“An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention.” ~St. Thomas Aquinas

I was startled to read that the leadership of Saint Louise Regional Hospital is considering asking South County residents to support it with some sort of tax. I think this effort will fail for several reasons.

As the state cuts spending, local agencies are asking voters to replace state funding with various kinds of local taxes. Up and down California, voters will be asked to fund schools, libraries, roads, and more. What’s more, the cash-strapped state will ask voters to approve extensions of state tax increases.

How many of these taxes will voters approve? These are voters who, since 2008, have watched their home values plummet, their 401k values drop (many with the added insult of having a modest employer match of 401k contributions disappear), all while either being laid off or living with the chronic worry that a pink slip is just around the corner.

2011 held both disconcerting and promising changes for South County. On the disconcerting side, a California Supreme Court decision came at the end of the year that allows the state of California to kill redevelopment agencies. The decision means that the Morgan Hill Redevelopment Agency, which is responsible for many projects that improve the quality of life for city residents, will cease to exist on Feb. 1, 2012.

getting ready for new years from the Flickr photostream of summerbl4ck

The much-used Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, Centennial Recreation Center, Aquatic Center, and Morgan Hill Library, and many improvements in the lovely Morgan Hill downtown: These are just a few examples of the assets the RDA helped to bring to Morgan Hill. A comparison of the downtowns of Morgan Hill, which launched its RDA in 1981, and Gilroy, which never created one, shows the power of RDAs to help alleviate blight and improve quality of life for residents.

On the positive side, state Senate, state Assembly and US House of Representatives districts were drawn for the first time by people other than state legislators. At the behest of California voters, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission took over the job from legislators, who had huge and insurmountable conflicts of interest in creating districts that protected their seats rather than promoted the interests of the people they represented.

Under the new system, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and San Martin are in the same state Senate district, 17, and state Assembly district, 30. Gilroy is split between two congressional districts, one of which includes Morgan Hill and San Martin (District 19) and one that instead includes Hollister and points south (District 20).

“The Iraq war was fought by one-half of one percent of us. And unless we were part of that small group or had a relative who was, we went about our lives as usual most of the time: no draft, no new taxes, no changes. Not so for the small group who fought the war and their families.” ~ Journalist Bob Schieffer

A friend, an Air Force veteran, wondered why she’s not seeing more celebrations marking the end last week of the United States’ war in Iraq. She’s right; the end of the war is a very muted event. We don’t see any of the iconic celebrations that marked the end of the World War II, for example. I saw more jubilation over the end of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy than I saw over the end of the Iraq War.

Edith Shain VJ Day Kiss NYC from the Flickr photostream of Ghost*Rider (Patrick)

The war ended officially on Thursday, Dec. 15, with the encasing of the colors ceremony. In 2008, the Bush Administration negotiated an agreement, called SOFA, that called for the United States to leave Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. The last US troops left the country on Dec. 18, marking the end of a stunningly costly war no matter how you measure it. NPR reports that the nearly nine-year Iraq War is estimated to have cost $800 billion, the lives of almost 4,500 American troops, and an estimated 100,000 Iraqi lives. The cost to the United States will continue for decades as we care for the 32,000 soldiers injured in the war, many with injuries so severe they will require treatment for life-long effects.

Of course, the war had a last American casualty: David Emanuel Hickman, 23, of Greensboro, NC. He was killed by an improvised explosive device on Nov. 14. He joins a long list that includes a South County resident, Jeramy Ailes of Gilroy, who was only 22 years old when he was killed in Fallujah almost exactly seven years earlier than Hickman.

“If all complaints had to be accompanied by the submission of a delicious sandwich, then fewer people would voice them while more would be willing to listen.” ~ Writer Michael Wakcher

I’ve been associated with the local newspaper chain since 2000; first as an employee, as a reporter at the Morgan Hill Times and then as city editor at the Gilroy Dispatch, then as a freelancer serving as a columnist and editorial board member at both papers (although the demands of a new job dictated that I regretfully leave my editorial board role at the Dispatch several months ago). Before I joined the high-tech world, I also did extensive freelance work for the papers that included a stint editing at the Hollister Free Lance.

Newspapers B&W from the Flickr photostream of NS Newsflash

That long association means that I often hear people’s complaints about the local papers. If a story doesn’t get the play someone wants, I often hear about it. If someone doesn’t like an editorial, I often hear about it. If someone is irked by a column (not just mine, but also other people’s columns), I often hear about it. If someone finds an error in an article, I often hear about it.

What I hear much less often is appreciation for the important role our local papers play in our communities. That’s too bad.

“Happy is he who can trace effects to their causes.” ~ Roman poet Virgil

“Radical simply means ‘grasping things at the root.’” ~ Activist and author Angela Davis

A few weeks ago, I joined the queue to use self-checkout stations at a local Safeway when a woman wheeled her cart by the line. She loudly told her companion that the people using the self-checkout stations were “union busters” who would be responsible when cashiers were fired. With great effort, I bit my tongue.

I wanted to ask if she refuses to use email because it threatens postal service jobs. Does she shun ATMs because they threaten bank teller jobs? Does she eschew self-service gasoline pumps because they threaten gas station attendant jobs? Does she refuse antibiotics because they threaten leech-harvesting jobs? Does she avoid telephones because they threaten telegraph operator jobs? Does she decline automobile transportation because it threatens buggy-manufacturing jobs?

