LosGatosObserver.com

Opinion Sat, March 20, 2010

• Arana Gulch Defenders Speak Up

  Mar 09, 2010, by Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis Opinion
  

  Suppose someone came to your home, demanded you give up your dining room for an important project, and said your family would still be able to live in the home but would have to accept the intrusion and the loss and just, well, get on with your life? Suppose when you asked why, the answer was to fight global warming?

• Arana Path Would Connect More Than Streets

  Mar 03, 2010, by Micah Posner Opinion

  With bicycle commuters featured in both Sierra Magazine and the New York Times, it seems that we have finally come to a consensus that more bicycling is good for human health, for reducing traffic congestion and for the environment. The question is, how to encourage people to use bikes more, especially for the short trips that comprise so much of our transportation? (More than a third of all car trips are under three miles.)

• Israel Deserves A Break

  Feb 24, 2010, by Gil Stein Opinion

  Nazi propaganda films were made to convince the world that Germany was a peace-loving nation that was forced to attack Poland. With the creation of the web and the access to 24-hour “news,” it is so much easier to spread lies and half-truths.

• Governor’s Gas Tax Flip Is Trouble

  Feb 18, 2010, by Bill Monning Opinion

  In January, as part of an effort to tackle the budget deficit, Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating California’s 6 percent gasoline sales tax and replacing it with a 10.8 cents per gallon excise tax. While that might seem like good news for consumers, it comes at a high price.

• Walk the Talk on Tolerance

  Feb 09, 2010, by Sami Abed, Sallye Steiner Boyer and Scott Kennedy Opinion

  It is disappointing that Rabbi Abraham Cooper, representing the Wiesenthal Center for Tolerance in Los Angeles and a speaker at Temple Beth El last week, is a chief advocate for building a new “Museum of Tolerance” on top of a Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. This hardly seems consistent with the Wiesenthal Center’s declared purpose of “worldwide promotion of tolerance education.”

• Bartering: The New Raise

  Feb 03, 2010, by Amanda Hutchins Opinion
  

  It is, unfortunately, easier to spend less than it is to make more. As a finance geek, I tend to approach every problem armed with an Excel spreadsheet, so let me illustrate. After taxes, an annual 5 percent raise (optimistic by most companies’ standards) results in an approximately 3.3 percent increase in take-home pay. If your income is $100,000, that’s only $3,300 for the year, or $275 a month. With luck, it will mitigate overall inflation and leave you exactly where you were before. It’s certainly not enough to afford the new Porsche I’ve always dreamed of.

• Go Populist Now

  Jan 31, 2010, by Katina Vanden Heuvel Opinion

  Election results rarely have a single explanation. Yet it’s pretty clear that Scott Brown’s special election win in a state that last sent a Republican to the United States Senate in 1978 is an indicator of the turbulent national political mood a year after Obama took office.

• Time for Sensible Budget Solutions

  Jan 13, 2010, by Bill Monning Opinion
  

  Despite a collegial tone in his State of the State message, Gov. Schwarzenegger followed with a “slash and burn” budget proposal two days later. With a theme of “jobs, jobs and more jobs,” the governor seeks to reconcile a projected $21 billion deficit over the next 18 months by cutting safety net programs that create and protect jobs. In addition, the proposed budget inappropriately juxtaposes economic growth against hard-fought environmental protections and public transit programs.

• Ken Foster’s Case Against Astroturf

  Dec 25, 2009, by Ken Foster Opinion
  

  Recently there has been a large movement towards installing synthetic turf. This new generation of Astroturf, often called eco turf, is being touted as the newest in green landscaping. To be sure, there is an impressive list of ecological concerns that this turf addresses, including the elimination of the need to mow, water, install irrigation, control weeds, fertilize or haul away grass clippings. It won’t get muddy and it’s wheelchair accessible. So what’s not to like?

• Santa Cruz’s Community College Hurting, Too

  Dec 14, 2009, by Allan Lonnberg Opinion

  Cabrillo College adjunct anthropology instructor Allan Lonnberg points out that UCSC isn’t the only Santa Cruz college that’s suffering.

• Tax Cuts for the Rich Result in Buget Cuts for Colleges

  Dec 03, 2009, by Peter Phillips Opinion

  Peter Phillips explains the roots of the current budget crises in Californian universities, and argues for a reversal of the massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.

• Give a Green Light to the Green Line

  Nov 25, 2009, by Micah Posner Opinion

  Micah Posner makes his case for why Santa Cruz should purchase the rail trail, even with a price tag of $14.2 million.

• Santa Cruz Needs to Get Bold With Bikeability

  Nov 18, 2009, by Piet Canin Opinion

  During a recent visit to New York City to spend time with my sister and her family, I discovered firsthand the considerable advances in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure of this bustling metropolis.

• Higher Expectations for Higher Education

  Nov 11, 2009, by Don Rothman Opinion

  Retired professor Don Rothman makes the argument for why the UC fee hikes are detrimental to California, from harming diversity to creating a enclave of the privileged.

• Should City Council Take On National Issues?

  Nov 06, 2009, by Staff NewsOpinion

  When Santa Cruz City Council meets on Tuesday, it will vote to take a stand in the national debate surrounding illegal immigration.

• Halloween is for Adults

  Nov 04, 2009, by Michael Roberts Opinion

  Michael Roberts makes his case for why adults should take back Halloween and make it their holiday.

• The Campaign for Sensible Transportation Sues Caltrans

  Oct 28, 2009, by Paul Elerick Opinion

  Paul Elerick explains why the Campaign for Sensible Transportation filed a lawsuit in Sacramento last week challenging the $22 million widening of Highway 1.

• Why the Dow is Hitting 10,000

  Oct 21, 2009, by Robert Reich Opinion

  Robert B. Reich explains why the Dow is hitting 10,000 despite low consumer spending.

• The Zombie Zeitgeist

  Oct 14, 2009, by David Sirota Opinion
  

  Pondering the zombie phenomenon, author David Sirota speculates that it has something to do with our powerlessness to stop financial disaster, even after an election that some believed would fix everything.  “Here we are, with virtually nothing changed,” he writes, “watching the same zombie crises indomitably stumble forward.”

• A Social Movement, Not Budget Reform

  Oct 06, 2009, by Christopher Barkan Opinion
  

  UCSC doctoral candidate Christopher Barkan explains why student protesters won’t be satisfied with mere budget reform. “What is needed is a broad social movement,” he writes, “to articulate a new collective vision for the future that will replace this era of narrow special interests and for-profit social engineering.”

• Does Santa Cruz Need A Poet Laureate?

  Sep 30, 2009, by Stephen Kessler Opinion

  A nominee to the post of Santa Cruz Poet Laureate ponders the necessity of the office.

• Douglas Deitch Sounds Off On Santa Cruz Water Policy

  Sep 24, 2009, by Douglas Deitch Opinion

  On Jan. 6, 1987 then-Supervisor Chairperson Gary Patton signed into law the “County Well Ordinance.” This law, one of many conceived and designed by Mr. Patton, was intended to protect our groundwater from contamination from a number of possible causes.

• Health Care Hurdles for Local Entrepreneurs

  Sep 16, 2009, by Ryan Coonerty and Jeremy Neuner Opinion

  Ryan Coonerty and Jeremy Neuner, two of the principals of entrepreneur magnet NextSpace, make the case for a health care system that isn’t tied to employment. “Ensuring that entrepreneurs have health care coverage will be a critical ingredient for our economic recovery and our future,” they write.

• Why Santa Cruz Needs Desal

  Sep 09, 2009, by Laura Brown and Bill Kocher Opinion
  

  The directors of two local water agencies defend a desalination project in Santa Cruz County, saying it would make up for water shortages, not serve as a Trojan horse for growth. “It is not designed, or intended, to accommodate UCSC growth or higher densities than current land use zoning,” they write.

