News opinion 2008-07-21 Andanh.com

Budget folly Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:59:01 GMT
Arigid plan by City Council members Kevin Faulconer and Donna Frye to divert tens of millions of dollars in general fund revenues to Mission Bay Park over the next 30 years – without regard to other pressing budget needs or unforeseen emergencies – is exceptionally unwise. The City Council, which will consider the matter tomorrow, should shelve this imprudent scheme, not put it on the November ballot.

Drug subs Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:59:01 GMT
Give the drug smugglers credit. They may be ruthless cowards who get people to do their dirty work by threatening loved ones, but they're also smart, creative and highly motivated to get their lethal products to market. And thanks to Americans' insatiable consumption habits, the drug lords have almost unlimited resources to work with.

Getting down to newspaper basics Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:59:01 GMT
I get no satisfaction from recent accounts about other news companies reducing their staffs and their papers. Instead of schadenfreude, I feel empathy. As the news industry undergoes the biggest transformation of our lifetimes, journalists and readers are in this struggle together. No other change has shaken us as much as the Internet has, affecting us in some ways that were anticipated and others that caught us off guard.

Letters to the editor Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:59:01 GMT
Regarding “Fuel for thought: Gas prices changing commuters' attitudes” (A1, U-T Special Report, July 14): I get so sick of constantly seeing pictures of the “Smart Car.” Whenever the topic is high fuel prices or fuel conservation, I see a photo of that abomination.

U.S. needs a new South Asia policy Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:59:01 GMT
The exposure of illusions does not automatically cause them to be abandoned. They become even more necessary when other alternatives look riskier. That is true in the financial crisis swirling around Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which expanded to their current perilous condition through the illusion that they had pockets as deep as those of the U.S. government.

Hoping Obama will defeat Obama Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:59:01 GMT
I asked one of the Republican Party's smartest, most candid heavy-hitters last week whether John McCain really has a chance to defeat Barack Obama in this season of Republican discontent. “No, if the campaign is about McCain,” he replied. “Yes, if it's about Obama.”

Iraq is winning friends in the Gulf Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:59:01 GMT
LONDON – Improved security, increasing confidence in the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and a desire to counter growing Iranian influence has led Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbors in recent weeks to increase their diplomatic and economic support for the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.

High stepping in the Sierras Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700
SLIDE SHOW: Hiking to Kearsarge Pass from Onion Valley is worth the effort and the view.

Letters: The Obama world tour Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700
Other topics: terrorism and the media; punchdrunk Pelosi; dropout rates; Poizner's viewpoint; Jesse Jackson's hate speech; GM's profits

Editorial: Hey, get off my turf Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700
Water-saving artificial grass shouldn't be banned

Walter Williams: A new revolution? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700
Oklahomans want to take back some of their sovereignty

Editorial: Time for state to take the lead on mortgages Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
Headlines in The Bee in the last couple of weeks capture what's still wrong with California's housing mortgage market: "Area's mortgage lenders feel the bubble burst: Risky loans put several of them in fiscal ruins" appeared on July 18. "Prepayment penalty proves costly: Some in the area paid thousands, while others couldn't refinance" ran on July 11.

Editorial: Killer tomatoes? Or ... Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
So were those tomatoes that grocery stores and consumers dumped two weeks ago really contaminated with salmonella bacteria? Or were hot peppers the real culprits in an outbreak of food-borne diseases that have sickened 1,200 people in 42 states?

Death penalty for child rapists risks fatal injustice Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision last month, struck down a Louisiana law that imposed capital punishment for those convicted of raping a child. At the center of this decision was 43-year-old Patrick Kennedy, an African American man convicted of the brutal rape of his then-8-year-old stepdaughter. During the course of the investigation, the victim gave many varied accounts of her assault, at first blaming two neighborhood youths and only pointing the finger at her stepfather after several interviews by psychologists working with law enforcement.

Cal Thomas: Why do we allow school for scoundrels? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
Despite a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, Va., has continued to use textbooks that teach hatred of everyone not of their specific brand of faith, the U.S. State Department has yet to act to close down the school. Officials of the academy, which has about 1,000 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, promised to excise passages in the textbooks that disparage Jews and Christians, but according to an examination by the Washington Post for the 2006-07 school year, though "much of the controversial material had been removed, at least one book still contained passages that extolled jihad and martyrdom, called for victory over one's enemies and said the killing of adulterers and apostates was 'justified.' "

E.J. Dionne Jr.: Democrats should heed Gores oil plan Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
WASHINGTON — On the issue of gasoline prices, Republicans think they have a winner in their call for new drilling and Democrats are playing defense. Democrats need — this is a technical term — a lot more oomph. Al Gore wants to help them.

David Ignatius: Treasury head in the eye of the storm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
WASHINGTON — Henry Paulson was in shirt sleeves Thursday afternoon in his office at the Treasury Department, tie loose at the collar, feet propped up on the coffee table. Behind his desk, Bloomberg screens were blinking out instant price quotations from the turbulent financial markets, but Paulson wasn't focused on the short term for a change. He was discussing the long-term structural reforms he hopes will bring greater stability.

Harold Meyerson: Whats McCains economic policy? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
"Government is not the solution to our problem," Ronald Reagan told his fellow Americans in his first inaugural address. "Government is the problem." For modern American conservatism, Reagan's words may as well have been inscribed on the tablets handed down at Mount Sinai. The market was god and Reagan was its Moses, and Republicans have sworn fealty to both for the past quarter-century.

Ruben Navarrette: How Obama can win Latino vote Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT
Barack Obama is looking for a way to convince Latino voters that he is simpatico. He may have found it, thanks to the cover of the New Yorker.