Man in barn with horse, buggy out front from the Flickr photostream of Boston Public Library

I realized the other day that my family recently passed our 15th anniversary since we moved to South County from the Midwest, and that I’m approaching my tenth anniversary of writing opinion columns for the local paper. How time flies when you’re stirring the pot. During my decade of opining in print, I’ve tried to evaluate arguments and take stances based on the merits of the issue in question, regardless of how any particular political party or politician felt.

That means that I’ve sometimes pleased those on the right — by supporting redistricting reform and private property rights and opposing eminent domain on behalf of developers, for example. That means that I’ve often pleased those on the left — by supporting reproductive rights, marriage equality, and separation of church and state, and opposing union busting, for example.

All of that is context for my stance on an issue that I know will anger many on the left: I support public employee pension reform, and applaud Gov. Jerry Brown for his politically courageous efforts on this important issue. I don’t agree with every detail of his plan, but it is a brave and much-needed step from a Democrat on an issue that we cannot continue to ignore.

Let’s remember the importance of intellectual honesty: Just like most Democrats properly argue that Republicans should ignore, for example, their significant monetary support from Wall Street firms when considering financial industry regulation and instead consider the greater good, I hope that Democrats will ignore their significant monetary support from labor unions when considering public employee pension reforms and instead consider the greater good.

The fact is that the current public employee pension system is unsustainable. As Microsoft founder Bill Gates noted recently, the situation is exacerbated by the current recession, but even lacking that recession, the current system is a prescription for bankruptcy: “There are long-term problems with state budgets that a return to economic growth won’t solve. Healthcare costs and pension obligations are projected to grow at rates that look to be completely unsustainable.”

Because we’ve ignored this problem, we’re now making choices between libraries and pensions, public schools and pensions, state universities and pensions, services for the physically and mentally disabled and pensions, infrastructure and pensions, prisons and pensions, parks and pensions.

The foreclosure crisis that has gripped the US real estate market over the last few years has been especially painful here in California. RealtyTrac reports that in September 2011, one in every 259 housing units in California received a new foreclosure notice, one of the highest rates in the nation.

Although Santa Clara County as a whole has not fared as badly as other parts of the state, within Santa Clara County, South County’s cities are among the hardest hit. RealtyTrac reports that last month, 66 new foreclosures were filed in Morgan Hill, for a rate of one of every 224 housing units. Gilroy saw 90 new foreclosure filings, or one of every 176 housing units. Only the sparsely populated Mount Hamilton area (population 35) had a higher rate: Its one new foreclosure filing gave it a foreclosure rate of one of every 12 housing units.

RealtyTrac Foreclosure Maps for Morgan Hill (left) and Gilroy (right) for September 2011

It’s time for another round-up of items that make me roll my eyes, shake my head, and utter a two-syllable puh-lease.

I’m shaking my head over the way the Morgan Hill Unified School District handled a furlough day, which it is calling a “non-instructional” day.

Empty Classroom from the Flickr photostream of Max Klingensmith's Photostream

The state of California, due to education funding cuts, allowed school districts to reduce the number of school days in a school year from 180 to 175. MHUSD’s board of trustees voted to impose a furlough or “non-instructional” day on Tuesday, Oct. 4, and might impose another one in March.

I understand that GUSD is considering imposing furlough days, and if it does go ahead, will likely simply end the school year a few days early.

I understand the school districts’ budget woes and am not taking issue with decisions to reduce the number of school days. Instead, I’m concerned about two things: the short notice for MHUSD parents and the placement of a furlough day in the middle of the week.

With the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, just behind us, it’s particularly fitting that a group of Morgan Hill residents are taking an important step that’s likely to improve relationships between Americans and Middle East Muslims.

The events of 9/11 spurred widespread distrust, facilitated the spreading of misinformation, and strained relationships between Muslims and westerners. We’ve seen sad examples here in South County, with ignorant, bigoted opposition to plans by the local Muslim community to build a mosque in San Martin.

What’s that important step? It doesn’t involve diplomats and it’s not sponsored by any governmental agency. Instead, this effort relies on what Sister Cities International calls “citizen diplomacy.”

The Morgan Hill Sister Cities Committee is working with Morgan Hill resident and Lebanon native Osman Ghandour to secure a sister city relationship with his hometown, Al-Rawda, Lebanon. The committee voted last week to send a letter to Al-Rawda community leaders expressing interest in formalizing a sister city relationship.

Image of Al-Rawda, Lebanon, from the Facebook page created for this city

In making this overture, the Morgan Hill Sister Cities Committee is following the advice of its parent organization, Sister Cities International: “… To secure a more peaceful future, we must encourage better understanding and cooperation between the West and the Muslim world. Sister Cities International is in a unique position to play a vital role in bridging the gap between the Muslim world and the West through the ‘citizen diplomacy’ movement.”

Crackeleur Capital Letter F On Glass (Silver Spring, MD) from the Flickr photostream of takomabibelot

I applaud the Morgan Hill Unified School District’s trustees for indicating that they will remove a policy that bars students from participating in extra-curricular activities if they receive a failing grade in any class. I wish the Gilroy Unified School District’s trustees had done the same when this issue came before them in March. GUSD trustees voted to implement a “no F” policy effective this school year.

The MHUSD will retain its requirement that students maintain a 2.0 grade point average to participate in extra-curricular activities.

Proponents of “no F” policies often paint those on other side as softies who want to coddle students. It’s an easy and sadly predictable reaction, but it’s also wrong.

Those who support “no F” policies often seem to confuse messy reality with idyllic Lake Wobegon, Garrison Keillor’s fictional Midwest paradise where “all the children are above average.” (A hint for the mathematically challenged “no F” policy proponents among us: That’s impossible.)