• Time for An Oceans Policy Overhaul

  Sep 02, 2009, by Jim Ayers Opinion
  

  “The Mayors’ Summit was about more than just plastic litter,” writes Jim Ayers, vice-president of Oceana and director of the Exxon Valdez cleanup. “It was about recognizing that we all have a shared past and future dependent on healthy oceans, and that efforts to protect them are now paramount in the face of climate change and ocean acidification.”

• One Another’s Burdens

  Aug 31, 2009, by Dave Grishaw-Jones Opinion

  One son’s ailing father reminds him to take a different look at the health care debate.

• Health Care Reform and Anti-Semitism

  Aug 25, 2009, by Daniela Hurezanu Opinion
  

  If you have been watching the health care “debate” you must be aware that it has turned into a grotesque contest on who can come up with the most outrageous Nazi comparison. This is not the first time, of course, that Hitler and Nazism have been used as props by those who, out of arguments, want to convince the other party that they are right. I used to just shrug my shoulders when faced with such people, but this time it’s different. Because now we are not dealing with some “fringe elementsԗnow we are dealing with a movement that is supported by the second most important party in this country, the GOP.

• America, Watch Out!

  Aug 18, 2009, by R. W. Goatlips Opinion
  

  I’ve thoroughly read Obama’s proposed health care plan. And by “read” I mean I’ve heard what other commentators on the AM radio have had to say about the various versions floating through Congress. And in these versions, there’s a lot of devils in the details. Bad devils who look like John Carradine, with curly mustaches and opera capes. All of them from a place called “Hell.”

• Health Care and The Screaming Me-Me’s

  Aug 11, 2009, by David Sirota Opinion

  I know I should be mortified by the lobbyist-organized mobs of angry Brooks Brothers mannequins who are now making headlines by shutting down congressional town-hall meetings.

• Of Film Festivals and Homophobia

  Aug 06, 2009, by Bettina Aptheker Opinion

  We find ourselves in Sweden. A gay couple is on the waiting list to adopt a baby. They have been approved as parents. They receive a letter. A boy, age 1.5, is arriving. The men are ecstatic, although one of them is still a bit apprehensive about this whole adoption idea. They outfit a nursery.  The “baby” arrives on a Friday afternoon. He is 15,  a troubled teen released from a reformatory, and to say that he is homophobic is to put it mildly.

• Santa Cruz Coho Researcher Responds to Critics

  Jul 29, 2009, by Sean Hayes Opinion
  

  A recent article and several letters have appeared in the Santa Cruz Weekly regarding coho salmon, local and statewide forestry practices and pending policy changes, along with a quote from myself and comments about data collected by research that I and others conduct in the Scott Creek watershed. These articles have raised several issues that would benefit from clarification.

• We Can’t Afford Not to Protect Our Oceans

  Jul 29, 2009, by Kaitilin Gaffney Opinion
  

  With budget woes in every headline and economic concerns touching every household, some say California can no longer afford to be a leader in conservation: we should shutter our state parks, defer action on climate change, and put the breaks on our landmark effort to establish marine protected areas for our oceans. 

• Berry Damage: Moth or Myth?

  Jul 24, 2009, by Roy Upton Opinion
  

  There has been much recent media coverage on the damage to raspberries in Watsonville, damage purportedly caused by the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). But was the damage caused by LBAM or by any of the more than 80 leafroller moths that are native to California? Was it caused by one of the five other leafrollers that are common in Santa Cruz County? All leafrollers inflict the same kind of damage.

• Water Conservation No Longer Optional

  Jul 19, 2009, by Cynthia Koehler Opinion
  

  Why should anyone care if California salmon, or local fishermen, go the way of the dodo? Can’t we just buy fish from Alaska? And what’s wrong with the farmed stuff, anyway? Because of economic suffering in the Central Valley, some are calling for an end to environmental protections for California’s once-mighty salmon runs.

• Ditch The Plastic Forks!

