TORRANCE TRIBUNE July 24, 2014 Page 7 One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion By Gerry Chong Once upon a time, a band of hard working but compassionate residents built a house, and what a wonderful house it was! It was, in fact, the envy of the neighborhood. Ever mindful of their heritage as immigrants themselves, the builders put into practice the message emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your hungry, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The group therefore established a legal immigration framework that struck a delicate balance; on the one hand, providing a refuge for the downtrodden, while on the other hand preserving the economic structure of the house and its culture based on hundreds of years of history. And then the dark side of the technological revolution struck. As futurist Alvin Toffler predicted more than 40 years ago in his seminal work Future Shock, technology revolutionized the world, creating an exponential explosion of knowledge but leaving behind legions of people who cannot cope with the pace of change. For the least educated, technology became a bomb that exploded on the economic model of the 20th century, making all the jobs that had come before less relevant and marketable, the skills so timelessly honed disappearing in a whirlpool of this new age. Computer aided design (CAD), computer aided engineering (CAE), computer aided manufacturing (CAM), robotics, 3-D printer computer manufacturing of everything from guns to houses; from self-driving cars to verbally responsive computers and eventually, artificial intelligence (AI). Evidence of the implosion of traditional employment is everywhere, most clearly reflected in our Freedom of Speech Applies to Everyone; Even Those We Disagree With rate of apparently permanently unemployed. As the previously dominant sources of employment atrophy, the geniuses who create the technology, and those that finance it, have become today’s financial mandarins. No tax code changes or attempts at financial redistribution can change the underlying reason for the mal-distribution. The technological substitution of machines for people is well underway. If this revolution has damaged residents of the great house, the technological storm has devastated neighbors even more dramatically, since they started from a lower technological and educational base. The irony of the technological age is that while it creates poverty, it also creates great wealth. In this new reality neighbors invade the great house by the millions to get a piece of that wealth; the laws on immigration be damned. Asylum grants in 2013 were triple the number in 2012, and 10 times what they were in 2008. By its laws, its policies, the speeches of its leader, and its refusal to close the door to the invaders, the great house encourages this barrage of lawlessness, and in fact, rewards the successful invaders. Today’s challenge for the great house is to determine whether it can continue to support its millions of domestically disenfranchised workers, while adding millions of neighboring poor as well. In the long run, the delicate balance between compassion and society’s prosperity requires that its educational system be able to educate the masses, converting the 99%-ers into 1%-ers. But as John Maynard Keynes, the hero of the Left, has warned us, “In the long run, we’re all dead.” Let’s hope Keynes is wrong again. • By Cristian Vasquez For the record, I am not a fan of Mark Levin. It is my personal opinion that his views are regressive and do nothing to help society become a better place. However, the man enjoys a high level of success as every afternoon [or evening depending on where you listen from], as a large amount of people tune in to listen to the squeaky, nasally voiced radio host. So congratulations to Mr. Levin on his fame and success as I am sure he has worked very hard for what he’s achieved. However, with success and fame, one does not attain manners and the decency to have respect for other people. Last week Levin threw some verbal jabs at Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart for some comments that he made regarding the situation in Israel and Gaza. Stewart, who for the record I am a fan of, criticized Israel for the ongoing airstrikes in Gaza that have caused the death of hundreds of innocent civilians. For the sake of this piece, I will keep my views on Israel and Gaza to myself because what I am trying to get at is Levin’s delusion that he has the right to attack a personality for thinking different from himself. Like millions of other Americans, Levin and Stewart do not see eye-to-eye this issue. Still, that does not give Levin the right to attack Stewart on anything other than the substance of his comments. Levin did state his position and his points were well taken, but calling Stewart a “knee-jerk idiot” is petty. Furthermore, the Jewish radio host was critical of Stewart’s decision to change his last name from Leibowitz, adding that he despises “self haters.” So instead of focusing on the content of Stewart’s comments and the political nature of what was said, Levin made this personal, launching into personal attacks against Stewart because the television host has different views. That is simply pathetic. Levin has every right to criticize and attack “the liberal media” that in his eyes is dedicated to an agenda set on destroying American values. In addition, he has every right to support an American ally’s actions that are resulting in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians. Furthermore, he has every right to criticize and question any pundit, television or radio host that isn’t of a conservative mindset. What is pathetic is that when a prominent figure makes a comment that goes against what Mr. Levin believes, that he launches into a personal attack that brings nothing of substance to the debate at hand. Even though the right to free speech is not absolute, we all have the right to voice an opinion. Levin’s actions are petty and emphasis what a whiny, shallow and empty suit he is behind that microphone. Levin is a disgrace to conservatives. He could learn a thing or two from Bill O’Reilly: as much as one can criticize O’Reilly, the man will attack an issue head on and debate his opposition. Some of the most entertaining debates I have seen have been between Stewart and O’Reilly. Maybe a Levin versus Stewart debate would be great, but it’s just too bad that Levin only likes to throw jabs from a distance. • 28th Annual Gourmet Food & Wine Festival featuring multi-GRAMMY Award winners Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho, with hula performances by Keali`i Ceballos and Hālau Keali`i O Nālani Saturday, August 2, 2014 • 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the grounds of: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (700Van Ness Ave.,Torrance, CA 90501) RESTAURANTS & WINERIES FEATURED INCLUDE: Alpine Village Events Center Costco Wholesale Cuatro Dias Winery Depot/Buffalo Fire Department Disneyland Resort Doubletree by Hilton Torrance-South Bay Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Fresh Brothers Gourmet Grindz & The Good Cookies Honda Classic/PGA Tour Professional Wines Il Fornaio Island Eats Hale Aina Jackson's Food & Drink Kincaid's Nothing Bundt Cakes Ortega 120 Palos Verdes Golf Club Paul Martin's American Grill Red Car Brewery & Restaurant Riboli Family Wine Estates / San Antonio Winery Rock & Brews El Segundo Rock N' Fish Salt Creek Grille Sushi Chef Institute Torrance Marriott South Bay Zinc @ Shade (as of 07/01/14) Tickets $150 each or $250 per pair of tickets To Purchase Tickets 1. Credit Card online: www.TorranceMemorial.org by phone: (310) 517-4703 2. Mail check, including mailing address and indicating # of tickets, payable to: Torrance Memorial Foundation 3330 Lomita Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505 3. Or visit the Torrance Memorial Foundation offices, 4th Floor West Tower, for any method of payment. Dress code: Elegant Hawaiian attire No one under 21 admitted. Hosted by: All proceeds to benefit: Table Sponsors: 2H Construction A & A Maintenance Association of South Bay Surgeons California State University, Dominguez Hills CH2M Hill Daily Breeze/The Beach Reporter/Palos Verdes Peninsula News Donald & Priscilla Hunt Torrance Memorial Medical Center Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. (as of 07/01/14) Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L AW Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation 310-540-6000 *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization
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