PHOTOGRAPHERS FOCUS ON BORDER WALL’S IMPACT ON WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT
By Miriam Raftery © Krista Schlyer © Roy Toft March 1, 2009 (San Diego) — A team of 10 international nature photographers has just completed a three-week trip from San Diego to Texas, photographing and documenting impacts that the U.S.-Mexican border wall and immigration are having on wildlife, ecology, and landscape across the Southwest. To expedite construction of a 700-mile long border fence from California to Texas, Homeland Security under President George W. Bush’s administration waived all laws, including environmental protections such as the Endangered Species Act. © Kevin Schafer “What we learned is it doesn’t stop humans from crossing,” Krista Schlyer, spokesperson for the International League of Conservation Photographers, told East County Magazine, “and it does impact the ecological systems of animals.” We spoke with Schlyer while the team was in the Barry Goldwater Mountain Range in Arizona. “The wall there goes through some really important habitat for Sonoran pronghorn and a lot of other species that really need to be able to get to water sources on other side of border,” she said. “In one area, there is a solid field of mesh that is impenetrable to wildlife.” The wall ended where mountains begin to ascend, she noted. “It was an important to see with our own eyes how easy it is for humans to go around it, but not for wildlife.” © Krista Schlyer
 In another area, the San Pedro Riparian area in Northern Arizona, she observed, “three times while we were there people cut through the steel mesh of the wall and one actually used a ramp and drove a car right through the wall.” Yet she noted, “I’ve personally seen wildlife there at that wall trying to figure out how to go through it–javelinas and rabbits, some people have pictures of deer as well.” A stark image depicts a pair of javelinas, or wild pigs, retreating from a wall soaring approximately 15-feet high. © Krista Schlyer
 Schlyer added, “A a couple of landowners that have conservation ranches, easements on their land, one guy near San Pedro says he used to see wildlife all the time on his land and he just doesn’t see it anymore.” Schlyer believes the wall is also blocking wildlife migration corridors and that conditions will worsen for wildlife in the future, Public Interest News Service has reported. “The animals need to be able to move to seek out food, water, shelter, and mates. In the border lands, if you put up a wall, certain species aren’t going to be able to get to a water source that they’ve been going to for centuries,” said Schlyer, who predicted global warming will increase the wall’s negative impact. “As these droughts are increasing in the Southwest and as global warming continues, animals are going to need to move northward in order to be able to continue to survive. And, if there’s a wall, they’re just not going to be able to do that.” © Kevin Schafer The wall will adversely affect Arizona species like gray wolves, bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelopes, predicts Schlyer. Species in California are also at risk, but, she’s especially concerned about the ocelot population in South Texas. “There is a fairly strong population of ocelots in Mexico and a struggling population in Texas. In order to increase their population, they often travel to Mexico in order to find mates, and then they’ll come back into the United States.” © Jeff Foott Some, though not all, of the damage to wildlife could be mitigated if environmental experts were consulted, Schlyer observed. “One of our main points is had the Dept of Homeland Security had to follow environmental laws and consult with Fish & Wildlife and other wildlife scientists, they could have helped them figure out how to do this in least damaging way possible–Now it would be expensive.” But even in areas where the wall has already been constructed, some mitigation is possible, such as cutting holes to allow animal movement, or modifying some structures, she added. For example, one section of the fence is currently “really dangerous to deer and pronghorns,” the wildlife photographer said. “They could try to jump over it, but there’s barbed wire on the other side. These are like Normandy barriers–steel crosses on uprights angled towards the ground…Animals trying to leap over the fence could become impaled, she warned. But the group’s biggest concern is over the impact on large animals, such as bobcats, coyotes, as well as ocelots and jaguars which are already rare in the United States and would be unable to cross the border for water, food, or shelter. © Roy Toft
 The group, which traveled on both sides of the border, also captured haunting images of immigrants and other humans impacted by the border fence. In a diary on the photography group’s website, Schlyer wrote about a cross-country trek that began in San Diego in January and ultimately included ten photographers as well as biologists and a film crew. “In San Diego, over the past two days we have seen Smugglers Gulch, a valley in the coastal hills shared by both border towns, filled with an incomprehensible volume of dirt, in order to facilitate the building of more layers of wall. What was the gulch drains into the Tijuana estuary, a Wetlands of International Importance, as designated by the RAMSAR Treaty. And ecologists here believe the sediment runoff from this massive construction project could doom this rare estuary, a place filled with life and a quiet respite for the people of the region.” © Krista Schlyer
