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4A – Daily News – Monday, August 2, 2010 Opinion Electric bill shock and awe 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 If you use air conditioning, and 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 haven’t yet opened your electric bill for last month, get prepared for a shock. The amount due will like- ly be your highest ever unless, like me, you take advantage of PG&E’s balanced payment plan — and in that case get ready for an upward adjustment to your month- ly installments. The only thing that kept me from coming unglued is the fact that I qualify for the CARE discount because of my low income status – reducing what would have been a monstrous elec- tric bill to about $250. My heart goes out to those of you that are middle income, like my sister who has never had a PG&E bill for her home greater than $140 and is now paying one well more than twice that amount. As an individual trying to man- ifest a sustainable lifestyle I am more than a little concerned about my electrical consumption not only by the size of my bill but also the extent of my dependence on non-renewable resources. Having only one combined bill for my mom’s mobile, my mobile, and now my garage based business the task of sorting out where the power goes is daunting. To ease this endeavor I made a series of three purchases from Amazon.com, two that help me with energy hog sleuthing, and a third to reduce my need for PG&E power in the place. To me this is the silver lining of an electric bill that shocks — it can become a call to action to figure out what is going on and to do something about it. My first investment was a mod- est one, about $20 for an appliance electric consumption meter called Kill-a-Watt (see www.p3interna- tional.com). This nifty and simple to use device plugs into an electri- cal outlet and allows you to plug an appliance into it so it can display how much power is drawn at any particular instant and also how much power is consumed over a period of time. By moving this device from one load to another over a matter of days you can ascertain how much each load con- tributes to your monthly bill. Armed with this info you can develop an action plan to limit or discontinue use of particular items. The Kill a Watt can’t handle large loads like electric clothes dryers and welders but works for most household items. The second investment was more significant, about $150 for a whole house electric meter called The Energy Detective — www.powermeterstore.com. This marvel of modern technology is installed by carefully placing two clamps around wires entering or leaving your breaker or fuse box and plugging a display unit into an electric outlet. It can be programmed to apply the electric tariff and display instantaneous power use or cost as well as accu- mulated use or cost since your last bill. You can set alarms to chime when power demand, con- sumption or cost exceed thresholds you enter, so you can note what is causing high use and modify your habits to keep bills under control. My third investment promises to be my pride and joy — the initial pur- chase of photovoltaic power panels for a solar electricity system that I plan to gradually expand to offset PG&E power supplies — www.sunforce5004460wattsolar- chargingkit.com. At my present income level this will take several years to achieve since my first $300 allocation pro- vides for only four 15 watt panels, a 7-amp load controller to charge batteries, and a 200-watt inverter to supply the alternating current nec- essary for most household appli- ances. Generating up to 60 watts of power in full sun this equipment can save me about 25 cents a day. This does not sound like much but over a typical year amounts to a savings of more than $50, allowing me to recoup my investment within six years. There- after, for an anticipated panel life of 25 years or more I will have essen- tially free solar electric- ity. Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point This is the awe of my shocking electric bill experience as I am now cost-effectively building a sustainable solar power system with off-the-shelf tech- nology to slowly, sure- ly, and safely free myself from non-renewable resources and their damage to our planet. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle. He can be reached at living-green@att.net. 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. Ice cream, rule of law and embezzlement Commentary Every once in a while, in every worthy endeavor, there’s a place for a little down time and frivolity. Such is the case for the Tea Party Patriots tomorrow at their Tuesday meeting (see "Local Calendar" section, page 3). The brainstorm of ideas produced what I think is a winner: an ice cream social. Many local Tea Party supporters attend as their schedules allow and this would be a great chance to show up for an abbreviated meeting on issues, followed by sweets and treats provided by members and supporters. Bring your own chairs and treats, if you want, but do remember the camaraderie we all had for the Patriots’ pot-luck-in- the-park. The air conditioning is always on high for everyone’s comfort and the tables are shaded. You probably saw the photos and read the well-written article by Daily News reporter, Julie Zeeb, on the Tea Party Patriots’ rally in Corning to support Arizona’s efforts to enforce the immigration laws in that state. The erroneous decision by a liberal, Clinton- appointed judge, to suspend imple- mentation of the most important provisions pending resolution of lawsuits, didn’t dampen the spirits of the participants. For the record, there’s nothing unconstitutional about federal laws being enforced by state or local officers – it has routinely been done for other types of law (drug or gang enforcement, for instance). Moreover, since the judge made her decision before the law took effect, there were, by definition, no violations of anyone’s rights requiring the intervention of a fed- eral judge. We who favor the legal kind of immigration know that all of the efforts of those on the other side – from the Obama administration, to Congress, judges, media pontifica- tors, etc. – have as their goal the wholesale amnesty and acceptance of the presence of 10 to 20 millions of foreign law-breakers among us, whose only proper action should be to return to their home countries and immigrate here legally. Every job, every resource, every dollar of public funds they use are not avail- able for citizens and legal immi- grants, deserving and needing those resources. As widely reported, for Cus- toms and Immigration bureaucrats to discuss ways this administration can provide amnesty, circumvent the laws on the books and cease or minimize the deportation of known illegal aliens, only shows us their utter lack of regard for the Consti- tution on this issue. We know of the cynical, calculated plan to add these people to the Democrat voter rolls to bolster that party’s advan- tage in implementing anti-Consti- tutional laws and policies. Legal immigration has made America the rich, diverse and egalitarian fount of opportunity for all that reside within its borders. Here are some of the signs and sayings that the Tea Party Patriots held up for the many honks of approval (as well as a few gestures of disagreement) in Corning: "Sup- port Arizona…Enforce the law," "Thank God for a governor with guts," "Americans stand with Americans, not illegals," "Borders need to be protected," "A nation of legal immigrants," "Don’t turn a blind eye to criminality," "Sovereignty for AZ and USA," "AZ gets it— what is legal about ille- gal." I also noticed some quotes from Thomas Jef- ferson: "When injustice becomes law, Resistance becomes a duty," and "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take every- thing you have." I’ll leave it to quote-check- ers to verify the accura- cy, but I challenge any- one to try to prove that such sentiments and ideas constitute anything other than patriotic love of Ameri- ca and our system of laws. Regarding the "City worker charged with embezzlement" reported in last Friday’s edition, thoughts came up in discussing the issue on the radio: what role did the employees’ union have back in 2000 when this worker was sus- pected of embezzlement of city funds? To use another example, when a defense lawyer persuades a judge to release a criminal suspect on some charges, due to a technicality, and that criminal commits the same offence again, don’t all of those parties have some responsi- bility for the subsequent re- offense? They could have perhaps exercised discretion in favor of Don Polson The way I see it incarceration, which would have spared the next victim their loss. Am I missing something, since it happens often enough? If the former employee mentioned in the article, Eileen Jean Lampron, is found to have stolen $18,000 as alleged, doesn’t that pretty much settle any questions over her culpability back in 2000? It sure doesn’t look like she would have been as innocent back then if she’s guilty now. Will we ever find out exactly how it all tran- spired in 2000, and what role her union represen- tatives and lawyers played in working the system to get her exon- erated? Apparently, money was, in fact, stolen but "criminal charges were dismissed against her and other employees." If they didn’t steal, who did? Just another odd question came up: Most private businesses have "loss prevention" measures to avoid embezzlement. They cer- tainly implement them after get- ting ripped off. How could Red Bluff have money stolen/embez- zled ten years ago, and not have put measures in place to see that it didn’t happen again from 2006 through 2009? Inquiring minds, you know. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.