Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/138444
6A Daily News – Thursday, June 20, 2013 Opinion Stroller 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. Editor: At 11 a.m. May 16 looking out my front window I see an empty baby stroller. No one around it and no baby on board. Living on the corner of Sherman Drive and Antelope Boulevard I became somewhat suspicious so I called the Sheriff's Office. After listening to the recording I was somewhat perplexed. I had no crime in progress to report so no 911 and not knowing anyone on staff I could not talk to a single soul. So I called Red Bluff Police Department and got dispatch, who after I told her of the stroller informed me as I live in the county I would have to call Sheriff's Office. I explained to her as a taxpayer to both the county of Tehama and city of Red Bluff why couldn't they at least check it out. It is now 11:50 a.m. and no less than five law enforcement vehicles have passed the stroller, which is in plain sight by the stop sign. No less than three were talking on a cell phone, windows rolled up, with air conditioners running, so it's useless to holler at one of them. At 72 years of age I guess I was used to 3-6 RBPD officers and 1012 sheriff's officers who either walked around town rattling door knobs or drove around the county from Cottonwood to Orland or Beegum to Childs Meadow and kept the peace. Now the Sheriff's Office has a parking lot full of SUVs, I guess to give them more room behind the wheel. Last year the county couldn't find enough money to give raises but now the SUVs in the sheriff's lot it appears $400,000 might cover the lot. As I would like to know who is minding the store, the Board of Supervisors, Chief Administrator or as nothing is done about the homeless, maybe they are in charge. Stroller mysteriously gone. W.R. Hendrix, Red Bluff Scandals Editor: Of all the scandals of the Obama Administration and there are many, I believe the most egregious of all is the way our wounded warriors are treated. You cannot watch TV without seeing a commercial asking for help for our wounded warriors and I am ever so grateful to the celebrities who give so much to this cause and to every individual that also gives to this necessary cause. Even with this giant effort there are many of these brave young men and women that are waiting for the help they deserve. While they are waiting, supposedly for the lack of funds, federal workers received $320 million in bonuses. Lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee accused the IRS of grossly misusing taxpayer money when it spent at least $4.1 million at their conference on luxury hotel rooms, expensive training videos and outside speakers on topics such as leadership through painting. While Maj. Nidal Hasan "Soldier of Allah" shouting "Allahu Akhbar" shot and killed 13 and wounded about 32 others and reportedly admits his rampage was an act of terrorism, Obama calls it work-place violence. Hasan continues to receive his pay of over a quarter of a million dollars so far and this designation denied the dead and the survivors the benefits they would have been entitled to had the attack been properly labeled an act of terror. GSA employees and executives from Washington were listed as Editor: attendees for the lavish taxpayerEvidence of our funded Las Vegas conference in 2010 that featured magic shows, a Military/Industrial/Corporate mind reader and a red-carpet event Complex in action, which is freely where federal workers acted like spending non-existent borrowed Hollywood movie stars mocking tax Dollars, reminiscent of the proverbial drunken the taxpayers that sailor. It needs to be picked up the tab. Your acknowledged here, that The sad part about in the process we will be this is, we elect US Conleaving future generagressmen and women tions, who had no input and US Senators to whatsoever, as well as a serve the people. They swear under oath to uphold and number of international creditors defend the Constitution of the (yep, including communist China) United States of America and eventually holding the bag: Since Nov. 1st of 2006, the folwhat do they do? Most of their time is divided in trying to get re- lowing 10 Corporations have been elected, feathering their nests, giv- awarded military contracts in Biling speeches about what we want lions (a thousand times a million): to hear and, once in a while, they Lockheed Martin 162, Boeing hold a hearing. A hearing where 121, Northrop Grumman 69, they ask for documents or records Raytheon 57, General Dynamics and various materials from differ- 48, BAE Systems 42, SAIC 26, ent departments or the White McDonnel-Douglas 25, General House who systematically refuse Electric 20, and Oshkosh 19. To further put things in pertheir requests to prolong the