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4A Daily News – Saturday, October 12, 2013 Opinion Library DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 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 letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. 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 submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community 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 vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents 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 Editor: Due to future county expansion, the Red Bluff library must relocate. The library is currently raising funds for a new building and has set a goal of $2 million. With a new building the library can continue to provide beneficial services such as books and materials lending, reference, access to public computers including high speed Internet along with wireless availability and children's services such as a preschool story hour. Let's raise the funds so such valuable and priceless services can continue and thrive. Paul Blank, Red Bluff Iran Editor: I applaud President Obama for picking up the phone to talk to Iran's new president and for discussing the importance of U.S.Iran cooperation to resolve global conflicts. This phone call marks an important step forward in pressing for an end to the vicious cycle of confrontation that has plagued the U.S. and Iran for decades. Solving problems between countries requires compromise on all sides, and the U.S. and Iran are no different. Iran needs to agree greater transparency of its nuclear program and other steps to ensure it does not build nuclear weapons. The U.S., for its part, will have to lift some sanctions in exchange for Iran's concession, in order to prevent war and a nuclear-armed Iran. Sharon Young, Red Bluff Response to Harrop Editor: Mr. Harrop's column on Sept. 14, he said, "I'm not sure which Southern California laws she is referring to, maybe the ones that require drinking water standards, speed limits, or uniform traffic signs. Others in Siskiyou County have cited environmental rules they say seriously impact rural agricultural areas by limiting various Does Harrop honestly believe activities. In some way, I think they are saying we cannot have the Jefferson State movement is a 'one size fits all' set of rules about drinking water standards? Mr. Harrop said, "Of course, and regulations." Not sure which laws? Well, in Tehama County we are fortulet's start with the Fire Tax of nate that we get to share our very $150 per dwelling in the rural own Gerber resident, State Senator Jim Nielsen, with area, then $150 per seven other counties. reservoir on ranches Your Why would we want to that not only water secede with such their livestock but the hometown representawildlife also. Then, tion?" No doubt a sarcan you count the anticastic jab at Senator gun and ammunition legislation that has been passed Nielsen's legitimacy to represent in the last year or so and is still us even after the court upheld his streaming across the governor's residency in Gerber. He "strains out a gnat and desk? Some of the laws passed may swallow a camel" by making a well make a lot of law-abiding big deal out of a legislator holdcitizens felons and they have no ing an office that is powerless idea. Right now, the Legislature because Sacramento is dominatis about to pass some 400 bills ed by liberals from Southern before they recess. All of this California. A man who attended Columaction is brought on by legislators as far south as San Diego bia University during the time and beyond. We are literally Obama was supposed to have controlled by the slums of the been there, never saw him there inner-cities and barrios of and can't find any of his classSouthern California that keep mates that saw him. Wouldn't it voting for the liberals that dole be nice to see all his college out their welfare each month records and transcripts? Les Wolfe, Red Bluff that we help pay for, thank you. Turn Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Red Bluff by the numbers? How would you describe Red Bluff? Based on the survey created by the Red Bluff Police Department you would paint a pretty bleak picture of our community. Surveys and polls are interesting, but we have to be careful when interpreting the results. Marketing firms and politicians rely on polls to create their strategies. Not all polls are created equally, however. Developing a poll is not a simple matter of listing a series of questions and tallying the answers from the people polled. A goodly amount of research has been done to assure the viability of polls, and a variety of statistical tools are used to measure their reliability. Selecting those to be polled is based on a variety of protocols designed to assure those sampled are a cross section of the general public. The police department survey is not a poll; it is a series of questions that people self-selected to answer. The self selection process colors the results, and we need to view the survey results with a careful eye. Nevertheless, the data collected by the Police Department give us some food for thought about our community. One of the most famous failures in the "science" of polling was that by the Literary Digest in 1936. Based on their poll, the Digest forecasted a landslide victory for Alf Landon over Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The magazine had surveyed 10 million people and received over two million responses. The reality of the election, however, was that Alf Landon only received eight electoral votes, losing the vote in 46 of the 48 states. That same year a young upstart named George Gallup used a survey sample of only 50,000 to predict with relative accuracy a Roosevelt landslide. The science and art of polling have advanced markedly since 1936. Unfortunately I was not able to access the U.S. Census Bureau on line because Doug La Malfa and friends had closed it down, so I have to rely on secondhand data and items I had downloaded before the current temper tantrums in D.C. My primary source for the population of Red Bluff is the city limits sign which states our population is 14,076; we have approximately 5,800 households according to Wikipedia. According to the Police Department survey, 464 individuals responded to the survey. Of that amount it appears that 375 are residents of Red Bluff. I am assuming that those who responded are adults; I found out that about 28 percent of the population is under the age18; therefore there are about 10,200 "Red Bluffians" over 18 years of age. If the sample were selected scientifically, the number sampled would be far more than adequate. However the survey was offered to all, and people had to decide to take the survey. As I wrote before, when you have self selection the responses are not necessarily a good representation of the general public. That is one reason why so many of the comments on the survey had to be redacted…so they would not offend the family reader. Those angry people took the survey as an opportunity to sound off against law enforcement. Over 40 percent of the indicated it was very serious. respondents said they felt unsafe The Police Chief has stated publically this is a or very unsafe walking community problem, in their own neighbornot a law enforcehood at night. Over ment problem. nine percent said they Public drinking did not feel safe in their and intoxication were own home. Over 50 seen as either very percent were either serious or moderately neutral about traffic serious by 51 perenforcement or felt it cent; a similar numwas inadequate. Almost ber said the same for half of the respondents unsupervised chilsaid they had been the dren. Over 48 percent victim of a crime in Joe said the same thing Red Bluff (47 percent). about "speeding These are eye opencars/screeching ing statements, reflecttires." "Cars not ing an uneasiness on stopping for pedestrithe part of those who took time to fill out the survey. ans" garnered almost 45 percent The survey emphasized prob- in the same categories. Illegal lems, and as such brought out dumping/littering had a 62 perthe negative. My hope is the cent count. If these data are reflective of results do not reflect the feelings of the overall body of citizens of our general population, Red Red Bluff about the state of our Bluff is a different town from community; if they do, then we the one I have lived in for over are in dismal straits. While we 40 years. While we are on the can all admit that certain prob- economic down and outs, and lems are serious, the question is while we have lots of transients whether or not they are prevalent in our midst, we are still a community with some pride, with a and wide spread. Given a list of issues respon- tradition of openness for indidents were asked to rate them viduals, and respect for the law. You can look around and see from very serious to not a problem. The top of the list for "very the many good things done to serious" was "drug possession" improve our community by with over 72 percent saying it many good people. If drunkenness, drug use, was very serious. Certainly reading the police blotter in the over aggressive drivers, and litDaily News would seem to tering are serious issues, we can indicate a serious level of drug address those. Let's start today to work toward an even better abuse, transport, and sales. "Transients/Homeless" was Red Bluff. an issue identified by over half Joe Harrop is a retired of the respondents as very serious; it was not clear if this was educator with more than 30 seen as be a criminal problem years of service to the North or a community problem, but State. He can be reached at over half of the respondents DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop