Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/109167
6A Daily News ��� Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Opinion 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. Theater thanks Editor: On behalf of the State Theatre for the Arts (STFTA), I am pleased to report that calendar year 2012 was another amazing year in the history of the historic State Theatre. We started the year owing approximately $225,000 on our mortgage to acquire the theatre. This amazing community continued to respond by collectively contributing an additional $150,000 to our Capital Campaign, leaving only $75,000 before we will be able to burn our mortgage. STFTA continues to be a volunteer driven organization, as evidenced by the 4,000+ hours donated in 2012 by our board members and by countless volunteers who work so hard to make the State Theatre experience the best it can possibly be. To that end, we are pleased to announce that we recently purchased the former "Taste of Tehama" building to the east of the theatre. While the building will provide a badly needed "green room," we have entered into an exciting partnership and lease agreement with the Tehama County Arts Council that will also allow the building to be utilized as a community center for the arts. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the support of the almost 200 members of the State Theatre for the Arts. In 2012 we received nearly $20,000 in membership fees, which allowed us to make several improvements regarding 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 by filling seats when something changes in our Constitution is playing at the theater. Next (Bill of Rights), read this and time you see something playing weep. This concept of a living at the State Theatre, Constitution to think about coming on accommodate today's Your down. We promise you society would be a won���t be sorry. If you nightmare. A classic are, we will give your example of a living money back, and a free document ��� The bag of popcorn. U.S. Tax Code. Now, If your readers would like a that's a nightmare. more complete picture of State Jefferson's quote states: The Theatre happenings; including two enemies of the people are the 2012 annual report, the cap- criminals and government. Let ital campaign, and the member- us tie the second down with ship program, please visit our chains of the Constitution so the website at www.statetheatrered- second will not be the legalize bluff.com. version of the first. Thank God Thank you Red Bluff and for Article 5 of our Constitution. Tehama County. You are the The Constitution did not best. undertake to define all our Bill Cornelius, Red Bluff rights, and James Madison included the Ninth Amendment to resolve the objections of those Rights could never be comprehensive enough to protect all fundamental rights. Editor: The word "privacy" appears The Ninth Amendment is nowhere in the Constitution, yet vague but wonderful in its we Americans tend to be fierce rhetoric. Many think it was one and independent - especially of the amendments that was not when it comes to the freedom necessary but was included in from arbitrary governmental the Bill of Rights to make peo- interference in personal affairs. ple more secure. The U.S. con- It's fascinating to recognize that stitution does not specifically this treasured liberty is linked list all the rights of the people, directly to our Constitution and the Ninth Amendment was through the Ninth Amendment. adopted to assure rights even if If we the people continue to they are not named in the docu- be apathetic, there are those ment. The federal government traitors (judges and legislators) has only those powers given to in our society who will steal our it by the Constitution. rights without a Constitutional Read the 28 words of the Convention. Tenth Amendment, Bill of Donald Bird, Rights. For the many scholars Rancho Tehama of law that are promoting Turn Forgotten amendments Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN ��� Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR ��� Jim Nielsen, 280 Hemsted Dr., Ste. 110, Redding, CA 96002, 530223-6300, Fax: 530-223-6737, 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. 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 our programming, including the acquisition of the green room building as well as allowing us to contract for front-of-house management services. Our 2013 membership drive is now under way; we invite each person in Tehama County to join to support the theater, which belongs to all of us. Calendar year 2012 also saw progress on several other fronts. With a McConnell Fund grant we have been able to acquire and install a state of the art sound and video system. Preliminary work has been done regarding replacement of the decades old concession stand as well as the State Theatre "blade" that rises above the theater building. It is our hope that calendar year 2013 will see these projects completed. Even though our emphasis is by necessity sometimes on fundraising, we realize that our primary purpose is to provide a superior performing and cultural arts product to the community. During calendar year 2013, 33 events were held at the State Theatre, allowing approximately 10,000 members of the community to enjoy truly high-quality programming. While the STFTA Board of Directors continues to be amazed at the level of support received from virtually all segments of the community, we would like to stress that the quantity and quality of programming offered at the State Theatre can only grow through increasing our membership and Commentary The cut is in the mail It's Nixon's fault. I speak of the financial woes of the U.S. Postal Service, and the news last week that its hopes to cut Saturday mail delivery to save a few billion dollars a year. As it goes, President Nixon, tired of strikes by then-government postal workers, signed the Postal Reorganization Act into law in 1971. It established the Postal Service as a quasi-private organization required to pay its own bills with revenue it earns selling stamps. To the Postal Service's credit, it has not, for the most part, needed taxpayer money to fund its operations. Taxpayer money, says PBS, "is only used in some cases to pay for mailing voter materials to disabled and overseas Americans." But thanks to technology, the postal business isn't as lucrative as it used to be. Few people write and mail letters anymore. I used to spend three hours each months writing checks to pay my bills and dropping 15 or so payments in the mail ��� now I do online checking in about three minutes and the funds are transferred electronically, free of charge. Annual USPS revenue, which peaked in 2008 at $75 billion, is down to $65 billion and will continue to decline as fewer people use the mail. Our struggling economy also is doing the Postal Service no favors. Compounding USPS woes is a congressional mandate from 2006. It requires the Postal Service, through 2016, to make an annual pre-payment of $5.5 billion into a fund to cover healthcare costs for future retired employees. Unlike Medicare, Social Security or any other government organization, the Postal Service is required to put money into a real "lock box" to fund future liabilities ��� rather than let future taxpayers worry about covering the costs. The $5.5 billion pre-payment, however, only accounts for about a third of the Postal Service's $15.9 billion in losses in fiscal 2012. No matter how you look at it, the Postal Service is bleeding red ink by the tanker load. That doesn't bode well for the 550,000 people employed by the Postal Service ��� America's third largest employer, in fact, behind the federal govern- worry in the world ��� for the moment, anyhow. ment and Wal-Mart. Consider: Our govAnd I feel sorry for ernment's annual deficit these folks. has been in the $1 trilIt's not their fault lion range for five years the Postal Service is running. What's anothunable to adapt to er $15.9 billion? All modern times ��� we'd have to do is print unable to find ways to another $15.9 billion to sell new products and cover the Postal Serservices to post offices' vice's shortfall. nearly 1 billion annual Actually, we'd only visitors. have to print another Most postal employ$10.4 billion. ees are crushed under Tom Because if the Postal the weight of outmoded Service were fully a business processes and government organizabureaucratic inanities. tion, nobody in ConThey lack the organizational support to serve cus- gress would make it put aside tomers as well as they would $5.5 billion a year to fund the like. They are unable to help needs of future retirees. There's a lot of finger-pointtheir employer grow and thrive. But here is the real problem ing going on to explain the postal workers face: Because Postal Service's budget woes. I the Postal Service is technically say blame it all on Nixon. an independent entity, the fedTom Purcell, a humor eral government won't extend it billions in printed money to columnist for the Pittsburgh cover its budget shortfalls ��� as Tribune-Review, is nationally our government does with syndicated exclusively by every other government organi- Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web zation. If only the Postal Service at www.TomPurcell.com or ehim at were still a full government mail organization, it wouldn't have a Purcell@caglecartoons.com. Purcell