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6A – Daily News – Wednesday, August 4, 2010 Opinion Prejudice is 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 unfair Editor: I appreciated Louie Andrei- 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 ni’s letter, July 28, concerning the common misuse and improper interchanging of the words bigotry and prejudice. Andreini explained that it is prejudice when we use our past experience to form an initial opinion of a person or group. He further explains that bigotry is an unwillingness to change one’s opinion no matter what evidence is presented. I agree with Mr. Andreini that we are all prejudiced. Our past personal experience is all we have to use in making our initial opinions. But that doesn’t mean our prejudice is acceptable. With- holding prejudicial judgment is the wiser choice. Although an individual is responsible for the way he por- trays himself, he is not responsi- ble for our past experience. Using prejudiced opinion to dis- criminate against an individual, judging them as “human trash,” is likely to be incorrect and cer- tainly unfair. Richard Doberstein, Los Molinos People, not trash Editor: I would just like to comment on Mr.Andreini’s letter on big- otry published on July 28. I agree that our community is not always pretty to look at. It is definitely not Mayberry, but it is not quite the movie “Deliver- ance” either. I don’t hear any banjos playing. We need to bring in those TV shows “What not to wear” and “Extreme Home Makeover.” All joking aside, I feel it is the responsibility of those who want Red Bluff to have a better image to enforce it with toler- ance and kinder criticism, not indifference and dislike. You can fill a place with cookie cut- ter people and green lawns. It won’t necessarily be a better place to live. Whether you live in a trailer park or a mansion it won’t change the kind of person hid- ing beneath the surface. A pedophile can wear a suit and tie or a wife beater shirt and overalls. The rich can be just as dirty as the poor. They just have someone to clean up after them. What I mean is do we ever wonder why people look like criminals, gangsters or hippies? Is that what they are trying to portray or is it a fashion state- ment? Someone with tattoos may have just got out of prison. Do they dress like that because they came from a place where the weak don’t survive? How can we judge them when they have already done their time? Is every teenager in baggie jeans a gang banger? I don’t think so. We think they look silly but maybe it’s just a bad fashion sense or they don’t real- ize what they are advertising. I know that not all people that wear tie dye and have dread locks do drugs and reject soap. I know we shouldn’t think every mother with lots of children is on welfare, because so many depend on government assis- tance. We all have neighbors with overgrown lawns that annoy us. Are they just lazy and uncaring, or is there a reason why they can’t do lawn work? We don’t really know. It would be nice to live in a simpler time where lawns were green and people well groomed. That time does not exist any- more. Change with the econo- my, family structure and the decline in education has caused people to lose self respect. Par- ents that don’t care will have children that don’t care. We can not just throw away what we think are the dregs of society. No matter how they look or act they are a part of our community. How can they respect themselves more if they are referred to as human garbage? So I say respectfully in regards to Mr.Andreini’s letter, I want my community to be a nicer place to live, too. Don’t let the way others look be your one chance to know them. People are not trash, they can not always be recycled in to what we want but they can be redeemed. Poppy Bennett, Red Bluff Immigration Editor: There is majority agreement Your Turn that those illegally here should be deported, that a national counter- feit-proof identity card is needed, that a temporary work permit agriculture visa is needed for farm workers not encumbered with children, an end to citizen- ship for children born to illegal border crossers and fines for those who hire illegal border crossers. There is no possible way for an $8 hourly border crosser to pay the $500,000 in taxes needed for the K-12th $10,000 per year education costs for the average three children, or the $4,000 annual cost for each child's Medicaid health insurance. Nor is there enough taxes paid by border crossers to cover the immigration and border patrol costs, drug enforcement costs, and law enforcement costs. With the likelihood that the Democrats will loose control of either the Senate or Congress in the next election, because of the $3 trillion in Obama deficit spending and resulting added taxes, this would be an ideal time for both parties to unite and impose stringent laws to prevent illegal border crossing. Americans are loosing respect for those legally in our country because of the criminal actions by so many illegally crossing the border, carrying false identity, and using this false identity to obtain unearned entitlements. Stringent immigration reform will insure that those legally here are wel- comed. Joseph Neff, Corning 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. Spending cuts? You first Commentary “I'm sick of wasteful gov- ernment spending. It's time we throw the bums out!” “You raise a fair point. A Congressional Budget Office brief says our growing debt could lead to a real fiscal crisis if investors lose confidence in the federal government's ability to manage its budget.” “There was a time investors had confidence in our govern- ment's ability to manage the budget? I say we slash spend- ing across the board!” “Now there's an idea. Why don't we start with entitlement spending and the granddaddy of them all: Social Security! Social Security is the grandest Ponzi scheme in world history. The scheme worked fine so long as millions of baby boomers were young and work- ing and paying into the system.” “You can't cut Social Securi- ty. My parents need that money. I hope to retire soon and I want my cut, too.” “Which is precisely the problem. Reason magazine says that as baby boomers retire, millions will stop paying into the system and it will start paying billions out. Social Security will grow from $581 billion this year to $966 billion in only eight years!” “I'll hand over my Social Security check when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.” “How about Medicare then? It was projected to grow from $516 billion this year to $932 billion in 2018 -- until Democ- rats created an independent panel to cut Medicare spending as part of their health care reform bill.” “But my elderly mother just had her hip replaced. If Medicare didn't cover the cost, she would have had to dip into my inheritance!” “Not to worry, Democrats and Republicans alike have never been good at cutting spending. In fact, says The Hill, Senate Republicans unveiled legislation to kill the cost-cutting panel! Perhaps we can try to slash other popular government programs -- such as your tax-free health insur- ance!” “My health insurance?” “Your employer spends $15,000 a year on your fami- ly’s health care policy. That's tantamount to $15,000 in income, yet you pay no income tax on the money.” “I don't?” “Nope. I'll bet your federal income taxes average 30 per- cent of your gross income. If you had to pay 30 percent on that 15 grand, you'd owe $4,500 more in taxes. In a man- ner, you are receiving a nice government subsidy. Which brings us to your mortgage.” “What about my mortgage?” “You and your wife were able to buy your dream home with a minimal down pay- ment and a fabulous interest rate. That's because the Federal Housing Authority backed your loan. And you deduct your mort- gage interest off your income taxes -- anoth- er subsidy you are receiving from your government.” “I don't know why you're getting so personal here. Our government is wasting our money. Look at all the pork- barrel spending!” “I suppose you'd be happy to give up that new highway sys- tem that allows you easy access to the city? How about the Fed- eral Deposit Insurance Corp., which protects your bank account in the event that your bank fails? What about the low-cost college loans and grants that will help you get your kids through school?” “I'm talking about those ear- marks the dirty bums in Con- gress slip into bills!” “Fair enough, but such spending accounts for less than $20 billion a year -- a paltry sum compared to our nearly $4 trillion fed- eral budget.” point?” Tom Purcell up.” “What is your “More of us are on the government dole than we like to admit. If we want to get seri- ous about getting our fiscal house in order, all of us have to pony “Can we hold off until next year? Mom was thinking of having her knee replaced, and I don't want that coming out of my inheritance.” 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. ———