Bernanke, Fed lousy watchdogs

Long before Republicans scored a surprise victory in Massachusetts and long before some Democrats started backing away from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Bakersfield, Calif.’s former Republican Congressman Bill Thomas expressed doubts.

Thomas, who now is the vice chairman of the congressionally established Fiscal Crisis Inquiry Commission, was interviewed in December about the commission’s upcoming hearings on the nation’s economic meltdown. The interview appeared in The Bakersfield Californian on Dec. 26, 2009. It can be read online at http://tinyurl.com/ThomasFCIC

A lot of Thomas’ heat was directed at federal regulators, including the “watchdogs” at the Federal Reserve, who let Wall Street banks run amuck, creating schemes that included bundling of undervalued and sometimes worthless mortgages, and reselling them to investors.

“Everyone kept talking about how great Ben Bernanke was because he had studied the Great Depression, and how he wasn’t going to let that happen twice,” Thomas said. “But the problem with the Great Depression was one of liquidity. They puckered up. So when they made runs on the banks – and these were banks that were perfectly sound – no one carried the cash-deposit capability to meet everyone wanting their money all at once. And they couldn’t get loans.”

The lack of liquidity did not cause the latest meltdown. Instead, the cheap money Bernanke and the Fed allowed to pour into the economy was pouring “gas onto the fire,” Thomas said.

Thomas criticized Bernanke and the Fed, which is the nation’s central bank that manages the money supply and supervises commercial banks, for allowing the housing bubble to inflate and then drag the economy down when it imploded.

Bernanke’s four-year term as the Fed chairman ends Jan. 31. Nominated in 2005 by Republican President George Bush, Bernanke has been nominated for a second term by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Many are interpreting last week’s Republican victory in Massachusetts’ special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy as evidence of growing voter anger over the economy. Bernanke’s Senate confirmation has been swept up in the political fallout.

Since the Fed was created in 1913, the Senate has never rejected a president’s nominee for chairman. The last time a nominee faced significant opposition was in 1983, when then President Carter’s Fed chairman, Paul A. Volcker, faced reappointment. Volcker won a second term by a vote of 84 to 16.

Several Democrat and Republican senators have declared their opposition to Bernanke’s continued leadership. But leaders in both parties and President Obama are running to his rescue. A vote on Bernanke’s reappointment could come as early as today.

But even Bernanke’s supporters are lukewarm. They warn rejecting Bernanke would destabilize the stock market and send a disastrous message to global partners. Besides, candidates waiting in the wings to replace Bernanke may not be any better. Most critics and supporters agree that when Bernanke and the Fed finally acted to shore up the economy last year, bigger problems were averted.

Under Bernanke’s leadership, the Fed failed to respond to signals that the economy was in trouble. Even now, many believe Bernanke has done little to acknowledge or atone for the unresponsiveness, and has turned a deaf ear to jobs creation and banking reform.

While Bernanke likely will be confirmed, doubts have been cast over his political independence and his ability to set the brakes.

Thomas noted that it is the Fed’s job to “take the punch bowl away from the party.” Instead, Wall Street bankers were allowed to just keep drinking. Thomas is concerned that as the initial crisis has passed, banks are returning to their same old tricks.

Will Bernanke in a second term be more vigilant, responsive and politically independent?

“It’s always easy to be a Monday morning quarterback,” said Thomas. “Clearly there was an unwillingness to stop this structure because it appeared to be okay and it was very lucrative.”

Thomas’ commission will shine an intense light on the meltdown players, including Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who headed the New York Federal Reserve Bank during the meltdown run-up. Its findings will help Congress and the president identify causes and craft safeguards.

Americans vowed “never again” after the Great Depression. But memories and political will faded as the good times followed. The punch bowl was left too long at the party.

This article written by Dianne Hardisty appeared first in The Bakersfield Californian on Jan. 28, 2010. Contact Hardisty through her webpage at http://www.svs2help.com/

GADGET MAN GIVES ADVICE

Dave Waterman is the "Gadget Man." Some might say he is addicted, or at least obsessed by the electronic devices that are purported to make every aspect of our lives easier. But the 69-year-old Bakersfield man claims he is just "extremely interested" in gadgets and that he actually is restrained in his buying.

