It seems appropriate on this Tax Day to visit some ideas about how Americans can and ought to live.
These ideas include individual liberties, limited government, peace, nonintervention in the affairs of other nations and a free market, here and in the world.
These are concepts that are being bandied about by participants in the Tea Party celebrations going on hereabouts and around the country, but many Tea Partiers might balk at some of them if they knew where they might lead.
Members of the Libertarian Party, on the other hand, take those ideas to their logical conclusions. For example, the idea of individual liberties, to most Libertarians, means people should have the right to do anything they want to do as long as they don’t harm others. They don’t believe in prohibiting people from taking drugs, for example, as long as the drug-taker’s behavior affects only himself or herself. They don’t care who marries whom.
They don’t believe education should be compulsory once a person learns to read, learns basic math, and learns basic civics, which probably would take the compulsory student to about the eighth grade. All other education should be sought and earned.
They believe governments should be limited to providing for the national defense, assisting internal policing, administering laws through the courts, conducting diplomatic relations with other countries and administering contracts with private contractors who would provide almost all other government services.
The government also would levy and collect taxes. The government would never borrow money except in an emergency, such as war.
When it comes to war, Libertarians believe we owe our soldiers just one thing — the means and will to provide quick and absolute victory against any foe. They oppose limited, expeditionary wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan as a waste of the country’s resources and the blood of its armed forces.
You have to hand it to President Obama for trying to get the countries that own nuclear weapons to start doing a better job of securing them, but he may find it a very difficult thing to do.
It used to be that only the United States had nuclear weapons. Then, the Soviets got some, and then the British and the French, and then the Chinese. Countries love having nuclear weapons.
Even the North Koreans, who can barely feed their people, have nukes now. Before long, the Iranians will have them.
Pretty soon Jamaica will want nuclear weapons. So will the Bahamas (but only if Jamaica gets them). If Nigeria gets nukes, Rwanda will want them, too.
I have read that almost anybody can build a nuclear bomb now. The instructions are on the Internet, apparently. All you need is the nuclear material, and if you have the money, you may be able to buy nuclear material on eBay before too many more years.
People who count nuclear weapons say the world has about 23,000 warheads now. Apparently there’s enough nuclear material lying around to build another 200,000 warheads. Maybe some day we’ll all have nuclear weapons in our garages.
Except for the United States, nobody has actually used a nuclear weapon, except in tests. That’s indeed a blessing. The reason nobody uses them is that they can backfire on you. If you use one on country A, country A may use one on you.
That is called mutually assured destruction, and people who study those things say it was what kept the cold war from becoming very hot all of a sudden. Nuclear weapons are extremely powerful, but also extremely impractical.
Nevertheless, arms talks in the past were based on having a lot of nukes to start with. Those with no nukes stayed home.
The past few months, all Madera Unified first grades were fortunate to have a series of artists visit the classrooms once a week. A variety of art presentations were made possible by the commitment of the Madera Arts Council with support from MUSD.
Our students benefited from presentations that gave them hands-on activities, vocabulary enrichment, and a greater appreciation of the arts. With the rigorous academic emphasis of today’s education, it was wonderful to offer this supplement to their learning.
The arts are what complete our learning journey and we thank all the people involved. We are hopeful to have this program continue for the next year’s first graders.
It’s two days before income tax returns are due, and it reminds me that last week I read that nearly half of American families don’t pay income tax at all.
That doesn’t mean these lucky folks don’t have to file tax returns. They do, and they have to file on time. If they don’t, they’ll have to pay fines and penalties — but then, that might be a good way of making them pay a little of their share. If only half of families are paying, that means the other half is paying for the services the non-payers are using. No wonder the country has a deficit.
One of California’s budget problems is similar — not enough of the state’s residents pay much in the way of state income tax, either.
For example, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, a married couple filing jointly with no dependents would have an effective tax rate of 2.1 percent based on taxable income of $50,000, versus an effective rate of 4.9 percent based on $100,000 of taxable income.
