Reject the assault on rooftop solar

Who is behind the plan to slash the credit to homeowners with rooftop solar? Just follow the money behind the campaign. Hint: it’s not homeowners, who are doing the right thing for the environment by investing in solar.

But what did they think they were seeing?

I’ve thought a lot lately about Representative Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) tweet on January 6, 2021, saying, “Today is 1776.” It’s clear that those sympathetic to stealing the 2020 election for Donald Trump over the will of the majority of Americans thought they were bearing witness to a new moment in our history.

Confounding Contradictions

I am truly baffled by inherent contradictions in a particular set of beliefs. The first contradiction pertains to sovereignty over one’s own body. It claims “My body, my choice” in objection to COVID vaccinations while, at the same time, denying a woman’s right to choose how to deal with her own pregnancy.

Youth Franchise: The Forgotten Sixties Movement

Absent from popular memory and most scholarly histories of the 1960s is the youth franchise movement, which achieved the 26th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1971. This amendment gave the right to vote to 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds and prohibited discrimination in voting “on account of age.” Proposed, passed, and ratified fifty years ago, it was the last time the United States significantly expanded and protected voting rights.

Opponents Team Up Against Voting Rights

In the week that we have commemorated Martin Luther King’s birthday, I found myself thinking about a football coach. In 1990, the voters of Arizona rejected a ballot measure that would have established a state holiday honoring the birth of the great civil rights icon.

Overturn Citizens United

Eleven years ago on Jan. 21, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Citizens United vs. FEC decision, ruled that corporations and other groups had a right to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. This gave the wealthy, corporations and other entities even more influence on our government.

One patriot’s concerns

It was a year ago — a long year ago it seems — that insurrectionists invaded and ransacked the U.S. Capitol. We watched in horror as the citadel of our democratic republic came under attack,

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT: HOUSING EL DORADO

There is no question that availability of affordable housing is a problem throughout the state of California, and El Dorado County is no exception. The cost of existing housing coupled with the lack of affordable housing units is one factor, among many, driving homelessness in the county.

One Year Since

In the year since Jan. 6 several Republican politicians have shown the true content of their character.

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory

Could any nation “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” survive, or would such a nation inevitably descend into hierarchies and minority rule?

How to get real accountability for Jan. 6

The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was an attempt, through force and violence, to overturn the will of the majority expressed in a free and fair election. In a well-functioning democratic republic, its anniversary would engender a commitment across party lines to protecting and enhancing our system of self-rule.

Much to be thankful for

As 2021 comes to an end, we have much to be thankful for. Yes, it was a challenging year that tested us as never before. But the fact that we are here to count our blessings is an accomplishment that should fill us with pride.

How can we citizens serve our soldiers?

Have you ever conversed with a veteran about how it feels to return after their deployment? Recently I spoke with Josh Elder, MD, Army Reserve Officer and Combat Veteran who recently deployed to the Middle East.

Possible Criminal Referral for Former President Trump

Tonight the Washington Post reported that the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol is weighing possible criminal referral for former president Trump, focusing on the 187 minutes between Trump’s urging his supporters to march on the Capitol and the video he finally released telling them to stop.