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6A Daily News – Saturday, May 4, 2013 Opinion 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. 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The USA has the highest incarceration rate of any nation in the world. The recidivism rate in California is 70 percent; it's only 20 percent in Norway so obviously we're running our prison systems wrong. But where do these criminals come from in the first place? According to the State Attorney General's office, 71 percent of the criminals in California come from single mother families. One doesn't have to like marriage but the family unit is the basic building block of civilization; without it we're going to have all kinds of criminological and sociological problems. Over half of American women don't have husbands. The women are so desperate the they're writing convicts in prison to get boyfriends, then they bring these violent convicts into our communities. These ex-cons wouldn't be in Red Bluff if they didn't have someone supporting them. Take away their support base and they won't come to Tehama County. And ex-cons have the prisoner mentality: they don't listen to others, they pretend to act tough and they attack others that they deem weak and vulnerable. We don't want people like that in Tehama County. So what's led to the breakdown of the family unit, the nuclear family as it's called? Well, when I graduated from RBUHS I went to UC Berkeley and was inundated with trash called Cultural Marx- incompetent graduates. Only 50 ism. Basically, Cultural Marxism percent of new college grads have is how you invade a country found full time jobs in the last half through its culture — literature, dozen years. And boys have curmovies, universities, etc. And this tailed going to college — only 40 percent of college stuall started in 1923 when dents are male, down a bunch of intellectual Your from 60 percent in the communists got togeth1970s. er to find ways to brainSo there's a lot of wash people into uneducated, unmarried, becoming communists; unemployed rogue they founded the Frankfurt School in Germany. Then males in our society who grew up when the Nazis kicked them out without a father. That's a destabiin 1933 these commies came to lizing influence that affects America, notably UC Berkeley, women also; women are now Princeton, Columbia, Brandeis. committing just as much domestic And they've been busy ever since. violence as men; our women's Feminism, political correct- prisons are filled to overflowing. If we're to fight crime we're ness, multi-culturalism, etc. — these are all Cultural Marxism. going to have to kick the comOur kids have been persuaded that mies out of our universities for marriage is an anachronism, not starters — they're turning out knowing that the destruction of Commie Mommies. And we're the nuclear family is a basic com- going to have to reinstate the munity tenet. Our universities nuclear family unit. And reform have become inundated with Cul- prisons since our legal system has tural Marxism and our ignorant, failed. And we should never impressionable young people are release a convict until they're brainwashed when they attend fully rehabilitated — we don't university, not educated. That's need to import criminals. Crime why our universities have become is not inevitable. Michael Peters, Chico relatively worthless, churning out Turn Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Struggling with alco-tourism and other matters I read that State Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco, no relation to a professional comedian, and a true resident of that city, lost a battle to pass a law that would allow alcohol to be served until 4 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. Aside from the fact that the impaired might be rushed out of the bars into the early stages of the driver commute, he insisted the legislation would promote competition for tourists from areas where the bars close later than 2 a.m. Most of us have heard of ecotourism, but prior to his attempt to appease bar owners most of us did not realize the importance of alco-tourists to the state of California. For that, I guess, we can thank the senator for his attempt to keep us informed about important economic items. Of course politicians these days wrap every proposal they have in the cloth of "jobs," the current politically correct motivation for the government to do or allow just about anything. Leno was allegedly heard to say, "Just think of the jobs this bill would have created." *** In some circles Wal-Mart, the giant retailer, is known for how poorly it pays its store employees. There are over 2.1 million employees at Wal-Mart; I was unable to find out how many work in the retail stores, but it must be a substantial number. Some have even calculated that because of the low wages and poor benefits their retail workers are a drain on local health services; of course, some argue some income is better than no job at all or that without WalMart those employees might not have a job at all. Whether or not Wal-Mart skimps on employees is subject to debate, but based on a survey in Florida, Wal-Mart employees topped all companies with the largest number of employees and family members eligible for Medicaid. It was with some interest, therefore, that I looked at a WalMart advertizing supplement in the Daily News; while I cannot verify that the company does skimp on its retail employees, I do think that it did skimp on investing in a dietician or nutritionist. Like politicians who identify with "jobs", many retailers try to identify themselves with a cause, possibly make them look like they really care for their customers and the world. Just like our congressional representatives are never caught without the obligatory flag pin in their well tailored lapel, Wal-Mart proclaimed its latest non controversial cause on the front page of its ad supplement: "Join us and your favorite brands to help fight hunger in America." At the bottom of page one it proclaims in large letters that "One in Six Americans struggles with hunger." If that data statement is correct, then over 50 million Americans are struggling with hunger, whatever that may mean. Given the obesity rate in the United States, some have won the struggle against hunger and are struggling with something else. Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the obesity rate at 37.5 percent of adults; that is more than one in three of us. Clearly Wal-Mart has picked a lesser battle to fight. Now to my concern about hiring a good nutritionist, the items on the front page included sugar coated cereals, a sugared peanut butter, and shredded presenters from the practical to parmesan cheese (perhaps a the ephemeral. The local presenfavorite with those struggling ters did a good job of describing what happens next in with hunger). While I Phase Two of the do hunger for peanut branding project. butter every now and Corning, it appears is then, I am not sure the ahead of the curve on items displayed really this. We should appreare appropriate for ciate the efforts of all those struggling with those involved in the hunger, and certainly project. not those struggling Of particular interwith weight. Sugared est was the in depth cola is one of the items description of the Vision the inside of the ad; tor's Center scheduled that item is particularly Joe for opening on Memoassociated with obesirial Day weekend. The ty, ask the mayor of project is well thought New York City. out; it has capacity for I guess Wal-Mart further amenities; and wants us to bulk up on junk food so that the hungry can is a local product. Be sure to be helped. Next thing you know, stop by to check it out when it the company will be featuring opens. The economist spoke of data diet aids in its ads and proclaiming it wants to help us all lose trends that we should be aware weight. Of course, direct dona- of, and plan around accordingly. tions to The Lord's Table, The He told us not to put our eggs in Vineyard, the Salvation Army, one basket, the basket of and PATH might be a better use tourism. He was not downplayof money than paying for ads ing the branding efforts, but emphasizing the reality of needtrying to sell junk food locally. On the back page of its ad ing to attract jobs to the area supplement, Wal-Mart based on a careful assessment of announces that the Wall-Mart our resources. The futurist gave us some foundation will be committing $2 billion to support hunger things to think about. While it is relief between now and 2015. I not likely an agricultural comam not sure, but if you do the munity can operate out of its math, that amounts to almost houses with robots in the field in $1,000 per employee including the very near future, it is likely management. One wonders if that we might be able attract that money were in the pocket- some jobs in fields that haven't books of local retail employees been included in our planning. how it might stimulate local He didn't mention alco-tourism, however. economies. *** Joe Harrop is a retired I had the good fortune to attend the Seeds of Opportunity educator with more than 30 gathering at Rolling Hills on the years of service to the North 23rd. The meeting was well State. He can be reached at attended. It featured a variety of DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop