Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

Editor’s note: Laura Tyson, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, was chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council in the Clinton administration. She is a member of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. In Sunday’s New York Times, Tyson argues why we need a second stimulus. It is an issue that I’ve been raising on this blog in recent weeks. Some background is here.

“Our national debate about fiscal policy has become skewed, with far too much focus on the deficit and far too little on unemployment. There is too much worry about the size of government, and too little appreciation for how stimulus spending has helped stabilize the economy and how more of the right kind of government spending could boost job creation and economic growth.

“By focusing on the wrong things, we are in serious danger of failing to do the right things to help the economy recover from its worst labor market crisis since the Great Depression.”

The rest of the article is here.

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Even if you’re not a horse racing fan, here’s an international story with local ties: California-based Zenyatta — 18-0 and whose trainer was a regular at Grass Valley’s Loma Rica Ranch in its heyday — now is poised to become one of the greatest race horses ever.

Zenyatta’s trainer is John Shirreffs, who worked the Loma Rica Ranch when it was a well-known stable for thoroughbreds. He fondly remembers his time at the Ranch with Henry Freitas, who was the manager. Once John slept in the barn to help nurse Noor, a famous racehorse at the time, back to health.

Zenyatta, owned by A&M record moguls Jerry and Ann Moss, was supposed to meet the East Coast’s Rachel Alexandra later this year in a widely anticipated race to determine the best race horse.

As 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra would have been Zenyatta’s most worthy foe. Even better, both horses are female in a sport dominated by male animals.

But the matchup will likely never materialize, as Rachel Alexandra was upset on Sunday by a longshot at Saratoga race track in New York.

As a result, Zenyatta reigns supreme and likely will face one more major test in the Breeder’s Cup Classic in November. Last year, Zenyatta won the race from dead last.

It’s good to be reminded that our local history includes more than gold mining. The Loma Rica Ranch is now planned to become a housing development, with an environmental impact report hearing next month, as I reported before. Some locals want to preserve the grave of Noor, who is buried on the training track. Let’s hope the city’s Planning Commission and City Council bone up on our local thoroughbred racing history and honor it.

A video of Rachel Alexendra being upset this weekend is here:

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The Union reported on Tuesday that Mark Meckler was set to appear on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday. “Meckler’s appearance marks the first time his group’s first exposure on a Sunday network news show,” The Union said.

When I called the network in D.C. the spokeswoman was skeptical, noting that the decision isn’t made until Thursday who will be on the show. Though the show said it had held discussions with Meckler and others, nothing was final, pending news events. And that’s what I reported.

Indeed, Teapartier Joe Miller trumped Meckler, who never appeared on the show. The transcript is here. I wrote about Miller earlier in the week.

Where did The Union get this information about Meckler appearing? Was it a Meckler family member or local Tea Partier (AKA, a “one source” story)? Was it more p.r. spin? Why didn’t they call Face The Nation in D.C. like I did to confirm whether he would appear? Why no follow up to say “we goofed”? No accountability (again).

BTW, where’s “NC Media Watch” on stories like this? That blog really ought to change its name!

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President Obama is our era’s Illustrated Man, Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter reports, referring to Ray Bradbury’s science-fiction classic. His enemies—and even some of his ostensible allies—have been busy for three years painting Obama as some kind of alien threat.

It reflects not just the usual personal and partisan politics (George W. Bush was subjected to nasty attacks from the left) but a flight from facts, Alter writes. The article is here.

“The outlandish stories about Barack Hussein Obama are simply false: he wasn’t born outside the United States (the tabloid ‘proof’ has been debunked as a crude forgery); he has never been a Muslim (he was raised by an atheist and became a practicing Christian in his 20s); his policies are not ‘socialist’ (he explicitly rejected advice to nationalize the banks and wants the government out of General Motors and Chrysler as quickly as possible).

“He is not a ‘warmonger’ (he promised in 2008 to withdraw from Iraq and escalate in Afghanistan and has done so); . . . And that’s just the short list of lies.”

The blame for this extends from Fox News and the Republican leadership, to the peculiar psychology of resentment in public opinion, to the ham-handed political response of the Obama White House, according to Newsweek.

“Whatever the cause, if smash-mouth tactics are validated by huge GOP gains in the midterm elections, then Big Lie politics may be with us for good.”

A crisper message on jobs is the only way to limit Democratic losses, according to Alter.

Some background, “Is lying becoming more acceptable?” is here.

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Some families who attended our son’s soccer game on Saturday were among those forced to evacuate their homes because of the Bullard fire.

They were understandably anxious about the blaze — three miles east of Dobbins — that has burned 900 acres and is only 20 percent contained.

Hearing from the families was not all that we encountered this week when it came to fires.

My son and I happened to visit Florio’s Olive Oil Co. and its owner on the same day that a fire gutted his Mill Street store hours later. It was an eerie feeling. We have wished our best to owner Neil Sarchett.

Forty homes are threatened in the Bullard fire. Evacuations remain in effect for the Bullard Bar Campgrounds, Moonshine Road, Oregon Hill Road to Summit Road, Kelly Road, County Road 169 and Souix Trail areas.  

Real-time updates are posted in the “fire” section of this blog in the right-hand corner of the page.

The fire is burning is steep, rocky terrain in the North Yuba drainage.

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