Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/15912
6A – Daily News – Tuesday, September 7, 2010 Opinion The 400 Club Editor: D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 There are 75,000 residents in Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Smile index Commentary So, how was your summer? I just finished a three-week trip, mostly by car, covering thousands of miles and sampling hundreds of opinions. I went to big cities -- LA, Chicago, Wash- ington, New York and Boston -- and small towns -- from Lan- caster, Calif., to Lenox, Mass. And what I found in my unsci- entific sample was that despite horrible economic conditions and political unrest, Americans remain remarkably resilient. Maybe I was influenced by late summer's burst of perfect weather and resulting Kodachrome views -- from the 95th floor of the John Hancock building in Chicago looking out over a glistening Lake Michi- gan, to the lawn at Tanglewood in Lenox, as the Boston Sym- phony concluded its season with Beethoven's rousing "Ode to Joy." Perhaps it was the merci- fully peaceful behavior of Glenn Beck's throng in Washington which, considering the opinions unleashed, could have been much worse. Maybe it was Pres- ident Obama going on TV to declare that the most nightmar- ish aspects of the fighting in Iraq seem to be behind us. Or maybe it was just that the ice cream at Handel's landmark stand in Youngstown, Ohio, was so pleasing on an evening when the breeze was warm and the mint chip sweet. With gas prices lower than last summer (although it's hard to fathom why a gallon cost me $2.57 in Massachusetts and $3.19 in Connecticut), many Americans are on the road. In some spots the traffic is jammed, but often for good cause, since federal stimulus money is fund- ing some 12,000 highway pro- jects and creating construction jobs along the way. Still, nearly 15 million Amer- icans are out of work, and many are hurting because of it. I saw a shopping plaza not far from Tan- glewood that's now 75 percent vacant. Even on bucolic Main Street in New Canaan, Conn., family-owned shops are closing at an alarming rate. Up and down the Salinas Val- ley in Central California, where the air is thick with dust, thou- sands of workers dot the fields, with scarves protecting their faces and hats blocking the sun, hunched over for hours to pick our lettuce and broccoli. They ride to and from the fields in old buses that look just like the vehi- cles used to transport prisoners to nearby Soledad prison. At least they've got jobs. At O'Toole's in Chicago, diehard fans continued to cheer for their hapless Cubs, even as the manager, Lou Piniella, appeared on the TV screen in tears to say goodbye following a 16-5 loss to the Braves. Despite the recession, there were big crowds at the mall in Provi- dence, R.I., with the wait for a table at the Cheesecake Factory running an hour or longer, as many people enjoyed an end-of-summer treat. At all these stops I used my own Smile Index to measure the mood of people I met. Most seemed resigned. There's almost a palpa- ble sense that we're all in this together, and it shows up in the way folks smile and say hello. "Stop to Impeach Obama." I didn't stop to talk, but I could see he wasn't happy. That's too bad, because America's got a lot going for it, and President Obama isn't part of the prob- lem, he's helping to provide the solutions. What I see is a nation that feels slightly safer, resigned to tough it out, and hop- ing we're turning the corner. Peter Funt Indeed, it was all on display Saturday morning at the Cafe on the Com- mon in Mansfield, Mass., where the breakfast is terrific and the cheerful service is even better. It was the first week of school football, and the place was packed. But those seated at the window could look straight across the town green at families standing in the sun, waiting for a free meal at the food pantry run by a local church. A few miles up the road in Norton, a guy was standing at an intersection with a folding table and a large poster that read: That same week, as the President returned from his own vacation, he got a look at the new rug in the Oval Office on which appear five memorable quotes from great Americans. One is from Teddy Roosevelt: "The welfare of each of us is depen- dent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us." And whether your vantage point is an exit on the Interstate, or standing on the White House rug, the vision is of renewed hope in America. Peter Funt is a writer and public speaker. He's also the long-time host of "Candid Camera." A collection of his DVDs is available at www.candidcamera.com. Tehama County, of that 10,700 of these residents are children. With 14 percent of our residents being children, we