hearspective, it has been estimated, the ing until all interest is lost. The results are no one goes to recent devastation caused by torjail, no one really gets fired, just nadoes in Moore OK carries a moved to another department price tag of around 2 Billion, such as, Susan Rice, Sarah Hall which equals the amount we are Ingram the IRS official in charge spending on military related of the Internal Revenue Service expenses every single day of the Tax Exempt Division from 2009 year, with a highly touted, but through 2012 is now head of more than dubious goal of pursuObamacare and then there's Lois ing freedom and democracy Lerner, the Internal Revenue Ser- around the world. In light of freedom deprivvice's present director of exempt organizations, is now on a paid ing misery, growing unemployvacation at the taxpayers' ment, poverty and homelessness in our midst and total disexpense. In the end, both the Constitu- regard for the maintenance and tion and the taxpayer get it in the repair of our decaying vital end. How can this country survive infrastructure, which reportedwith these people running it? The ly would (at the moment) only ones defending the Constitu- require the expenditure of at tion, our brave young men and least $2 Trillion, a pertinent women in military, are expendable question arises and begs to be in the mindset of those in Wash- confronted: Have we all gone completely insane? ington D.C. Joe Bahlke, Red Bluff Les Wolfe, Red Bluff The money pit Turn Your officials Mission Statement We believe that a strong community 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 vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Tehama County. 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 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 It's the gift, not the horse's dental work One aspect of being a journalist is you have to shrug aside some of the aspects of being polite that your parents instilled in you. For instance "don't ask so many questions" — that has to be the first to go. Although I do admit it remains uncomfortable when I need to ask a woman how old she is. When I cover sports I often act as a communist sympathizer during the Star-Spangled Banner for the sake of a great photo. I spurn my own patriotism by turning my back on the flag and pull out a camera. I can only hope all the times I pledge my allegiance to the flag at board meetings make up for it. In either case I'm not being rude, I'm just doing my job. However there is another example, where no matter how many times it happens I will feel rude, but believe I need to be that way. Wouldn't you know it? It's a happenstance of others being polite. Every great once in awhile some person, for some unknown reason, appreciates the work I did and wants to give me a gift. So what do I do? I spit at them in the face, throw my hands up in the air, yell "I can't be bought" and storm away. OK, I don't, but my conscience is telling me that's how I'm acting when I decline gifts. It's because the gifts I'm talking about aren't wads of cash — if that happens, know for sure I would take a firm stand and blow a gasket. The gifts I've had to decline over the years in Red Bluff range from someone asking to pick up my lunch to someone bringing me a tray of homebaked goodies. The gifts most occupations feel guilt-free about exchanging with one another. Although I've always been under the belief if a hamburger or a dozen cookies can sway your professional favor, you probably don't have much of a going to tell that story to the moral ground to stand on in the best of my abilities. When there's a first place. Still, a gift good story written is a gift. about someone or Sometimes I don't some group, it's even get to formally because that person or decline the gifts, group did something because they're left on good.. my desk. Those get Good stories write taken to the break themselves, I'm just room and left for the the narrator. Daily News staff not In the end, if you involved in editorial still want to give me a decisions. pat on the back or When I am forced show some appreciato look someone in the Rich tion, do it through a eyes and decline their card, an email or betact of kindness they ter yet with a message usually reply with some variation of "I know, but to my boss. it's just..." Send all your praise to That's when I have to reaffirm that they keep their adverb rgreene@redbluffdailynews.co m be sure to copy and their gift. It's important for me that editor@redbluffdailynews.com n d everyone in the community a knows that if there is a story gstevens@redbluffdailynews.co worth telling or something the m. Don't like something I wrote? public needs knowing I'm Feel free to send that to trashbin@redbluffdailynews.co going to tell or share it. And professionally I'm m. Greene