THE WAY I SEE IT by Don Polson Red Bluff Daily News 7/09/2024
Hot enough/Wacky enough for ya?
We’ll never forget our first conversation over possibly moving from Los
Angeles to Red Bluff if a position with DWR opened up. “It’s hotter than hell
and I don’t want to live there,” she said, or words to that effect. As the
Rumpole character often muttered, “She who must be obeyed.”
Time passed; I showed the better-half a map and pointed to the mountains,
forests and lakes around Red Bluff. “You know, all we do in Los Angeles is get
out of LA to the nearby mountains, forests and lakes, and we’ve pretty much
been to them all.” That culminated in filling a moving van in the spring of 1988
and carrying our stuff up to a second-floor apartment in the Breakers complex
on the Sacramento River.
The cool river air didn’t quite make it to the second floor or to our spot
in the carport, but we were still in our hiking and exploring prime and sought
out trails, lakes and camping to the West, North and East. Our adventures took
us further afield to the even richer forests of Oregon. Even though Bend is
breaking records with some 100+ days, it’s still 10-15 degrees cooler than Red
Bluff. Coastal 60s and 70s now beckon.
***
As a relatively young Burger King assistant manager in the “heat wave” summer
of 1988, I and my crew saw a meat thermometer on the drive-through counter
registering 117 degrees. The kitchen AC unit had died and the owner, Joe Wong, lacked
urgency about repairing it. He showed up to give us some moral support and
asked where I’d like him to help; I immediately pointed to the kitchen. Before
long his fine-fabric shirt was soaked; the next day repairs commenced on the AC
unit.
Hang in there, readers; nothing, including heat waves, lasts forever. If
only gas prices were still $1.14/gallon (1991 price) it would be a lot easier
on your wallets to skedaddle up to Lassen Park for the day like we did back
then. The outdoor sauna was always a shock descending from Paynes Creek.
If only the PG&E electric rates were still 10 or 12 cents per
kilowatt-hour, instead of 42+ cents, it’d be a lot cheaper to cool off upon
getting back home. If only we still had it so good.
***
Vacation-held issues of the Daily News never go to waste; reading books
and newspapers substitutes for digital Internet obsessions on summer camping sojourns.
Sorted by date into several shopping bags, I peruse the news headlines, the
always informative “day-in-history” items, the opinions and letters, and the
always-cheery comics.
While going through one bag of papers, the “news” seemed exceptionally
dated, as if it were somehow recycled. Winter stories of snow storms and high
water seemed genuine; spending on water projects looked like typically creative
ways to avoid new storage infrastructure.
Then I noticed the year 2023 at the top; yes, I had found a bag of
January to May issues from last year stored in the motorhome. The historical
and comics sections were entertaining but otherwise, fire starter material.
The Sports section earns little attention from this reader. College
football (watching, not reading about) is my only obsession. It is glanced at
on the way to the comics. Local high school sports are also not my interest.
However, I find the action photos taken by our editor/reporter/photographer
Rick Silva to be genuinely fascinating. He captures players in what are
obviously tense moments, giving their all, their faces and bodies displaying
peak intensity and performance. Kudos to Rick’s skill, his camera, and the
heart-pounding players.
***
From the “wacky-fornia” file: ACA7 (Assembly Constitutional Amendment 7) has
died for this year—hooray! Voters have repeatedly, clearly stated that racial
quotas and preferences have no place in State policy; the California
Constitution states “The State shall not discriminate against, or grant
preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of…[listed
categories] for employment, public education or contracting.”
Proposition 209 passed with a solid majority in 1996; the 57 percent “No
on Proposition 16” vote in 2020 confirmed no preferences. California
progressives have determined to undermine them to allow the “colored-bean
counters” in various agencies to mandate special treatment for racial, and
other whimsical, categories.
In plain English, it means lowering or eliminating standards, and
advancing so-called minorities into positions they are not otherwise qualified
for. ACA7 would have given the governor the power to grant exceptions, which
would (by intention) have obliterated the Constitutional rule against
preferences. The Assembly passed ACA7 last autumn; the bill’s chief sponsor has
pulled it from the Senate. “Ding dong, the witch is dead.” But, like a zombie,
it may reemerge in 2026.
For 15 years, excellent analysis, opinion and information has been posted
at https://donpolson.blogspot.com/.
Five or ten minutes a day will insulate you from the propaganda, mis- and
dis-information coming from leftist media and ideological sycophants constantly
pushing their agenda.
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