Dear Friends of Wilbur:
Recently I was in the pool at Wilbur and the temperature was 94 degrees. What a treat. I put on my snorkel and floated face down for a half hour. The best meditation in town.
The Wilbur links program is a success. More than 50 Wilbur guests have cross linked with Wilbur thus creating a mutual support network. If you have a web site and want to cross link with us, just send us an email and we will make it happen. We thank you for your patience while we process your link requests.
Rates: some of you have been concerned about our rates since the down turn in the economy. Please note that with our midweek special, our rates are now below the rates of 1998. We are doing everything we can to make it possible for a wide variety of people to benefit from Wilbur.
Art show at Wilbur : Wilbur's very own staff member and artist, Virginia Ray , is now showing her nature inspired wall sculptures and prayer flags in the Wilbur dining room. She is known for her delightfully spirited artwork in galleries and healing institutions around the Bay Area. Guests are able to experience the tangible, calming atmosphere her unique style offers. To see some of her artwork on line, visit www.epicarts.org/artists/virginiaray
Bear Valley Wildflowers : Bear Valley lies in the northern portion of the Bear Creek watershed and is located just minutes north of Wilbur on Bear Valley Road. It is visited by thousands of people each year to view one of the grandest displays of lowland field wildflowers remaining in Northern California. Due to the unseasonably warm weather these past few weeks, this may be an early season for flowers.
Editorial from Dr. Richard L. Miller :
To celebrate both my 65th birthday and my 32nd year as caretaker of Wilbur, I am taking the liberty of ending this email with a political message.
It is a documented fact that in the past 25 years 1% of Americans have gone from owning 22% of America's assets to owning 39% of America's assets.
We are living in a plutocracy: government by the extremely wealthy.
Remember the game monopoly? The one who owned Board Walk, Park Place and one or two other important goodies eventually ended up with almost all the money on the board.
Our present government favors the wealthy and gives tax breaks to the rich. If this is allowed to continue the 1% will soon own more than 50% of the nations assets creating an America with hardly any middle class.
We are in an unhealthy situation which requires proper treatment.
Classical remedies to plutocracy include taxing the very wealthy at high rates in order to level the playing field.
Remember the Beatles song "I'm the tax man?" one of their lines is:
"If 5% appears too small be thankful I don't take it all."
In those days the English taxed their wealthy at a 95% rate...and to a certain extent it did level their playing field.
The catch 22 is that when the wealthy own and run the government, it is challenging to get them to tax themselves heavily. It takes either an unusual patrician or a coordinated , well organized effort by the middle class to effect change in a plutocracy.
So much for politics.
See you at Wilbur!
Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D.
Caretaker since 1972