That is called progressive taxation, which means that the last dollar earned is taxed higher than the first dollar earned.
In 2004 the analyst’s office says, taxpayers earning annual incomes of $200,000 or more accounted for about 5 percent of returns but more than 55 percent of state income tax liabilities. In contrast, taxpayers with adjusted gross income of less than $50,000 accounted for over 45 percent of returns but less than 6 percent of liabilities.
Both federal and state lawmakers over the years have insisted on progressive income taxes. They are progressive, of course, unless you are one of those 5 percent who pay 55 percent of the tax bill. Then, they begin to look a little regressive.
The budget problems won’t be fixed until the tax burden is spread around a little more.
It’s only April and already there’s a barrage of negative campaign ads in the race to fill the congressional seat being vacated by George Radanovich. But unlike most races the negative ads aren’t mudslinging by one candidate towards another. Actually, the three serious contenders for the safe Republican seat — Richard Pombo, Jeff Denham and Jim Patterson — have so far been civil towards one another.
The arm hurling the accusations belongs to Defenders of Wildlife, an environmental group with headquarters in Washington DC. The ads charge candidate and former congressman Pombo with all manner of scurrilous crimes, ranging from public corruption and backroom deals to having the taxpayers fund his family’s vacation.
A review of Pombo’s history reveals why an out-of-state, nonprofit environmental group is spending more money to persuade San Joaquin Valley residents whom to vote, or not to vote for, than the candidates themselves.
Pombo served as a congressman from 1993 to 2007 including time as House Resources Committee Chair. He led efforts to reform the Endangered Species Act and came very close to doing so. The House passed ESA amendments designed to remedy some of the unintended consequences contained in the original legislation — consequences still causing trouble for Valley water supplies. By working with varied interests Pombo came up with language even an environmental champion and Valley agriculture foe, Bay Area Congressman George Miller, supported, after Miller had removed the private property rights clause.
Unfortunately for proponents of ESA reform the amendment stalled in the Senate when Sen. Lincoln Chaffee, (R-Rhode Island) wouldn’t allow a vote in 2005. Chaffee wanted to wait until after the elections because he was concerned with environmentalists targeting him. As it turned out environmentalists targeted Chaffee anyway, and he lost the election.
Pombo was also targeted. The original boundary of the congressional district he represented was contained in the Valley. After redistricting, much of the new district included eastern portions of the Bay Area shifting the demographics from conservative to moderate/liberal. Even so, he survived the first election in the newly drawn district. The following election his opponents brought seven busloads of University of California students to walk precincts every day for the last two months of the campaign. Environmentalists spent millions of dollars to remove Pombo from Congress.
When asked why he was willing once again to put up with the vilification just to run for Congress, Pombo said, “I don’t see anyone else willing to fight the enviros as hard as needed to get the changes needed.”
What about the corruption charges and the allegations he took a taxpayer-funded family vacation?
“From 2006 until now the enviros have been attacking me as corrupt,” said Pombo. “At that time Nancy Pelosi was trying to tie me to Jack Abramoff. I met Abramoff once, when he walked up to my table to speak to one of my dinner partners. He was never in my office and we never spoke about legislation.
“As chair of the Resource Committee it was part of my duty to tour our national parks. Instead of flying in an Air Force jet, I rented a motor home and brought my family along. I even paid the park entrance fee for my family.”
Pombo said the negative radio ads and “robo” calls to voters vilifying Pombo are beginning to backfire. “The level of awareness due to water issues in the Valley is actually helping me. The allegations against me can’t be backed up with substance.”
Since the 19th District is safe for Republicans, and all the candidates at least claim to be conservatives, why does a Pombo victory hold such fear for the fringe environmentalists?
