Managing the California Budget Crisis
Thursday, February 19th, 7:00 PM, PAC 134
What might explain California 's current budget crisis? What actions might the state government take to resolve this crisis and prevent a similar occurrence? What is a morally appropriate response to a citizenry that wants services while, at the same time, does not want to be taxed to pay for those services? Various options include raising taxes, cutting services, and a $15 billion bond issue (borrowing money, in spite of California 's dismal credit rating). Under each of these scenarios, who is burdened? Is the burden fair? Who benefits? Are the benefits fair? What responsibility do the wealthiest in a society have for the poorest? What responsibility do native-born citizens have for illegal immigrants' health care and education? How about higher education? Can California recover without an available educated work force? What responsibility do elected officials from particular districts have for the good of the entire state? What responsibility do individual citizens and the state of CA have for living within their means? How well has our new Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, addressed the mismatch between revenue and spending? Is a bi-partisan solution to the current crisis possible? If so, what form might it take? What issues must be addressed? What issues (e.g., re-election) are morally irrelevant?
Andy Flescher, Department of Religious Studies (moderating)
Gerald Beavers, State Legislative Analyst Office-Director (retired)
Charles Turner, Department of Political Science
Frederica Shockley, Department of Economics
Paul Persons, Department of Political Science
Part I: Do Sustainable Practices Make Good Business Sense?
Thursday, March 25th, 7:00 PM, PAC 134
(co-sponsored by Students in Free Enterprise)
Kenneth Grossman
President and Owner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico , CADo the "bottom line" and caring about the environment stand in tension with one another? Does it make good business sense to engage in "sustainable practices"? In this presentation, Kenneth Grossman, founder and sole owner of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, offers us his perspective through reference to his first hand experience managing his brewery. Sierra Nevada has a history of good corporate citizenship through its strides toward operating in an efficient and environmentally sound manner. The brewery has earned awards over the past few years from local and national environmentalist and waste management organizations.
Ken Grossman is the founder, sole owner, president, and chief executive officer of what has grown into the 9 th largest brewing company in the United States . With an annual payroll of over $8.5 million, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is one of the largest locally owned employers in Butte County . Beyond his commercial success, Ken has become a significant contributor to his community. He spends much of his time and finances in support of local youth organizations, public television and radio, local high school and semi-professional sports teams, music and the arts in the community, and many civic and community enhancement organizations. He serves on several conservation boards, and is involved in local environmental organizations.
Part II: The Fire the Next Time: Will California Keep Burning Up?
Thursday, April 1 st , 7:00 PM , PAC 134
Of all nature's disasters, forest fires are perhaps the most terrifying. Proceeding at a devastating tempo, a vast sea of flames can destroy massive acreage in just minutes. Last fall, forest fires in Southern California scorched 750,000 acres of earth, consumed 3,400 homes, and took the lives of 22 victims. What causes forest fires? To what extent should we go to prevent their occurrence? Are forest fires the result of policies influenced by overzealous environmentalists, which lead to overcrowded forests vulnerable to catastrophe? Or, is forest management itself the problem, caused by excessive logging, which removes and reduces cooling shade, and which leaves debris that adds to hotter, drier forests, creating a more flammable environment? This panel will explore the perspectives of loggers and environmentalists alike, situating their views within the specific context of California fire behavior.
Tom McCready, Department of Mathematics and Statistics (moderating)
Ken Larson, Fire Management Officer: Almanor Ranger District, Lassen National Forest
Jim Houpis, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences
David Wood, Department of Biological Sciences
Jay Francis, Forest Manager, Collins Pine Company
Part III: Generational Tyranny or Meteorological Myth?: Global Warming and the Role of the University
Thursday, April 22 nd , 7:00 PM , PAC 134
Is global warming, indeed, a fact? Or is it a phantom in faulty data? Assuming that global warming is happening, what, if anything, ought to be done to stem the tide of its advance? What are our obligations to future generations---of humans and all life forms---not to change the climate that we inherited from our ancestors? On April 22nd, "Earth Day," this forum will take an in-depth look at the science of global warming, the ethical issues that emerge in light of the phenomenon, and the specific role of the university in fulfilling these obligations.
Andy Flescher, Director, Center for Applied and Professional Ethics (moderating)
Jim Pushnik, Department of Biological Sciences
Anthony Watts, Broadcast Meteorologist, Member American Meteorological
Society, and Weather Instrumentation Expert
Randy Larsen, Department of Philosophy
Mark Stemen, Department of Geography and Planning
What are the costs to a society that countenances pornography? Do they outweigh the costs we would incur by disallowing it? Does pornography represent a special threat to women, including (perhaps especially) third parties who have nothing to do with the industry? Is there a sense in which pornography adds to the social good? Would limiting or putting an end to the practice to pornography threaten the right to free speech? By not doing so do we continue unduly to objectify women and condone the outbreaks of violence to which the existence of pornography sometimes leads? Finally, are women themselves in a special position to assess the morality of these and related issues, simply by virtue of the fact that it is women who primarily represent the bartered "goods" of the pornographic industry?
Andy Flescher, Director, Center for Applied and Professional Ethics (moderating)
Becky Cox White, Department of Philosophy
Lizz Randall, Erotic Educator, Former Teacher and Educational Coordinator for feminist run "Toys in Babeland"
Anthony Graybosch, Department of Philosophy
Christina Bellon, Department of Philosophy, California State University, Sacramento
Shawn Tamaribuchi, Pornographer and Artist; Sex Educator for "Good Vibrations"