Opinion
Last week President Obama took bold action to preserve our nation’s cultural and natural heritage by naming five new national monuments, including the San Juan Islands on the Pacific Coast.
By protecting these special places he is fashioning an enduring legacy for the benefit of our children and grandchildren: thank you, Mr. President!
Here in on the North Coast we’re also blessed with a wealth of exceptional places where people can connect with nature.
For example, last Friday I had the privilege of attending an enthusiastic public gathering on the headlands above Arena Cove, hosted by Congressman Jared Huffman to announce his intention to introduce legislation adding the spectacular Stornetta Public Lands to the California Coastal National Monument.
The bill would also add 10 miles to the California Coastal Trail, making it possible to hike along the bluffs all the way from Point Arena to the Lighthouse and on to Manchester State Park.
This bill will be cosponsored by Congressman Mike Thompson and paired with companion legislation introduced by Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.
It’s a great idea with apparently unanimous public support, but with little likelihood of success under current Congressional leadership: the 112th Congress was the first since World War II to fail to protect so much as one new acre of public land as a park, national monument or wilderness area.
So I’m joining Congressman Huffman in urging President Obama to step forward to permanently protect this irreplaceable natural treasure by adding the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands to the Coastal National Monument by executive order.
Victoria Brandon is chair of the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter. She lives in Lower Lake, Calif.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
In a recent 307 page senate report, $6.2 billion were gambled and shifted on the books at JP Morgan (Chase) bank.
The Dodd-Frank legislation was supposed to keep our system safe from the kinds of reckless banking activities that brought our economy to its knees in recent years.
I am appalled that these kind of callous and careless activities are allowed to proliferate at our financial institutions. As a teacher, our new standards as well as the old ones ask us to teach with “rigor” and “relevance.”
Well, perhaps it is time for the banking industry to also act with the same values in mind. Protecting the “bottom line” at all costs is not an effective practice, whether it is a school’s progress in testing data or a bank’s balance sheet.
The committee that brought this practice to light was headed up by Sen. Levin from Michigan. This is the second time since 2008 that the findings have been discovered. If one of our most predominant banks has utilized the practice of covering up losses, we can only imagine what goes on at smaller institutions.
Also responsible for uncovering the coverup was John McCain, who was also a part of the committee. However, the ultimate responsibility lies with Michael Cavanagh, who was also a task force member and co-CEO of JP Morgan’s corporate and investment bank.
Trillions of dollars on balance sheets are being manipulated to hide trading losses. Vice Chairman Douglas Braunstein stated that compensation for top executives has been reduced. That is putting a Band-Aid on the problem.
Taxpayers should not have to bear the burden of corporations trying to look good to their investors and the public, all the while playing a hiding game with their true net worth.
Let us have some rigor in your pursuit of balanced systems, and stop feeding at the public trough.
Ellen Karnowski lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
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- Written by: Ellen Karnowski
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