Pombo brings his past seniority with him. Whether or not the Republicans upset the Democrat majority in the House, Pombo will qualify for seats on the Resource and Agriculture Committees. If the Republicans regain the House majority, a Pombo win could place a Valley legislator with a proven record of fighting for ESA reforms back to leadership of a powerful committee. If the balance in the Senate swings Republican also (and Pombo thinks California’s Barbara Boxer could be key) it would be the best opportunity in decades to fix some of the Valley’s water problems by reforming the ESA.
With the Delta pumps again curtailed, water will continue to be a life-or-death issue for Valley farmers. Pombo has a plan to bring more water where it’s needed.
“There are two things that have to be done; improve and update the state’s water infrastructure and reform the ESA,” said Pombo. He wants to raise the science needed for an ESA action to the level of peer review as opposed to best opinion, and replace the current criteria for critical habitat.
“There’s a wash on my neighbor’s ranch that has water run down it maybe once every third year if there’s enough rain. Because it showed up on a map as a creek it was designated critical habitat for the red-legged frog. You don’t find frogs in an area where there’s no water for three years,” said Pombo.
Another important piece of the puzzle is reining in federal spending. “The current Congress has spent more in one bill,” said Pombo, “than all the money saved during the last three years there was a balanced budget. We’re near the tipping point where our debt will exceed our GNP (gross national product) and that’s dangerous.”
Pombo’s views on abortion, same-sex marriage and global warming are what one would expect from a conservative: pro-life, man-woman and not man made.
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Don Wright is a freelance writer specializing in water issues and politics.
Recent encounters with pirates on the high seas have ended with the pirates getting their rear ends kicked. That’s because ship owners are getting more practical in how they deal with the problem. They are training their crews in how to handle pirate attacks, and navies from around the world are becoming more aggressive in how they deal with the threats.
This is important because piracy on the high seas, if left to fester, can interrupt commerce to the point that prices will go up because of piracy’s costs.
And, there’s always the chance that terrorists and pirates could join forces, with the plunder from piracy going to terrorists to help pay for attacks in Europe, Asia and even the United States.
Piracy is nothing new. In the second and third centuries, the Romans were successful in keeping the Mediterranean relatively free of pirates by the simple method of crucifying every one they caught. And they caught quite a few. The Roman navy became good at quelling piracy, largely because of the need to protect maritime trade throughout its empire. If the Romans believed in nothing else, they believed in keeping order.
Modern ship owners aren’t like the Romans. They still hesitate to arm their crews because of the potential for being held liable for injuries or deaths. While the shipping companies may trust their captains, they aren’t always confident of the sailors who serve under those captains. They fear the idea that their own sailors, if armed, could become pirates themselves.
One wonders, however, whether pirates in speed boats would readily attack a vessel they thought might be armed.
Unlike terrorists, pirates want to be able to go home with loot and go out for more. They don’t want to die. They might even seek other occupations.
I was looking at a spot on our house the other day that needs painting, and I thought, “I ought to be able to handle that.”
But I was wrong, as I usually am about those things.
When it comes to painting, I am one of the world’s two or three worst, and also unluckiest. I don’t know why it is, but when I come in contact with paint, a brush and a surface waiting to be painted a lot of things go wrong.
A few weeks back, I saw that a graffiti vandal had drawn a little bit of fluff on our back fence, so after procrastinating for a few days, I went to paint over it.
I had the paint, I had the roller, I had the old pants and the blue rubber gloves. I put on my old dairy boots so that if paint got on my shoes I could wash it off.
I gave the can of paint a good shake. The can was only partially full, containing paint that was used on the fence a couple of years ago when some people who actually knew what they were doing painted the fence. The color of this paint is called Sugar Daddy, or something like that. The paint the other painter dripped on the can has obscured the label, but I do remember the sugar part.
As I shook it, some of it got on my glasses. Dang.
I loaded the roller with paint and began to work on the fence. Before long, the graffiti was painted over, but I still had paint left in the tray. So, I decided to paint the top of the fence, where it was beginning to peel in some places.
That was working out well, too, until I heard a noise beside me. I looked to my left. Low and behold, the cat was walking on the top of the fence where I had just painted.
