CCV GOALS AND PRIORITIES



CCV GOALS AND PRIORITY ISSUES

At our initial meeting early in 2010, the Concerned Coastal Voters developed the following major goals for our organization to pursue:

1. To publicly present conservative views in a professional, factual manner and to counter misinformation where appropriate.

2. To research topics of interest at the national and state levels, and share the information among members of our group.
3. To identify and pursue the most effective venues for disseminating factual information related to our priority issues.

4. To expand membership of our group to like-minded persons regardless of their political affiliation.


Some of the Issues We Care Most About:


1. Free Enterprise Economy (e.g., fiscal responsibility, tax policies that promote growth of businesses, jobs, and general prosperity, elimination of unnecessary bureaucracy and regulation)


2. Limited, responsible, and responsive government.


3. Strong national defense, including border security.


4. Adherence by politicians and the courts to the Constitution and the rights of the individual. (e.g., civil rights, freedom of expression, right to bear arms)


NOTE: It's easy to have a copy of each letter/blog sent to you via e-mail. Just put your e-mail address in the "Follow by E-mail" slot (in the right column) and push submit.



Friday, April 1, 2011

Return of the Crackpot (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

Thanks to Mr. Brauer for noting (Crackpots, ICO March 25, 2011) that I’m a real estate agent. After that, his letter was fact-free.
In my letter, I agreed with a liberal San Francisco Chronicle columnist that Oakland firefighters and police were overpaid to the point that Oakland’s budget was being destroyed. I worked and lived in Oakland and it wasn’t dangerous, although relatively more than in peaceful Mendocino County. While I appreciate their efforts, fire and police service workers are well down the list of most dangerous occupations in America. At 17 fatalities per 100,000 serving per year, they’re not even in the Top Ten.
Most dangerous are three I have been associated with off and on since we moved to Point Arena in 1949: fishing, 147 fatalities per 100,000; light aircraft pilots, 90; and my father’s profession, logging, 85. Then after steelworkers, 61, comes the military, where my eldest son and I each served over 20 years, at 55; three times more dangerous than police and firefighters, even during peacetime. Working on down the list: trash collectors, farmers and ranchers, electrical power line workers, and roofers; all more than twice as dangerous. Then agriculture, mining, drivers, construction, and heavy equipment operators; then you get to the relative safety of police and firemen.
Interestingly, volunteers (like our unpaid but very effective neighbors) have the most fatalities among firemen; usually when over 40 with heart attacks. Most police fatalities are while driving.
Concerning teacher pay, which Mr. Brauer brought up, unlike the teachers unions I believe in merit pay for good teachers, and that ineffective teachers be paid less and released if they don’t  improve to satisfactory performance.
All professions have value, but public-sector union control over Democrat politicians has skewed their measurement.

Michael B. Combs