Journal Entry # 9

We were discussing various hot-topics that the community was frothing over, or just coolly debating, for the purpose of analyzing the different questions one needs to approach or answer when writing an interesting paper. Coming from a family who despises television and rarely finds a newspaper handy, I could not think of a single thing to bring up for discussion. However, that day I learned a lot about some of the things that were going on in my community, and even some things which I had already known before.

I am not completely news-lacking, though. I do listen to KGO radio news, and to people like Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh. I get news about the country through that medium, but it is rarely that something slips out about the community. However, it happened once when I heard about the baby in Pacific Grove who ingested the feces of a raccoon. As a result, the city felt they should put to death all of the raccoons in Pacific Grove. Well, I can remember frothing over that, indeed! I heard about that on the radio and I was stunned. As if that occurred on a daily basis and that gave them the right to execute those defenseless creatures. What they should have been concentrating on is how the baby was watched and cared-for.

Then, too, there was the debate for the overpass by Prunedale, I think it was. I still am not very sure what it was about, but I remember that being in the voting news. At the last election I was too young to vote but very impatient that certain laws and policies get passed. I tried to get my older friends to vote how I wanted to vote, but none would do it. I don’t think this particular one was passed, and as I never drive there (or hardly anywhere for that matter), I did not pay much attention to the results. Yet I understand the values involved and respect the facts that led to a movement for action. There are several passes like that where I have driven that were pretty dangerous and I understand the feeling some people can have trying to make it through. I can also sympathize with the proponents of building an overpass there after so many reports of people crashing and dying. Innocent people they were, who didn’t drink or anything like that, but it was the danger of that spot that claimed their lives. And it was very sad to hear that people would not agree to it on account of a something-cent increase in taxes to pay for it. That is a values dispute for you! Are people more interested in safety and their lives? Or money?

Lastly, there was the issue of desalinization, of which I discussed with my group. It turned out to be such a huge topic, what I call all-encompassing, that I do not know where to begin describing it. However, one thing I know, is that it’s about money. Whether we want to have freshwater where there was none before and pay a small increase in taxes to pay for it, or do we want to continue using our precious water resources until it is exhausted? I can see the difficulty in both sides, although I think having the desalinization has many more advantages to it. I would not want to pay more in taxes for something I do not even notice in my daily life. I do not wake up in the mornings and know that by taking a shower or brushing my teeth that our water supply is quickly being depleted. It simply does not cross my mind. Yet what it would be like if we did not have water at all, what would we do? I can’t imagine it. So if there is some way that we can delay this a little longer, then despite the cost, I am willing to do it.

I guess it really comes down to money and effort: if someone else pays for it, then let’s do it. Too bad it can’t work that way.

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