 Her blog continued, “We have also visited the Otay Mountain Wilderness, a designated wilderness that the Department of Homeland Security is now using for a staging ground for wall construction, cutting scars of roads in a landscape that was only a month ago a haven for wildlife and people.” An aerial photo take by the region graphically shows the massive scale of grading and other environmental degradation. © Roy Toft
 In San Diego’s East County,
CONGRESSMAN FILNER REINTRODUCES THE VISITORS INTERESTED IN STRENGTHENING AMERICA ACT
March 1, 2009 (Washington, DC — Congressman Bob Filner has re-introduced H.R. 937, the Visitors Interested in Strengthening America (VISA) Act. The bill gives Port Directors the discretion to issue humanitarian visa waivers to Mexican children making brief, pre-scheduled visits to the United States for medical, educational or recreational purposes. This legislation does not affect the number of legal or illegal immigrants living in the United States – the children and accompanying adults will visit for one day and then return home to Mexico. “Turning away school field trips and kids with specialized medical appointments does not give us the secure and efficient border we need,” said Filner. “This bill reflects our country’s friendly bi-national relationship with Mexico and makes our federal law compatible with the reality of daily life in border communities.” Since September 11, 2001, Port Directors have stopped issuing these visa waivers. As a result, children have been blocked from receiving specialized medical attention, participating in educational exchanges between border schools, and taking field trips to tourist sites across the border.
ECM SPECIAL REPORT: INVESTIGATOR-TURNED-WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS FAULTY POWER LINE INSTALLATIONS CAUSED 2003 CEDAR AND PARADISE FIRES AS WELL AS WILDFIRES IN 2007; SDG&E DISPUTES CLAIM
By Miriam Raftery Clark testified at CPUC hearing that he believes a design flaw in SDG&E lines is responsible for several major fires, including the Witch, Paradise and Cedar fires. February 24, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) — For $50,000, the cost of a single fire engine, SDG&E could fix an allegedly dangerous problem on power lines in San Diego County, according to electrical engineer and insurance investigator Ed Clark. Clark believes faulty installations caused the 2003 Witch and Paradise fires as well as devastating blazes in 2007. SDG&E disputes Clark’s claim and insists its lines are safe. “This is the biggest corporate cover-up anyone has ever seen,” Clark told East County Magazine in an exclusive interview. “You look at Enron; that was a $2.5 billion hit on the economy. In the Witch Fire alone, the losses exceeded $4 billion. If you go back to the Cedar and Paradise fires, which I think this also contributed to, it’s even more. Now you understand why SDG&E doesn’t want to fix this thing.” Two other electrical experts confirm Clark’s contention that the installations are dangerous, and one terms SDG&E "negligent", an East County Magazine investigation has revealed in a related story. East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery accompanied Clark to the site of a pole he believes started the Paradise fire, scrambling up a steep slope through poison oak to confirm Clark’s contention that five years after the wildfire, the pole remains with two guy wires attached by a single bolt without insulators–an installation he contends is dangerous and illegal. (see photo). Clark cited California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) General Order 95, which requires that application of overhead electrical line construction will insure adequate service and secure safety to persons engaged in the construction, maintenance, operation or use of overhead electrical lines and to the public in general. In addition, he states that current installations are a “direct violation” of rule 56.4, which requires 12 inches of separation on poles. “The reason it is illegal is because the design by SDG&E puts the employees and the public safety at risk,” Clark maintained. SDG&E spokesperson Stephanie Donovan disputed Clark’s contentions. “The causes of the Cedar and Paradise fires have already been found,” she told ECM. “We absolutely disagree with his premise that a single bolt connection could generate enough current by induction during normal operating conditions or even during fault conditions to cause arcing.” Donovan said that Clark failed to provide technical studies or field measurements to prove his contentions. Clark, an electrical expert hired by Culbreth and Schroeder, a law firm representing Allstate Insurance, to investigate causes of several 2007 fires, presented testimony at the CPUC hearing in San Diego on October 14. Clark testified that he discovered a design error and convinced his employer to request a meeting with SDG&E to propose a way to fix lines and prevent future fires. But at that meeting in December, he was unable to persuade the utility company to address his concerns. “I realized that due to potential extreme financial exposure, SDG&E will not fix or make repairs for fear it might look like an admission of guilt,” Clark said. Such an admission could make SDG&E liable for over $4 billion in damages from the Witch Creek Fire – and possibly others, Clark observed. He questioned why Cal-Fire and the CPUC have omitted what he contends is detailed documentation from reports—including photos showing where and how he believes major fires began. “Why has this information (evidence) been