Wading In

Thursday, September 20, 2012 Pay attention to man behind curtain By Kelvin Wade From page A11 | September 20, 2012 | By now, most have seen the video of Mitt Romney speaking at a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser in which he writes off 47 percent of Americans as thoughtless victims who pay no income taxes and are dependent on government. It was a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the real Romney. He has since stood by his remarks. The idea that “47 percent of Americans pay no taxes” is a staple on right-wing radio and blogs. It fits the belief that half of Americans are working to support the other half. That other half is derided as a bunch of freeloaders, welfare and food-stamp recipients. This is vintage conservative class warfare and now its been confirmed that Mitt Romney accepts it as his worldview. But I like to deal in facts, not ideology. According to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, it’s true that 53 percent pay federal income tax. Of the rest who don’t pay federal income tax, 28....

Thursday, September 13, 2012 ‘No Easy Day’ an easy, if familiar, read By Kelvin Wade From page A11 | September 13, 2012 | Leave Comment I spent the anniversary of 9/11 reading the newly released book “No Easy Day” by “Mark Owen,” the former Navy SEAL Team Six member who defied the Pentagon by publishing his firsthand account of the Osama bin Laden raid without their blessing, although under a pseudonym. A book like this is obviously review-proof, but can it possibly live up to the hype? The book tells the story of “Mark Owen,” a guy who grew up in Alaska dreaming of being a Navy SEAL. After finishing college, he enlists, fulfills his dream and works his way into the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the elite SEALs unit formerly known as SEAL Team Six. The book is obviously essential reading for anyone who wants to read the only firsthand account of Operation Neptune Spear, the operation to kill or capture Osama bin Laden. Those who are just interested in reading...

Pick your friends wisely By Kelvin Wade From page A10 | September 06, 2012 | Leave Comment This week a person in a gold SUV shot at three people walking on East Pacific Avenue, wounding one person. One of the most shocking things about drive-by shootings in town is that they do not shock us anymore. Growing up in Fairfield, one of the things I never had to worry about was slow-moving cars rolling up alongside me and the passenger opening fire. When I was a kid, it was nothing to ride my bike from my house on Davis Drive to friends who lived near the Suisun marina or friends who lived off of North Texas Street. My friends and I would take the DART bus to the library or to the mall. Walking up to the Short Stop on Walters Road or EZ-Mart on East Tabor Avenue wasn’t a hazardous thing to do. Then, in 1984 when Stanley Verketis shot and killed Fairfield police officer Arthur Koch, it rocked the community. Shootings were just unheard of back then. Fairfield is now a different place. I can’t ...

Thursday, August 30, 2012 No sympathy for clueless landlords By Kelvin Wade From page A11 | August 30, 2012 | 2 Comments I don’t like solicitors at my door because, chances are, if I don’t know you, it’s a waste of time. If you’re not wearing a uniform, holding a package, holding a pizza, selling Thin Mint Cookies or have a fistful of balloons and an oversized check, I don’t want you to even think about touching my doorbell. It’s unfortunate that installing a trapdoor on the front porch or catapult system is cost-prohibitive. So when my doorbell rang the other day, I went through a mental checklist of who it could possibly be. Cathi was expecting a package, so that could be it. Whoever it was rang the doorbell again and that made me think about turning on the garden hose. You don’t rush me. I opened the door to a fairly well-dressed man who resembled Mario from the video game series with a heavy accent I couldn’t place. The gist was he owned a house down the street and had evicted his ...