April 8, 2015
California Commentary
Taking It Out On The Little Guy
by Jan Coupal
Gov. Jerry Brown has declared
that opposition to efforts to reduce
carbon emissions "borders on
the immoral." Hesitate though we
might to debate Brown, a former
Jesuit seminarian, on the nature
of divine law, we have to question
the "morality" of forcing working
California motorists to bear the
brunt of the cost of regulations
required by Brown's convictions.
In light of both economic
concerns and a more rational
understanding of climate change
science, other nations and states
are rethinking their aggressive
policies. But here in California,
the reigning political leadership
is forcing the middle class and
working poor to shoulder almost
the entire burden of mankind's
response to climate change.
When it comes to the topic
of climate change, there is
really only one thing we know
for certain. Climate change is
a global concern that needs
a global response. There are
nearly 200 nations on earth. To
ask the working families and
small businesses of one state in
one nation to suffer almost the
entirety of economic harm is both
unfair and foolish.
How did we get to this point?
In 2006, California lawmakers
enacted the Global Warming
Solutions Act, telling the public
that its cap-and-trade program
- forcing emitters to buy credits
- would radically reduce carbon
emissions. The unelected
California Air Resources
Board has proceeded to place
transportation fuels under the
program. Because the agency
has no power to levy taxes,
CARB Chair Mary Nichols said
they would use the power of cap-
and-trade as the way to price
carbon. Already, this program
has added about 13 cents to the
cost of a gallon of gas and this
could be increasing to as much
as 75 cents.
Last year, anticipating the
problems this would create for
working California families,
Democratic Assemblyman
Henry Perea introduced AB 69
to spread the implementation of
the new fees over a three-year
period to allow those who must
buy gasoline more time to adjust
to the higher costs. The measure
was supported by other moderate
Democrats and Republicans
but was killed by Senate leader
Darrell Steinberg.
Now that the new CARB
regulations are taking hold and
producing upward pressure on
gasoline prices, Republican
Assemblyman Jim Patterson has
introduced AB 23, the Affordable
Gas for California Families Act.
This legislation would remove
transportation fuels and natural
gas from the clutches of the
California Air Resource Board's
cap-and-trade program.
The idea behind AB 23 is
simple. Relieve the burden on
modest and low income folks
already struggling under difficult
economic circumstances and
who have little ability to make
quick changes to their lifestyles.
However, when heard last week
in the Assembly Resources
Committee, the bill was rejected
6 to 3, on a party line vote, with
Democrats, who like to portray
themselves as the champions
of the little guy, providing the no
votes.
Unfortunately, this vote is what
we've come to expect. Just last
year the Democrats rejected a
bill which would have phased the
cap-and-trade "tax" in gradually.
As I wrote last year, "the
response of Democrats reminds
one of Marie Antoinette's who,
when told that the people were
starving because they had no
bread, infamously said, 'Let them
eat cake.' In the case of those
fervently devoted to the rigid
implementation of California's
cap and trade program it is as
if when told that a low income
citizen can no longer afford
gasoline for their 1991 Toyota
Corolla they respond with, 'Let
them drive Teslas.' The Tesla, of
course, is a taxpayer-subsidized
electric car that will set the buyer
back north of $100,000, which • is
well beyond the means of those
who will be most hurt by this new
gas tax."
Jon Coupal is president of
the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers
Association -- California's largest
grass-roots taxpayer organization
dedicated to the protection of
Proposition 13 and the advancement
of taxpayers' rights.
The Julian News 13
MO,LINTAIN F.ARMS REM,TY
HOMES . LAND . RENTALS . PROPERTY MANAGEMENT . VACATION RENTALS
p
2019 Main Street www.julian-realestate.com 701:-7{,,3-Ol111
Whispering Pines
Fully fenced 1/2 acre, 3 bdr, 2 ba., dou-
ble glazed windows, forced air and wood
stove.
The price is $259,000.
5 bedroom home in Historical District
Ready for your personal renovations.
$339,000
Vacation Rental For Sale
2 bedroom vacation rental home with
views of lake and ocean.
Asking $379,000
For Lease
$1550 per month 3+bedrooms, 2 bath with open floor plan and fenced yard.
Pristine Home
On 4.26 park-like acres. 3br, 2ba, 2car garage, hard wood, granite, 2 wells and huge steel
building. Close to town and totally private.
$499,900
Available Land
Cuyamaca Woods
2.5 Acres - privacy, view ..... $ 47,000
1 Acre - Gentle slope ........ $ 50,000
2.5 Acres - Driveway, pad, water meter and
view ................... $ 85,000
2.63 Acres - Borders State Park, Private..
....................... $135,000
8 Acres - Excellent well, seasonal creek,
fabulous views and privacy.... $110,000
139 Acres - Remote, private, three (3) legal
parcels .................. $ 499,900
Oakland Road
8+ Acres - Close to town, driveway, pad,
approved for 3 Bedroom, terraced for
orchard ................ $ 239,000
Julian Estates
6.14 acres with mature trees .... $150,000
Wynola Estates
2.5 Acres - Large Oaks with water meter,
approved gradinc, plan, approved septic
layout, House plans included... $149,000
Kaaren Terry Carte St. Andre Paul Bicanie
cell 619-417-0481 cell 619-922-9687 cell 76o-484-7793
CA BRE LIC #o1231449 CA BRE LIC #o1878143 CA BRE LIC # oo872978
R.ED.
by Mike Marland
Week y SUDOKU
3
4
1
6
by Linda Thistle
6 8
8 1
2 3
4 9
2
5
5 1 3
3
7
7 1 8
7 6
3 9 5
8 5 9
Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way
that each row across, each column down and
each small 9-box square contains all of the
numbers from one to nine.
DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: * *
* Moderate ** Challenging
*** HOD BOY!
© 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.
Guidebooks for travelers in
Greece became available as early
as the fourth century B.C. They
described destinations such as
Athens and Sparta,
ACROSS
1 Wound
cover
5 Block of
bread
9 Once
around the
track
12 Malaria
symptom
13 Jason's
ship
14 Savings
plan
acronym
15 Almost 6
- KJngAns00,ersCrossword -
( Solution time: 21 mins.
b ,, BUT00TRUE ,I,,,,,,
o]9 u131 n u 3 N
• You probably won't be surprised to learn that when author (and
noted wit) Oscar Wilde arrived in the United States in 1882, he told
the customs officers, "1 have nothing to declare except my genius."
• A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
• If you're planning a summer vacation in Maine this year, you might
want to keep in mind that in that state, it's against the law to tickle a 1
woman under the chin with a feather duster. . q
Despite the fact that 95 percent of the world uses the metric n--
system of measurement, we in the United States still stubbornly v
a
King £ros,,00ord
1 2 3
12
l-- --
15
6 9 10 11
14
17
1 -ll
27 28 29
32
4O
21 22 23
25
3O
33
36
38 39
EII H E)
Aiv a q v
Vl/ V O
cling to the archaic units of
measurement derived from the
old British Imperial system. This
hodgepodge ranges from the
6 I-
mile (originally the distance a
Roman soldier could march in £ L
1,000 double steps), to the foot £ 8 9
(originally the length of Emperor 8 I-
Charlemagne's foot, later
"standardized" to the length of 35 i 9
barleycorns laid end to end) to a /_ t 6
yard (the distance between King 9 g t,
Henry I's nose to his extended
fingertips) to an inch (the length L Z
from the tip to the first joint of a 6 £ 8
man's thumb).
• Brazil nuts do come from
Brazil, but they're not technically
U13 A 0
11_9_o
N V
El II0 9 El
v ql_4 vo
Weekly SUDOKU
Answer
1111
1111
I£)1t
IngV
vOS
£ £ 9 8 Z
8 L 6 £ t 9
L g t 6 £ I.
6 L 9 £ 17
L b 8 S L 6
9 £ £ L g 8
S L L 8 6 ;
6 8 g t '9 S
17 9 L I. £
trillion miles 4""--- --
17 Wildebeest
18 Approxim- 48
• ately 5-i------
19 Mrs. Fred
Mertz ---- --
21 Abdomen 50 "Cogito,
24 Leave out -- sum"
25 Surrounded ,51 Superlative
by ending
26 Fall month 52 Favorable
30 Big truck votes
31 Pie nut 53 Carry on
32 Actress
Hagen DOWN
45 46 47
:
8 Construction (Abbr.)
bosses 29 Four-star
9 Symbol for review
an idea 31 "The King"
10 "Rule, 34 Shoe width
Britannia" corn- 35 Dark and
poser gloomy
11 One of the 37 "To be or
Beatles -- ..."
33
35
36
37
38
40
42
43
48
49
Intangible 1 Bando of 16 Attempt 38 Logical
Czech or baseball lore 20 Allen or 39 Many, many
Bulgarian 2 Hollywood Burton years
Prepared to trickery 21 Naked 40 City of India
drive (Abbr.) 22 Send forth 41 So
Aristocratic 3 Calendar 23 "Sundown" 44 "Rocks"
Vaults abbr. singer 45 Historic
Fermi's bit 4 "Lo!" Gordon period
Past 5 Deposits 24 Elliptical 46 Early bird?
Bar order 6 Dunkable 26 Require 47 Wade
Ultramodern treat 27 Goose (Sp.) opponent
Beige 7 -- Khan 28 And others
O 2OI5 King Features Synd., Inc.
nuts; they're seeds.
• When you think of the band
ZZ Top, you probably think of
long beards -- that's become a
sort of signature for them. The
drummer, though, is beardless
-- and his name is Frank Beard.
• A ground squirrel typically has
a heartbeat of around 300 beats
per minute. During hibernation,
though, that drops dramatically
-- to only three or four beats per
minute.
Thought for the Day: "Those
who will not reason are bigots,
those who cannot are fools, and
those who dare not are slaves."
-- Lord Byron
@ 2015 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
I claim not to have controlled e@nts
but confess plainly that events have
controlled me.
-- Abraham Lincoln
3. Harry Belafonte
4. Tony Bennett
5. Chuck Berry
6. Beyonce
7. ]ay-Z
© 2015 King Features Syndicate, Inc.