Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 10, 2015

15

OPINION 


Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 10, 2015 

A WORD FROM A 
BUCKEYE FANATIC 

Mountain 
Views

News

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

CITY EDITOR

Dean Lee 

EAST VALLEY EDITOR

Joan Schmidt

BUSINESS EDITOR

LaQuetta Shamblee

PRODUCTION

Richard Garcia

SALES

Patricia Colonello

626-355-2737 

626-818-2698

WEBMASTER

John Aveny 

CONTRIBUTORS

CoCo Lasalle

Chris Leclerc

Bob Eklund

Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Dr. Tina Paul

Rich Johnson

Merri Jill Finstrom

Lori Koop

Rev. James Snyder

Tina Paul

Mary Carney

Katie Hopkins

Deanne Davis

Despina Arouzman

Greg Welborn

Renee Quenell

Ben Show

Sean Kayden

Marc Garlett

JOE Gandelman An Independent’s Eye


Good-bye and good-riddance to 2014. As we move into 2015, 
what can we learn from how 2014 ended and how we’re now 
“trending” in various areas? Here are a few items to watch:

Look for signs of President Barack Obama’s REAL intentions. 
Not only were the results of the 2014 Congressional elections 
a “shellacking” for Democrats and Obama, a major paint job 
-- with four coats of black and blue paint. Now the question 
is whether Obama intends to spend his remaining two years 
nurturing compromises where he can get them, or looking 
for ways to embarrass, check-mate, thwart and weaken the 
Republicans who’ve spent his term stalemating his agenda, 
trying to destroy his legacy and demonizing him. By December 
2015 who will have had the last laugh?

Will the Tea Party tail continue to wag the Republican dog -- or is the Republican 
dog now the Tea Party’s tail? There are already signs that House Speaker John 
Boehner and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are headed into 
a political buzz saw in their dealings with Congress’ most conservative members who 
favor confrontation, political brinksmanship and power politics over compromise, 
consensus and bipartisanship. Will Boehner and McConnell prove to be leaders who 
direct party members on a political path, or fearful followers and panderers obsessed 
with not losing support?

Notoriety means big box office. North Korea and its hacking buddies’ attempt to keep 
Sony Pictures from releasing the comedy “The Interview” featuring a story involving the 
assassination of North Korea’s very much alive leader Kim Jong-un utterly backfired. 
By hacking Sony and allegedly being responsible for making terrorist threats against 
movie theaters which subsequently pulled the movie, North Korea helped the flick 
shatter online movie sales records. Add its almost certain release on DVD, cable and 
overseas showings, and North Korea turned a reportedly lame and inept comedy into...
big B.O. Get ready for some studio to announce a movie about a team of Navy Seals 
assigned force ISIS leaders to eat pork chops. 

Hollywood may get more daring. Never underestimate Hollywood’s ability to grind 
out predictable sequels, formula action pix and cookie-cutter kids’ movies. 2014 gave 
us the film “Birdman,” featuring a comeback-generating performance by Michael 
Keaton, filmed to make it appear to have been shot in one or a few continuous takes, 
with an ending that left moviegoers debating and guessing. It started off in limited 
release and immediately soared, with more theaters quickly added.

Acceptance of the quirky film is a sign that Americans don’t only yearn for (God save 
us) more Adam Sandler movies. Another sign came in early 2015 with the hit release 
of the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods.” 
While Sondheim’s famous complex scores that often seem to be fleeing traditional 
melody may make theatergoer’s swoon, they’re more of an acquired taste to others. 

The pizza revolution will continue. Pizza remains one of the biggest offenders when it 
comes to unhealthy fast food. But consumers are now demanding more than just sauce 
and cheese on crust, and they’re often getting it. Frank Peppe Pizzeria, the 90-year-old 
top ranked pizzeria from my home city of New Haven, has started to add restaurants 
in New York and Massachusetts. Pizza Hut revamped its menu with some unusual 
and often weird new flavors. When I went to Colgate University from 1968-1972, local 
pizza in the town of Hamilton, New York was terrible to tolerable. Today, Hamilton’s 
pizza places offer r-e-a-l world class pizza flavor.

Will those mistreating women find zero tolerance? 2014 was a bad year for politician 
and celebrity sex harassers, offenders and exhibitionists in the U.S. and in Canada. 
Will 2015 end in the definitive implosion of comedian Bill Cosby, who is reportedly 
hiring private investigators?