  Jul 08, 2009, by Laura Kasa Opinion
  

  Exultant over the reduced garbage haul off Santa Cruz County beaches following the Fourth of July weekend, Save Our Shores Executive Director Laura Kasa turns to the next frontier: eliminating plastics. “We need a grassroots effort to say that we don’t want plastics in our ocean,” she writes.

• Palin’s Resignation No Surprise

  Jul 06, 2009, by Geoff Dunn Opinion
  

  It’s been a helluva Independence Day weekend in the Last Frontier. Wow! First the Governor resigns, then she allows no questions, no open media coverage, provides no serious explanation and expects no one to wonder why in the world she would step down from the only platform from which she can claim any political legitimacy.

• Desal And Democracy

  Jul 01, 2009, by Fred Geiger Opinion

  There will be no election. It won’t be on any ballot. The Powers That Be have already decided. We will have a seawater desalination plant. And you will pay for it.

• We Can Save Our Parks As Part of Budget Solution

  Jun 23, 2009, by Assemblymember Bill Monning Opinion

  District 27 Assemblymember Bill Monning makes the case for the $15 State Parks Access Pass fee, which would fully fund the state parks system. “Although deep cuts are necessary to balance the budget, how we make those cuts and how we advance alternatives will reflect our values as a state,” he writes.

• Dual Berry Festivals Will Be A Fiasco

  Jun 17, 2009, by Emilio Martinez Opinion

  “Make no beans about it,” says Watsonville District 6 representative Emilio Martinez: this is a bad idea.

• The Adult Day Health Care Domino Effect

  Jun 11, 2009, by Sara Clarenbach Opinion

  Preserving day health care for the elderly isn’t just the compassionate thing to do, it makes good business sense, says Salud Para la Gente director of community relations Sara Clarenbach.

• Running Meter 5

  Jun 03, 2009, by Meter Maid Opinion

  A bit of topical doggerel.

• Overthrowing The Pyramids of Callousness

  Jun 02, 2009, by Rev. Dave Grishaw-Jones Opinion

  Proposition 8 would just make Jesus mad.

• Running Meter 4

  May 27, 2009, by Meter Maid Opinion

  A bit of topical doggerel.

• State Parks Key to The Staycation

  May 25, 2009, by Bonny Hawley Opinion

  Last week’s election results accentuate the bizarre circular dynamic of an economic downturn that is driving people to vacation locally at our phenomenal parks and beaches that operate using funds from a state budget that is dramatically shrinking due to in large part to…an economic downturn.

• Running Meter 3

  May 20, 2009, by Meter Maid Opinion

  A bit of topical doggerel.

• It’s High Time for Progressives to Support Progress

  May 19, 2009, by Phil Trounstine Opinion

  Liberals in Santa Cruz have created a crippling double bind. On the one hand, they want the city and county to provide services to the poor; neighborhood amenities; good wages and job protections for city and county workers. On the other hand, they oppose, virtually every development project that comes along.

• Running Meter 2

  May 13, 2009, by Meter Maid Opinion

  A bit of topical doggerel.

• Battling Belief Systems Won’t Be Resolved on May 19

  May 12, 2009, by Fred Keeley Opinion
  

  While television ads, political mailings and news coverage of the state’s seemingly never-ending budget battles would lead a person to believe that the election is about ratifying a $40 billion solution to California’s budget problems, it is not that simple

• Running Meter 1

  May 06, 2009, by Meter Maid Opinion

  A bit of topical doggerel.

• Art in Uncertain Times

  May 05, 2009, by Don Rothman Opinion

  We are searching for new paradigms with which to understand the global economy, and this search includes bewilderment at how greed can be shameless, lies and selfishness can abound even among decent people, and, despite our access to vast amounts of information, how our ignorance is (sometimes tragically, sometimes comically) irrepressible. It occurs to me that it’s through our exposure to art that we have developed a capacity to keep asking “what if?” sorts of questions and to discern the human consequences of catastrophes. Art can prompt us to hope for…and design…a better way.