Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/113312
4A Daily News – Tuesday, March 5, 2013 Opinion On the wrong side of history 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 As we march forward into March of 2013 I wonder how much further afield of the facts conservative thinkers with their Tea Party confederates will trod before Americans realize they are being sold a bill of goods – and faulty ones at that. Maybe it is just me, but it seems that whatever topic I choose, there is ample evidence of malfeasance for personal political gain. If it is just me, let me share some insights you might find enlightening. Item 1: The ever widening income gap in America – The six heirs to the Walmart fortune now have income that exceeds the total of the bottom third of American workers combined. I'm all for receiving a fair return for one's labors, but this is capitalism run amuck, where billionaires reward those that make their wealth possible with substandard wages and benefits. To make matters worse many of those very workers swallow the Tea Party swill that unions are some kind of liberal conspiracy to harm job creators. A brief review of history will reveal that labor unions are the salvation of the working class that through collective bargaining alone can stand up against the unmitigated greed of business owners and stock holders by ensuring working conditions are safe, fair, and sufficiently well valued to support their families. Item 2: The ever increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere -- Clearly the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing. Equally clearly, the rate of increase is increasing. In 1960 the rate of increase per year was 0.71 PPM (parts per million). The 2005 rate of increase was 2.14 PPM per year. However, the increase is not perfectly steady. The Pinatubo volcanic eruption of 1991 is credited with the slowing of the increase for a few years. The massive release of sulfur dioxide resulted in an increase in cloud cover which resulted in cooling which increased the solubility of carbon dioxide in sea water. The pause, whatever its origin, was canceled by an acceleration in the next decade. The Southern Oscillation also known as the El Niño-La Niña cycle also seems to have an effect. The general trend, however, is unmistakable. There is no doubt that the carbon dioxide increase is anthropogenic (meaning caused by human activity). The circumstantial evidence is strong since human population increases track carbon dioxide increases. However, there is proof because carbon dioxide circulating between plants, animals and the atmosphere is made slightly radioactive in the upper atmosphere by the sun whereas carbon dioxide formed by burning fossil fuels is not radioactive because the carbon has not been in the upper only one of the three atmosphere for millions branches of U.S. goverof years. That makes it nance defy reality and possible to distinguish cling to the fiction that anthropogenic fossil pollution generated by fuel derived carbon their well healed politidioxide from the carcal supporters is not to bon dioxide circulating blame. between plants and aniItem 3: The ever mals by measuring its increasing respect for radioactivity. sexual and ethnic equalAt 400 PPM, the ity – women, homosexamount of carbon dioxuals, and ethnic minoriide currently in the Richard ties (one soon to atmosphere is unprecebecome an American dented, at least in the majority) all deserve past 415,000 years. The equal opportunities last time it reached under the law. Old even 300 PPM was school patriarchal, puri325,000 years ago. tanical, and parochial Although the record is beliefs are giving way jagged it is easy for the to the evolution of untrained eye to see the amount of carbon dioxide in the human consciousness that all atmosphere is strongly correlated people were created as one in the to temperature and glaciation. eyes of the creator, and as such When the concentration is below are equally worthy of the benefits 240 PPM, kilometers thick glaci- of citizenship irrespective of their ers cover most of Europe, Canada sex organs, sexual preferences, or and the northern part of the Unit- lands of origin. Efforts by consered States. Ocean temperatures, vatives to deny reproductive conlevels, and the degree of glacial trol and wage parity to women, melting are at all time highs – not the benefits of marriage to homocoincidentally along with levels sexuals, and to make voting or of fossil fuel use in our ever immigration difficult for the oppressed are certain to fail as industrializing societies. While the worldwide scientific Americans objectively realize community is convinced that their place is on the wrong side of human intervention is necessary history. to protect life as we know it a Richard Mazzucchi can be group of Republicans having a majority in just one chamber in reached at living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point 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, 530-223-6300, Fax: 530-2236737, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202225-3076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 3930707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary O-bots, move along, nothing to read here Fair warning: If you light your votive candles under a fading Obama poster with his gaze fixed above you, the lowly subject; if news is whatever emits from the mouths of MSNBC's lineup of left wing loons and moon bats (the likes of Ed Schultz and Al