suppressed and not disclosed as part of an ongoing investigation?” he asked. A CPUC member cut off Clark’s testimony at that point, stating that he was over the three-minute time limit. However East County Magazine obtained a full transcript, along with his reports and other documentation. “I can prove to anyone who cares, or wants to listen, that this design by SDG&E is dangerous and puts the lives of citizens of San Diego County at risk,” Clark’s written testimony stated. Clark, who turned over documentation to San Diego’s District Attorney and former City Attorney, concluded, “For all of those within SDG&E, Sempra Energy, the CPUC and Cal Fire who have chosen to look the other way and not take appropriate action to protect this community from fire, when the evidence has been handed to them on a silver platter, should be held criminally liable should one more person lose their home or life due to intentional actions and neglect.” Clark at pole where he believes the Paradise Fire began. SDG&E’s Stephanie Donovan has objected to ECM’s characterization of Clark as a “whistleblower.” Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary defines “whistleblower” as “one who reveals something covert or who informs against another” and “who fears reprisals.” Clark has stated that he went public about perceived danger to the public that was not being disclosed, knowing that his job was at stake. Clark was hired by Allstate’s law firm specifically to investigate causes of the Witch Creek fire and other 2007 wildfires, ECM has confirmed. He independently decided to investigate the 2003 fires and became alarmed at his findings. He has previously provided expert witness testimony both for and against Sempra Energy, owner of SDG&E, on other cases. According to Clark, he has been retained by Sempra in approximately eight to twelve cases as an expert witness. “I was key in Sempra settling a high profile case resulting from an explosion caused by ground current, very similar to this case,” he said. But Sempra spokesperson Donovan said the company has not hired Clark for many years. “I do both plaintiff and defense work. I’m not biased either way,” Clark added. “When I found this problem, I took it to the people I worked for and convinced them I had to go to SDG&E because it was not something they could sit on. It needs to be fixed.” But at a meeting with SDG&E representatives, Clark was pressed by an attorney for his employer to sign a confidentiality agreement. “I wouldn’t do
TWO ELECTRICAL EXPERTS CONFIRM CLARK’S CONTENTION THAT SDG&E INSTALLATIONS ARE DANGEROUS, CAN IGNITE FIRES; SDG&E INSISTS ITS LINES ARE SAFE
By Miriam Raftery Clark contends that the installation shown here, with two down guy wires connected by a single bolt, is dangerous. SDG&E denies that contention. February 24, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) — Ed Clark, an electrical protection engineer-turned-whistleblower, contends that inappropriate power line installations by SDG&E/Sempra Energy have caused multiple wildfires in San Diego County – and that the utility’s refusal to replace or correct the installations leaves our region at risk for more fires. SDG&E disputes Clark’s claims and insists that its installations are legal and safe. (See our story: Investigator claims fault utility line installations caused 2003 Cedar and Paradise Fires as well as fires in 2007; SDG&E disputes claim). Now East County Magazine has spoken with two additional electrical engineering experts—and both confirm Clark’s contention that such installations are dangerous. We first spoke with Dave Brinson of Denver Magnetic, a former electrical protection engineer and expert in the field of electrical transformers and related apparatus. “I’m aware of what Ed is doing and investigating, and I agree with him,” said Brinson, whose company has hired Clark as an investigator of electrical fires in the past. He recalled a case involving a transformer fire. “He was onsite maybe 20 minutes and figure out what the problem was.” Clark, who won numerous awards when working at the engineering department for Southern California Edison, has a reputation as one of the premier experts in his field, with both theoretical understanding and hands-on experience, as a utility-trained tester and technician with an engineering degree, Brinson noted. After Edison sold the Huntington Beach Power Plant, Brinson recalled, “We had Enron saying there was a shortage of power in California so everyone was scrambling to generate whatever they could. The owner wanted to flip the switch on the other half of a power plant that had been mothballed, but you just can’t do that,” he said, adding that it was Clark who insisted that the entire power plant be retrofitted first to assure safety. “He’s really the only expert that I would go to,” Brinson said. Brinson confirmed that a fault in a 69kv line causes ground current to flow back to the source “always”, adding that he has photos of a man who attempted to steal copper wire from a substation. “It blew him into pieces,” he said. What if a subtransmission 69kv line is built on wood poles in a high-wind area with two down guy wires without insulators, attached by a single bolt? Would that create a path for electrical ground current to flow up from one anchor, through the bolt and down the other anchor? “Absolutely,” said Brinson, who also confirmed that arcing can occur when anchor connections are not bolted and connections at ground level are making and breaking contact as a result of high winds. “That installation is incorrect,” Brinson