormous contribution to the Golden State’s economic and physical health.
 
California’s 278 state parks were once considered the best in the nation, but the National Trust for Historic Preservation ranked them among the country’s most endangered sites in 2008.

By Bonnie Burns Price, PhD

January 16, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--California will soon have another opportunity to elect a governor. Because of the epic challenges facing the state, all citizens need to consider the candidates carefully. As one who has given California’s challenges a great deal of thought, I am convinced that Jerry Brown, California’s current attorney general, past mayor of Oakland, and past governor, is the most able candidate to deal with them.

What are these epic challenges?

Here are just a few:

By Mike Cully

January 16, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- It’s the beginning of a new year and California’s economic hardships haven’t changed.

We face a 12 percent unemployment rate – one of the highest in the country – and a $20 billion deficit. Overtaxed and overregulated, companies are closing their doors and moving to neighboring states with lower costs to do business, and discouraged workers are leaving town in order to make a living.

I am concerned about the future of California. That’s why I am supporting Meg Whitman to be California’s Republican nominee for governor.

By Tracy Emblem

December 23, 2009 (Escondido) -- The Afghanistan "war" began on October 7, 2001, when our military launched "Operation Enduring Freedom." We were told the military operation was necessary to "neutralize" and "destroy" Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. We have since acknowledged that the terrorism organization is constantly on the move connected by an intricate international web and cell phone links that do not reside permanently in any one country.

Councilwoman Betty Rexford has become the focus of a regular mob scene in Poway

By Gerold Firl

December 9, 2009 (Poway) --We don't often get to witness an old-fashioned political hatchet job these days, especially out in plain sight. But it's happening right now in the bucolic halls of urban Poway. The ugly lineaments of hardball dirty politics are flapping in the breeze for all to see. If you can stand the whiff of corruption hovering over this travesty, it's well worth the time of any citizen who's interesting in improving the state of American politics. This is how we shouldn't run a government, and it's the responsibility of every responsible voter to recognize these tactics.

Is PowerLink the "missing link" tying Anderson donations from Hamann & SDG&E?
 
By Laura Cyphert, Co-founder
East County Community Action Coalition
 
December 1, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) -- In October, the East County Community Action Coalition, along with the Protect Our Communities Foundation, met with Assemblyman Joel Anderson to request that he take a position against the Sunrise Powerlink, and other related projects. Anderson declined the request, and stated candidly that he would rather “leave those types of issues to the experts.”
 
As we left the meeting, I scratched my head as I pondered the concept of a state representative for East County, leaving such a significant issue in his district “to the experts”. Who might these mystery experts be, I wondered?

By Warren Savage, Executive Director, Santee Chamber of Commerce

The United States Census has been conducted every decade since 1790. This constitutionally mandated census is conducted to determine the number of persons living in the continental United States as well as its tributaries and territories. The U.S. Constitution requires a national census once every ten years and is a count of everyone residing in the United States: all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. All residents must be counted. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens.

In 2010, the U.S. Census will define who we are as a nation and a community. Taken every ten years, the census affects political representation and directs the allocation of billions of dollars in government funding.

By Tracy Emblem

San Diego State University's budget has caused student enrollment to be reduced by 4,618 by Fall 2010. Recently, the university announced that it had to change its “service area” enrollment policy to accommodate its budget cuts. San Diego State should delay its new policy for a year to allow local high school students who were working for admission in Fall 2010 and under the old guidelines to be admitted.

By Jim Stieringer, President
Grossmont Healthcare District

November 14, 2009 (La Mesa) -- The House of Representatives' vote on November 7th is the first step in a long process that will have a profound effect on healthcare funding throughout the nation. Although few have read the 1990 page proposed legislation, some parts lend themselves to an early analysis.

There may be a constitutional problem in compelling people to purchase health insurance. Although many states currently require drivers to insure their automobiles, no one is required to drive a car. In fact, the state of California requires every owner of a motor vehicle to maintain an acceptable form of financial responsibility.

by Francine Busby

November 9, 2009 (San Diego) --Mr. Bilbray and his Republican colleagues in Congress just don’t get it. They need a shot of reality before they render themselves completely obsolete. It's way past time to stop the empty excuses, tired remedies and baseless accusations in regards to Healthcare reform. It's time to work together for the health and well-being of our families, our economy and our national security.

This is a very personal issue. In San Diego County, over 600,000, or 20.2% of people are uninsured and tens of thousands more are under-insured. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Bilbray's own Congressional district, 15.8%, or over 103,000 people are currently without health insurance.

By Masada Disenhouse

November 9, 2009 (La Mesa) -- As an East County resident I was very disappointed, though not surprised, that my Congressperson, Duncan Hunter, voted against the best interests of his constituents when he voted no on the House of Representatives healthcare bill. Though the bill is not perfect, still giving too much to insurance companies and too little to citizens, it would be a step forward.

By Tracy Emblem

November 7, 2009 (San Diego)-- Congressman Brian Bilbray says the health bill in Congress is expensive, bloated and wasteful and publicly asks us: "How will America pay for the Affordable Health Care for Americans Act?" Yet, he does not acknowledge some causes for our escalating health care costs or offer any leadership solutions on how to solve the problem.

