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4A Daily News ��� Saturday, February 16, 2013 Opinion Final say 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. 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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: Not wishing to get into a hissing contest with Mr. Wolfe, this shall be my last lengthy comment on his lengthy comments. He, indeed, has had a bit of a struggle himself ��� such as his work in the timber field. I can���t even imagine the agony and stress of cutting ferns for a florist supplier. Did he also work nights and weekends? As to my condescending attitude and use of four-bit words, I assume that he refers to words such as screed, diatribe and vapidity which I applied in describing his vituperative commentaries ��� good grief, there is another of those words. As a college student himself, I have to suspect that he is familiar with words of multiple syllables, and even uses them himself ��� words such as constitutional amendment, for example. What he suggests was my intent in referring to the Confederacy and their use of ���Don���t Tread On Me��� flags, is absurd. At no time did I refer to racism. As he should know, having been schooled, the fight with the Confederacy was primarily over the demand for their constitutional right to secede from the Union ��� the matter of slavery was a sec- ondary issue. My reference was in regard to a political movement that was intent on destroying the Union. I liken the actions of the Tea Party to those of the Confederacy ��� actions to ensure the destruction of the once respected and productive Republican Party ��� or perhaps our system of government. In short, I do not look down my nose at any group of citizens, but I do view with scorn the misinformed and zealous advocacy this group represents. If Mr. Wolfe finds words herein too difficult to comprehend, I would advise that he consult a dictionary from time to time. The end. Hugh Merhoff, Red Bluff Three faces of socialism Editor: While a sizeable portion of the world, including parts of Europe, is still reeling from the fallout of our Wall Street generated global financial crisis, a group of countries has actually managed, without much fanfare, to emerge relatively unscathed from the enormous economic upheaval. According to a recent global Gallup-Healthways poll, these places: Denmark, Finland, Swe- absolute failures, and bear responden, Norway and Holland, have sibility for a level of bloodshed the also been found to contain the hap- world had never experienced piest, most contented citizens in before, nor should ever have to the world, with a high living stan- face again. It might be hard to fathom, but dard to match. This raises the obvious ques- citizens of these aforementioned tion: What could these folks possi- democratic socialist countries bly have in common? A shared actually display great appreciation for their government, Baltic/North Sea locawhich is designed to tion? Northern European Your function as a referee, by fresh air? Odin/Thor, the balancing the interests Flying Dutchman, or of its citizens, workers some other historical and unions with those myth? of the business and corActually, none of the above, but instead a shared system porate sector, by providing a conof governance, deeply steeped in duit for the infusion of the people's democratic socialism, which by needs into the veins of a basic capthe way, also happens to be a sig- italist profit driven system. Heavily taxed on all sides, nificant component of the political multi-party systems of all our especially the top, albeit practiced friends, trading partners and with civility, absent deep rooted NATO allies, who continually find resentment or rancor, and generalthemselves vilified, when it serves ly viewed as a symbiotic system our government and corporate which focuses on the common good, continued stability, and interests. Unfortunately, the term social- shared blessings at all levels of ism was usurped and bastardized society. Maybe it is time for acknowlduring the past century, by such polar opposites as the USSR ��� edgment by some of our more Union of Soviet Socialist informed, thoughtful individuals, Republics and the Nazis, who as a way of mitigating the ongocalled themselves the NSDAP ��� ing practice of outright condemNational Socialist German Work- nation of a political system these folks happen to hold in high ers Party. Needless to say that both these esteem. Joe Bahlke, Red Bluff versions have proven to be Turn 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. Commentary What is in a name? This column is a little rambling in keeping with my affinity for words. While we were flying from Sacramento to Milwaukee the Direct TV monitor on the seat back in front of us ran a series of commercials for Lincoln cars. There was no mention in those ads that Lincoln was part of the Ford Motor Company. The ads compared many features of the new Lincoln with those of other upscale cars such as Acura, Audi, Cadillac, Lexus, Infinity, and Mercedes. I was too cheap to pay for the television programming, so I couldn���t hear what was