Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11422
6A – Daily News – Wednesday, June 2, 2010 Opinion Whoopie party 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 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 If only more Americans had bought fixer-uppers. Maybe I better explain. My first house was in need of major renovations. Boy, did my father and I suffer when we improved the bathroom. The project started well enough. We tore down the old wall tile and put up wallpaper and a tub sur- round. We repainted, then put down a new floor. All we had to do to was reinstall the commode. The bolts that had secured the toilet to the floor had both broken. The hardware-store guy sold me a kit to reattach them. My father spent an hour reat- taching the bolts. But as we attempted to fish the bolts through the commode's bolt holes, we dis- covered they were too short. "Son of a ... !" said my father. "The idiots gave us the wrong bolts!" I said. I raced to the hardware store and bought longer bolts. My father spent another hour getting them in place. We were finally able to reat- tach the commode. But another problem arose: the wax goop that seals the commode to the sewage pipe wasn't thick enough to seal anything. "Son of a ... !!" said my father. Editor: Well, well, well. The big mind altering whoop party is a go. Isn’t that great for Tehama County to be known for? I don’t understand why this whoopie party is happening on Memorial Day Weekend, a holi- day that we, as upstanding citi- zens, pay homage to veterans and service men and women who gave their lives and fought so valiantly to preserve the right of freedom for this very group of inconsiderate pot smokers to have their whoopie parties. Oh, sorry, I guess their minds weren’t all that clear to have a meaningful thought. All over America Red Bluff has been known, proudly, as Cowtown USA. I only hope now we won’t be known, shamefully, as Pottown USA. We can only hope not. Lois Floyd, Red Bluff Ability counts Editor: Dave Hencratt sounds like a nice guy. I heard him speak at a candidates meeting, but to be a successful administrator, the ability to delegate is paramount. Sheriff Clay Parker has proven that he has that ability. Let’s keep Clay Parker as our sheriff. Kay Haley, Red Bluff Work ethic Editor: I have worked in the District Attorney’s office for over 14 years, and for the past 10 years I have been the office manager. Through these years I have observed District Attorney Gregg Cohen’s work ethic. Even after serving as DA for 11 years, Mr. Cohen continues to routinely come to work at 4 a.m. and insists on being called by law enforcement at all hours of the night when a serious crime occurs. Not only is Mr. Cohen a pleasure to work for and with, but also he is clearly the most qualified candidate for the job. Gregg Cohen has dedicated 17 years of his 20-year legal career to criminal prosecution. Most of that time has been spent here in Red Bluff. He’s been a Deputy District Attorney for Tehama County and Shasta County. For the past 12 years, not only has he served as Tehama County’s top criminal prosecutor, but has also been responsible for overseeing all of the criminal cases that come through the office, as well as managing the budget, all of the attorneys, investigators and sup- port staff that are employed in the District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney’s duties not only pertain to the prosecution of criminals, but also require one to be an effec- tive administrator, to be able to deal with the budget, especially during this budget crises that we are currently in, and to keep his staff energized and wanting to come to work every day and not hating their job. Gregg Cohen fulfills each of his duties to the fullest. As a Tehama County resident I want to continue to have Gregg Cohen as our District Attorney, as he holds himself and his staff to the highest stan- dard of integrity, and who is as honest and dedicated to his job as he is. He is not soft on crimi- nals. Therefore, I support Gregg Cohen to be re-elected. Theresia Sweeney, Red Bluff Judicial qualifications Editor: I write because I have been a trial attor- ney for over 30 years. I have practiced law in Tehama County for more years than both Lisa Muto and Jonathan Skillman. Certainly, voters should con- sider a Superior Court Judge candidate’s qualifications, not just his or her sex. Likewise, going to church or being born locally is not the reason why people should vote for a candi- date. Your Turn Skillman claimed nearly 20 years experience as a prosecu- tor. Skillman more recently responded to written questions from the same newspaper, mak- ing the same claim. But, Skillman was only admitted to the bar in late 1995. That’s less than 15 years’ expe- rience as an attorney. Muto does have nearly 20 years expe- rience as an attorney. She was admitted to the bar in late 1990. Ronald Dreifort, Red Bluff Backstabbing year. Since the abolition of Justice and Municipal courts — often a training ground for Superior Court Judges to be — experi- ence as an attorney has been a very important yardstick for judicial candidates. Muto has handled cases in every area of law, including civil, criminal, family law, juve- nile, real estate, business and probate. Skillman, on the other hand, has limited himself as an attor- ney to criminal prosecution. Skillman’s attendance in court is often a function of his super- visor duties as the district attor- ney’s assistant. Skillman has handled some serious cases per- sonally, including the failed prosecution of Thomas Endi- cott. When initially interviewed as a candidate by the Daily News, Editor: Wow. This is quite an election First I see a letter from a for- mer sheriff's lieutenant saying the sheriff should be removed. Isn't this the same person that lost his job as a deputy years ago only to be rehired and later promoted under Sheriff Parker? Or the letter from the former deputy who supported Rob Heard, but when Parker won changed his support to the win- ner until he no longer needed him. What ever happened to loyal- ty? Several people who did well under the current regime are now biting the hand that has fed them for years because they have a problem with others in the cur- rent administration. I would hope that the voters of Tehama County take into consid- eration that political backstabbing is alive and well and give Sheriff Clay Parker the opportunity to continue to serve us as the profes- sional that he is and has been. Barry LaVette, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, 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. On fixer-uppers Commentary "The idiots gave us the wrong goop!" I said. After another visit to the hard- ware store, our third attempt to secure the toilet succeeded. But we needed to reattach the water fit- tings. To reattach the water fittings, you have to wedge your body between the tub and the commode. Then you have to screw the water- line bolt, made of metal, into a plastic pipe coming from the com- mode. But they won’t screw together. So you have to keep trying to screw them together until you bang your head on the commode, which makes you angry, so you attempt to stand quickly, which kicks the newly-laid tile out of place, and then you bang your shin on the toi- let, which causes you to throw whatever you’re holding through the bathroom window. Eventually, we got the metal water-line bolt to screw into the plastic pipe -- but we stripped the threads. When we turned the water back on, a leak sprouted that made Niagara Falls look like a lap pool. "Son of a ... !!" shouted my father. "The idiots!" I said. I raced back to the hardware store and bought every plumbing fitting ever designed by man: glue, sealant, putty, rubber washers, pumps… Eventually, we got the commode installed. We got the sink installed. We sealed every leak. The miserable job took sever- al hours more than we had planned. If more Americans were willing to have such experiences, we'd all be better off. You see, in the sensi- ble old days, before Americans bought mas- sive houses they couldn't afford and paid more than those massive hous- es were worth, Americans were cautious and frugal. government kicked off the housing bubble by lowering lending stan- dards -- before Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bought millions in bad mortgages written by reckless brokers who knew they could sell the bad loans. It was before greedy Tom Purcell The smarter folks shopped around -- they bought modest, fixer-upper houses for less than market value. They weren't afraid to get their hands dirty to produce wealth. They came to appreciate how difficult it is to grow wealth -- they knew that eventually they could sell their house at a gain and use it to buy a nicer house. Of course, that was before our upper. Wall Street morons overexposed their firms for millions in short- term bonuses -- before American home buyers routinely assumed the boom times would never end. Well, the bubble finally burst and the economy hit the skids. Now millions are learn- ing about wealth creation the hard way. Tom Purcell, a humor columnist If only they’d bought a fixer- ——— 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.