I grabbed her and began wiping her feet off on my old pants. Naturally, she extended her claws.
The fence and cat are fine, but I’m still healing. Enough of painting for this year.
As a service-connected disabled U.S. Navy Veteran of WWII and Korea, I need to say my peace in answer to the letter of Fred Thomas in the Tribune on March 31.
I earned the right, together with the millions of families, starting from the Revolutionary War, who spilled their blood, or saw their loved ones pay the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives to keep the United States free.
About his comments saying that if one is a racist, one is probably a member of the Republican Party, does he exclude some Democrats and Independents from being racist? This is insulting and shows the lack of his knowledge of the American political system.
On Dec. 7,1941, Pearl Harbor Day, when the Japanese bombed and destroyed United States ships and air bases in Hawaii, my 18-year-old twin brothers were killed at the U.S. Army Base at Hickam Field in Hawaii. My next-oldest brother served 30 years as a U.S. Navy battleship sailor during WWII and Korea. During the invasion of Normandy, he was seriously injured from Nazi shore battery shells. He later served throughout the Atlantic and in the South Pacific. My next-oldest served 26 years in the U.S. Naval Air Command, later in the U.S. Air Force during WWII and Korea, and retired as a full colonel.
I served a combination of 12 years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve. My oldest son served four years in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service and four years in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam War era. My youngest son served four years in the Coast Guard.
Mr. Thomas speaks and supports the Obama health bill. I ask you, Mr. Thomas, have you read the entire 2,000-plus pages of the bill? Did you miss that the bill did not include pre-existing medical conditions of children who would not qualify under his health care system?
You speak of racism, did you forget Obama is half white by his late mother? Did you forget Obama was reared by his white grandparents? Do you overlook the fact that Obama has close ties with people like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who curses United States; Bill Ayers, who denounces the United States and throws the American Flag on the ground and tramples it with his shoes? Did you see recently Mr. Obama caught on camera addressing various members of his cabinet in the oval office, stretched out with shoes on top of the presidential desk, a gift from Queen Victoria to President Hayes? Would you not agree that this is not only disrespectful and an extreme insult?
The people Mr. Obama associated with and continues to do so along with his arrogance and attitude, his socialistic beliefs, no wonder millions of Americans feel he is exactly what you stated in your letter his is being accused of excluding the praise you give him. One would think in each of their opinions perhaps Mr. Obama feels he is the king, or better yet, he is the Antichrist?
You cannot find fault with the feelings the American people having seen what Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barney Franks are destroying everyone’s freedoms. No, Mr. Thomas, it is not the Republican Party. These people are the radicals and by the power of the vote, we will get them out of government once and for all.
In your letter you stated, “if you are a racist, you’re probably in the Republican party.” If that is true, then racists such as Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, founders of the Black Panther Party; Malcom X; Black Rangers of Chicago; The Black Liberation Party; Stokely Carmichael; Jeremiah Wright; Bill Ayers and the list goes on and on, are they also Republicans? According to your statement and belief, they are.
The solution is very simple. If people so hate the United States, leave. You don’t need permission from anyone.
No, they won’t do that, because here in the United States is where they found their American dream of freedom and making millions of dollars. Who would trade that for any other country in the world?
And now you speak of the $3 million stimulus bill given to Madera creating hundreds of jobs? Are you sitting in some dark closet and not seeing what’s going on in Madera and other communities in the U.S.? Over the past several months, more then 100 people will potentially lose their jobs with the Madera Unified School District; City of Madera and County of Madera cutting way back and hundreds will be losing their jobs.
Where are these hundreds of jobs that have been created? I think you have this feeling mixed up with countries like China, Mexico and around the globe who have drained the American job market.
One thing I will say, under Article 1 of the United States Constitution, you have the freedom of speech and you are entitled to that and that’s more than any other country in this world will give you.
Sadly, you are wrong as you have been in previous letters to the editor.