Sharpton have spewed conservative-andTea-Party-hating garbage long enough to have earned my namecalling many times over); if you love the pompous, booming sound of President Obama's voice (yelling, always yelling) – then your equanimity would be best served skipping this column in it's entirety. The titles of the articles I've posted at Polecat News and Views (DonPolson.blogspot.com), under the "budget" label (cross listed under "Obama," "lying liars"), help you understand the phoniest, the most reprehensible act of mis-governance by a president that I have ever seen in my life or in history. "The President is Raging Against a Budget Crisis He Created," "Obama: Fear the Sequester Cuts!" Then there's "Obama and the Sequester Scare; Governing isn't about blaming someone else – it is about choosing," "How defense spending will grow under sequester cuts," "5 Sequester Facts to Know Before Committing Suicide" and "The sequester is a bad idea whose time has come," all searchable by title. For this columnist, writing on budget and sequester-related topics is an idea whose time has come, given another writer's near-obsession with regurgitating Obama-crat propaganda and talking points. Further writing on useless gun laws and the hypocrisy of "left of center" writers can wait; murderers inspired by liberals will also wait for another column. The truth about this entire Obama-constructed and manipulated "fiscal crisis" should boil our collective, figurative blood. Another excellent and revealing article is "President Obama's Legacy: Government Greed; Americans know that at least 3 percent of federal spending is wasteful" by Gov. Bobby Jindal. As of Feb. 28, Obama and his cabinet secretaries continued to drum into everyone's minds what dire consequences await us upon the sequestration cuts to come. "You've heard them – no vaccinations for children, teachers losing their jobs, less security from terrorist attacks, longer wait times at airports, and fewer food inspections. Now there are even reports that government officials are releasing hundreds of immigrants from deportation centers. What's next? … Open the federal prison doors? This is silly." Actually, it is the furthest thing from silly. When you consider (from "5 sequester facts …) 1. The cuts are tiny, only $44 billion in this fiscal year (CBO); 2. Spending is still going up! From $3.5 trillion in 2012 up to $3.6 trillion this year with the "cuts"; 3. The Pentagon won't starve, having doubled its budget over the last 10 years; 4. You can't cut nonexistent programs! Obama's OMB moans that all of $2 million will be cut from the $20 million budget for the National Drug Intelligence Center, which closed it doors last June. Most crucial to affixing blame: It was made painstakingly clear in Bob Woodward's writing (book and WSJ column) that Obama personally changed the deal he made over the debt limit with Republi- but will surely blather on about cans in 2011, insisting on more tax "extremist" Republicans and the hikes (what can't they fix, right?). Tea Party (fiscal responsibility: "extremist") or will He insisted on these revert to tired, disingen"draconian" automatic uous Bush-bashing. cuts with the full intenSo, here's what fries tion that he would ultimy grits, so to speak: mately unleash the Witness local Lassen entire governmental, Park officials telling us activist, media and party they won't be able to apparatus to wail merciopen the campgrounds lessly on the only oppowe all own at normal sition yet remaining to camping dates, or Obama's tax-grab-andsenior program adminrule in Washington: istrators in Bend, Orethose evil, wascally, gon, warning of cuts to Republicans. Don the meals that the elderHave your news the litsources told you that Polson ly depend on, orof other erally hundreds Obama is on video record warning ConThe way governmental mouthpieces spreading the gress that he would veto same doom-and-gloom any attempt to restore the I see it message so Congressequester cuts? That sional Republicans will Republicans in Congress have passed multiple solutions to relent and raise taxes. It is all a spread the agreed upon cuts in rea- gigantic sham, from Obama's sonable, equitable ways? That Sen- lying mouth on down, designed to ate Democrats haven't had any inflict hurt, harm, inconvenience interest in taking up or voting on and punishment on every segment those solutions? That Obama has of America's population for not refused to even consider accepting doing his and his party's will. It is Congressional authorization to the most despicable abrogation of make cuts based on his judgment presidential and political leadership and responsibility imaginand determination? He got tax hikes that hit not able; it is evil in intention, by only the very rich but also every design and effect, the way I see it. income level. It won't be enough! Unless you think that the commuIt will never be enough! Oba- nity organizer-in-chief is just macrats will never be satisfied innocently following the divideuntil everyone's taxes are appro- and-conquer, get-Americans-atpriately burdensome so as to fund each-other's-throats method of every liberal, "collectivist" dream Saul Alinski's book, dedicated to they can conjure up. Obama is a Satan by the way. collectivist out of his own mouth Don Polson has called Red Bluff multiple times (i.e. State of the home since 1988. He can be Union). Local apologists for the by e-mail at President and his party will be reached incapable of refuting any of this, donplsn@yahoo.com.