Can several big corporations stay afloat? Will 2015 end with a big “buh-bye” to the 
greatly-ailing JC Penny and to Radio Shack?

Species going extinct: The Siberian Tiger and 14 other species may be gone by the of the 
year, mostly due to human negligence or aggression. The black rhino is almost extinct. 
The Republican RINO is extinct.

Joe Gandelman is a veteran journalist who wrote for newspapers overseas and in the 
United States. He has appeared on cable news show political panels and is Editor-in-
Chief of The Moderate Voice, an Internet hub for independents, centrists and moderates. 
He also writes for The Week’s online edition. CNN’s John Avlon named him as one of 
the top 25 Centrists Columnists and Commentators. He can be reached at jgandelman@
themoderatevoice.com and can be booked to speak at www.mavenproductions.com. 
Follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joegandelman

Have you ever 
heard the 
expression 
“Sometimes 
you just have 
to go and find 
your own 
happiness!”, 
well after 
struggling 
through the 
horrific events 
of this week, I am desperately in need of 
a little joy. 

 Don’t get me wrong, as I said last week, 
the world in my bubble is fine. But the 
world outside gives me much more than 
a headache, it gives me a true pain in 
my heart. It makes me fearful of what 
the world will be like for my children 
when they get to be my age, or for my 
grandchildren when they become adults. 
So rather than letting my fears of what 
the future holds depress me; rather than 
worry if we will continue to exercise our 
‘freedoms’ irresponsibly and ultimately 
destroy our way of life, I’ve decided to look 
to something that gives me hope and joy 
regardless of the consequences.

 But before I get to that, I have to go back 
to something I referenced above. Today I 
have been absolutely overwhelmed with 
people voicing their opinions about the 
horrible situation in Paris. No doubt 
about it, the tragedy is inexcusable. But 
as journalists all over decry the actions 
as an assault on free speech, which it was, 
we also need to stop and think. Just like 
those madmen should not have taken 
the lives of a single person because they 
were angry or on a crusade, should those 
cartoons have been printed? Honestly? 
They were not just cartoons, they were 
much more than that. They demonstrated 
a total disrespect for the religious beliefs of 
millions. Can you imagine if the cartoons 
had been drawn about Jesus? So when you 
start your next conversation about the 
situation in France, consider how would 
you feel if your God were depicted by 
cartoonists in the same way? Yes, we have 
a right to freedom of expression, but as 
members of the human race, we also have 
a responsibility to respect others and their 
beliefs. And of course, we need to respect 
human life, even when we don’t agree. 

 Just because you CAN do something 
doesn’t mean that you should. And just 
because you have a gun, you just can’t go 
around killing people who piss you off. We 
have to stop being so irresponsible when it 
comes to exercising our rights and realize 
that we do have to exercise some restraint. 
Like or not, we have to live together on this 
earth, or perish.

 Anyway, that whole situation is why I 
want to focus on something much more 
pleasant.

 As many of you know, not only do I love 
golf, I love to cook. Well, this Monday 
night, I am hoping that I can be a part of 
the kitchen crew that makes a big pot of 
DUCK SOUP!

 Yep, that’s right, I’m putting all my energy 
into helping The Ohio State University 
whip up a main course made out of the 
Oregon Ducks for the College National 
Championships. Now, I do have some 
friends who are duck lovers, but this will 
be a level playing field and all I can say to 
you is that you better ‘bring it’!

 This game is important to Buckeye 
fanatics like myself, but also to my Big 
Ten brothers and sisters! Like any good 
family we pull together when necessary. 
It is comforting to know that even my 
Michigan buddies will be rooting for the 
Buckeyes!

 So, taking a break from the troubles of this 
world, Go Bucks! By the way, when this 
battle is over, regardless of the outcome, 
no one will be hurt, nations won’t be 
destroyed, a few wallets may be empty but 
economies won’t crumble and at the end of 
it all, we will shake hands and go on with 
our lives in peace. Imagine that.

Susan Henderson


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LEFT TURN/RIGHT TURN

MICHAEL Reagan Making Sense

HOWARD Hays As I See It


“We’re proud of this diversity as Democrats . . . we don’t have to manufacture 
it as the Republicans will next month . . . by propping up mannequin delegates 
on the convention floor.”