Short Comedy Film: “Uncle Jack” by Double Edge Films
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All comments are edited for length and content. Because of content or space limitations, some comments may not be published. More than one comment from the same person during the same week will normally not be published. Please limit calls to two minutes or less.
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A man responded to a Red Line comment made two weeks ago that reported fire trucks parked at an athletic club while firefighters allegedly worked out inside. He suggested they “build a professional horseshoe pit at the station. They don’t (make) any calls with ambulance and are still at the station working out. From what I’ve seen, the ambulance is there first and the fire truck is nowhere to be seen. It’s our tax dollars going to waste.”
“Did you say you work for the welfare department and you’re giving money to illegal aliens?” said a man. “Come on. Wake up. Some of us who think logically suggest you stop giving them money, lady.”
A young voice said, “People need to stop complaining about illegals receiving welfare. Statistics show the majority who are receiving benefits are Caucasian people. Hispanics are not the only ones.”
A taxpayer “wondered where our tax dollars are going. While Fresno becomes more upscale and pretty, we are just letting our town go more and more downhill. That is really irritating me. Especially Yosemite. The people need to come together. There are people who care about our city.”
A man said, “I see the counties in the Central Valley got none of the federal stimulus money. Instead, it went to Silicon Valley and up and down the coast of California. Do you think it is because we have representatives who vote no on every single bill in Washington?”
A lady responded to last week’s Red Line comment that Dixieland Elementary School staff and students needed to “move on.”
“I’ve got news for her,” said the caller. “At least we have the (guts) to stand up for our school and at least we give a d— about our kids … Would she want the school closing if her kids went there?”
“God bless the Bridge Store, families and employees,” said a lady. “They closed April 4, 2010, for Easter (to) honor our Lord Jesus Christ for giving his life for our poor, pitiful souls.” She urged other businesses to do likewise then concluded, “Okay, guess where I will be shopping from now on.”
A lady spoke of taking “Spanish lessons for $49 for six sessions. At that rate I may be bilingual in five years. Yet the Mexicans get free education. And I know for a fact the county hires Mexicans who cannot speak English, yet they won’t give me a job because I can’t speak Spanish.”
A woman gave “sincere thanks to two of the Tribune’s writers for the articles on the (Madera) Ranchos businesses, the Smoking Coal and Ranchos Total Fitness. Both are committed to making the Ranchos area a great place to live.”
A self-identified “conservative” woman responded to a letter to the editor by Bill Hoffrage. “He complained about the negative publicity for Richard Pombo from environmental groups,” she said. “The fact is Mr. Pombo’s corruptness while in Congress is well documented. Though a conservative, I don’t want him representing us. We have enough corruption in Washington already.”
An “Editor’s Corner” column by publisher Chuck Doud on why Sarah Palin unnerves Democrats prompted two comments online.
A reader, self-identified as “John Stannerd,” wrote, “I think Democrats, Republicans etcetera would all fear the day any ignorant and mostly clueless individual has a strong chance of becoming the leader of this country.”
Yet another, self-identified as “M. Ash,” wrote to Doud, “As always your astute view of politics is right on the money. The Republican Party will probably swing back to its more conservative element after McCain lost his presidential bid. Palin has managed to continue to publicize her name, and her political views on the national scene.”
A letter by a mother of a temporary teacher sparked two responses as well. The mother urged educators to accept furloughs to save teaching jobs.
“You have it all wrong here,” wrote “Madera Teacher,” “You are blaming the teachers for not taking furloughs to save your daughter’s job … Do you really think that MUSD is going to save your daughter’s job if the teachers take furlough days?”
Another Internet guest, “King,” wrote, “All the teachers should be able to keep their jobs with no furloughs. … Maybe the misguided wishful hopes for the responsible stepping up to the plate should be pointed more toward the administration.”
