Letter to the Editor: California Dreamin’
“All the leaves are gone, and the sky is grey,” starts the song: California Dreamin’ written in ’63 by John and Michelle Phillips, performed beginning in ’65 by their group: The Mamas and The Papas. A line from later in the song reveals that they really were dreaming when they sang: “I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A.” Warm maybe, but safe? No way in L.A.
It appears to be a similar misrepresentation in the letter from Congressman Kevin Kiley, who claims to be “safeguarding over 700,000 Americans making less than $75,000/year from intrusive IRS audits.” An article in Time magazine, available online states: “According to a Treasury Department Official, the funds would cover a wide variety of positions including IT technicians and taxpayer services support staff, as well as experienced auditors who would be largely tasked with cracking down on corporate and high-income tax evaders.” And a report in The Hill cites an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office: “GOP’s IRS bill will add $114B to deficit.”
The “Roaring ’20s” came to an abrupt halt with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929. Prices for commodities quickly plunged through the basement, leaving many farmers bankrupt. Many of the farms that were squeaking by, feeding their own families, and bartering for necessities, were wiped out a few years later by the terrible winds that created the “dust bowl.” Bankruptcy and starvation prompted many from the Great Plains and the Midwest to move west, to California. This was the situation for the parents/grandparents of many current residents. I know I’m one. So, instead of it being some idyllic dream, it was a desperate struggle for survival. The info in this paragraph was from coursework at a local public high school: PHS.
I believe another of the newly-elected Congressman’s very early votes was to eliminate the Office of Congressional Ethics. Sounds like he’s off to a fast start.
Gene Nielsen
Crescent Mills