Ticket to Hollywood: Let's lift the angels up!

David Heavener, Contributing Writer

The 1940's classic film, "Angels with Dirty Faces," starring James Cagney, depicts a young orphan who was constantly told he would amount to nothing but a common criminal. Sure enough, he fulfilled their prophecy, becoming one of Prohibition's most hardened gangsters.

When children are told that they must become something -- they usually do! Society, however, has put such a heavy emphasis on "being somebody" that many children will gravitate to the easiest common denominator, which is... to be nobody!

Update on county matters

By Zack Scrivner GUEST COLUMNIST

High Speed Rail Update

On Feb. 7, the Board of Supervisors had a presentation from the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on its controversial project. The board invited the CHSRA to speak to us so that we may decide whether or not Kern County will support or oppose this project, one that has seen its costs escalate from $33 billion in 2008, to approximately $100 billion just last year. Other local governments have weighed in on this project, with the City of Bakersfield, and the counties of Kings and Madera in opposition.

Politics and mercury

Claudia Elliott, Editor

For those who enjoy local government as political theatre, look no further than the Bear Valley Community Services District Board of Directors.

Guest Commentary: TPAC willing to partner with others

B.J. Michell, Guest Columnist

In her commentary published in the Tehachapi News recently, Deborah Hand makes some good points. I agree that the best way to gain political power for the arts is for members of the arts community to run for public office. It is difficult to get people to run for boards of directors, much less for public office. This is very sad and very hard on those of us who are forced to serve on more than one board to keep programs going that are important to the quality of life for the community.

In the case of city offices, those who live outside the city limits are not allowed to run for, or vote for, those offices. We consider the City of Tehachapi to be our city too; we shop there, eat there, attend the theater and other programs there, and spend our money there, so we expect city officials to look out for our interests as well, whenever possible. Our involvement in arts organizations benefits people who live anywhere in the area, including within the city limits.

The Human Scene — Valentine's Day: time to forgive

Jim Dinsmore, Columnist

I have carried an old handcuff key on my key ring for years. The story behind it is too long to tell here. I carry it as a reminder of a scene you used to see in the movies. There would be two men on a train, wearing suits and hats. The camera would focus in on their hands, and you could see they were handcuffed together. One was a policeman and the other a criminal in transit. Of course, you knew the guy in the aisle seat was the policeman. When they got to their destination, the policeman would remove the cuffs and go his way, while the other went to jail. But as long as they remained cuffed together, each was in a very real sense the prisoner of the other.

I think that scene is a kind of parable of forgiveness. As long as I refuse to forgive, I am in voluntary bondage to the person I will not forgive. I've known a lot of people who carry grudges, who refuse to forgive until the offending party offers the appropriate apology, or whatever is required to "earn" or "deserve" forgiveness. It seems to me they are generally an unhappy lot. It strikes me as a bit like refusing to come in out of the rain until the person who broke my umbrella gets me a new one.

School Matters — Local schools depend on state funds

Lisa Gilbert, Guest Columnist

School finance is a complicated and ever-changing system. Our schools are funded by formulas from the state and federal governments that involve student enrollment, demographic, and district operational calculations.

We receive both restricted and unrestricted funding. Restricted funding may only be spent on certain populations of students and for defined purposes; unrestricted funding may be spent for general operating costs. Most of the funding for Tehachapi Unified School District comes from the state of California (65.3 percent of our budget), which leads us to be largely dependent on the state level budget.

Should Highway 58 be a state scenic highway?

By Socorro Schmidt, Guest Columnist

Average citizens often yearn to contribute something of lasting value. We want to leave behind a tangible good, one appreciated even by those who will never know us. Those opportunities are rare. Now such an opportunity presents itself to all county residents who admire the scenic wonder displayed on either side of Highway 58 as it winds its way up from General Beale Road on the east outskirts of Bakersfield to the mountain community of Tehachapi.

California's Scenic Highways Program makes it possible for all of us to make this section of Highway 59 significant. We only need write a letter to the Kern Council of Governments to express support for securing scenic highway designation for Highway 58. The price of a postage stamp and a few minutes of our time are the only investments required. Your letter does not need to be long, only sincere.

School board training

By Holly Hart, Guest Columnist

Recently, Governor Brown's proposed an increase in power for California school boards in his State of the State 2012 address. According to the governor, "What most needs to be avoided is concentrating more and more decision-making at the federal or state level. For better or worse, we depend on elected school boards and the principals and the teachers they hire. To me that means, we should set broad goals and have a good accountability system, leaving the real work to those closest to the students."

Is the governor is jumping too far and too fast? While high-performing school boards can handle more responsibility, what about low-performing school boards like ours?

Passion and patience

By Claudia Elliott, Editor

Passion is a great thing. I love passionate people and try to give them as much exposure for their causes and concerns as we can manage through space in the newspaper.

Sometimes dealing with passionate people reminds me of a saying I heard once, "patience is the only virtue."

Advice for a budding scientist

Billy Dean, Columnist

Dear Jonathan,

Miss Jones told me you want to be a paleontologist, a scientist who studies dinosaurs. Did you notice "pal" is the first word in paleontologist? Hey, you will be a dinopal -- a friend of dinosaurs! She also said you wanted a pen pal, so I thought you might like to read what I know about being a scientist.

The arts community and political power

B.J. Mitchell, Guest Columnist

Political power comes to a community arts organization when the members: (1) have a passion for their art, (2) appreciate their contributions to the quality of life for people in their community, (3) are willing to fight for funding of artists and facilities to show their art, and (4) work to elect public officials who support the arts, and un-elect those who don’t.