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4A Daily News – Saturday, July 13, 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. Lessons from the fireworks that weren't The fireworks show being canceled last week — blame me. Yes, it was all my fault. No, I wasn't the guy who started the fire down at River Park. I did something worse. I jinxed the show. A few months ago I was doing a story about the earlier than usual fire season. At the same time the newsroom had heard a report about how successful the Tehama County Fireworks Committee had been in raising funds. "You watch," I told a colleague. "I bet something happens and they end up having to cancel the fireworks show." For once it doesn't feel good to be right. At the time I spouted that prognostication I believe I was feeling the same way a lot of local residents have been this year. I just had a feeling that anything good was going to go wrong. It seems like it's been a rough stretch for Red Bluff. We could have used that fireworks show. The day after the canceled show I spoke with Tehama County Fireworks Committee founder Shannon Nason. She spoke about the positive reaction the committee had received, despite the disappointment the night before. Nason said even without the fireworks, the rest of the day still felt like how a Fourth of July should feel, because the city had come together. Residents gathered at the park, along the bridge, in parking lots and everywhere else people tend to meet. As it turned out it Nason was right. It wasn't about the thoustill felt like the Fourth. sands of dollars the The children in my committee raised in little group of wouldthe past year, it was be fireworks watchers about the effort and were interrupting every realization it needed to few minutes with a be done in the first "When's the show place. going to start" and a Through its efforts "Boring!" the fireworks commitLittle kids being tee reminded us all impatient — that's a year long how imporsure sign of a holiday. Rich tant the Fourth of July Reflecting on my is as a community celown childhood, I have ebration. more memories of all Because of that the that time leading up to the fireworks than the shows committee still produced a bang with for those bucks. themselves. As an adult, it still felt like Rich Greene can be the Fourth because I had gathreached at 527-2151, Ext. 109 ered with friends to pass time by email at outside away from all the dis- or tractions a typical Thursday rgreene@redbluffdailynews.c om. would have brought. Greene 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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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 Crime prevention and Planned Parenthood We were discussing the problem of persistent crime and the fact that the realignment law, AB 109, does not focus on the root of crime, but merely on prison crowding. A well educated person in our gathering opined that "you have to have a license to own a dog, to drive a car, and to get married, but there is no requirement for having a child. If we had more fit parents crime would be far less of a problem." With that statement in mind, I found my imagination on fast forward. It was April 1, 2095, and the line outside the Parental Licensing Bureau (PLB), immediately next to the DMV on Monroe Street had formed early to apply for the limited number of parenting permits. The quota for Tehama County had been set at 30 for April, down from 50 the month before. The quota was based on economic projections performed by the Economic Development Forecast Department (EDFB) in Sacramento; the forecast was based on the anticipated number of new workers that would be needed 12 years out, factoring in such things as current school enrollments, anticipated community college enrollments, college and university enrollments, and the need for graduate and professional school students. Unlike China's former one child per family regulation, this formula attempted to maintain a steady labor market as well as anticipate changes in technology and the kinds of skills needed to maintain a healthy economy. The EDFD used an algorithm developed by Google in 2030's for an online game called Malthus, after the early 19th century British cleric who thought that growing populations will overburden the Earth's ability to provide food for all. The PLB had been established with the narrow voter approval of Proposition 99, The Responsible Parenting Act, in the special election of 2060; the initiative went through the court system, and the Supreme Court had ruled that the interest in peace and order was sufficiently important to allow the state to develop and enforce rules about parenthood. Some cried that the last vestige of freedom was being lost, and that parents, married or not, should be able to control or not control the destiny of their children, however many they had. Supreme Court Justice Lauren Dorder was quoted to say that parents do not have the freedom to be irresponsible and that Prop 99 will uphold the dreams of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, making sure that all children are created equal, or at least as equal as the state can make it be. Those in line in Red Bluff had their own birth certificates, DNA profiles, fingerprint screening, drug test results, documentation of legal residence, proof of financial stability, marriage licenses, and, when applicable, the proof of the successful nurture of other children. Most were prepared to wait in line for several hours for their screening by the PLB clerk who had a long check list to fill out. After the screening, all who qualified would have their names placed in a hat; a local official would draw successful candidates names for the televised event. Under the law no parents were allowed to have more children than their combined annual income divided by $33,000; exceptions were made for unplanned multiple births. The law was a sticking point for those who wanted to move to California and had too many children. That issue was still in the courts, and the context of the court case making its way through the system focused on the Interstate Commerce provisions of the Constitution. The arguments had become convoluted, alleging in part that children were a commodity crossing a state line; the fight could be reduced to a contest between those tion, parents had to demonstrate supporting states' rights versus that they had read to their chilthose who wanted no limit on dren on a regular basis, providing an annotated list of books read, all imported children. Next door to the PLB, just two of which had been provided through the Tehama doors down from the County automated DMV was the Adoption library service for chilBureau (AB). Under dren. Children also had Prop 99 only approved to demonstrate a workmarried couples could ing knowledge of the give birth; however, recalphabet, the ability to ognizing that accidents count to 30 and to do happen, the law mandatsimple one digit addied adoption for children tion. born out of wedlock and Even in the early those born without pergrades the new curricumission to married coulum included vocationples, and there was a Joe al aspects, emphasizing backlog of potential parthe importance of ents, all married couples preparing for a good unable to have biological job, contributing to the children. Since the legalsociety, and being ization of same sex marriages, the number of potential responsible. Because there were adoptive parents had skyrocketed fewer children in school than in California, and the AB had few before 2066, and because there problems finding suitable homes were more teachers per child, students had more attention focused for excess children. Because there were require- on them, and they were beginning ments for parenthood, schools had to make far better progress than made some changes to accommo- older students had prior to Prop date their new clientele since the 99. Crime rates began to drop preimplementation of the law. For example, there were no more free cipitously in 2075; most juvenile and reduced meals; parents were halls were regional rather than required to provide a "bag" lunch county based, and inmates in jails and snacks each day for their chil- and prisons were older than in dren, and parents who did not former years. Fewer judges were comply were reported to the needed and many defense attorResponsible Parenting Authority neys turned to probate and civil (RPA) which could provide sanc- suit practices. Problems with drug tions to assure the children were abuse were restricted to those fed, including mandatory remedi- who were unqualified to have al training in sandwich making children, and there were far fewer and nutrition, and ultimately the multigenerational welfare famiremoval of the children from that lies by 2080. By 2085 seventeen other states household. The RPA could also monitor families who were sus- had followed California's example and adopted their own version pected of parental neglect. Before children could enter of the Responsible Parenting Act. public school they had to demonJoe Harrop is a retired strate their parents had taught educator with more than 30 them to use and understand common phrases such as "please", years of service to the North "thank you", "may I", and "will State. He can be reached at you share this with me?" In addi- DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop