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6A – Daily News – Saturday, June 19, 2010 Opinion Just say no 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 Editor: I am very appalled and sick- ened by the fact that even one of our town officials would be in favor of this hemp festival. Has anyone of you seen an image of a brain that has been exposed to THC, the chemical that is in marijuana. Do you know that the reasoning part of the brain is being formed in the teenage years and isn’t usually finished forming until an individ- ual reaches the age of 25. That is the part that says "Gee I have 20 dollars left until payday should I buy the family food or should I get me some weed." Chances are, if they've been smoking weed for some time it will come first. I believe the greater majority — the silent majority — would not like our town known as The World Hemp or Marijuana Capital. To me it sends a direct message to our youth that we approve this drug and they have a green light to burn out their brains with our blessings. I am a person who grew up as a teen in the 60s. I have seen for 50 years what it does to ones I know and love. I have two broth- ers dead from the effects — one high on marijuana went down on his motorcycle. The other com- mitted suicide after years of a life of working for the next party. I saw the brightest girl in my high school class at our 20th class reunion. She had a job on an assembly line and a rented apartment. She also looked burned out. I've talked to young people that are no longer living with their families that tell me their parents smoked in front of them all the time. If you could see what it is doing to these innocent brains it would be considered child abuse. We need to stand up for what is best for our children and grandchildren. I say it is time for us to stand up for what is right. I'm not telling anyone what to do in their own homes I have friends that smoke marijuana from time to time, they know how I feel and don't push it on me. I don’t understand how this one individual and her group can push it on all of us. Red Bluff should stand for what is right and good. The Round-Up, the Relay For Life, The service clubs and individuals that support every- thing from Special Olympics to Backpacks for Kids, baseball, soccer and so many other wholesome things, that we the working, family-rais- ing, struggling and retired, can live safely and proudly in a town named Red Bluff, not Pot City. Mary Stevens, Red Bluff Thanks sherriff Editor: I would like to thank Sheriff Clay Parker and all the agencies who chose to work together. Now Tehama County has a safe and working ordinance for future festivals upholding our rights as American citizens to peaceably assemble. The World Hemp Expo Extravaganja Festival promotes education on the true history of hemp and its many uses through music, film and freedom of Your Turn expression. By gathering open- minded people in the name of world peace, we hope to end the senseless drug war and honor all of our freedom fighters. Inspired by The Rainbow Family's creed, WHEE Festival was reborn Memorial Weekend 2010 and continues in the name of peace, love and free- dom. Thanks to the hun- dreds of volunteers, local support- ers and sponsors who gave their time and resources to make sure that WHEE 2010 was a huge suc- cess. We are pleased to have received positive feedback and well wishes from around the globe and are honored to have served as a model for internation- al peacekeeping. Best wishes to Sheriff Parker. It was not easy to uphold the law while strongly opposed by much of the community. The rights of all were at stake. I hope it is Park- er who will be respectfully gov- erning law enforcement in our county’s future. Donna Will, Cottonwood Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, 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: governor@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 Mont- gomery St., Suite 240, San Francis- co, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224-0454. Can’t buy me love Commentary I found myself humming the Beatles’ tune, Can’t Buy Me Love, this week as I was looking at the results of the California Primary online in Wisconsin, the morning after the election. Whether or not the title of the tune is true would depend on whom you asked. Meg Whitman would have a different answer from Pacific Gas and Elec- tric or Mercury Insurance. Although the official numbers were not in, it was reported that the Republican Governatress Candi- date has spent $71 million of her own money in a campaign that totaled over $80 million to con- duct. Since she received 1,105,855 votes, she spent $73.25 per vote received. Who says votes don’t come cheap? The total number of Republican votes for party candi- dates for governor was approxi- mately 1,733,000, so Whitman captured 64.2% of her party’s vot- ers at the primary. Jerry Brown, the Democratic candidate received 1,481,302 votes, running almost uncontested and spending a modest amount of money; he captured 84.1% of those who voted in the primary; the total for all Democratic candi- dates was approximately 1,760,300 votes. It is interesting that the vote totals for both parties are so close. The turnout in November’s “finals” will likely be higher, particularly for the Democ- rats who had a “ho-hum” primary campaign. If the November turnout is greater, that means Ms. Whitman will need to buy a very large