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4A Daily News – Friday, July 12, 2013 Opinion DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Keeping my cool 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. I bought a house a little over a year ago after renting for the first few years in town. It's a fine house in a neighborhood I like, but best of all it has central air conditioning. That's what I thought when I moved in anyway. Having never owned a home someplace that was really hot, I'd had no experience with air condition aside from offices and other places where somebody else provided it. The first month it warmed up last year I cranked on the air conditioning and basked in the coolness. Every trip to take the dog outside was a reminder how good I had it. Then the electric bill arrived. I immediately reset the thermostat to the temperature of what I would normally con- sider a warm day — around 85. Heck, it was still so much cooler than outside that it brought relief. The dog and I made it through the rest of the summer in relative comfort with electric bills that allowed me to continue buying the rawhide chews he so enjoys. This year, as we eased from spring into summer, it was mild and I avoided using the air conditioning at all. Strategic use of windows and ceiling fans cooled the place in the evenings and insulation kept it reasonable during the day while I was at work. It wasn't until early June — when the mercury reached triple digits and none of them was a zero — that I finally fired up the air conditioner, which promptly broke. with a couple of jugs A few hundred of water. dollars later, it was With the right atticool again. That lasttude, I've been comed about two weeks fortable even on before it broke evenings when the again. I'm waiting inside temperature is for a diagnosis as I in the mid-90s. write this, but I'm Once it's fixed, I'm sure the problem has sure there will be a something to do with few more days this having too much summer when I'll be money in my bank glad I have air condiaccount. Chip tioning. For all the In the meantime, days in between, I'll I've adjusted pretty well to living with- Thompson pine for the carefree out air conditioning. 545 Diamond days of the swamp cooler. I'm remembering Ave. tricks from travels in Chip Thompson can very hot places — be reached at 527exercise early, drink hot tea, eat very spicy foods 2151, Ext. 112 or by email at and take your book to the editor@redbluffdailynews.com. him on Twitter coolest part of the house or Follow yard and park yourself there @EditorChip 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. 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. 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 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 Happy trails The current issue of TIME is devoted to solving the mystery of happiness...that is, are we happy, and if so, why? They conclude that marriage, for example, does contribute to bliss and it is a better predictor of happiness than having money or children, and that 80% of young people who say they have a good relationship with their parents are also happier with life in general. The missus and I can attest to that. Further, they find that people who dwell in the past are less likely to be happy than those who concentrate on the present. I disagree. We learn from the past, which, rightly or wrongly, seems to have been more tranquil than the present and provides our roots and stability. To conclude with other questionable conclusions, TIME says that a quarter of single people believe married people have more boring social lives...and that people who care about other people's income are typically less happy with their lives. Mark Twain however put the whole matter in context: "Every man is a suffering machine and a happiness machine combined. The two functions work together harmoniously, with a fine and delicate precision, on the give and take principle." *** If time is money the new AM/PM gas station on North Main must be experiencing a saving with their pricing sign. Is it the only station in town with an electronic display? Must beat standing out in the sun with a long pole every time the fuel suppliers adjust their prices for holiday travel *** D. Polson, in his Tuesday column, bemoans the delays set in front of his Tea Party group in attaining tax exempt status. In TIME, Michael Grunwald (in part) sees it this way: "Let's stipulate that it's totally uncool for the IRS agents to single out Tea Party groups and any other blatantly political groups, to qualify as tax exempt 'social welfare organizations.' What 'social-welfare organization' really means, in Tea Party context, is 'tax-exempt political organization that doesn't have to reveal its donors.' It's a dodge. The obvious solution would be to eliminate the social welfare organization as a tax entity...and stop giving breaks to political groups. That would bring some positive change out of the who-knew-what- when IRS circus. But whenever anyone talks tangs and burros assembled by the "Adopt a about reining in nonprofits, charities go Wild Horse or Burro" program administered berserk and politicians run for cover. The by the Bureau of Land Management. We planned to buy just one for our word out of Washington is that tax granddaughter Natalie, but reform, already maimed by when she saw a mother and partisan gridlock, has been foal were going un-bid killed by the IRS furor." because the mother had Tsk, tsk. only one eye, the die was *** cast and we got two for Credit card debt is rising one. But now, some many rapidly once again. Sources years later, long after the say that even though a mother died, her daughter quarter of us have stopped has gone to her reward using credit cards, that this leaving Jacki, a two-yearform of lending has been Robert old purchased a year ago as fueling the present economa companion for Joanie. ic recovery... which sugNow the hunt is on for a gests there may be a day of companion for Jacki. reckoning when the cards *** have to be paid down. If Last week's quiz, first in this type of lending continwas J. Yingling late managues, the banks may reach er of the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamthat scary "too big to fail" plateau, again. ber of Commerce, who has the early time on *** From the Police Logs: A woman reported his hands to know that a common word endseeing a man across the street on Freshwater ing in "ous" associated with love would be Drive with his pants down. There was a time "amorous," and that if you add 5 letters to when the perpetrator would be charged with the word "infinite" you get the opposite indecent exposure. Today, however, peer meaning... the added letters being "simal" This week's quiz: For baseball filberts, pressure dictates that young men wear their pants very low on their hips... and this may match the player's names with their nickbe the case in which the woman was offend- names: Mitch Williams, Mark Fidrych, Lou ed by the man's butt on display. I read where Gerig, John Franklin Baker and George Herthe mayor of some city is trying to pass an man Ruth, with The Iron Horse, Wild Thing, ordinance forbidding such wardrobe mal- Home Run, Babe and The Bird. And for the function, but I can't imagine our boys in more literate folks, "Kine" is the plural of blue walking about with a nightstick in one what barnyard animal, in the singular, that contains no letter in common with the plurhand and a ruler in the other. al? *** *** "When you go into court, you are putting In a rural town the school day had started your fate into the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury when Johnny walked in late. The teacher asked why he was late. He explained, "I had duty." Norm Crosby to bring the bull to cover the cow." The *** We've had horses and burros for years. teacher asked, "Couldn't your father do Given proper care they can live for 30 or 40 that?' The boy answered, "No ma'am. You years. However, when they die, like any other pet, they leave a void in our lives. gotta have a bull." Quick replacement helps, but when we bury Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of them down in the grove complete with headstone, their memory lingers on. So be it with Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Joanie. This mare, known as a "Jenny," had Daily Observer and Meat Industry been a foal along her mother's side about 30 magazine and author of the "The Knocking years ago. We had gone to the Tehama Dis- Pen." He can be reached at trict Fairground to attend a sale of wild mus- rminchandmurray@hotmail.com. Minch I Say