McCarthy: Congress needs to focus on restoring America's econonic stability

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) gives us his view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "It was a somber week on Capitol Hill as we paused to remember and mourn those who died and those who were injured in this tragic and unthinkable shooting incident in Tucson. My colleague, Congresswoman Grabrielle Giffords, who I came to Congress with in 2006, is making improvements, and Judy and I continue to pray for her full recovery, as well as for the families of those who lost loved ones last weekend.

 "Next week, Congress will be back in session as we refocus on restoring America’s economic stability by cutting spending and reducing burdensome regulations so small businesses can thrive.  One item in particular in A Pledge to America that we said we would focus on in our new governing agenda was the repeal of unfunded or onerous Federal mandates that hinder job creation and adversely impact small businesses. 

 "One of the most burdensome mandates that was enacted into law is a provision requiring small businesses to file a 1099 tax form for any purchases of $600 or more they make.  Also known as the 1099 reporting requirement, this will require so much costly and time consuming paperwork for small businesses that even the IRS has indicated it is not prepared to process and handle it all.  These types of requirements are burdens that stifle small business expansion.  That is why I cosponsored and strongly support Congressman Dan Lungren’s bill, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011 (H.R. 4), that would repeal the 1099 reporting requirement. 

 "In addition, this week several of my colleagues from California and I sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee asking it to consider legislation to withhold funding for the U.S. Forest Service to implement the agency’s 2005 Travel Management Rule (TMR) in California.  Like many of you I enjoy using our public lands for many recreational activities such as hunting and off-roading.  Unfortunately, the TMR, combined with a Forest Service decision to designate certain single lane, gravel or dirt roads as “highways” in national forests in California, could potentially result in up to a 90% reduction in off road vehicle (OHV) routes in our forests.  This is unacceptable, especially given the Forest Service has been provided ample information from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the public that these dirt roads do not constitute a highway.  Hopefully, the Forest Service will change course on this issue and listen to CHP and the public.  If not, I look forward to working with the Appropriations Committee to preserve OHV and other recreational opportunities in our national forests. 

 "Thanks for reading and have a great weekend as we remember the work and legacy of the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We're drinking more wine and eating less meat and a big wedding planned at St. Francis

 * ... FACTOIDS: Read an interesting piece in The New York Times about our changing society. The data comes from the 130th edition of the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the annual profile of the nation published by the Census Bureau. Some facts:
  - As a nation we ate less red meat and also ate fewer veggies, but drank more wine.
  - The marriage rate is the lowest since 1970 but divorces have held about the same.
  - A record 41 percent of all live births were to unmarried women. That is up 22 percentage points since 1980.
  - In 2008, there were 7.3 million adults in jail or on parole or probation, a record high.
  - In 2007, airport screeners confiscated 1.1 million knives, almost 12,000 box cutters and 1,416 guns.
  - And finally, four states - Minnesota, Iowa, North Carolina and South Dakota - have more pigs than people.

 * ... GOOD VIBES: Mimi Audelo, an executive at San Joaquin Hospital, had a nice surprise the other day at the downtown Starbucks on 24th Street. "When I got to the window, the young lady, who was very happy and having a very good time, told me my coffee was paid by the car in front of me. What a surprise. I know I didn't know the person in front of me. The young lady told me I was about the sixth or seventh car that had been paid by the car ahead. I had to keep the surprise going and the fun! What a great way to start the new year."

 * ... WEDDING: Big wedding planned for Saturday over at St. Francis Church when Nicole Thurman and long-time boyfriend Jack Campbell Jr. tie the knot. Monsignor Craig Harrison will preside over the ceremony and a reception will follow for several hundred folks at Bakersfield Country Club, which has been spruced up for the event. Proud parents are Jack and Bonnie Campbell,  Steve and Terri Haupt and Van Thurman, the bride's father. The couple graduated from Garces Memorial High School and Jack currently plays defensive tackle for Cornell University. (photo courtesy of Cornell University)

 * ... SPOTTED: A Twitter post by Lisa Plank. who works over at the Bakersfield Association of Retarded Citizens:  "A hooker waved at me as I drove by. I may have to find another way to and from work as I am apparently on Union Ave entirely too much."

 * ... RUMBLE: This is a big weekend for local cycling fans. On Saturday is the Rio Bravo Rumble, which features mountain bike races and a 5k and 10k walk and run. Kids race for free so this is always a popular venue for families. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. and the race begins at 9 a.m. All proceeds go to Bike Bakersfield.