said. “I asked colleagues the same thing and they said no, you can’t do that without an insulator. It’s common sense.” Asked his reaction to SDG&E’s refusal to fix the installations, Brinson replied, “I would say that they are negligent.” David Mossman, controlling partner at Global Power Systems in Santa Barbara, has designed substations and been involved in transmission line installations and electrical distribution for utility companies in Canada. He, too, confirmed that the installations in question could cause arcing and ignite fires. Asked specifically if the installations in question could cause fires, he replied, “Absolutely, yes they can. I come from Canada and that method of installation is not allowed in Canada. You can’t install two guy wires on a single pole without insulators.” He added, “The other thing to remember is if one of the wires carrying the high voltage across the pole falls down and hits the guy wire, it would go to ground and start a tremendous electrical fire. Whereas if you have insulators, that would not happen. You just have to put the insulators on.” SDG&E would not need to replace poles and fixing the problem on a regional basis would not be prohibitively costly, in his view. “The cost of the insulator would be thirty bucks, plus the time—an hour or two per insulator—to get someone in there to do that.” Told of the statements made by Mossman and Brinson, SDG&E spokesperson Stephanie Donovan replied, “Our position has not changed due to the fact that you have two other people who think this scenario is possible….Do you think we haven’t had all kinds of people scrutinizing our installations regularly, especially since the fires?” Of the experts interviewed by ECM, she observed, “One of them doesn’t even practice electrical engineering in California and is trying to compare them to Canada.” She affirmed, “We believe that we continue to build and operate our station in compliance with strict state and federal standards, and the California Public Utility Commission, FERC and Cal Fire have alls aid there is nothing to this…There is nothing that needs to be fixed. This is a standard that applies throughout California, both to Edison and to PGE as well as SDG&E.” An SDG&E Powerpoint presentation refuting Clark’s allegations also states that “the grounding system we employ is widely used by other utilities, including Southern California Edison.” Clark sent a rebuttal to ECM calling that statement “a bold-faced lie” and said Southern California Edison’s Transmission Construction Methods book has a specific construction standard, T0201, which states that two down guy wires must be attached by a distance of 12 inches apart on the pole (see exhibit #5 at www.theelectricalexpert.com) Donovan said Clark was “misinterpreting” requirements of GO 95, a state standard, and that “he in at least one instance has suggested design changes [adding insulators] that are specifically prohibited by the standard.” Donovan wrote in an e-mail to ECM. She further stated that Clark “has no factual or field measurement to support his claim that sufficient current is induced to cause arcing.” SDG&E argues that the common bolt connection between guy wires is part of a federal
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE: MUSIC U CAN LIVE 2
By Dennis Moore March 1, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) — Just like Hip Hop artist "R" Kelly did in my hometown of Chicago, East County Gospel singer Nicolas SK Shivers seems to be taking a similar path to stardom and fame, by initially selling and promoting his music on the streets of San Diego. I ran into Nicolas "SK" Shivers at the Mission Valley Mall while I was shopping for computer and office equipment for a consulting business that I am starting in San Diego. Just like so many other street vendors, SK came up to me in the Mission Valley Shopping Center Mall and aed me if I could make a contribution towards his music CD, a dollar or more? As I didn’t even have that on me at the time, I asked SK if he could meet me for lunch the next day, and I would be happy to purchase his CD. I guess I admired his entrepreneurial spirit! We met the next day at the Panda Express Restaurant at Horton Plaza, and after talking with SK about his wife and kids, and the role that they played in his music, I purchased two of his CDs for $10.00 and told him that I wanted to help promote him. I was impressed with his love of the Lord, and that of his family. Realizing that the House of Blues in downtown San Diego has a weekly Gospel Sunday Brunch, I talked with SK about possibly getting him to perform there. I’ve started a promotion and consulting business in San Diego and am already working with a friend, Andrea Sharp, who sings ballads, and a nationally known jazz singer friend in Chicago, Dee Alexander, who has expressed interest in being booked in the House of Blues here. I see potential in SK and his music, so I hoped to have SK and Andrea factored into the concert for my friend from Chicago. What impressed me most of all about this young Gospel artist and entrepreneur from East County, is how he has incorporated his wife and kids into what he is espousing. Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 6, says; "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." If ever a picture is worth a thousand words, one only need to look at photos of Nicolas SK Shivers with his wife and kids to see what their Gospel music is doing for them. There is an old expression: A family that prays together, stays together. Sure, it is RAP and Hip Hop music that really sells, and that has captured the ear of the majority of our youth. But SK believes that our youth should have alternatives to what is espoused through those mediums, and he is banking on it through his family to get that point across. SK and his wife, April, told me that they performed their music and Gospel act at last year’s "Kuumba Fest" in San Diego, but they were not that well received, for those attending primarily came to hear RAP and/or Hip Hop. There is no question that there are many negative connotations associated with RAP and Hip Hop, some of it misogynistic, and it has possibly contributed to the influences upon our youth. I have experienced that with my own kids. I recall attempting to introduce my daughter to the positive influences of church and the Christian centered music emanating from it at my former church in Chicago, through a program called "The Peace Cafe. That, to a large extent, is what gravitated me towards SK and what he is attempting to do with his family, and through his music. President Barack Obama gave a Father’s Day speech at my former church in Chicago, the same one where my daughter Brandy got baptized and where she participated in the Peace Cafe, and he expounded on the virtues of positive influences in our kids’ lives. When I initially met SK and purchased his CDs, he gave me the attached Thank You letter, that he gives to those expressing an interest in his music. The attached Thank You letter speaks volumes about his music, his love of the Lord, and his family! I feel blessed to be associated with him and his family, and I am predicting stardom for this East County resident. Dennis Moore is a writer and author from Chicago, a member of the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild, and an entrepreneur with a promotion and consulting business,Contracts & Agency, LLC. He can be contacted at demoore21@sprint.blackberry.net.
THE ROLLING REVIEWER: A PRICK OF CONSCIOUSNESS
By Janelle Eckardt March 1, 2009 (El Cajon) — Hello friends! Are you tired, run-down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? The answer to all your problems is in this little needle. Really! Acupuncture just might be your ticket to feeling better and living better. I’ve discovered a respectable acupuncture facility right here in the East County that actually serves the community without milking it dry. Just for reading this article you get a brief history of acupuncture, my personal account of a session, and a one-on-one interview with the owner of Healthy Community Acupuncture, in El Cajon. Get the point? I was finally inspired to learn more about acupuncture around two months ago –after finally coming to the realization that something wasn’t quite right, my annoyance with not feeling my best coupled with my budding intrigue over "alternative" medicine. After researching its origins, application, and varied treatment possibilities, I was ready to try it for myself–until I learned that in order to afford one treatment I’d probably be forced to sell a kidney. Well, acupuncture can’t do much good if you’re lacking vital organs, so all seemed lost. But just when I had given up on the idea of trying this more-than-five-thousand-year-old medicine, an ad in this very magazine introduced me to the Healthy Community Acupuncture (HCA) clinic. The rest is very recent history: after undergoing four treatment sessions with HCA’s owner, Michelle Marcotte L.Ac., and Ida Candelaria L.Ac., Michelle’s mother, I’m proud to have taken the acupuncture plunge–and sorry I didn’t do it sooner. It is impossible to condense thousands of years’ worth of history into a couple paragraphs, so please humor this crude introduction to acupuncture. Originating in China, it is commonly associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), though its exact date of conception is still a mystery. A five-thousand-year-old mummy bearing over fifty tattoos on areas of his body associated with acupuncture points was uncovered in the Alps, and suggests other regions of Eurasia practiced some form of the treatment, as well. In the Sixteenth Century, Portuguese missionaries were among the first to bring tales of acupuncture back with them to Europe from China. The medicinal properties of acupuncture are far more elusive than its place on the timeline, and can be quite difficult for many Westerners to understand. TCM addresses medicine from an abstract perspective that does not rely on biological or scientific bearings. The human body’s balance, or yin and yang, dictates its level of health. Vital energy (Qi) flows through the body and serves as the yang; Blood (similar in concept, but not synonymous with physiological blood) is the tangible counterpart to the Qi, and serves as the yin. Acupuncture, therefore, regulates the flow of the Qi and Blood, and ensures there are no blockages, deficiencies, or pooling effects. The flow of Qi and Blood is channeled through twelve primary meridians that act like great rivers running through the body. These rivers have offshoots that branch out in various directions, and each meridian flows through a specific territory, or organ, of the body. When one point of the river is manipulated, the entire flow is affected. That is why, for example, inserting the needle in a specific region of the hand or foot is intended to treat various issues relating to the head and neck. It seems that while Western medicine dissects ailments and symptoms to uncover one specific underlying cause, TCM and acupuncture recognize and treat the link that binds elements to the whole. However fascinating