..."There is no disagreement over the present lack of qualified theatrical management at ECPAC. If the City of El Cajon were to seriously consider hiring a good management group with a sound reputation, there would be no difficulty in obtaining talent to attract patrons."

By Ron Shelby, President
Grossmont Community Concert Association

November 1, 2009 (El Cajon) -- On Saturday, October 31, 2009, an article appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune’s East County section entitled: “The Show Need Not Go On.” While there is some validity to this article, it has overlooked some very important issues.

SDSU’s own internal documents reveal that the true purpose of many of the strategies we have seen over the past decade—from dual admission in 2002 to the current requirement that students apply to a major or pre-major—is “so we can ‘deny’ more locals access….”

By Pat Washington, PhD

October 31, 2009 (San Diego)--Approximately two weeks before the application period for San Diego State University (SDSU) began, President Stephen Weber announced that, among other things, the budget crisis forced the university to eliminate the local student guaranteed admissions policy. The policy guaranteed admissions priority to CSU-eligible students in the SDSU service area. However, SDSU’s claims that changes to its admissions policy are driven by the state budget crisis don’t hold up under scrutiny.

By Joe Morris

October 25, 2009 – On Tuesday, La Mesa’s City Council will vote on whether to ban drinking alcoholic beverages in public places—unless you fork over a $150 fee and apply two weeks in advance for your guzzling privileges. A City Manager’s report argues that tipsy people pose potential threats to others and cause police to waste time responding to calls about public intoxication.

How ironic, coming from a city that hosts an annual Oktoberfest touting public drinking and revelry; this year’s marketing slogan was “the big beer garden is back.”

By Tracy Emblem

October 18, 2009 (San Diego)--No new nuclear power plants have been built in the United States since the late 1970's. Recently however, Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee unveiled the Republican blueprint to build 100 nuclear power plants in the United States within the next 20 years.

Apparently the lessons learned from the 1986 Chernobyl power plant reactor meltdown that caused the worst nuclear accident ever have been forgotten. In the United States in 1979, we almost had a similar accident when a partial meltdown occurred at Three Mile Island but the reactor was brought under control just in time.

WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH PICKETING LOCAL SCHOOLS

By J. Richards

Editor's note:  Westboro Baptist Church, headed by Fred Phelps, has gained notoriety for protesting at funerals of gay individuals. In San Diego, however, on October 16 the group (which calls Jews "Christ killers") plans to target Jewish schools and organizations.  

October 15, 2009 (San Diego)--The Westboro Baptist Church will be in San Diego County to stage a series of pickets this Friday through Monday, with their "God hates..." pretty-much-everyone-else signs and websites.

They use shock tactics to get media attention, such as picketing military funerals while declaring 9-11 to be God’s punishment and their wish for the death of more soldiers.  I might have let their presence pass without anything more than a tsk-tsk, knowing their words speak more loudly against them than anything anyone else could say.

Our children's school, however, is on their picket schedule, so that children from pre-school on will have to pass this group's picketing in order to get to class in the morning.

By the Judicial Reform Commitee, United African-American Ministerial Action Council

October 10, 2009 (San Diego)--The much ballyhooed Three Strikes laws have had a negligible impact on states' imprisoned populations since its enactment, with the notable exceptions of California, Florida, and Georgia.*  For most states and the federal government, Three Strikes' enactment appears to have been "much ado about nothing.” Their 1998 analysis of Three Strikes laws points out why this should come as no surprise -- every one of the states that enacted Three Strikes laws already had existing repeat offender laws on the books; for many of those states, the change affected by Three Strikes was marginal.

 

The exceptional impact is in California, the only state in which any felony offense can trigger a Three Strikes sentence. California Department of Corrections data report that nearly two-thirds (65%) of those sentenced under California's Three Strikes laws are imprisoned for nonviolent offenses.

By Congressman Bob Filner
Democratic Representative from the 51st Congressional District

The impacts of the climate crisis are already being seen around the world through increasing hurricane intensity, melting ice caps, and refugees fleeing extreme weather conditions. Here in Southern California, we are particularly vulnerable to a variety of threats posed by unchecked global warming – threats to our environment, our economic stability, and our overall quality of life.

While residents of San Diego are no strangers to drought and emergency water conservation measures, climate change will bring a new generation of drought’s stranglehold on our communities as we see our water supply shrink from increasing average global temperatures. Local Scripps researchers concluded in an April 2009 report that if human-induced global warming continues to reduce runoff from the Colorado River, San Diego will be unable to deliver a regular water supply to the region (The press release can be found online at http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=977).

By Assemblymember Dave Jones, Candidate, California  Insurance Commissioner

 

More than 2,300 San Diego County structures were destroyed in the Witch, Harris and Poomacha fires. The California Department of Fire and Forestry, (“CalFire”) spent over half a billion dollars on suppression alone that year.

 

Increasingly, CalFire has been called upon to fight fires that threaten new residential development built in high risk fire areas. And increasingly, new residential subdivisions are being built in high risk fire areas throughout California.