- Mario Cuomo at the 1984 Democratic National Convention

 A good column brings to mind things that might otherwise have faded from 
recollection.

 In Susan’s column last week, she mentioned an acquaintance who’d offered 
her view that black folks should simply stop wearing hoodies; as they wouldn’t 
then be as scary to the rest of “us”.

 This brought to mind a story from a few days ago, that if a Republican 
Oklahoma state senator has his way, the act itself of wearing a hoodie would 
land a $500 fine. You could be busted for simply appearing to be trying to hide your face, but there 
are exceptions; for religious attire, weather protection, Halloween celebrations and “minstrel 
troupes”. (Yes, that exception does appear in the language of the bill. Yes, this is the year 2015. And 
no, you can’t make this stuff up – especially when it concerns Republican legislatures.)

 In Greg Welborn’s column, he expressed the view that doing away with the corporate income tax 
would bring economic prosperity to everyone. This brought to mind an article in the current issue 
of The Atlantic, called “What’s Wrong With Georgia?” It describes how that state’s low-taxes, pro-
business, corporate-friendly policies led to the highest unemployment in the nation last fall. 

 As one unemployed machine operator put it, “This may be a good place for companies, but not for 
people actually looking for work.” 

 60% of new jobs require college degrees, while only 42% of young adult Georgians have one. With 
$8 billion in cuts from education over ten years, skyrocketing tuition increases, slashed scholarship 
programs and cutting unemployment benefits that provided opportunities to train in new skills, 
corporations are going out-of-state to fill positions.

 Quoting Wesley Tharpe of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, “It’s a misconception that 
these so-called business-friendly policies are closely related to economic growth. A state’s economy 
depends on an educated workforce, transportation infrastructure, public safety, reliable street 
cleaning, and snow removal.” 

 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution titled its editorial, “Ga. has followed GOP playbook to 50th 
in nation”, referring to Georgia’s rank in per capita transportation funding as well as per capita 
revenue. It points out that while Republican Gov. Nathan Deal brags about Georgians’ low tax 
burden, the corollary is that Georgia relies on the federal government for nearly 40% of its budget – 
the eighth highest level in the country.

 The editorial reminds, “slashing taxes . . . has been Georgia’s approach to economic growth since 
the 1870s . . . In effect, we’re applying a 19th century industrial strategy to a 21st century economy, 
then wondering why it isn’t working. Because it isn’t. By any number of metrics – poverty, income, 
jobs – we’ve been losing ground for 15 years.”

 The commentary on the passing of former N.Y. Gov. Mario Cuomo brought to mind a lot of 
things, including wondering what my wife Mitsuko thought she was getting herself into when, for 
one of our first “dates” some thirty years ago, I took her to a Walter Mondale campaign rally.

Okay, so he wasn’t the most compelling speaker. And he was up against one of the most engaging 
presidents ever behind a microphone or in front of a camera.

 Ronald Reagan came across as a well-meaning guy who didn’t “get it”. We had fun with his 
blaming trees for pollution, and attempt to classify ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches. We also 
had a fatalistic approach towards the upcoming election.

 And then, in his keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Gov. Cuomo 
snapped us out of it.

 He referred to President Reagan’s “amiability” and wondered “maybe, Mr. President, if you asked 
a woman who had been denied the help she needed to feed her children because you said you needed 
the money for a tax break for a millionaire or for a missile we couldn’t afford to use.” But he didn’t 
wonder long, reminding that this “social Darwinism” was “how we were warned it would be”; 
“Make the rich richer, and what falls from the table will be enough for the middle class and those 
who are trying desperately to work their way into the middle class.”

 He asked, “What chance would the Republican candidate have had in 1980 if he had told the 
American people that he intended to pay for his so-called economic recovery with bankruptcies, 
unemployment, more homeless, more hungry, and the largest government debt known to 
humankind?”

 He reminded us who we’ve been as Democrats “ever since Franklin Roosevelt lifted himself 
from his wheelchair to lift this nation from its knees”, through “Truman’s NATO and the GI Bill 
of Rights; Kennedy’s intelligent tax incentives and the Alliance for Progress; Johnson’s civil rights; 
Carter’s human rights and the nearly miraculous Camp David Peace Accord.” 

