Redding as Potterville

The Tea Party hits poor Redding California.

At least three decades ago our county was a fairly progressive area to live. The Democratic Party was competitive owing to the New Deal, the Central Valley Project, and many public works projects that saved us from the economic ruin of the Great Depression. Redding grew into a prosperous area, along the newly build I-5 corridor, another federal project; people moved here as a medial center grew up, serving a very active housing and woods products sector.

Then, the cons moved in. Southern California began laying off millions of national defense workers when the Cold War stopped. Many retired to Northern California. Many were way more conservative than Shasta County natives.

Then, the logging industry stopped. This resulted mostly because old growth forests had been logged out on private lands, and public lands were being held away from logging because they were the only ones left. Moreover, environmental interests became active, pointing out that the clear cutting practice of past was destroying vast eco-systems.

The new comer cons immediately seized on this, angry about being laid off from defense plants, and blamed "tree huggers" for the decline of the logging industry. Few were able to point out that environmentalists were not responsible for the logging industry decline, the greedy practices of half a century of cutting everything down that was standing was the real cause of the downturn.

In fact, we ran out of timber to cut because we clear cut it all down!

And, the meager cutting that still was happening, was shipped overseas for milling and finishing. Outsourcing costs thousands of jobs in the wood products industry.

Of course the cons blamed unions, teachers, public workers, big government; etc.

Today, in Redding, we have the Tea Party, Koch Brothers backed, Express pushing for what amounts to a takeover of the city government. The idea is to go to a charter system, of a strong mayor and city council, and junk the city manager plan we have now.

The driving reason is to (guess what) cut city spending on the city manager and other public administration professionals who in the past produced a city government that was the envy of the north state (winning several awards for good government).

Redding, for example, enjoys a very low utility rate due to the professionalism of city staff. PG&E, who I am sure are involved in the attempted Tea Party takeover, charge almost double in the surrounding area. Redding is the envy of the north state for our electrical rates.

But, the issue of the Tea Party is prevailing wage. The Tea Party is up in arms because Redding pays prevailing wage on city projects to construction unions. In effect, the goal is to break yet another union and reduce wages.

This in a city and county that is among the worst casualties of the Great Recession. Unemployment is in double digits, poverty is at 40%, the young are leaving because the area is becoming a wasteland of economic activity, and the Tea Party wants to cut wages more.

This, of course, will suck what little is left out of the economy. These idiots don't understand that when you cut wages you reduce economic vitality. Today, I angrily responded to a comment in the local paper that said, "Macro-economics proves that cutting wages increases jobs". I am not kidding about that. The Great Depression and EVERY recession shows that cutting wages and laying off workers, results in more jobs being lost. Have you heard about G.M. cutting wages and suddenly jobs increasing? What planet are these guys from???

Right now, I mean NOW, American corporations (what is left of them) are at the highest productivity rate in history, sitting on huge profits, and not hiring hardly ANYONE! Wages have been cut everywhere in this economy, where are the jobs?

In fact, where are the jobs the Republicans promised when they PROMISED to concentrate on jobs, when they conned the American people into the disaster of 2010? Where are they? Right now I am watching as the government is about to shut down. What will happen to jobs if that happens? Billions will be sucked out of a recovering economy, with disastrous results.

Why, because of GREED THAT IS WHY. When wages are cut, or you can outsource the job to someone making 50 cents an hour, you don't necessarily hire more workers in America..you many move everything overseas to cheap labor markets, but Americans have been left high and dry!

The progressive, affluent area that used to be Redding is long gone, and now the Tea Party is striving to drive it even further into the hell hole of despair.

And the idiots still vote for them up here. They have learned to hate all government (we do have a rather large marijuana culture up here, with a high crime rate). Redding is now a solid Red area, progressive candidates have absolutely no chance. We have a Congressman, Wally "do nothing" Herger, who has done absolutely nothing for the economy of the area. Redding is dead last in almost every economic category that you can list.

The cons have done the same job that was depicted in the classic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life", when Jimmie Stuart got his wish and was never born. Remember the villain Mr. Potter, the greedy and vengeful banker won out, and the city was a wasteland of broken promises and dreams. The town was owned by Potter, everyone else were losers, barely making enough to stay alive. In those depression days, the greedy rich were actually depicted for who they are, not for who they are depicted by P.R. agencies. Donald Trump is polling second (SECOND) as a Republican candidate for President. That is what we need, a hopeless ego maniac rich jerk, as President.

That is where Redding is headed, Potterville, where the rich rule, behind gates of greed, and everyone else suffers.

So we are becoming a trailer city, with hosts of homeless, and despair everywhere.

Don't come to Redding, land of the Tea Party paradise!!!!!