The Roomba robot that vacuums his bedroom, the cameras and electronic picture frames that capture his memories, the computers, cell phones, PDAs, GPSes, notebooks, "smart shopper" -- you name it -- that he owns are all necessary and thoughtful purchases.

Waterman knows so much about gadgets and owns so many that he gives lectures about them. Last summer, he gave a series of lectures -- how to buy gadgets and how to use them -- for the Kern County Library's baby boomer program. More recently, he spoke to the Bakersfield branch of the American Association of University Women about gadgets.

"You only should buy something that you honestly need, rather than something you just want," Waterman said, noting that too often purchases are made on the basis of peer pressure, glitzy advertising and impulse. And after the novelty wears off, many of our gadgets are left to collect dust on our shelves. We also may be too embarrassed or intimidated to admit we don't know how to use them.

Industry analysts estimate that the average American household spends $1,200 a year on new electronics. Our televisions, mobile phones, computers, etc., eat up 15 percent of our home's electricity use. The International Energy Association predicts by 2022, that figure will double. And by 2030, it will triple.

Our insatiable appetite for gadgets and their rapid obsolescence are creating mounds of e-waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports Americans dumped 205 million computer products, more than 100 million cell phones and PDAs, and 27 million TVs in 2007, the most recent year for e-waste disposal statistics. Only about 16 percent was recycled, with much of the remainder finding its way to the nation's landfills. A decade ago, e-waste wasn't considered a problem. Now Congress is crafting laws to "control it."

As technology advances, consumers can do little to curb the energy their gadgets use. Besides, today's gadget actually may be replacing yesterday's energy-hogging machine. Consumers also can do little to control obsolescence.

Just this month, manufacturers gathered in Las Vegas for the world's largest consumer electronics show. The fastest, sexiest, most eye-popping gadgets -- making this Christmas' hot sellers obsolete -- were unveiled. Tomorrow's mouth-droolingly must-have gadgets are on the drawing boards, getting ready to be unveiled at next year's show.

So what's a consumer to do?

Waterman offers his audiences three tips:

Do not buy impulsively

"Make sure you understand why you are buying a gadget and are certain you need it. I don't buy everything I see and want," he said.

Don't be the first to buy the latest gadget

You won't catch Waterman sleeping outside Best Buys to make sure he is the first through the door to snatch up the latest iPhone.

"I like to read the reviews. I want to know what people who bought it first think about it," he said. "Often manufacturers will discover the screen is too small or something. They will upgrade the next version and drop the price.

"I refuse to pay the beginning price. People who have to be the first to own something are paying for the R&D (cost of research and development). They are paying too much."

Do your research.

"Research what you need and what else is available to do the job," he said, noting that we often buy more technology than we plan to use. For example, rather than buying a "fully loaded" cell phone, we might be better off buying a less sophisticated and cheaper version, and complement it with a less expensive PDA.

Waterman says he takes his advice, spending a lot of time on research before deciding if he should spend his money and what he should buy.

Waterman has an electronics background that helps with that research.

After earning an associate of arts degree in electronics from San Diego Community College, Waterman worked for more than two decades for the Navy as an electronics technician at the North Island Naval Air Station. He later worked in communications for Union Pacific Railroad and for Lightspeed in Bakersfield.

Now retired, he volunteers to teach beginning computer classes at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in east Bakersfield.

The message he spreads in his gadget classes: You are never too old or too uninformed to learn how to use and enjoy the latest gadget. Just make sure you need it before you buy it.

And when one of Waterman's gadgets breaks or becomes obsolete, what does he do? He takes it apart to see what made it tick.

Like he said, he's not really a gadget addict. He's just "extremely interested."

This story written by Dianne Hardisty appeared first in The Bakersfield Californian on Jan. 22, 2010. See South Valley Solutions at http://www.svs2help.com/

WORLD WAR II PILOT SHARES MEMORIES

Don Westfahl looked across a barren field on the airport in Shafter. From a layer of fog poked weather-beaten buildings, the leftovers of World War II. They stirred memories of a time that changed Westfahl’s life.

A 19-year-old farm boy from Perry, Okla., Westfahl was sent with thousands of other young men by the Army Air Corps to Minter Field, just east of Shafter, Calif., to learn how to fly fighter planes and bombers during World War II.

“It was enjoyable to be there as a cadet,” the 85-year-old Westfahl recalled during a recent interview. “We were treated well. The food was excellent. Honey, butter and a case of milk were always on the table. The mess sergeant would save the best steaks and he would put on a banquet at the end of training.