all this may be in theory and speculation, actually experiencing acupuncture provides more insight into the practice, and one’s own body, than any history lesson ever could. That’s why I’m so glad I discovered HCA. HCA operates by a seemingly simple, yet strikingly rare, set of ethics. Michelle explains: "This is a people’s medicine. It’s simple, easy to administer, and should be affordable because it treats so many things. In this economy especially, a community acupuncture clinic like mine is perfect for filling that incredibly deep void of affordable, quality, healthcare and health maintenance that all Americans need." Even more impressive than her good intentions is Michelle’s success at putting them into action. The HCA runs on a fee scale that recommends how much patients should pay for each treatment according to their income leve; the minimum fee is fifteen dollars. Proof of income is not required, and patients may adjust their payment rate at any time. When compared to other facilities that may charge between fifty and two hundred dollars, HCA’s plan sounds way too good to be true. Luckily, though, it’s not. How can she afford to stay open under such a system, you may ask? Instead of committing substantial blocks of time to individual appointments, Michelle can treat numerous clients at once in one main treatment room. Again, these brilliantly simple details allow Michelle to run the business she loves, and open doors to a potential multitude of customers who might otherwise go without–like me. When I first entered HCA I was struck by the immediate shift in tone; when the front door closes, it shuts out the world and allows visitors to leave their baggage outside. The first session begins with a conversation between the patient and either Michelle or Ida. They will review the checklist of information each individual is required to complete; the questionnaire includes sections relating to preexisting conditions, current complaints, lifestyle habits, etc. –and then give the patient the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. I personally was impressed by the lack of questions Ida posed to me. She was concerned about relevant issues relating to my circumstances, and how they pertained to the acupuncture treatment, but she did not become preoccupied with personal details about my condition (for anyone who shows outward signs of a disability, this lack of attention may be quite refreshing). I’ll spare details about the soothing mood music and the reassuring feeling of being surrounded by other folk peacefully
NEED A JOB? FREE JOB SEARCH MEETING MARCH 12 AT GROSSMONT COLLEGE
March 1, 2009 (El Cajon) — The Grossmont College Career Center will host "Systematic Job Search," a free informational meeting on identifying unadvertised jobs and making career connections, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at the Career Center, Room 627, on the college campus. The public is invited to attend. For more information or to reserve a seat, phone (619) 644-7614, or visit www.grossmont.edu/jobplacement. Grossmont College is located at 8800 Grossmont College Dr., in El Cajon. For driving directions and a campus map, visit www.grossmont.edu.
Good Money – Is it a good time to convert to Roth IRAs?
Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing By Judith L. Seid, CFP ® If your retirement assets took a beating in the recent stock market decline, converting an IRA to a Roth IRA may be one of the best tax strategies this year and could save you a fortune in taxes. But you need to understand the rules and play the game right. It’s a good time to convert if you believe the market is as low as it will go, with the comfort that you will actually have a chance to change your mind later! The Roth can be a real bargain, allowing any increase in account value from that point forward to be earned tax-free. When you do the conversion, you must pay income tax on the amount you are converting. This can be the whole account or a portion of it. But, subject to certain restrictions, no tax is assessed when the money is withdrawn. You also avoid the mandatory 70 ½ distributions (waived in 2009), which can leave more for your beneficiaries if you don’t use the money yourself. How much you benefit from the conversion will depend on how the investments do subsequently, but there is great potential. If the investment springs back, not only will the appreciation be free from income tax, but if tax rates increase in later years (which seems likely), you will have done the conversion at today’s lower rates. First available in 1998, Roth IRA assets grow and are withdrawn tax-free since the money deposited already has been taxed. In contrast, a traditional IRA is tax deferred and you’ll pay taxes on the entire balance when monies are withdrawn.. But deposits into traditional IRAs may be tax deductible. If you are contributing to an employer plan, you must meet certain income limits. Example: Let’s say you’ve wanted to convert to a Roth IRA for years but never did. Back then, your account was worth $100,000 and you would have paid taxes on the entire amount. But the value has fallen to $60,000 today. If you’re a long-term investor and believe the investment would rebound, converting to a Roth would save you from paying taxes on $40,000. Income Limit for Conversion – $100,000 in 2009, NO limit after 2010 For many people, the income limit for conversion has been the main hurdle. In 2009, you can only convert traditional IRAs to Roths if your adjusted gross income does not exceed $100,000 and you’re willing to pay