* ... CYCLOCROSS: And don't forget the state Cyclocross Championships which will be held this Sunday at Hart Park, running from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If you haven't taken in this cycling sport, this is a good chance to see some of the best riders in the west tackle an off-road course full of obstacles. Sam Ames, manager over at Action Sports, always puts on a good show and predicts some 300 riders will participate.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Robert Mergler: You might be from Bakersfield if  "you were one of us shaking Ronald Reagan's hand at the Harvey Auditorium for the Lincoln Day celebration in 1962.

Study suggests Valley housing recovery could take decades, and assessing your risk of disease

* ... HOUSING WOES: Economists have a grim new warning for areas like Bakersfield that were ground zero in the housing bubble: we may be in for years of a long-term decline that will be unlike anything we have ever seen. This is the conclusion of a recent Rockefeller Institute study, cited by The Los Angeles Times, that noted former boom towns like Bakersfield could take literally decades to recover. Said one expert: "The housing boom elevated home prices in a number of areas far, far above what can be supported by the economic fundamentals, and so prices have fallen significantly, and they will remain below their previous peaks for a decade, or even two decades." The result: foreclosures are turning developments on the outskirts of metro areas "into the nation's newest slums. Complicating any recovery for these beaten-down areas is the difficulty predicting which neighborhoods will fare worst."

 * ... DISEASE RISK: If you knew a blood test could accurately predict if you would eventually contract a disease, would you take it? According to a study at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, an overwhelming number of Americans would. Of course all this is hypothetical, but it indicates the willingness of most of us to deal with reality. As it stands now, all we can do is deal with the predictive numbers. Here are some odds of an adult developing certain diseases, as compiled by the Wall Street Journal from data provided by the National Cancer Institute: About 16 percent of men born today will be diagnosed with prostate cancer; of adults who live to 55, the risk for Alzheimer's is about 17 percent for women and 9 percent for men; for people with no heart disease at the age of 50, more than half of men and 40 percent of women will go on to develop it in their lifetime; about 12 percent of women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime; and half of us will develop arthritis of the knee by the age of 85. 

* ... NRA DINNER: Local gun rights supporters are putting together a dinner to raise funds for Friends of the National Rifle Association. The Southern Valley chapter is organizing the dinner, set for Friday, February 4 at the Bakersfield Elks Lodge. Last year the Friends of the NRA granted over $492,000 to Central California shooting and  hunting programs. These dinners are always fun and feature both live and silent auctions and special drawings for custom knives, firearms and NRA commissioned art. Interested? Call Cyndi Benson at (661) 205-8569 to purchase tickets. Individual dinner tickets are $50 and group packages are also available.

 * ... OTHER CALIFORNIA: A pretty damning story on the Central Valley is making the rounds among our community's policy makers. It was written for the National Review by Victor Davis Hanson, a former Fresno State professor who now works at the Hoover Institution. In it, he decries the slow decline of the Central Valley and lashes out at the coastal elitists who simply don't seem to care. While the state champions diversity, he notes some areas of the Valley are almost 100 percent Hispanic, virtual ghettos existing in an over regulated state. "Trash piles are commonplace out here - composed of everything from half-empty paint cans and plastic toys to diapers and moldy food. I have never seen a rural sheriff cite a litterer, or witnesses state EPA workers cleaning up these unauthorized wastelands. So I would suggest to Bay Area scientists that the environment is taking a much harder beating down here in central California than it is in the Delta. Perhaps before we cut off more irrigation water to the west side of the valley, we might invest some green dollars into cleaning up the unsightly and sometimes dangerous garbage that now litters the outskirts of our rural communities."

 * ... SOUP MIX: Stopped by the farmer's market at the corner of Brimhall Road and Calloway Drive Saturday morning and was impressed with the winter vegetables. This is soup weather and all the fresh produce was there: onions, potatoes, beets, radishes, lettuce, kale, nuts, garlic, herbs, brussel sprouts and so much more. These local farmer's markets are well worth supporting.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember when South Chester ended at Terrace Way. It did not go through to Union Avenue until after World War II." Thanks to reader William Upshaw for that one.