“They demanded discipline, but they were more interested in getting us to be pilots than in changing us. It was a good group of guys who had a lot of fun flying.”

Minter Field also was where Westfahl met his wife of 55 years, the former Lee Becker of Bakersfield, which is just south of Shafter. Westfahl and Becker met during a Junior Women’s League dance for cadets in 1944. Becker worked in a medical office on the base. The young cadet was just passing through.

Westfahl spent 10 weeks of his 40-week aviation training course at Minter Field, the Army Air Corps’ largest “basic training” base on the West Coast. After leaving Minter Field, he went on to advance training at bases in Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and Oklahoma.

But that dance in the “rec hall” sparked a romance kept alive through letters. “I still have letters I won’t let anyone see,” Westfahl confessed with a sly chuckle.

The couple married in June 1944 and Lee followed her husband from camp to camp until he was sent overseas a year later. From a base in India, Westfahl flew weather reconnaissance flights to support pilots navigating the dangerous “Hump,” a death-defying route over the Himalayas used to supply Chinese troops fighting the Japanese.

At the war’s end, Westfahl came “home” to Bakersfield, where his bride and a young son he had never seen were waiting for him. He was hired by a local refinery and worked his way up to assistant manager, before moving to Sunland Refinery, where he wound up a 40-year career as its manager.

The couple raised three children – Donald Jr., the oldest, who teaches English in Saudi Arabia; Patricia, a travel agent in Torrance; and Michael, who lives in Bakersfield and is retired from an oil equipment sales career. Westfahl’s bride died 10 years ago.

About six months after retiring from his refinery post, Westfahl said he “got nervous.” He went back to work as a part-time plumbing and electrical salesman at a Lumberjack home improvement store until it closed a few years ago.

In 1999, a man Westfahl knew from his refinery days came into the store. Talk bounced around various topics and somehow Westfahl mentioned he had been stationed at Minter Field during the war. The man he was talking to was a volunteer at the Minter Field Air Museum.

“I didn’t even know there was a museum,” Westfahl recalled. That was 10 years ago. Not only was Westfahl recruited as a volunteer, he became the “go-to guy” when people want to tour the old base, and learn about its war memorabilia, restored aircraft and various World War II-era military vehicles.

Westfahl is the museum’s only docent who actually served at the base. His first-hand knowledge is treasured by volunteers and visitors.

“Most of the board members can give a good tour, but only he can tell you where the buildings were on the field. He can point out the ready room,” said Dean Craun, a retired television marketing executive, who volunteers as the museum’s public relations contact.

“You never know who will pop through the doors,” said Craun, explaining museum visitors include local residents and those from far away.

“A few years ago, we were contacted by a guy who had been adopted. He wanted to learn more about his father and knew he had been based at Minter Field,” said Craun. Volunteers sorted through documents, including past issues of the base newspaper, the Echelon. They found a photo of the man’s father, had it enlarged and sent it to him. The man later visited Minter Field. “He was quite moved by the experience.”

“Not long ago, a couple of guys from England had been visiting military museums in the Bay Area and then driving to Arizona. They pulled off the highway to see the Minter Field Air Museum,” said Craun.

“It is important to preserve Minter Field,” said Craun, noting that more than 11,000 pilots were trained at the base during World War II.

It was named after Lt. Hugh C. Minter, a member of a locally prominent family and World War I pilot. Minter, the commander of the 73rd Pursuit Squadron at March Field in Southern California, died in a mid-air collision in 1932 over that base.

In historical documents, Minter Field is described as a “city within a city,” with about 7,000 personnel at any given time. The primary training aircraft at the base was the BT-13 Consolidated Vultee Valiant, affectionately known as the “Vultee Vibrator” because it shook during certain maneuvers.

“The museum honors the Greatest Generation – people who put it on the line for their country in the 40s,” said Craun. “The military is downplayed in schools. There isn’t much taught about World War II, Korea or Vietnam.”

Craun is putting together a video library commemorating the generation at the museum. So far, he has assembled more than 900 hours of World War II videos. A library of Minter Field and World War II records also is being archived in what was once the base’s original fire station.

The museum is a non-profit organization dependent on fundraising and donations. Major events conducted by the museum include a February founder’s day banquet, a spring Warbirds air show and an October military vehicle show.

