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4A – Daily News – Wednesday, December 29, 2010 Opinion 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 In a soldier’s words - Thanks Editor: 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 The residents of Tehama County have very generously supported the Tehama County Military Family Support Group’s efforts to honor and support our men and women serving in the military. Despite the economic reces- sion, our communities have been steadfast in their donations for care package items mailed to deployed military and our local monument project. We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation and share the following letter received by the Military Family Support Group from Specialist Bryan Curl who is serving our country in Afghanistan. His words say it all. “To everyone at the Military Family Support Group in Red Bluff. “My name is Bryan Curl and I am a Fire Support Specialist currently deployed to Afghanistan with the 4th Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. 3 days ago I received care packages from your orga- nization and I just want to say how thankful I am that you all went out of your way to do something so nice for me and the guys I’m with. We all look forward to getting these pack- ages from our friends and fami- ly, but often it is the reminders from our community and coun- try that mean the most. During the cold and lonely Holiday Season it can be particularly tough to be away from home, but your blankets, cookies, books and candy add some unexpected joy to our long days. “Your cards and letters deco- rate our walls and remind each one of us of our loved ones back home. “Thank you all for support- ing the troops while we are away from home. It means so much to all of us on the ground to know that we are missed by the community. “Thank you! “SPC Bryan Curl, 1-506 Infantry” Happy holidays. Kathy Peters, Red Bluff Big smoke Editor: I would like to see a follow- up to the article titled "Big Tobacco" on the big money we spend with taxpayer funded, government provided health care for smoking related dis- eases. No doubt, these under edu- cated and “low economic attain- ment” smokers are also getting free or greatly reduced health- care. These individuals gathered at all the gas stations and conve- nience stores buying their cigs while on their way to the Social Services office. I wonder how many clients of the Tehama County Social Services Dept. are smokers? How about it? Big money for a follow up? Maybe it would be too scary. Recently, our soon-to-be ex- governor suggested among many budget cutting ideas was to cut vision care to the Healthy Families Program. I have a better idea. Let the children see. Cut any government fund- ed health care to any smoker. I bet that would save some big money. Dave Iverson, Red Bluff On the dole Editor: Why is it when self serving people that have been on the public dole for 33 years retire, it’s a big deal, when the people in the private sector who paid their salaries spend a hell of a lot more time working and in most cases will receive a hell of a lot less in retirement? How much retirement bene- fits does Colombo receive? I believe if the monthly amount and all the other benefits, we the taxpayers are paying to the so-called public servants before and after they retired were published in the newspa- pers and announced on the television and radio there would be a shock wave around the country. He is still a relatively young man and physically able to work and an example is look around at Walmart at the senior citizens working to supplement their modest income from Social Security, who, past and present contribute to the salary of both retired and those cur- rently employed by govern- ment. Your Turn Why should our public servants be any different? In my opinion, our public servants’ wages and benefits should be public information and it probably is, however, I was unable to access it on the Internet. If one wishes to get a glimpse of some of the benefits they are given, check out the lifestyles of some of our retired public servants, such as touring around the country in a big motor home on $3 plus a gallon gasoline, or dual resi- dences in California and Mexi- co for a couple of examples. While not being able to find anything on our county’s pen- sion liability, I was able to find a study by the Stanford Insti- tute for Economic Research dated April 5. The study con- cluded that the state’s unfund- ed pension liability has topped half a trillion dollars — six times the present state budget. In other words, present and future California taxpayers will be responsible for the bailout before any money is spent on public services of the future. Les Wolfe, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3063 Sacramento, 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. For New Year’s — Partying like it’s 1999 Commentary Ah, New Year's Eve. What a great night to revisit the past year. Though I'd rather revisit 1999. The unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in 1999. Dot-com stocks were still creating lots of paper million- aires. The U.S. deficit for that year was $1 billion -- that's right, "billion" with a "b," a far cry from the $1 trillion to $2 trillion it is nowadays. Things were going so well, we had to make up crises, such as Y2K, the Millennium Bug! Because computerized devices used only two digits to record the date -- "99" for "1999" -- numerous glitches were expected to occur at exact- ly 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2000, when at least some of the devices would mistake "00" for "1900." Senators held press confer- ences to warn the public to pre- pare for the worst. President Clinton told us to keep a lookout for terrorists, who might take advantage of the potential chaos. Federal bureaucrats even appeared competent. They established mobile command centers on the Nation- al Mall, where thousands of New Year's Eve revelers would celebrate. They directed police, fire- men, FBI agents and CIA opera- tives to crawl around our nation's capital to thwart anyone looking to pull any funny busi- ness. They made detailed prepara- tions -- cots, blankets, bottled water, canned goods, shelter, portable lighting -- to respond to any and every contingency. But nothing happened. When the clock struck mid- night that New Year's Eve, there were few glitches, no chaos and zero mass hysteria of any kind. Y2K, wrote The Wall Street Journal, was, essentially, a giant hoax. That was the downside of America then. We were at our best in preparing for crises that weren't real. We lived in a fiction of our own creation -- fake wealth, fake security, fake spending promises at the local, state and federal lev- els that we'd never be able to afford. Boy, would the realities of the next decade be a bear. No sooner did 2000 begin than the dot-com bubble burst, wiping out trillions in paper wealth. In 2001, terrorists would catch us with our pants down, striking us hard. A worried Federal Reserve would begin a series of interest-rate cuts to pump "easy money" into the economy. That easy money, combined with bad government policies to both create (Citi- zens Reinvestment Act) and buy (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) bundles of risky sub- prime home loans, would fuel a housing bubble. The housing bubble debt payments. And all these woes would seem small compared to the $100 trillion in unfunded liabili- ties that generous politicians saddled our country with -- liabili- ties we may never be able to pay for. To be sure, our reck- oning has finally arrived. Tom would burst in 2008, wiping out trillions in wealth and kicking off the worst recession since the Great Depression. Voters would kick Republi- cans out of office. Democrats, controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress, would make more fake promises we will never keep and would spend, by New Year's Eve 2010, nearly $4 trillion more than we had. The unemployment rate would be stuck at nearly 10 per- cent. State and local govern- ments would begin to default on Purcell As bad as the past decade has been, the next decade will be plenty worse -- unless we embrace the diffi- cult, painful business of getting our house in order. So while many in the media look back at the high points of the past year - - while many neglect the sizable problems facing us -- I will escape to a happier time. This New Year's Eve, I'm going to party like it's 1999. ——— Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.