 He contrasted with how Republicans “divide the nation into the lucky and the left-out, into the 
royalty and the rabble . . . and they would call that division recovery.” As for foreign policy, “We give 
money to Latin American governments that murder nuns, and then we lie about it.”

 For Lawrence O’Donnell on his MSNBC show, Cuomo’s passing brought to mind the 1994 
campaign for re-election as New York’s governor. Republican George Pataki hit hard on Cuomo’s 
refusal to endorse the death penalty, no matter what the crime. If Cuomo fudged just a little, say to 
endorse the death penalty in the case of cop killers, he’d probably keep his seat. And he’d be aware 
that, pragmatically, there wouldn’t be any death penalty carried out in his state, anyway. 

 Mario Cuomo refused to back off his principles, though it cost him the governorship. I wonder 
how often, if ever, such considerations of principle over pragmatism will be brought to mind in the 
political battles lying ahead. 

QUARTERBACKING 
CONGRESS 

I’m not a huge fan of John Boehner.

 But now that he has both houses of Congress to work with, 
let’s give him a chance to move the Republican offense down the 
field to the end zone.

 After fighting off a challenge to his speakership this week, 
Boehner has held on to his job as the starting QB of the GOP’s legislative team in 
Washington.

 Boehner and his Boys of Winter have a lot of hard work to do for the next two 
years, on and off the field.

 But thanks to six years of fumbles by Obama at home and away, and Republican 
victories in the midterm elections last fall, the GOP is looking like the team to beat 
in 2016.

 The Republican position in Congress is stronger than it’s been in decades. 

 Boehner has the largest majority – 246 to 188 – in the House since Truman was 
president. And the Senate is solidly in Republican hands with a 54-seat majority.

It’s now or pretty much never if Republicans hope to retake the Oval Office and 
reverse the damage done to America by Team Obama.

 But before QB Boehner even thinks about which legislative play to call first 
– “Keystone -- 686 Pump F-Stop, on two”? – he and his party need to do some 
cheerleading for their own team.

 Boehner has been badly roughed up by everyone since 2011. The liberal media 
mock him.

 The conservative media have booed him unmercifully and he was almost sacked 
by some of his own teammates for being a wimpy conservative or a stooge of Obama.

But Boehner and the Republican House he has presided over deserve credit for a 
miraculous accomplishment that few people, even Republicans, know about.

Thanks mostly to the House, Congress has actually reduced federal spending for the 
last two years.

 The cuts are nowhere near what they should be -- $3.60 trillion in 2011 to $3.54 
trillion in 2012 to $3.45 trillion in 2013.

 But it’s an important turnaround. It’s the first two consecutive years of federal 
spending cuts since 1953. Republicans should be tooting their own horn about that 
spending drop from coast to coast, because the liberal media sure aren’t going to do 
it.

Meanwhile, Boehner’s game plan for the next two years is nothing new or 
complicated. The people of America want the Congress to work – and get to work.

 They want it to pass legislation that will create jobs and opportunity for Americans.

It’s up to Congress – and QB Boehner -- to make that happen by pushing through 
laws to kill ObamaCare, cut taxes, cut spending budgets, slash regulations and 
repeal legislation (like ObamaCare) that harms the economy. 

 If President Obama wants to veto everything a Republican Congress passes, fine.

Let him become known as the obstructer in chief. Let Americans see that he’s the 
one whose policies need to be rejected in 2016.

 Boehner and his conservative Congress have to be careful, however. They need to 
approach the Washington political “game” the way Ronald Reagan did.

 My father looked at the legislative process in Washington like it was a football 
field.

He knew that if you move the ball 10 yards at a time, you’ll eventually get to the end 
zone and you’ll accomplish something.

 He knew politics is always a work in progress. It’s the art of negotiation. 

Boehner and the Republican Congress don’t need to do everything this week or all 
at once.

 The worst thing QB Boehner could do is to start throwing a bunch of Hail Mary 
passes into the end zone. He should move the ball 10 yards at a time.

 If he plays it right, Republicans will score their TD and win the Super Bowl – the 
presidency of the United States in 2016.

Copyright ©2014 Michael Reagan. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald 
Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of “The New Reagan Revolution” (St. 
Martin’s Press). Visit his websites at www.reagan.com and www.michaelereagan.com. 
Send comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com. Follow @reaganworld on Twitter. 

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