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This week we continue our discussion of Swift Justice by Harry Farrell which details the 1933 kidnapping of San Jose retail heir Brook Hart and the ultimate lynching of his accused abductors.  I also hope you'll join me this Saturday, September 22, for a walking tour of some of the important sites from the Hart case and other challenging times from San Jose's past.  Grab your smartphone, sturdy walking shoes and a water bottle and meet me at  St. Patrick's Church (389 E. Santa Clara St.) for the Scan Jose tour, Tragedies and Calamities.  At each stop, we'll access historic photos and information related to an event that occurred at that very spot.

As we continue our discussion of Swift Justice and the events of 1933, we hope you will participate in the discussion by contributing your comments.

Our question this week is: What do you think of the statements and actions of Governor Rolph in support of the lynch mob? How is the public's faith in the justice system affected when even public officials will not give it a chance to work?

I found Governor Rolph's comments both before and after the lynching surprising.  When Sheriff Emig called for assistance, the Governor apparently refused to even consider it, even though he was well aware of the possibility, even probability of violence.  He told attorney Vincent Hallinan, "If they lynch those fellows, I'll pardon the lynchers."  Later, he issued a statement that, "I'm not going to call out the Guard to protect the kidnappers who willfully killed that fine boy.  Let the law take its course (p. 193)."  By refusing repeated requests for assistance, Governor Rolph more or less insured that mob violence, rather than "the law" would "take its course."  Elected officials swear an oath to uphold the law and that requires them to see that the rights and safety of all citizens, even those accused of heinous acts be insured.  What did you think of the Governor's remarks?  Should citizen's have faith in our justice system when even elected officials are not willing to give the system a chance to work?

See more information about this book and preview next week's questions

Californians want a path forward – not left or right – one right step after another.

California Forward, the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, and San José Public Libraries invite you to Speak Up CA, an important dialogue about our state and its future, and how restructuring the relationship between state government and city and county governments may help move the California in the right direction – closer to its people.

California Forward is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group working to fix state government and restore the California Dream. California Forward believes there is a critical link between many of the problems that threaten our future and our state government, which has become ineffective, unresponsive, and unable to fix itself. We are working to create a "smart" government that’s small enough to listen, big enough to tackle real problems, smart enough to spend our money wisely in good times and bad, and honest enough to be held accountable for results. But we need your help.

Speak Up CA will take place on the evening of Wednesday, May 11 at Dr. Roberto Cruz-Alum Rock Library, and your participation is critical to finding ideas to fix our state.  We will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and the program runs 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited, and space is filling up, so please RSVP HERE as soon as possible. If you don't have internet access, you can RSVP by calling 408-674-1371.

 

Americans love tax cuts. If recent polls can be believed, the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for everyone making up to a zillion dollars a year is a wildly popular “compromise” despite the hundreds of billions of dollars it will add to an already huge federal debt. What effect do you think continuing these tax rates at least another 2 years will have on important human circumstances, such as unemployment?

Despite nearly a trillion dollars in economic stimulus and nearly a trillion dollars in cash held by nonfinancial U.S. companies, the official national unemployment rate was 9.8% for November 2010. With the extension of the tax cuts, what do you think this rate will be one year from now, in November 2011?

If you want to guess, just comment on this post and include your estimate. If 3+ people comment, I will revisit the post one year from now to see who forecasted most accurately. By the way, my guess, for what it's worth, is 8.7%. (I hope that next November’s rate is actually much lower than that!)

If you would rather read up on the subject of tax and economic policy before making your estimate, here are some recommendations:

Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer — and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class (2010), by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, is a remarkably prescient book especially in light of the recent tax deal, with a chapter titled “Democrats Climb Aboard.” The book is also an enjoyable read despite what could be a dry and somewhat depressing subject. Beginning with our current economic meltdown that barely grazed investment bankers, hedge fund managers, professional athletes, and CEOs, the book argues convincingly that it is mostly political transformations of the past 35 years rather than technological or business transformations that have resulted in historically large income inequality, jobless “recoveries,” bailouts of giant corporations, off-shoring of jobs, ever increasing corporate lobbying, etc. This is a must-read if you want to understand why the Main Street economy and government budgets are in the mess… er, state they are in.

Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy (2010), by Joseph Stiglitz, is a well-written book on the causes and solutions of our current economic crisis. Nobel Prize-Winning Professor Stiglitz writes for the common reader and documents his list of what caused the economic “freefall” that began circa 2008: financial deregulation, Fed and government policies that led to credit and housing bubbles, financial consolidation among several “too-big-to-fail” corporations, etc. The book begins with a lead-up to the crisis, caused by reckless business practices ignored by regulators and enabled by a sense of invincibility due to repeated financial bailouts; continues with the “Freefall and Its Aftermath;” criticizes the response to the crisis by the federal government and the Fed, in such chapters as “A Flawed Response” and “The Great American Robbery;” and concludes with specific solutions to the Great Recession and preventative measures for the future. At least you will know which sound policies will likely be ignored by present and future White Houses and Congresses.

The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street (2009), by Robert Scheer, has a somewhat simplistic title that hides a readable, fairly well-documented look at what has happened in tax and economic policies over the past 30 years and the present consequences of these policies. The book makes a case that on the subject of taxes, trade policy, economic regulation, etc., the current President and his 3 predecessors have combined to turn the Reagan Presidency into an 8-term-plus administration. Chapters include “The Clinton Bubble” and “Sucking Up to the Bankers.” That President Obama has surrounded himself with Clinton economic advisers and even brought in the ironically named “Bill” Clinton to sell the high-cost bipartisan tax plan is little surprise to readers of the book.

Other recommended books on this subject include:

• Bought and Paid For: the Unholy Alliance between Barack Obama and Wall Street (2010) by Charles Gasparino
• Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill) (2007) by David Cay Johnston

Don’t worry: It is possible that trickle-down economics and off-shoring of jobs will finally help everyone this time, as promised.