Two online readers praised a letter to the editor consisting of a poem by Brian O’Donovan that compared graffiti to pimples, one reader questioned the fuss over the color of stores downtown when coastal towns are equally colorful, one implied an “Editor’s Corner” full of Irish jokes was racist, and another disagreed at length with a published letter by Loraine Goodwin, who attacked the placement of a cell tower.
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Thank you for your comments. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24 hours a day by calling 674-4478 or by visiting the Red Line online at www. maderatribuneredline.com.
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Mock Trailer: “Johnny Depp in Burtonland” by Harry Partridge
Even before the play technically began, the performance did. While theater-goers quietly came in a few at a time, silent actors — some bearing flowers — did likewise, entering the stage for a mournful vigil.
At the center of it all, a teenaged girl and boy lie unmoving under the watch of a brown-cowled friar as a Latin chant flows timelessly.
That tragic pair, the namesake of the play “Romeo and Juliet,” would fittingly remain at the center of the evening’s theatrics, and that was a fortunate turn of events for those watching.
The prelude to Madera High School’s presentation of the classic drama by English playwright William Shakespeare also made a somewhat late official start to the 7:30 p.m. show hardly noticeable, if at all.
Or perhaps the show truly started long before the audience arrived, not only in the theatrical sense but also in the practical sense. The well-designed performances, scenery, props and decor revealed a great deal of effort and thought by Coyote Drama Productions into what unfolded.
The drama, which will continue today and Thursday through April 17, is largely well cast, with the most notable performers in key roles of the play. But Adam Garrison portrayed his minor character, Captain Montague, well enough that I personally would have liked to have seen him on stage a little more often.
I blame Shakespeare.
As expected, the strongest performances of the evening came from the lead players, Aaron Gomes (a guitar-playing Romeo Montague), Gabriela Blanco (Juliet Capulet), and Celina Saucedo (the Nurse). Other members of the cast also stood out, including Austin Yarbrough (Captain Capulet), Kelley Weeks (Lady Capulet) and Anthony Aguilar (Mercutio).
Gomes, Saucedo and others had the opportunity to display skill at both serious drama and comedy.
Indeed the regular presence of comedy between the more serious moments demonstrates how well, I think, this production presented Shakespeare’s style, which despite its sometimes poetic beauty has far more in common with a Hollywood blockbuster than the art films of our day.
Shakespeare appealed to the masses with action, buffoonery and low humor, often bawdy, as much as with passion, wit and well-turned speech. Madera High’s production does not disappoint and great credit must be given to whomever directed the movement of the actors and delivery of the lines on stage.
This was especially important, given the often-archaic language of Shakespeare’s time, which makes some dread reading the Bard on the printed page. The way these words were expressed on stage by the MHS students sometimes helped to illuminate them for the audience … or give them a new but amusing interpretation altogether.
Generally speaking, performances did seem to strengthen as the play progressed, perhaps as the cast warmed up in their roles, but I only noticed this in the first few scenes.
I was mildly disappointed in how the Caribbean was used as the setting for this transplanted telling of a tale Shakespeare originally placed in a villainous caricature of Italy. I had expected a bit more localization of the script to such an exotic new locale. While there may have been some of that, this was no star-cross’d “Pirates of the Caribbean” misadventure.
The island venue could be seen in charming scenery, clothing and bare feet, but the fact that the Capulets and Montagues were apparently crime families of the privateering sort seemed incidental to the story. The pirates also appeared to be more religious and respectful of law than I expected. Moreover I don’t think they did anything unique to pirates or the Caribbean — but I’m no expert.
This restraint in adapting the play may have been prudent, however, as it means Shakespeare’s classic text stayed largely intact, which as performed at Madera High, 200 South L St., is mostly a good thing.
Ultimately Coyote Drama Productions’ take on “Romeo and Juliet” is a funny, romantic and stirring 150-plus minutes. I’d like to think the Bard would approve.
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For information on “Romeo and Juliet,” call director Duncan Needham at 675-4444, ext. 1163, or e-mail needham_d (at) madera.k12.ca.us. Limited tickets are available.