taxes up front. The ceiling applies to both singles and married couples filing jointly. Those who earn less this year than in the past, perhaps because of a layoff or a business setback, may qualify for the first time to do a conversion. However, beginning in 2010, any taxpayer will be able to convert an IRA to a Roth IRA regardless of the level of his or her income. Furthermore, one-half the income from a Roth conversion in 2010 will not be taxable until 2011 and the other half will not be taxable until 2012, unless you elect to report it all in 2010. Recharacterization Rules–You can change your mind!: For those who regret converting, because their account value falls below the amount at time of conversion, the IRS provides an exit. You can take back each conversion – called a recharacterization – by Oct. 15 of the year following your conversion. Let’s say you converted to a Roth in May 2008, you have until Oct. 15, 2009 to tell the IRS you changed your mind and chose to switch back. Once you have recharacterized, you are not permitted to do another conversion with the same assets until the following year or 30 days after the first conversion, whichever is longer. However, if you still have other money in a traditional IRA, you can get around the rule by converting funds out of the other IRA. 5 Year Hold Rule: You do have to hold the converted assets in a Roth for five years or until you turn 59½, whichever comes first, to make penalty-free withdrawals of your converted amounts. Each conversion has its own five-year clock. If you’ve already reached age 59½ and you convert traditional IRA assets to a Roth, you can withdraw the assets you convert at any time without worrying about a five-year deadline or penalties. Other IRS Guidelines: Traditional IRA deductibility (if contributing to an employer plan) – 2009 modified AGI limits: Joint – More than $89,000 but less than $109,000 Single – More than $55,000 but less than $65,000 2009 Limits for contributions to a Roth (not conversion): Joint – More than $159,000 but less than $169,000 Single – More than $101,000 but less than $116,000 2009 Roth-IRA Max Contribution Amount $5,000 under 50 $6,000 50 or over Judith L. Seid, President and founder of Blue Summit Financial Group, Inc, is a Certified Financial Planner who has actively used Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) for her clients since 1992. She firmly believes that "We can influence corporations to change their policies by avoiding investments in irresponsible companies and by seeking investments in companies with positive practices and products." Socially responsible investing (SRI) exists for investors looking to use the power of financial investment to create sustainable social change. For more information on Sustainable Investing, contact Judith at Blue Summit Financial Group in La Mesa, (619) 698-4330; www.BLUESUMMITINVEST.com Securities offered through Pacific West Securities, Inc. (Pacific West) Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services provided through Pacific West Financial Consultants, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Blue Summit Financial Group, Inc. and Pacific West are not affiliated
TWO ARRESTED AFTER HOT PROWL RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY IN LA MESA
February 28, 2009 (La Mesa) — Shortly after noon today, the La Mesa Police Department received a call from a resident reporting that his house was being burglarized while he was inside the home in the 9200 block of Brier Road., La Mesa. The resident hid and locked himself inside a room, talking with police after dialing 911. While a male suspect was stealing items from inside the house, a female suspect remained outside in the suspects’ car. While police were responding, the woman drove away and the male suspect fled. La Mesa officers stopped the female suspect as she tried to drive from the area. With helicopter assistance from Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies (ASTREA), officers searched the surrounding area for the male suspect. About 15 minutes later, he was found and arrested a few blocks away. All of the stolen property from the burglary was recovered. Gregory Mims, 46, and Kathilynn Mimms, 47, both of San Diego, were arrested and booked into County Jail for first degree residential burglary. If you have any additional information on this case, please call the La Mesa Police Department at (619) 667-1400. You may also call Crime Stoppers’ anonymous toll-free tip line (888) 580-TIPS (or www.sdcrimestoppers.com). You can remain anonymous, and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case
EDITORIAL: VACCINES AND AUTISM: THE CONTROVERSY AND THE SCIENCE
By Dr. Joel A. Harrison March 1, 2009 (San Diego) — On February 12, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. rendered its decision finding no link between autism and vaccines. While researchers, doctors, and public health officials feel vindicated, hoping that vaccination rates will increase, many parents of autistic children are distraught. Autism devastates families both emotionally and financially. People seek answers as to why, both to lay blame and to prevent future cases, and to obtain necessary resources. There are three interconnected issues surrounding the autism-vaccine controversy: 1) the science, 2) vaccination rates, and 3) helping families. The Science: At first a link was claimed between a mercury-based preservative, Thimerosol, and autism. However, rates of autism continued to increase in cohorts of children receiving thimerosal-free vaccines. Proponents of