Don's Tuesday Column

    THE WAY I SEE IT   by Don Polson Red Bluff Daily News   3/11/2014

Water slide, races, movie spoiler, unions

Here are a couple of WAGs (Wild “Arse” Guesses) for potential attractions in Red Bluff: The first, and least likely to ever happen, is to turn the former Cinderella motel lot into a water slide park. Don’t laugh; it could happen. Imagine having several straight, or even twisting, plastic slides ending in the Sacramento River. Put life vests on, then plop onto an inner tube at the top and ride a flowing water stream down and onto the river. Upon paddling back to the shore under the bridge, riders could hike back to the top with inner tube in hand; repeat until tired. Parking shouldn’t be a problem; signage on the freeway and visibility from the bridge would certainly boost visits to Red Bluff and give those staying at the RV parks another diversion. It just might make some money all summer long.

The second, and more likely idea to take hold because it happened before, are good, old-fashioned boat races down the Sacramento River. You may have seen photos in restaurants from the 50s or 60s showing what were probably local racers, with souped-up boats, cruising by River Park. Two or more competitors could start at Durango RV resort, providing a highly visible sight from the freeway bridge and end at the Elks Lodge, also visible from I-5. It obviously won’t draw the top-fuel drag boats but so what. You can’t tell me it wouldn’t draw competitors and fans from all over, maybe even other states. Do it a few times and it could be a hit.

SPOILER ALERT! You are warned that if you really want to watch the new Liam Neeson movie, “Non-Stop,” no matter what plot twist might offend you, skip this paragraph. Otherwise, I learned about the villain they chose to incorporate into the “terrorist-threatens-to-destroy-airplane” scenario; it is so disturbing as to warrant letting readers know so they don’t waste their money padding the bank accounts of movie moguls that must really hate America, as I see it. Here it is: The person threatening to kill people, that Liam Neeson’s character must stop, is none other than a relative of someone who died in the 9/11/2001 attacks by Muslim terrorists. Yep, that is apparently Hollywood’s way of shoving their twisted version of terrorism on unsuspecting movie-goers. As if that isn’t offensive enough, a Muslim doctor in traditional garb is the quiet hero, playing an even more sympathetic character (he doesn’t drink alcohol, of course) than Mr. Neeson, playing a struggling alcoholic. If you’re like most Americans, and me, you simply have no use for a thinly-veiled propaganda vehicle like what we were treated to ad infinitum, ad nauseam during the Bush years. Then, the poor profits from unpopular anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-war-on-terror movies didn’t total the cost of making even one of them. These movie produces, directors and actors need to get the message that Americans don’t stomach having heroes turned into villains and vice versa.

Last Friday’s Daily News had a follow up article on the investigation of the local teachers’ union, reported on January 29, by CTA board members over accusations of unethical behavior surrounding the (ultimately successful) efforts to rid the union of that pesky Superintendent, Lisa Escobar. The title, “Probe could lead to changes” with a sub-head “California Teachers Association asks local chapter to update policies,” confirmed findings that, while no wrong-doing occurred, CTA board members “did have suggestions” for the local chapter.

I have a suggestion or two: If, as I have read, the taxpayers bore the cost of paying for the balance of Ms. Escobar’s contract, that amount of money ought to be reimbursed to the county by the union. I doubt it will happen but I think it illustrates the larger truth that it’s easy to treat someone else’s, particularly taxpayers’, money with little or no regard. Public employee unions care nothing about the political preferences of their members, sizable numbers of which are Republicans and conservatives, since they function as ATMs for Democrat candidates and liberal political causes.

That their members, forced to join and pay dues, will opt out of both when given the chance has been proven in both Wisconsin and Michigan. Many thousands of public employees, particularly teachers, voted with their free will and paychecks to cancel union membership dues in Wisconsin when that state’s laws were successfully changed to allow such freedom. Two Michigan teachers just successfully litigated their right to leave that state’s teachers’ union—a lawsuit made necessary, in spite of passage a law establishing the “right to work” without joining the union—a right the unions tried to subvert by locking in contracts with municipalities forcing membership for up to 10 years. Ever accommodating of their members’ interests, the teachers’ union also buried the links and information on canceling membership so effectively that a lawsuit was needed to overcome phony claims by the union that teachers would have to wait until next August to leave. The total leaving the union could by now top 8,000.

I don’t hate unions; I just hate people’s free will being abused by what are essentially institutional bullies. Judging by the rejection of UAW union representation at a VW auto plant in Tennessee recently, and the fact that private sector union membership is under 7 percent and dropping—I’m on the right side of this issue. Union hacks, spare me your cheap attacks.