Thoughts On 2010 California Election

A number of folks have asked my position on a number of races, propositions & measures in California, Siskiyou County and Scott Valley; so here are my personal, "Ag Friendly" recomendations.

Senator - Carly Fiorina

Boxer has been worthless. Period. Carly has pledged to work with Senator Feinstein on the Central Valley Water issues, the Klamath Water issues and understands that smaller government, less onerous regulations and lower taxes stimulate job creation.

Governor - Meg Whitman

Simply put, California cannot afford another term of Brown. Much of the regulatory nightmare we are confronted with today is a result of his previous term. Meg has the complete opposite philosophy and supports growing agriculture in all of its diversity.

Lieutenant Governor - Abel Maldanado

Attorney General - Steve Cooley

State Senate, District 4 - Doug LaMalfa

I have the utmost respect for Doug. He was an outstanding Assemblyman, has a first hand understanding of farming, ranching and the water issues facing our district.

Proposition 19 – No, Would legalize marijauna


Proposition 20 – Yes, Allows Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw congressional districts, not legislature.

Proposition 21 – No, Would impose another new fee

Proposition 22 – Yes, Prevents state from borrowing or taking funds from local government

Proposition 23 – Yes, Will suspend AB 32

Proposition 24 – No, Would repeal Business tax credits

Proposition 25 – No, Would change budget vote from 2/3 to majority

Proposition 26 – Yes, Increases vote requirement from simple majority to 2/3 to impose fees, levies and charges & requires voters to approve local fees or charges.

Proposition 27 – No, Would take job of drawing district boundaries from CRC and give it back to the legislature.

Measure G (Klamath Dam Removal) – No, Would support removal of Iron Gate, Copco 1 and Copco 2 dams, eliminating local, green power and put Scott Valley and Shasta Valley farmers and ranchers water rights in jeopardy.

Measure E (School Bond) – No, Would impose unfair taxes on farms and ranches, taxing all property, including equipment and machinery.

Thoughts On My Son's First Day Of School

As I walked my son to his first day of school, pre-school, I couldn’t help but contemplate the state of our educational system and the potential impacts it is and will have on society.

During my short 40 years, I have seen the transition from a focus on cursive handwriting, to printing, from typing to keyboarding, from writing out mathematical solutions to graphing calculators and party lines with rotary dial phones, to digital phones with answering machines, to cell phones, to smart phones that are used more for texting, tweeting, posting and emailing than talking.

These transitions of focus included a transition away critical thinking and in my humble opinion have resulted in the following:


1. People rarely write thank you cards or letters anymore. Instead, the cards are pre-printed, digital or email is utilized. People no longer have to think about how to say what they feel and then legibly put those words to paper. Humanity is lost. Let us return to the days when a “rough draft” for an essay meant writing it on paper. Would this not improve critical thinking and reduce the temptation to “cut & paste” from an electronic file?

2. People are unable to compute mathematical problems without a calculator or computer, let alone run a proof to determine if the given answer is truly correct. “Experts” working for regulatory agencies rely entirely upon computer models without any regard for the quality of the data entering, whether the data was entered correctly, whether the data was utilized properly and are unable to “prove” the outcome is accurate without utilizing multiple runs on another computer, using the same files and same model. Start putting it back on paper people!

3. People become agitated when responses to questions are not answered in a timely manner via social media or email, when a phone call could give an immediate reply. I fear cell phones, if not already, will soon be utilized more for digital communication than speaking. Will this lead to the inability of individuals to communicate effectively vocally and introduce classes on texting instead of speech?

Do not take this the wrong way, I appreciate technology and utilize all forms that help me to be more efficient. However, I do think that we need to re-introduce some of the basics back into schools. Teach students how to write again, legibly and grammatically correct. Require students to show ALL of their work in math, not just answers and bring back speech and debate classes.


While I am looking forward to my son’s future experiences in his educational endeavors, he can rest assured that what he does not receive in school, will be waiting for him at home. Until then, it is back to changing water and ranch work alone, two days a week. At least I get to be weaned from him in phases. :-)