the thimerosol link claimed the fetus is still being exposed to trace amounts of thimerosol from vaccines given to their mothers. It makes no sense that rates would continue to increase as levels of exposure decrease to trace levels. The second alleged link was exacerbation of an underlying mitochondrial disorder. Mitochondria are the energy factories of our cells. For proponents of this link, the vaccines, by triggering an immune response overtax an already defective system. Our immune systems respond to literally thousands of potential threats every day, microbes and foreign substances in the air we breathe, the food and drink we consume, and especially in children the ever-present scrapes and cuts. Vaccines are composed of killed microbes or extremely weakened ones. How can a few killed and weakened intruders over several months possibly cause harm when the child’s immune system over the same period of time has responded to tens of thousands of intruders, many much more dangerous? Children with undiagnosed mitochondrial disorders are subject to the same quantity and array of intruders. I am a member of the baby-boomer generation. Most of my generation experienced not one, but all of the childhood diseases: measles; rubella; mumps, chicken pox; and influenza, plus the ubiquitous common colds, scrapes and cuts. Any one of the childhood diseases involved a major assault on our bodies demanding maximum output from our mitochondria, not for a few hours; but for days and even weeks. Many years ago I taught undergraduate courses aboard U.S Naval ships in the Pacific. Prior to my first deployment, I "walked" the gauntlet, receiving vaccinations for smallpox, yellow fever, plague, typhoid/paratyphoid, cholera, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella. That evening both deltoid muscles were sore and I briefly ran a low grade fever, nothing remotely compared with any of the experienced childhood diseases. At no time are today’s children receiving remotely as many vaccinations in such a short time period. Additionally, while the number of vaccines has increased, the total number of antigenic determinants (the foreign proteins that our immune system responds to) is less. The smallpox vaccine alone, which is no longer given, contained a significant number of antigenic determinants. Mitochondrial disorders do not manifest themselves immediately; but most cases do become symptomatic within the first 5 – 10 years of life. It is possible that vaccinations may shift symptomatology by a few weeks; but eventually a common cold or a minor infection will elicit the disorder. In addition, imagine the devastation to these children if, instead of the vaccines, they suffered any of the full-blown childhood diseases. Some parents feel that rejection of the link between vaccines and autism by the scientific community means abandonment. In fact, research on causes and treatments for autism is increasing. Squandering resources in continuing to disprove the connection with vaccines just slows viable lines of research. Vaccine Rates: Unfortunately, the need for simple answers, in this case blaming autism on vaccines, has lead to ever diminishing rates of vaccinations. The diseases we vaccinate for are real and still exist in the world. They cause millions of deaths and disabilities around the world. With international flights and our porous borders they can infect American children at any time. For those skeptics, five unvaccinated Amish children came down with polio in 2005 and there have been several recent outbreaks of measles (for those who believe measles harmless, besides permanent disabilities, measles kills approximately three per 1000). If only a few parents refuse childhood vaccinations, the risks are small; but as the numbers grow, we all become at risk, both our children and adults who have been vaccinated. Vaccines have been thought to confer lifetime immunity; but, in fact, immunity subsides over time. While the risk of exposure remains small, the residual immunity still can protect us; but if an epidemic should break out, then repeated exposures could overwhelm residual immunity and childhood diseases caught as adults are usually far more severe and deadly. Helping Families with Autistic Children: Families with autistic children, when left to their own resources, are simply overwhelmed. Lawsuits by desperate families are a gamble at best. Blaming vaccines for conditions based on unsubstantiated conjecture, misunderstood science, and compassion for the families of disabled children has resulted in families refusing to vaccinate their children and in vaccine shortages as fewer pharmaceutical companies are willing to manufacture them. If this trend keeps up, it could be catastrophic. Suggestions: To ensure that all children diagnosed with autism-spectral disorder receive the best medical care we have to offer, they should be covered by Medicare just as we cover end-stage renal disease. However, coverage for these children should include no deductibles, no co-pays and no need for supplementary insurance. Additional funding for special education programs, and Special funding for counseling and other support resources, including respite care. Besides being the right and compassionate thing to do, this is a prime example of "there but for the Grace of God go I." Autism is a devastating disorder that could happen to any family. Research efforts around the world are working to discover its cause(s) and develop treatments. The continued efforts to link autism to vaccines is leading to shortages of vaccines and parents