being said, but it seemed to me at first sight that Lincoln was trying to emphasis that it was competing in a new league, and that it didn���t want to be associated with Ford, and it was now the Lincoln Motor Car Company. Similarly, we have learned via television commercials that Ram makes trucks, not Dodge. Dodge has been around for a long time; and the founding Dodge Brothers were well regarded car manufacturers before they died; Chrysler purchased the Dodge Brothers operation in 1928. When I was younger the Chrysler motor company produced Plymouths, De Soto���s, Dodges, Chryslers, Willys, and Imperials. My father was a Plymouth man, never owning another brand after he bought his first 1937 model. Now there is Dodge, Ram, Jeep, and Chrysler. Perhaps the image of a wild ram smashing through the wilderness is appealing to some, but rams smashing through traffic patterns are not very appealing to me, at least. My guess is the trucks are just the same old dodge, to make a play on words. Whether or not the emphasis upon Ram and the Lincoln Motor Car Company will pay off for Chrysler and Ford probably depends more on the quality of their products than the advertizing; name changes do not necessarily make a difference. Shakespeare had it right when he said, ���What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.��� The reverse is probably true too; a skunk by any other name would smell as badly. There have been some famous name changes. Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili shortened his name to Joseph Stalin, the man of steel; though not impervious to kryptonite like another man of steel, he did seem to be impervious to the plight of a lot of Russian citizens. We know Norma Jeane Mortenson these days as the blond bombshell Marilyn Monroe; whether or not JFK or any others would have been captivated by her as Norma Jeane is anybody���s guess. Mel Brooks was born Melvin James Kaminsky; he changed his name on purpose, but many immigrants to our country had their names ���Americanized��� at either Ellis Island or Angel Island. While Ford and Chrysler may not be trying to pick more pleasing names for their products, in the ���word-smithing��� business we often use euphemisms as substitutes for less pleasant items. For example, around our house, I scoop the ���cat product��� from the litter boxes each day, not the cat bleep. A euphemism is a rose or a skunk by another name. The ���pow- ing cutback takes place. This autoder room��� is a polite reference to a matic spending cut is what is called lavatory; in politics we hear many "sequestration." Sequestration sounds innocent in the public forum use kinder and gentler terms to temper the truth. enough, but it clearly is a ploy for ���Sequestration��� is used to hide Congress to commit a multitude of sins without addressing Congress��� inability to the real issue of spendlive within our means. ing limits. It permits Originally, sequestraeach party to say the tion was ���a legal term other is irresponsible. It referring generally to the is a big word for a stinky act of valuable property rose. being taken into custody There are words that by an agent of the court have evolved over a and locked away for short period of time and safekeeping.��� This was then fallen into disredone ���usually to prevent pute, like filibuster. The the property from being English term "filibuster" disposed of or abused Joe derives from the Spanish before a dispute over its filibustero, itself derivownership can be ing originally from the resolved. But the term Dutch vrijbuiter, meanhas been adapted by ing a freebooter or Congress in more recent pirate. Filibuster outyears to describe a new fiscal policy procedure originally laws crashed in on others, taking provided for in the Gramm-Rud- over their treasures or disrupting man-Hollings Deficit Reduction their societies. Robberies on the Act of 1985��� Allegedly this is ���an high seas or plundering of a helpeffort to reform Congressional vot- less town come to mind. As applied to our United States ing procedures ���to make the size of the Federal government's budget Senate, however, filibuster has deficit a matter of conscious choice come to mean a way to keep things rather than simply the arithmetical from happening. In the Senate, our outcome of a decentralized appro- least democratic legislative priations process in which no one branch, filibustering allows one ever looked at the cumulative Senator to put everything on hold. results until it was too late to Then again it may really hearken change them. If the dozen or so back to one of its original meanappropriation bills passed separate- ings, ���robber��� because those who ly by Congress [exceed] the use that tactic are robbing the rest spending���limits Congress earlier of us. laid down for itself in the annual Joe Harrop is a retired Budget Resolution, and if Congress cannot agree on ways to cut educator with more than 30 back the total (or does not pass a years of service to the North new, higher Budget Resolution), State. He can be reached at then an "automatic" form of spend- DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop