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Wednesday, June 23, 2010 – Daily News – 5A Opinion Pot fest 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 neighbors Editor: I know everybody is proba- bly tired of hearing about the hemp fest, but I need to get a few things off of my chest. The people living near the 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 festival site had no idea what was happening until it hit the papers. Donna Will nor the planning department had the common courtesy to let us know what we were in for. Morality and concern for your fellow neighbor were thrown out the window. I think they wanted it under the radar so they could blindside us and not get too much opposi- tion. We were not given the choice to have an opinion or a voice in the matter until it was too late. When we did voice concerns to the planning depart- ment we were told it did not matter how we felt or what our concerns were. We had no rights in the matter, it was for them to decide. It's easy for them to make such decisions, it's not in their front yard where their chil- dren play. Some of the problems we faced during the festival hours were cars parking on both sides of Riverside Avenue, people standing and walking down the middle of the street,using dri- veways to turn around, and even trying to park in some of them. As for the music and loud speaker, they did not comply with the cut off times. Saturday and Sunday the noise continued well up to midnight. The prob- lems we endured this year will only double next year. They have already said they didn’t advertise as much as they would have given the shortage of time. Now they will have one full year to advertise and get it out there. There will be even more people, noise and traffic invading our peaceful community. Many of our neighbors have lived here for 20-30 plus years in peace and quiet. Now there is talk of even more events to take place on this site. But, being in a small community we should not have this thrust upon us. Why are their choices and opinions worth more than ours? What happened to democracy? Does- n't majority rule? Apparently not in this case. My husband I moved from a neighborhood in town that had a lot of drug use.We kept our kids safe from all of that for 10 years.We finally got the oppor- tunity to get out of there. Now we live in a quiet country setting with wonderful neighbors that possess old time values. This is how I want my children raised, not in the middle of a pot fest that undermines our belief and values. I do not have a problem if someone is legitimately ill and uses marijuana to ease pain, but it seems like every Tom, Dick and Harry is getting a permit for everything from a headache to a pulled muscle. I think most of the time it is an excuse to be able to legally get high anytime they want. I want my children to know you don't have to be high to enjoy yourself or the world around you. Melissa Ismail, Red Bluff Disparaging dispatcher Editor: I recently called in to the Red Bluff Police Department dis- patch to report a drunk driver and was disgusted with the tone in which the dispatcher used when speaking to me. In her interrogation — I use this word because that is what it felt like — she asked me the common ques- tions like; when the incident took place, in which I informed her that it happened about four minutes ago. Then she proceeded to ask why it wasn't reported at the time. Again I responded by informing her that I didn't have a cell phone on me at the time, so I had to wait until I got to work to call it in. She also asked me if I was able to get his license plate number, which I gave to her. I would have given her the direc- tion he was headed on Walnut and the make, model and color of his vehicle had she asked for it, but I was too appalled and distracted by her tone and atti- tude to give her the information. Needless to say I was left with the feeling that nothing was going to be done with the report. What she doesn't realize is that I possibly put myself in a sensitive position by pulling up beside his vehicle and writing down his license plate number. Now I'm left wondering, for what? I don't know why I both- ered, other than the fact that my conscience would have suffered greatly if an innocent individual would have been hurt or killed due to the gross negligence of this driver. The dispatcher's tone was belittling and rude and not appreciated. I have been a con- cerned citizen of Red Bluff for 14 years and plan on adding a few more to that. Your Turn So I'd like to offer a little advice if I may. If you want people to report crimes of any nature, please inform your dispatchers to be professional and cour- teous to the concerned citizens who respectfully report these crimes to you. Colleen Jaggers, Red Bluff Aclass act Editor: I attended the concert on Tuesday, June 8, at the Red Bluff Community Center that was organized by Kerry DeFonte, a Red Bluff High School senior for her Make a Difference Day Senior Project. The concert was absolutely amazing. Every single person that got up to sing did a top quality job. It would not sur- prise me one bit to see many of these young people make it to the big charts someday. Thank you Kerry and to each and every one of you who sang and to all those who volunteered to make this event happen. More than $500 in donations were collected to benefit finding a cure for cancer. In my opinion the tickets to get in could have been $100 each and it would have been well worth it. Lorrie Byers, 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. The upside to hiring independent contractors Commentary It could turn out to be a good thing. According to CNNMoney.com, the traditional full-time job with benefits is being displaced by temporary or contract positions. With unemployment high, you see, employers have their pick of skilled workers. Why hire full-timers and fund costly benefits when they can pay a flat hourly or monthly rate instead? Few full-time employees are aware of it, but their benefits package — health, life, dental and disability insurance, "free" college tuition, workers' com- pensation insurance, 401(k) matching, etc. — is income. An employee who earns $70,000 in annual salary is prob- ably costing his employer closer to $100,000 total. Employers also must pay half of the 15.3 percent FICA tax (Social Security and Medicare combined). Though half of that 15.3 percent is paid by the employer and half by the employee, many employees have little idea that all of the FICA tax is, in reality, coming out of their pockets. Employers also must comply with a multitude of government mandates — such as providing health insurance under President Obama's new plan — that make them wary of hiring full-timers. Firing an unproductive employee, for instance, could open them up to a host of costly lawsuits. Why bother with such bur- dens and risks when they can simply hire a contractor? They can part with the con- tractor if work slows — part with him if his work is poor — and not have to worry about get- ting sued. To be sure, government med- dling has caused employers to prefer contractors over employ- ees — but wouldn't the country be better off if every worker were a self-employed contractor, if only for a little while? I've been self-employed for many years. For the past 11 years, in addition to this column, I've contracted my communica- tions services to a large technol- ogy firm in Virginia. I manage my own invoicing and taxes. I know to the penny — once my CPA explains it to me -— how high my income taxes are. I manage my own health care. That's why I shopped around for the best policy — a high- deductible policy. Since I pay the first $500 out of my own pocket, I also shop around when I need medicine or treatment —you'd be shocked at how much costs vary. If all Americans had health plans such as mine — if all Ameri- cans shopped around and managed their employer's health care dollars as though they were their own dollars — our health costs would surely be less than they are. If Americans knew good. Imagine a country rife with opportunity — one in which the majority of workers ask for nothing but the opportunity to com- pete and produce. Imagine a country in which the harder you work, the more you earn. Tom Purcell the real costs of health care, taxes and the burdens of hiring full-timers, wouldn't they be more sensible about the way they manage their affairs? In any event, CNNMoney.com says the per- centage of contract workers is soaring. In 2005, roughly 31 percent of U.S. workers made their income as self-employed contractors. Experts say that number could increase to well beyond 40 percent in the next 10 years. Which would do our country Imagine a country in which the majority of citizens fully com- prehend how govern- ment policy affects the economy — fully comprehend how bad government will cost them. Tom Purcell, a humor columnist 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. If only we could create a country like that — again. Hey, in such a country, our companies might become so prosperous, again, that they'll start hiring full-timers again. ———