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Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Letter to the Editor - BOS opposed approaches to problem solving from Al Segalla

Dear Editor,

I would like to share some thoughts about our future from my observations after attending 6 years of meetings of the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors.

There seems to be two opposed approaches to solving perceived problems of providing for the basic wants and needs of the people.

The first, and most prevalent, is the group or collective viewpoint. Expanding the size and cost of government is very important to expanding the collective process. Some refer to this as transformation; others use the term socialism. The implementation method is regulatory law and the police power of government. People are encouraged to depend upon government which tends to create a breakdown of individual and group responsibility.

The state of California is requiring local governments to form controls for land use and human activity based on a General Plan.  The important distinction is that the plan is not just to control government owned property such as roads etc, but to control human activity on private land.

The second approach does recognize the three basic rights of life, liberty and property as specified in the US Constitution and in the California Constitution.

This approach holds that the people are responsible for their own wants and needs, in cooperation with others.  This is referred to as a free society and some suggest this is why America has been so prosperous. Free people tend to be industrious and create wealth. This freedom approach is based on common law.

In my opinion, as we move ahead toward a better tomorrow, we need to encourage more voluntary solutions to our problems and ask our elected leaders to refrain from expanding government.

Albert J. Segalla