The museum is open to the public and for touring on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. By special arrangement, tours at other times can be arranged. Call 654-9159 or e-mail mfam@minterfieldairmuseum.com.

The museum is located 12 miles north of Bakersfield at 401 Vultee St., Shafter, Calif.Exit Highway 99 at Lerdo Highway and drive west. Admission is free.

This article written by DIANNE HARDISTY first appeared in The Bakersfield Californian on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. You can see more articles written by Dianne Hardisty by going to www.svs2help.com


ABOUT MINTER FIELD

Dedicated Feb. 7, 1942

Named after Lt. Hugh C. Minter, a member of a locally prominent family and World War I pilot who died in a mid-air collision in 1932 over March Field

The largest Army Air Corps base during World War II on the West Coast for “basic” air cadet training

More than 11,000 combat pilots were trained at Minter Field

Minter Field Air Museum is located at 401 Vultee St., Shafter. Exit Highway 99 at Lerdo Highway and drive west. Admission is free.

Museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours at other times can be arranged by calling 654-9159 or e-mail mfam@minterfieldairmuseum.com.

Go to www.minterfieldairmuseum.com for more information.

JOHN HARDISTY ELECTED

John Hardisty of Bakersfield has been elected 2010 vice chairman of the Kern County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.

A mediator and land-use planning consultant, John "Jack" Hardisty also is associated with the Central California Better Business Bureau’s mediation program. Most of his mediation work is done in the Kern County Superior Court.

His Bakersfield consulting company, South Valley Solutions, is described on his website www.svs2help.com

John Hardisty earned a masters degree in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University Law School. He also holds certificates in dispute resolution and mediation from Pepperdine University Law School and San Diego Mediation Center.

John Hardisty is a veteran public administrator, retiring in 2004 as the City of Bakersfield’s development services director.

He holds a bachelor of science degree in urban planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a masters degree in public administration from California State University Bakersfield.

He is a frequent contributor to The Bakersfield Californian, writing primarily about mediation, planning, environment, transportation and energy issues. He also contributes to various national publications. A sampling of his articles can be read on his blogs http://johnhardisty.com and http://planningbeat.com

MEDIATE WEDDINGS FROM HELL

Bakersfield mediator John Hardisty writes in The Bakersfield Californian about two weddings that turned out bad -- real bad.

In their wake, the participants -- brides, grooms, mothers-of-the-bride, etc. -- headed to the courts to sue. Both cases were settled by mediation. But they contain lessons for those who are planning weddings.

Read John Hardisty's observations at http://tiny.cc/BmKWY

WRITER'S 'NICHE' -- SIX FEET UNDER

Lisa Kimble has been a story teller her entire professional life, first as an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and now as a freelance writer for magazines and other publications.

So the Bakersfield, Calif., journalist’s latest venture – offering her services as a writer of obituaries – isn’t as odd a career move as some might think. After all, she’s still writing about everyday folks. The only difference: These life stories have an ending.

The mother of three and wife of Bakersfield attorney Craig Edmonston is hanging out her “shingle” as an obituary writer, launching a company she calls A Life’s Story. (See www.alifesstory.com or e-mail alifesstory@hotmail.com)

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, Kimble isn’t a morbid or gloomy person. In fact, the Mount St. Mary’s College graduate is warm and upbeat. She’s likely the last person you would cast in the role of a Munster Family member.

“Obituaries are not stories of death. They are stories of life,” Kimble says. “They are rich tapestries woven from the fabric of people’s lives. They are windows through which we can understand how lives were lived. They are opportunities for us to learn wonderful life lessons.”

It is the rare journalist who can escape being assigned to write an occasional obituary. But in recent years, Kimble also has picked up the task of writing obituaries for family and friends who have died.

A few months ago, she received a call from a mortuary asking her to help relatives of two murder victims as they struggled with their profound grief to write an appropriate farewell to their loved ones.

“I began to realize what a big need there is for a professional writer to help families,” she said. “At the time of a death, families are dealing with so many decisions. They often have difficulty thinking clearly. But they want to write something that will be a fitting legacy, a tribute.

“At these times, a professional writer – a neutral, but compassionate person – can guide them through this important task,” said Kimble, calling it a “great honor” to write obituaries.