Luigi's won't be opening second outlet at the Racquet Club, and Jagels is roasted in retirement

 * ... LUIGI'S OUT: It looks like the near perfect marriage of Luigi's Delicatessen and the Bakersfield Racquet Club won't be happening after all. If you recall, Luigi's was expected to open a small second branch at the downtown Racquet Club, replacing Big Popy's Deli which left at the end of the year. But now Luigi's co-owner Gino Valpredo says the family has had second thoughts and decided to pass. "We really need to focus on getting our rhythm" at the main 19th Street location, Gino told me. "We're sorry if we disappointed anyone." And who can blame him for focusing on his core business in this economy? But the idea of a second Luigi's location was intriguing to many, especially to all those loyal customers who know you have to arrive at 11 a.m. or earlier if you expect to get a table later in the week. Meanwhile, the Racquet Club will continue to look for a new vendor for its coffee and lunch shop.

 * ... JAGELS ROAST: They packed the house at the Crystal Palace to roast retiring District Attorney Ed Jagels last week. Lois Henry, the Californian columnist who has tangled with Jagels over the years, wasn't invited but decided to crash the party instead and was warmly welcomed. There was a long list of speakers, including Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Police Chief Greg Williamson and even longtime courts reporter Steve Swenson, who got in some real zingers at Jagels' expense, all said with love. But it was Jagels himself who stole the show when he got his turn at the podium. Responding to Chief Williamson's dig at how long Jagels had served, Jagels retorted that he too remembered back when the police department actually had fitness standards (a clever shot at the chief's weight).

 * ... SICK BAY: Heard the other day that old friend David Price, the retired director of the county's Resource Management Agency, is facing some medical issues. Dave is one of the nicer and most decent public servants Kern County has produced and last year retired to Johnson City, Tennessee, becoming a fan of the University of Tennessee Volunteers at the expense of his alma mater, Fresno State. But now he's now being treated for numbness and unsteadiness caused by calcification of his upper neck vertebrae, leading to compression of his spinal cord. He's scheduled to see a specialist at the University of Virginia next month. "You can imagine what a shock this is," he told me. "I knew I had some problems from prior diagnostic work but nothing like this... The scary part is I've been warned that even a seemingly small bump on the head could result in total paralysis, including ventilator." Keep this special man and his family in your thoughts.

 * ... SMALL WORLD: You never know when you're going to run into someone from Kern County, wherever you are. It happened to Lt. Jordan Buzzell, a pediatric dentist at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, when had a chance encounter with Sgt. Michael Walth at the Miramar dental clinic. Buzzell is a 1998 graduate of Taft Union High School and Walth is a graduate of Maricopa High, class of 1999. Said Buzzell: "We didn't know it but we are both stationed here at Miramar and met yesterday when Michael came in for an appointment with me. I am actually a pediatric dentist now on temporary assignment to this clinic after serving two years in Japan... so the fact that we met was even more surreal. Michael has already served on two deployments to Iraq and Kuwait and is now awaiting word on duty as a recruiter for the Marines."


 * ... SPOTTED: Monsignor Craig Harrison moving through the crowd at the Padre Hotel bar like a rock star, shaking hands, chatting and causing one women to remark: "Someone has to introduce him to me. I'm ready to become a Catholic!"

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader William Upshaw: You know you're a Bakersfield old-timer if "you remember the sugar cane field at Oak Street and Brundage Lane."

McCarthy: time for common-sense values and new accountability and transparency in government

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), gives us his weekly report from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "The new Congress was in session this week for first time and I am truly honored to continue serving the people of the 22nd District as your Representative.  I am humbled and thankful that people from Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties traveled all the way to Washington to watch me get sworn in.  This Congress, I will also be serving my colleagues in a new role as the Majority Whip.  The job of the whip is to make sure operations on the floor run smoothly and that communication lines are open between leadership and members of Congress.  I will be fighting for  our common-sense values as we start to make tough decisions to help America regain its economic strength and soundness for present and future generations.  

  "There is a lot of work to do in this new Congress and it could be likened to taking over a struggling company and now reorganizing it to make it work better. It is my goal to operate the House with more transparency and accountability. Last year, my colleagues and I, through the America Speaking Out project, created a new way for Americans to directly communicate their concerns and priorities with their elected officials.  With the feedback from you in the 22nd District and from people all across America, we were able to present a new approach to governing with A Pledge to America.   In this new Congress, we now have the opportunity to humbly establish a more accountable and effective government that will help create jobs, end economic uncertainty, stop out-of-control spending, and reform Washington. "

Here is what happened this week.  Our first order of business was to establish the rules for how the House will be run.  Under the new rules, all House bills introduced will be required to cite Constitutional authority for further consideration.  Second, bills introduced will be available to all members for three calendar days for review before being considered on the floor.  Third, tax increases cannot be used to pay for new mandatory spending and bills that would increase mandatory spending over one, five, or ten years will have to cut current spending of equal or greater amount in order to be considered.  To review all new rules, visit:
http://rules.house.gov.

