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6A – Daily News – Tuesday, June 29, 2010 Opinion Saving Red Bluff Editor: 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 On June 25, Wayne Brown, councilman, and Bob Carrel, mayor pro-tem, along with Mar- tin Nichols, city manager, released the 2010-2011 Budget Committee Fiscal Report. As a result, $1,453,430 will need to be cut from the fiscal budget. Our Parks and Recreation program provides a FunZone, swimming pool, basketball, vol- leyball and softball programs as well as ground and building maintenance for 90 developed and 60 undeveloped acres of land. The Parks and Recreation program, which uses 4.9 percent of the General Fund, is expected to cut $155,000, which includes closing the swimming pool and laying off yet another mainte- nance employee. This 4.9 per- cent should equate to $63,000 — not nearly triple that. It’s simple math, and it’s not adding up. The city manager is 5 percent of the General Fund and he is electing to cut his insurance that is $3,500 — a far cry from $65,000, which is what he needs to cut. Insurance is what every- one is expected to reduce, so why is it the only thing he is reducing? By cutting this park mainte- nance employee and closing the pool we are ensuring that there will be a reduction in the ability to maintain parks and prepare for games, repairs to building, equipment and garbage collec- tion will be delayed and there- fore the park usage will decline. In addition, McGlynn Pool will only reopen if new funding is realized. My questions to the Budget Committee: When will enough be enough? When will our city directors and manager all be required to be residents of Red Bluff? How many more of our citizens will need to suffer as a result of their managerial incompetence and inability to properly budget? Elizabeth Manwell, Red Bluff Alternative energy Editor: From 1955 until 2008 retire- ment, energy savings has been my career. This included reduc- ing the energy and harmful emis- sions of diesel and alternative fueled aircraft, trucks, buses, motorhomes and stationary power devices. The challenge is to balance the added costs of harmful emissions reduction with fuel use reduction. I'm concerned about the exploding costs of energy from solar and wind turbines. Federal and state subsidies only transfers the costs to tax- payers with minimal environ- mental benefit. Electrical ener- gy from traditional coal and natural gas power, costs the customer about 9 cents a kilo- watt hour. This compares to 15 cents for wind power and 22 cents for solar power, includ- ing the taxpayer subsidies. Wind power has significant negatives of being available only one-quarter of the day, and the medical health risks of the 1-second repetitive "swoosh-boom-swoosh-boom" of the passing blades. There are only two techni- cal options for reducing the health damage from wind tur- bines built less than one mile from homes. Those choices are to increase the distance between the source and homes, or reduce the source sound power emission. Neither of these are compatible with maximizing the wind power electrical generation. Since current wind turbines are designed for 20 year life, it is important that zoning laws prevent location of wind tur- bines less than one mile from homes. Health damage from major sleep disruption is the result of turbines built too close to homes. The highest wind coincides with the hours of sleep. Hopefully there will be a delay in the carbon tax program initiated by our leftist government, now that there is evidence that much of the tempera- ture data used by the hot air alarmists is false. The EPA needs to again review the now questionable data that prompt- ed them to list harmless car- bon dioxide as toxic. In the interim it makes sense to reduce energy use where a clear cost savings exists, such as fluorescent lighting, home insulation, win- dow caulking, efficient appli- ances, and fuel efficient non- hybrid cars. Joseph Neff, Corning Clean energy not a waste Editor: Why waste time and money developing sources of alterna- tive energy when the energy gotten from coal, natural gas, oil, or nuclear reactors or com- pletely safe and inexpensive. Well, the truth of the matter is, they are neither. Just about everyone knows about how the government has to subsidize the new renewable technolo- gies. But did you know the old ozone popping, global warm- ing, bird killing technologies are also heavily subsidized? Here are some ways our government makes sure Exxon and BP stay in business; below- cost loans with lenient repay- ment conditions, income tax breaks and assuming legal risks. It is estimated that US taxpayers subsidize fossil fuels to the tune of $15 to $35 billion a year. Your Turn And as far as safety is con- cerned have you not read about the cave-in at the upper big branch mine in West Virginia, or the oil gusher polluting the gulf of Mexico. When challenged by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 1972, the Atomic Energy Commission admitted that the vital safety feature of nuclear plants may not have been as reliable as previously believed. Let us not forget the Three Mile Island disaster. New environmentally friendly technology develop- ment is definitely not a waste of time or money. Now for another subject dear to most Americans these days. I was appalled when I learned how the Pentagon is shafting GIs. Wounded soldiers are labeled as having personal- ity disorder and drummed out of the service. Not only are they denied well earned med- ical treatment from the VA, but to add insult to injury they have to pay back their enlistment bonuses. More than 22,000 men and women have gotten that royal shafting from their Uncle Sam so far. Don’t take my word for this. Do a Google search for Dispos- able Soldier or find the April 26 edition of The Nation. If you are serious about sup- porting our troops I suggest you write some letters to Herger, Feinstein and Boxer about this. Orval Strong, Gerber 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. Religion or not, twelve-step programs work Commentary "Congress shall make no law respecting an establish- ment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." That's the first line of the first amendment to the United States Constitution. Bill Wilson sat down at his kitchen table one night with a friend and wrote down some steps that he felt could help people gain control of their lives after years of addiction to alcohol. What he invented was what has become known as a Twelve Step Program. What he invent- ed is not known as The Church of Bill Wilson; it is known as Alcoholics Anonymous, or more commonly AA. Several other organizations have come into being, targeted at other obsessive-compulsive disorders. These are not reli- gious organizations. While it is true the people who join these organizations are asked to turn themselves over to a higher authority, it is not a requirement, nor is it even necessary. The purpose of a twelve- step program is to help people overcome a major obstacle in their life to their happiness and health. We have prisons where we lock people up when they have committed crimes against soci- ety. What we have found out, is that a lot of people do not learn anything while they are in prison. Some continue their criminal enterprises, from behind bars. Some when released go back to the same activities that landed them in prison in the first place. Some people we won't ever let out of prison because they are a constant threat to society. One thing that we know, beyond doubt, that can help people to straighten their lives out is a twelve-step program. Read Bill's book and take on eleven of the steps. Don't both- er with turning yourself over to a higher authority. By the time you finish those other eleven steps you just find you are a differ- ent person. That twelfth step may never happen, but even if it doesn't you will be a better person for your effort. Guest View Fred Boest Just standing up, anony- mously in a public meeting and confessing you have a problem which you cannot control is enormously beneficial. Discussing your addiction with your peers, gives you the courage to face the problem, to see it for what it is, and even- tually defeat it. From what I have read in the papers about Barry Hazle, he is one person that could definite- ly benefit from a twelve-step program. He obviously has never admitted to himself his shortcomings. Actually, I'm sure in his mind it's everybody else that is wronging him. His criminal activities are not his fault. Maybe Barry Hazle can get a class action suit going to release all of the men and women in prison based on the fact that their constitutional right to liberty has been violated. Looks like the same constitu- tional legalese to me. It's the stuff of lawyers and newspa- per editors and does nothing to protect my constitutional right to life or the pursuit of happi- ness. Write down that name, too. U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell Jr. Next time he runs for office make sure he loses, because he's not protecting the constitution and he sure as heck isn't protecting us.