Obituaries are among the top-read features in most newspapers. Kimble admits obituaries often are the first thing she reads when she picks up her newspaper.

But the art of obituary writing has evolved over many decades. The once flowery tomes of a century ago became choppy formula-written articles, as the assignment fell to rookie reporters, or clerical staffs on many newspapers.

Author Marilyn Johnson in “The Dead Beat” noted that obituaries had a rebirth in the 1980s, when experienced story tellers, such as Kimble, began taking an interest.

In her 2006 book, Johnson writes about Jim Nicholson, an investigative reporter for The Philadelphia Daily News, who began writing obituaries in 1982 to “brighten” the pages of his newspaper.

Mixed in with Nicholson’s obituaries about big newsmakers who had died were stories of “ordinary people whose lives had been considered dull as linoleum to the general public,” Johnson wrote. Nicholson offered them up “as heroes of their neighborhood and characters of consequence.”

“Everyone is important,” agreed Kimble, explaining her interest. “Everyone’s story is unique.”

Most of the obituaries we read in the newspaper are written by people left behind to mourn the dead. The authors are mostly family members, who piece together the deceased’s life from their memories and perspectives.

“It is important for people to leave behind information about their lives. Like safe deposit boxes, you are the only one who has the key,” said Kimble, who also envisions helping the “living” prepare obituary information that can be left with their pre-need funeral arrangements.

But at the very least, talk to family members about the important aspects of your life, she said, adding that she has encouraged her own father to assemble his biographical information.

Some people want to have the final word; they want to write their own obituaries. Kimble said a professional writer can help with that, as well.

Self-written obituaries can leave readers with tears in their eyes, or laughing their bellies off. Take, for example, the man who wrote in his 2002 Winston-Salem Journal, N.C., obituary: “I’ve got some bad news for you (besides the fact that I am dead). … just as I had always suspected, God is a Republican.”

Susan Lane, a former New York fashion model, wrote in her 2003 obituary, “Susan was an eternal optimist, an unapologetic liberal and a delightful dinner and party guest. She was never a member of the NRA, or the Republican Party.”

In November, 52-year-old David Allen Palmer wrote touchingly in his Bakersfield Californian obituary about his life that ended when he lost his battle with the “evils” of pancreatic cancer.

Many obituaries do not include the cause of death, opting to focus on the deceased’s life. But Palmer, who worked for Kern County’s Waste Management Department, decided to share that information. However, he devoted most of his obituary to celebrating the life he lived, the friends he cherished and the lessons he learned.

“In lieu of flowers or gifts, those wishing to make any type of contribution may donate to the American Cancer Society on behalf of all people everywhere. Tell them Dave Palmer sent you,” he wrote in an obituary that welled more than a few tears in readers’ eyes.

Some companies prepare obituaries in anticipation of key staffs’ unexpected deaths. However, not all these efforts go smoothly, or are taken seriously. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Bill Janz wrote about being ordered decades ago by a crusty old editor to pen his own obituary in case he croaked.

“I couldn’t decide whether to begin it by saying, ‘The sweetest, nicest person who ever lived died yesterday,’ or be more modest and just say ‘the nicest,’” Janz wrote, recalling that a colleague who covered environmental issues, wrote that he was known “throughout the state for his grasp of sewage.”

In the case of newsmakers who are getting a bit long in the tooth, or who are plagued by health issues, newspapers may prepare obituaries in advance. Knowing these stories are being written, newsmakers often have publicists or representatives supply biographical information, putting their own spin on the obituary.

Obituary writing is receiving so much new attention that a fledgling organization has formed to hone the craft. At www.obitwriters.org, you will find tips on writing obituaries, stories about obituary writers, new technology, such as vobits (video obituaries), and the hilarious blog www.obituaryforum.blogspot.com. Among the postings on the blog is a video of Jon Stewart presenting his RIPpy Awards, which this year honored the most stupid Michael Jackson death stories.

If you really get into this obituary writing thing, you can join the Society of Professional Obituary Writers and attend its 2010 convention in Philadelphia in April. Organizers report the convention will begin with a “kickoff dinner.” That sounds about right.

As for Kimble, she is planning on writing her own obituary – mainly because she is certain those she leaves behind will leave out what she believes are some “important” things.

A version of this story written by Dianne Hardisty was published in The Bakersfield Californian on Jan. 3, 2010.