  "Also, Washington must always remember the origin of its governing authority – the people, which is why this Congress began with the reading of the Constitution.  As Patrick Henry said, “the Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.”

  "Finally, the House passed a resolution that reduces House operating budgets from top to bottom.  Budgets of leadership offices, committees, and individual member offices all have been cut to save taxpayers an estimated $35 million in the first year.  There is more work to be done though and I will keep you updated.

Bako Bits: CSUB gets ready to honor five alumni and a diaper story you're not going to believe

 * ... CSUB HONORS: Hats off to four well deserving local folks who have been chosen to enter the Cal State Bakersfield Alumni Hall of Fame. It's remarkable how many community leaders have come out of CSUB and this is a stellar group. It includes Ben Stinson ('79), owner of Stinson's Stationers; Jon Van Boening ('92), president of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital; John Hefner ('85), retired from the Fruitvale School District; and Christine Frazier ('84), Kern County Superintendent of Schools. A dinner will take place at the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield Saturday, February 19. Call (661) 654-3211 for tickets.


  * ... FRENCH VISITOR: Ever consider hosting a foreign student in your home? If so here's your chance. Susan Peninger is local coordinator for Horizon's du Monde, a French company that brings French students to the United States for home stays. She's looking for a family willing to house a 16 or 17 year old for 10 days between February 15-25.  The student needs a place to sleep or can share a room with a like gender. The students want to experience life with an American family and are expected to follow your house rules. If interested call Susan at (661) 332-7147.

 * ... IVY LEAGUE: Always happy to pass along some good news about our high achieving local youngsters. Alicia Mathur, a senior at Stockdale High School, has been accepted to the University of Pennsylvania school of engineering and will be starting her studies in the fall. Her brother, Neil, is a senior at Princeton University. Two local kids in the Ivy League making us all proud.

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that the pair of huge lion statues that once graced the steps of the old Kern County Jail were sold to a fraternity at the University of Nevada in the early 1960s when the building was torn down?

  * ... DIAPERS: Sick of hearing me rant about those in our community who so casually discard their diapers in our parks and on our streets? Well this story will really make you sick. Kyle Estle, a partner in Dallis Higdon and Associates, told me about finding literally dozens of used diapers on the roof of a rental on 33rd Street. "I don't really enjoy the diaper entries but I'm glad you are raising awareness so maybe some will change their behavior. Anyway, one of our appraisers was doing an apartment inspection in Bakersfield and took the attached picture. (go to www.bakersfieldobserved.com to see the picture) Apparently the former tenants were too lazy and disgusting to throw their used diapers in the trash and instead used their neighbor’s roof." The picture is almost too graphic for a family newspaper, but it shows what must be three or four dozen diapers, piled up, on a flat roof. Apparently the tenants next door just tossed their used diapers out the window onto the roof next door.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You know you're from Bakersfield when you have to explain Tule fog to others.

Personal bankrupties shoot up 25 in California and what does your multi-media experience look like?

 * ... BANKRUPTCIES: Should not have been surprised to read that the number of Americans filing personal bankruptcy shot up 9 percent last year. That's according to the Wall Street Journal which cited stubbornly high unemployment and the plunging value of our homes. California had one of the worst rates, up a full 25 percent, while the Southeastern states in the Deep South were faring much better. The rate of bankruptcies in Arizona, another state plagued by foreclosures, rose 24 percent.

 * ... YOUNG GUNS: Interesting to note, also in the Wall Street Journal, that the new Republican leadership in the House of Representatives signals a marked generational shift. For example, incoming Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, from Bakersfield, is 45 years old while the outgoing whip, James Clyburn, is 70. The new House Republican leader is Rep. Eric Cantor, who is 47. He replaces Democratic leader Steny Hoyer, who is 71. Said the Journal: "The broader question is what substantive impact  this wave of new, young Republicans will have on Congress's work. Mr. Cantor says the generational change will produce more unconventional approaches - and that the newcomers' common denominator is a commitment to attack government spending."