num- ber of additional votes to win the election. If the 600,000 plus Republicans who voted for other candidates do not defect, the elec- tion could be close. If only half of them do, then she will need to spend another substantial sum to retain her supporters and attract new ones. A lot can happen between now and then. In an interview today (June 11) on PBS our current Governator was asked if he promised too much. Whitman will have to be careful that she does not sound like the Governator did when he ran. The anger of the electorate is still with us, and that may be in her favor. The public, however, has grown distrustful and/or cynical of late; she will need to be careful not to promise more than can be rea- sonably accomplished given our dysfunctional political climate. Politicians rarely win by telling the public “realistic” goals. Meanwhile Pacific Gas and Electric Company invested slight- ly more than $46 million of its profits taken from rate payers to push Proposition 16; that money came from rates that mostly seem too low to the company and plenty high to their customers; they did receive $91,000 in support from the state chamber of commerce, by the way. The campaign against Proposition spent around $100,000 total. By my calculations, PG&E spent approximately $1000 per each of the reported 46,000 com- plaints about so-called “smart meters”; perhaps the money had been better spent dealing with the problems with the meters than try- ing to bamboozle the electorate. Rate payers have been beaten over the head about conserving energy; perhaps PG&E did not realize conserving profits for good service is a good idea. You have to hand it to PG&E for coming up with their own title for their pet initiative, making it sound like a new kind of voter rights initiative; most people fig- ured out, however, voter rights are incorporated into the Constitution and law, and those rights do not need further adjustments; never- theless, PG&E decided it could convince us to back their initiative. It spent only about $25 per vote in their losing effort. I guess that old saying that no one ever lost under- estimating the intelligence of the voter doesn’t hold true in this case. PG&E just couldn’t buy our love. Neither could Mercury Insur- ance buy our love; Mercury spon- sored another corporate attempt to pull the wool over our eyes with an initiative that would have caused problems for those who had let their insurance lapse. Mercury, of course, was plagued by its preda- tory reputation and its alleged indifference to the rules of the insurance game according to the state department of insurance. It spent only $15 million of its own money and $1 million of someone else’s to try to fool us; perhaps it couldn’t afford any more since it had to set aside reserves for possible punitive court decisions for its alleged actions. Or, maybe it was living up to most people’s descrip- tion of certain insurance companies, cheapskate and penny-pincher. If that is not the case, I am sure they will be asking for a rate increase soon. Money and politics have been partners on our shores ever since before the revolution. Even our revolution was launched in part for economic reasons. General Wash- ington was plagued with corrupt and inefficient procurement; profi- teering was rampant. More recent- ly we have seen elected officials of both parties fall prey to “special interests”, or “stake holders” as they are more politely called by those same politicians. Joe Harrop to seeking their cooperation. Another wealthy politician, Michael Bloomberg in New York City, has been able to revise the term limit laws to successfully achieve another term as mayor. It will take time to bring perspective to his accomplishments. The question has always been whether or not it was possible to purchase a major elec- tion. PG&E and Mer- cury tried to do that this year, and they failed. For the most part the public is wary of such self serving initiatives, and most likely has been further influenced by the British Petrole- um disaster in the Gulf and the company’s coziness with regulato- ry agencies. Ms. Whit- man ran an expensive, if negative, campaign against her primary competitor, and defeat- ed him soundly. (Negativism was used by both candidates.) Lincoln Steffens, a Muckraker One question that comes to mind is whether the independently wealthy can govern more effec- tively than those who are in debt to special interests and constantly worry about their political futures. Can ego and money serve the pub- lic good? Time will tell. The cur- rent governor felt he could come in and make a difference, but in his political naiveté he alternated from calling the legislators “girly men” from over a century ago, once said we, the electorate, have to be wary of the reformer on the white horse who promises reform and good times for all. Self proclaimed reformers seldom understand the system and how to make it work. Their goals may be good, but they are hard to achieve without knowl- edge of the system. His idol was Tom Johnson, the boss of Cleve- land. He was a beneficent boss, using his wisdom and/or deal making to work for the best inter- ests of all, including himself, of course. This November we will have a choice between a wizened politi- cal animal and a self-proclaimed reformer with money to spend. It will be interesting to see what hap- pens. Joe Harrop can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. 94249; (916) 319-