LINDA P. CAMPBELL: Security measures in schools must match threat level Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:07:14 PDT
Imagine that Savana is your 13-year-old eighth-grader, an honor student sitting in math class when the assistant principal pulls her down to the office.

KANSAS CITY STAR: U.S. still falling short on goals for math, science education Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:07:14 PDT
College graduates with engineering, math and science degrees find jobs more quickly and at higher pay than graduates in most other fields.

JOHN LAUGHLAND: Medvedev and Nicholas II on the international law Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:02:13 PDT
In his foreign policy speech to the diplomatic corps in Moscow on July 15, President Dmitri Medvedev made the interesting claim that the falsification of history is often a prelude to the violation of international law - something for which he implicitly attacked the West. It is certainly true that the study of the history of the law of nations can illuminate the way it has recently been perverted. And as it happens, that history is one in which Russia has played a key role.

KANSAS CITY STAR: Many Americans need to increase retirement savings Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:02:13 PDT
Many Americans are reconsidering their family budgets as prices for food, gas, health care and other essentials continue to rise - while stock-market and real-estate losses have cut into their assets.

MARY C. CURTIS: While the city of Charlotte grows, its schools staff is shrinking Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:37:20 PDT
Charlotte must have greeted the recent news from the U.S. Census with joy. The city rose from the nation's 20th-largest city to 19th. (Allow me to mourn that it had to pass my hometown of Baltimore to do it. I guess killer crab cakes and a harbor view are no longer enough.)

JONATHAN V. LAST: With policy shifts, Obama now seen as an ordinary pol Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:37:20 PDT
Why isn't Obama further ahead?

NICHOLAS E. HOLLIS: William Jennings Bryan and the campaign of 1908: A portent of themes to come? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:37:20 PDT
After years of deficit spending, economic turmoil, and occupation wars abroad, which have all hollowed and dispirited the nation, we are stumbling into the most important presidential election campaign in decades.

Opinion Cartoon Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:39:05 -0700
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But this is Chico: Fiesta marked Bidwell Mansion centennial Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:03:03 PDT
Bidwell Mansion became a state park in 1964. But it wasn't until Oct. 4 and 5, 1968, that a city-wide event called Fiesta Rancho Chico was held to officially mark the changeover.

Letter: Red Cross needs help in order to help Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:02:42 PDT
I don't know if people in this area are aware of the role the American Red Cross is playing in helping us during this disaster.

Letter: God passes judgment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:02:42 PDT
I am one to believe that this country is being judged by God. If you look at all the evidence in our country you will see why.

Letter: What's to celebrate? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:02:43 PDT
July 4 passed and Americans were waving their Chinamart flags. I couldn't help but think, "What's to celebrate?

Letter: Use care when discarding fireworks Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:02:44 PDT
I can certainly sympathize with Carole Kloss, who wrote about the fireworks mess left in parking lots in the malls in Oroville.

Wine, music and a picnic
With a sluggish economy and newly renovated grounds, Kim Crevoiserat of the Sierra Starr Vineyard figured a good way to increase business would be to offer music and a family atmosphere.

Alumni Notebook: Ruiz K's three in win
Here's a look at how some athletes with local ties fared recently at the college and professional level:

This could be a dream come true: Demolition Derby
For the first time, the Nevada County Fair is providing organizations and businesses the opportunity to sponsor and drive a car in the fair's popular Demolition Derby, while at the same time raising money for a favorite charity or service...

Free workshop for athletes in Grass Valley
The Pilates Place in Grass Valley is holding a free workshop on "How to survive your triathlon" at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the studio at 121 Church St., Grass Valley. The workshop will focus on warming up, stretching, injuries and core training.

Learning briefs: July 21, 2008
Dinner, fundraiser for FFA chapter

Learn to raise poultry, eat for a lifetime
Everyone should be allowed to own a hen to lay fresh eggs, said Joyce Banzhaf, a Grass Valley resident who raises heritage turkeys on a half-acre near downtown.

Laura Lavelle: WOW lends a hand for needy school kids
My aunt was raised in the Ozark Mountains on a 100-acre truck farm. The tomatoes, strawberries and string beans the family grew were driven 30 miles into town to sell. What was not sold was canned, and surplus produce was fed to the hogs.

Uncle Sam needs you - for a polling place
Schools, churches, public halls, businesses and private residences all can be suitable polling places during an election - and the Nevada County Elections Office is looking for new recruits.

Time for an initiative to fix the initiative process?
For almost 100 years, Californians themselves have passed this state's most important laws via the initiative process.

McClintock denies that he's planning for another election
Congressional candidate Tom McClintock said he has no intention of running for the Board of Equalization in 2010 if he loses in the fall election to Democrat Charlie Brown - despite the existence of a campaign fund listed on the secretary of state's...

Bright spot on the horizon for carpet store with vision
After nearly two years in the making, Bob's Discount Carpet recently opened its new store at Idaho-Maryland and Sutton Way.

Bob Crabb cartoon

Cut that tax bill in half, please
Five property owners will appear today before the Nevada County Appeals Board to ask that the assessed value of 10 properties be lowered.

Sheriff's deputies are a credit to Nevada County
It is easy to criticize law enforcement personnel when they make an error or when you have a negative experience with them, but that is not the case with this letter.

Readers' Corner: July 21, 2008
Thank You, firefighters

Police blotter: July 21, 2008
Grass Valley

Not all vietnam war veterans are homeless
On July 14, The Union printed an article on the front page noting a Vietnam veteran who has been hiding out and living in the rough for 30 years in Nevada County.

Enjoying the peace and beauty of living in Nevada County
You can't read the newspaper, listen to the news, or even look outside the window these days without being reminded of the fire danger and health concerns with all the smoke. My heart goes out to each one affected, and to all those suffering.

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