 * ... TABLETS: Spent a full day crossing the country on airplanes the other day and couldn't help but notice the explosion of iPads, Kindles and other tablet-like devices carried by passengers. One middle aged man seated next to me spent the five-hour flight shuffling among his iPad, a Dell laptop, a newspaper, his Blackberry, and a hard-cover book on golf. His travel companion was reading a book on a Kindle and doing the crossword puzzle from The New York Times. Talk about a multi media experience.

* ... LOCAL SYMPHONY: Jerome S. Kleinsasser wrote in to comment on reader Walter Stewart's observation about the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, referring to Antonin Dvorak's  Symphony in E-Minor No. 9. "Our community is blessed to have such a dedicated and accomplished ensemble of players with a tradition dating all the way back to 1932 in the depth of the Great Depression. The Symphony continues to regularly provide our community with the finest in orchestral music. The next concert is on February 5. I hope you will join us."


 * ... FLYOVER: Ever seen one of spectacular military flyovers at a college football game?  I witnessed one involving some vintage World War II era fightsers at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., and now I learn one of our local kids was flying a Navy FA/18 E during the flyover at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Tyler Hurst, a 2000 graduate of Stockdale High School and later the Naval Academy, was piloting one of the four jets that swooped low over the Rose Bowl, according to this parents, Marilyn  and Dave Hurst. They said the jets were part of VFA 147, the Argonauts, stationed at Lemoore Naval Air Station.

 * ... RESOLUTION: How is this for a New Year's resolution: let's all commit ourselves to getting into shape and shaving those excess pounds. Kern County has one of the highest obesity and heart disease rates in the state, and it's time we got off that list.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From Kurt Seeger: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if  "you saw Jim Morrison at the Doors perform at the Civic Auditorium in the 1960s."

Prepare for another surge in foreclosures and a Dezember girl opens a museum in Qatar

 * ... HOME SALES: Looks like we're in for more turbulence before we see a real recovery in the local real estate market. Analysts now say the recent drop in the foreclosure rate was only temporary, caused by lenders "putting the brakes" on repossessions because of the focus on faulty foreclosure practices. But now the big banks are expected to restart foreclosures  "with a vengeance," signaling a surge in repossessions this in the first quarter of this year. RealtyTrac vice president Rick Sharga told The Los Angeles Times that the U.S. housing market's recovery "would be set back three months because of the delays involved in the foreclosure fracas." Meanwhile, local Realtors are digging in for another bumpy ride before things start to improve.

* ... DEZEMBER GIRL: Here's a unique way to spend New Year's: Longtime  Bakersfield residents Brent and Anna Dezember ushered in the New Year halfway across the globe in Qatar, visiting their eldest daughter Michelle. Michelle is director of education for the Museum of Modern Art, Mathaf, Qatar. As a member of the executive team, she served as master of ceremonies for the opening of the museum as her proud parents looked on. She has been in Qatar about a year. Michelle graduated from Santa Clara University, was a Fulbright Scholar, studied at the University of  Barcelona and worked at the Brooklyn Museum before heading to Qatar. (photo courtesy of the Santa Clara University)

 * ... MIGS: Carl Bryan wrote in to join the chorus of local folks recalling Migs Apsit, the popular Bakersfield High School teacher who used to lead tours of the country during the summer. "I was fortunate enough to participate in Migs' USA tour the summer of 1960 (after my freshman year). Migs and his wife (nicknamed Tiny, I believe) and a few other chaparones accompanied by about 65 students on a big bus that went generally counter clockwise around the country. In seven weeks we passed through 37 states." Bryan noted that Migs was the head football coach at East. "Because of Migs' college football background (at USC, I believe) East High ran a single-wing offense. Migs also had the nickname of 'Hoppy' because he had been a part-time stand-in double in the movies for William Boyd, who played the part of Hopalong Cassidy."

 * ... DID YOU KNOW? The stately brick home located at 20th and B streets was built for Ellen Baker, the daughter of town founder Col. Baker. The house later became a Catholic boy's home and is now restored as a private residence and law office.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: From reader Walter Stewart: You know you're a Bakersfield old timer if "you remember when the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra was giving concerts when Anton Dvorak's Symphony in E minor No. 9 (From the New World), Op. 95 was known as Symphony No. 5. This is not a joke." I'll have to trust you on that one, Walter.