Bakersfield.com Forum

CARMELLA GUTIERREZ: Taking care of Mom close to home

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:00:02 PDT

Many of us know what it's like to see a loved one grow older. We see the joys that a grandparent experiences, but also the hardships that come with health issues and becoming more dependent on others. Often, we ride the "roller coaster of health" with them. As we do, it can be difficult to know how to best help our loved ones continue to live long, healthy and fulfilling lives.

The answer often lies in finding the best care close to home and family. And identifying the right doctor, nursing facility or hospital is a big decision -- one that takes time. Family members who live nearby often lend support during this process, not to mention providing other help, like running errands and companionship. That's why we are concerned about pending state budget cuts in Medi-Cal reimbursements to certain skilled nursing facilities, including in Kern County. These reductions could force many of them to close, displacing our most vulnerable patients, who depend on nearby family members. The cuts would impact thousands of Californians cared for annually in these facilities, along with the lives of relatives who help them daily.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA: You'll need to be tough, high school graduates

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:00:03 PDT

To the distinguished California Public High School Class of 2013:

I'm sorry James Franco canceled at the last minute. I'm even sorrier you wound up getting me as your substitute commencement speaker, but I was offered gas money plus a free lunch.

DOUGLAS BORER: On expanding freedom in Mideast, be careful what you wish for, Mr. Bush

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:20:24 PDT

At the opening of his new presidential library in Dallas last week, George W. Bush offered the phrase "we expanded freedom" to sum up his legacy. I say to those who agree: "Be careful what you wish for."

Freedom is a fine evocative word, and its moral authority rings true to most Americans. Certainly our ongoing quest for the expansion of freedom is one that makes most of us both glad and proud. The desire for freedom from religious persecution brought the early pilgrims to this land. Freedom from British tyranny was won by force of arms by the Founding Fathers, who then established a remarkably resilient yet flexible governing system: one that even survived a bloody civil war which freed nearly 4 million slaves. American involvement in World Wars I and II helped accelerate the demise of European colonialism, eventually freeing billions from foreign rule.

SOUNDING BOARD: Big Brother is our friend, in some cases

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:00:00 PDT

We're being watched -- by the IRS and by private business, on the street and in the solitude of our own homes. Is comprehensive surveillance, both online and in the flesh, worth the price of Americans' privacy? Or does a world full of enemies necessitate certain sacrifices? We asked members of The Californian's Sounding Board. Here are some responses.

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SOUNDING BOARD: People must draw line on government surveillance

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 PDT

America is a watched nation. Our lives are monitored daily, from street-corner surveillance cameras to law enforcement drones. Much of this surveillance is done in the name of security, but many people find ongoing surveillance creepy and heavy-handed. Is comprehensive surveillance worth the price of our privacy? Or does a world full of enemies necessitate certain sacrifices? We asked members of The Californian's Sounding Board. Here are some responses.

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SOUNDING BOARD: '1984' scenario in our future seems unlikely

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:00:00 PDT

We asked members of The Californian's Sounding Board. Here are some of their responses.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA: Debate is dead -- we need new test of politicians' mettle

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:00:06 PDT

Last week, I watched a debate between Los Angeles mayoral candidates Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel, and a clear winner emerged: Warren Olney, the moderator. I'm not saying that Olney's fine grilling made the experience worthwhile, though, because nothing could. The California political debate is dead. When was the last time you heard one with an argument that convinced you of anything? The exercise is merely an exchange of tired sound bites and attacks -- especially in our state, with its endless, expensive campaigns and frequent runoff elections between candidates who agree on all but the smallest points of contention.

But here's the good news. After an extensive study of this question, up and down the state, I can report that California has no shortage of alternative contests that would reveal the knowledge, character and judgment of competitors. We simply need to apply them to the political process. Here are the five that would be most useful.

SOUNDING BOARD: Trading a little privacy for security seems fair

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:00:00 PDT

Americans are seeing an increase in the monitoring of their daily lives, from street corner surveillance cameras to law enforcement drones to cyber fingerprinting by private corporations. Much of this surveillance is done in the name of security, and it's hard to deny that it has helped achieve that.

But many people find this ongoing surveillance downright creepy. To them, the idea of submitting to constant monitoring feels wrong -- Big Brotherly, totalitarian, Soviet-esque.

SOUNDING BOARD: Privacy and security in a burgeoning surveillance society

Wed, 08 May 2013 23:00:01 PDT

The Boston Marathon bombers were identified with the help of video surveillance cameras, a fact that underscores the likelihood that Americans will start to see an increase in the government's monitoring of their daily lives. Surveillance cameras aren't merely tools that can help solve crime, they can potentially keep them from happening. And with law enforcement agencies rolling out drone aircraft that are dedicated to domestic surveillance, soon we won't be able to move without someone or something taking note of it.

Many people are comforted by that, but many find it downright creepy. To them, the idea of submitting to constant monitoring feels wrong -- Big Brotherly, totalitarian, Soviet-esque. Consider the potential for abuse. Once a city is routinely surveilled, the government can turn every indiscretion into a criminal matter. You used to be able to speed down the street when you were in a hurry. Now, in many cities, a camera will record your behavior and send you a ticket in the mail. Combine cameras with facial recognition technology and you've got a recipe for governmental intrusion. Did you just jaywalk? Do you owe taxes or child support?

SCOTT SUCKOW: Let's restore intent of state's WIC program

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:00:02 PDT

Sometimes when the government attempts to protect the integrity of one of its programs, it's possible to unintentionally harm the people that program is supposed to serve. That's certainly the case for the Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program, known as WIC, administered by the state Department of Public Health. The federally funded program is supposed to help mothers ensure that they and their young children are well-fed, but a moratorium on admitting new grocers into the program means that many WIC families have few options for finding nutritious food.

Let's back up to explain how this happened, because the reasons for the moratorium are well-founded. According to a New York Times article from April 2012, the California program became inundated with the number of grocery stores seeking to participate in the program. Many of these were "WIC-only" stores that were located in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and dealt only in WIC vouchers, not cash.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA: Koch brothers could be what the LA Times needs

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:00:00 PDT

As you read this, I am surely reading emails from my former Los Angeles Times colleagues angry about the following sentence:

I'm rooting for the Koch brothers to buy the L.A. Times.

CONNECTING CALIFORNIA: Delta water deal demands on-the-spot discussion

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:02 PDT

There's consensus that California needs a big new deal to govern water. There's no consensus on what should be in it. Habitat restoration? Rebuilt levees to withstand earthquakes? Or new tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento River to farmers and cities in Southern California?

These are all possibilities for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a water source for 25 million of California's 38 million people. But if there's to be a smart deal on the most contentious and complicated issue in California, the most important ingredient isn't water. It's sunscreen -- the sunscreen that participants in any negotiations should apply to themselves as they head out to look at the affected places firsthand.

WILLIAM DICKINSON: Overpopulation and the 'baby bust' fallacy

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:00:06 PDT

I was born 82 years ago into a world of 2 billion people. The planet holds 7.3 billion of us today, and despite lower birthrates we are headed for 9 billion by midcentury. For decades, the emphasis by environmentalists has been on "sustainability" -- the long-term matching of population with resources. But the overpopulation deniers are back in force. Despite overall increases in population, they say, birthrates are falling in many countries. Soon there will be too few people of working age to fund entitlement programs critical to the growing ranks of the retired. Economic growth will stall. So, more babies, and immigrants, please.

America's declining birthrate, inaccurately portrayed as a "baby bust" by these alarmists, has inspired fears of falling off a demographic cliff. But the U.S. Census Bureau projects that today's population of 315 million will top 400 million by midcentury. Young or old, the real problem down the road is likely to be how to create enough middle-class jobs in a fractured society with too many people.

BRIAN CABELL: Young TV reporters and the 'escape tape'

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:00:00 PDT

My first reaction to the debut of A.J. Clemente on a TV newscast was to cringe. Then I laughed. Clemente is the young anchor in North Dakota who muttered two very audible curse words into a live microphone just as his very first newscast was starting. He's since been fired.

If you've ever appeared on live TV, you probably think, "There but for the grace of God go I." So many of us have uttered some of those similar words at news time but managed to avoid hot microphones.

POINT/COUNTERPOINT: AB 31 would aid dairy farmers and cost consumers nothing

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:00:04 PDT

Three hundred eighty-seven family businesses have shut their doors in the past five years. The employees were laid off, the equipment sold and what once were hubs of frenetic commerce are now overgrown with weeds. These closed family businesses were California dairy farms.

A solution ensuring the survival of the remaining 1,500 California family dairies will cost consumers nothing.