need positive sum- mer activities for them … simply put, we need a pool. In response to our budget deficit, the city of Red Bluff has elected to close the McGlynn Pool for the 2011 sum- mer, "if new funding is not real- ized." This is unacceptable. Therefore, the Blues for the Pool Committee is striving to raise the $40,000 needed to oper- ate the pool. To help us raise this money, we have begun the 400 Club. We are asking for 400 people, busi- nesses, organizations and/or clubs to donate $100 each. In doing so, you will help us keep the pool open for our children and provide them with a safe place to swim. For your $100 donation, your name will be displayed all sum- mer long at the pool as one of our faithful supporters, your name will also appear in the paper, and you will receive a membership card with 5 free general admis- sion passes to the pool. If you are part of a business or organization that would like to or can donate more, a $400 donation to Blues for the Pool would enti- tle your business to displaying your company’s banner at the facility. Please join me and the 400 Club to open and operate our pool next year. In doing so, we will irrevocably be saying "our chil- dren are so worth it, we opened our own pool." Blues for the Pool stands firm behind our belief that one child who drowns will be one child too many. Donations can be made to: Blues for the Pool, c/o Daniele Jackson, 1500 South Jackson Street, Red Bluff, CA 96080. For more information or questions, please call 529-0556. Daniele Jackson, Red Bluff Wrong is wrong Editor: The recent arrest of a 38- year-old Redding woman accused of performing sex acts with teenage boys seems to be a reoccurring event with women teachers, in this case a teacher’s aide. I can just imagine that she will get all kinds of support from the atheists and the gay community. They will do any- thing that will help destroy the morals and traditional values of this country, for without a moral compass there is no right or no wrong, anything goes, if it feels good do it. Maybe these women just want to come out of the closet much the same as the homosex- uals did? That way they can lobby for a younger age or no age of consent, much in the same way the homosexuals have for same sex marriage. When something is so moral- ly wrong, such as same sex and adult adolescent sex, no matter how eloquently you argue for it, it is still wrong. You cannot make a wrong right. It’s not that these people are stupid, it’s just that they have been indoctrinated with so much misinformation for so long that’s all they know. Les Wolfe, Red Bluff True socialism Editor: True socialism is defined as “Public collective ownership or control of the basic means of production, dis- tribution and exchange, with the avowed aim of operating for use rather than profit, and of assur- ing to each member of society an equitable share of goods, ser- vices, etc.” While the Nazi party and Stalin’s USSR incorporated the word Socialist in their name, in practice both systems were far from being truly socialistic. Using Socialist in those titles is akin to a car dealership called Honest John’s. A truly socialist society, I envision, would have free edu- cation to and beyond the univer- sity level, free public trans- portation or at least a trans- portation system that charged the smallest of fees. Free hous- ing for those unable to pay. And of course free medical care. The socialist movement has a long history in this country going back further than even the Your Turn Russian Revolution to 1877, when the Socialist Labor party was founded in America. Please tell me what is so wrong with striving for equality in our society? What we have is not a true Democracy nor Republic but a Plutocracy, a government by and for the wealthy. That is why in these times when states, counties and cities are strapped with huge deficits the solution embraced all too often is the cutting or elimination of some social service. Raising taxes on the rich is just plain unthinkable. We dare not go there for fear of losing more manufacturing jobs. Let’s see now how many jobs were created or saved by giving rich corporations huge tax breaks? And cutting the military bud- get is a definite no no. We need a superior military force in order to take vital resources from less equipped nations so our corporations can make big- ger profits. We must not regulate the banking intuitions, heck, the Federal Reserve can’t even be audited by Congress. What does that tell you? That tells me that what we actually have in this country is not even a Plutocracy, but a Kleptocracy — a rule of thieves — and the thieves have been in power for far too many years now. Orval Strong, Gerber Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454.