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4A – Daily News – Saturday, August 28, 2010 Opinion 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 For a few dollars more Editor: In this great town of Red 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 Bluff where community mat- ters, never before until recently have I felt discriminated against. Several weeks ago while working out at Tehama Family Fitness Center a member from the other gym in town told me that gym was having a bench press contest on Aug. 29. Great, I thought, I’ll go sign up and enter. To my dismay when I went there to sign up the lady at the front desk told me it was mem- bers only. On March 19, Tehama Family Fitness Center had the first ever Dave Mobilio Memorial Bench Contest open to anyone who paid the entry fee. I asked to talk to the man- ager and was told she wasn’t there, so I left my number. Two days later I still hadn’t heard from her. I went back again and again she wasn’t in, left number and more and still two days again no response. Finally, the third time I went in she was there. When I was finally able to talk to this manager about the subject I was told it’s members only and if I wanted to enter I could pay $99 for a three-month membership and join the com- petition. Also that the competi- tion was free to members. I replied that in this tough econo- my most people can’t afford two gym memberships. That didn’t matter, I wasn’t getting in. I asked why can’t non-mem- bers pay $20 or $30 and enter, not happening I was told. Yet this gym can charge people for a daily fee to work out being a non-member. How can this be? I really feel this is a great injustice. Why can’t the average Joe who works out in his garage pay to work out, but not be allowed the opportunity to beat a gym member in competition. The girl I talked to at first before the manager agreed with me and thought it would be fun to involve the public. When the public sees the news of this competition in the Daily News, they need to realize this is members only. The com- petitors at this gym need to real- ize they haven’t beat anybody but their own members and maybe they want to feel better about themselves by talking to this manager about involving more people so they can feel like a real winner. For a few dollars more I’ll keep my membership at Tehama Family Fitness Center. Rick Mederios, Red Bluff Don't cower to terrorists Editor: The right wing is all in a tizzy about the proposed Islamic Community Center — with a prayer room on the eighth floor. Fox news hints at the evil shadowy sheik helping to fund the so called mosque without bothering with his name. Your Turn Why? Because he's the largest single shareholder of Fox news after Rupert Murdoch. They think that their viewers are so dumb that they can get away with it. I hope they're wrong. But what about the issue at heart? Former President Bush claimed that the terrorists hated us for our freedoms, yet they responded to 9/11 by curtailing many of those same freedoms. Now the GOP is using this issue to cur- tail one of our most sacred freedoms — freedom of reli- gion — even using the excuse of no churches in Saudi Ara- bia, as if they should dictate our standards for us. People, the leader of this center is a moderate Muslim used by both Bush and Obama to help bridge the gap between Islam and Christianity. Don't let the demagogs create anger within you to further their own greedy purposes. Mike Fleming, Red Bluff 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. I wonder as I wander Commentary When I was in high school one of the songs that was popu- lar was “I Wonder, Wonder Who….Who wrote the book of love?” I’ve done a lot of won- dering lately. I am sitting here in the Madi- son, Wisconsin, airport, waiting for my flight to Chicago, which, in turn will take me to San Fran- cisco with a connection to Chico. I have been here 10 days; I met my newest grandson, got to see the other two, had all three of our children together for two days, and have been blessed by family. It has been a wonderful stay. Right now I am wondering if we will miss our connection or if our baggage will arrive with us. While I was in Wisconsin I avoided the Daily News, so I am even more uniformed than usual. As I wait for our gate call, I wonder however. I wonder if the mountain lion has still been prowling around Red Bluff searching for the elusive one million dollars that may or may not have been included in any city budget which might or might not have been adopted while I was gone. I wonder if the City Council has approved a 2 percent increase in the Transient Occu- pancy Tax; 2 percent represents an increase of 20 percent in the tax rate and might bring as much as $100,000 based on last year’s budget estimates. I wonder if the “stakeholders” have been able to convince the City Council to set those potential funds aside for traffic control at the fairgrounds. I wonder about the possibility with 10 candidates for City Council and if the best three can withstand the dilution that comes from too many candi- dates. I hope the great number of candidates is a reflection of the interest our citizenry has recap- tured about the health of our great town. I wonder if the City Council, City Manager, and various staff members have had time to read the employee contracts, talk with each other (in public ses- sion, of course), and make a last- ing decision about staffing the Parks and Recreation Depart- ment. I wonder if anyone has gone beyond talking about “labeling” our community and made any progress toward dressing it up, encouraging new businesses to come to our town, or developing and carrying out any realistic plans for our future. I wonder if the Governator was just pouting or really meant it when he said he could leave office without a signed budget. I wonder where he got the time to make a movie while in office. I wonder if the movie will do any better at the box office than he did as our fearless leader. I wonder if Meg Whitman has already reached the $100 million total in personal funds spent to support her campaign. I wonder if Jerry Brown has looked up the word “specific” and will begin to tell us some- thing. I wonder if anyone has repainted the faded dividing line on the one curve of west Walnut Street; it is a poorly lit turn and a serious oversight that have been begging for an accident and liability case for a long time. I wonder how the I-5 project is progressing and if it will include repaving and repainting lines on the short distance between the first north- bound Red Bluff off ramp and the overpass. I wonder if there will be any new car dealers left in Red Bluff at the end of the year and if the one remaining deal- er will have an increase in sales that will rescue the city budget. I wonder if the exces- igation yet I wonder if anyone is plan- sively high salaries paid to select city employees and city council mem- bers in Bell, Calif. has been a wakeup call for all of us to pay closer attention to what is happening in our own community. I wonder if Red Bluff schools Joe Harrop have had a good opening and will run smoothly, and I wonder if the students will learn well with all the teacher reassign- ments and cuts. I wonder if the Red Bluff High School Board has created a play book for the new football coaches, or if they have had time to help them determine the starters. I wonder and worry about the future of the McGlynn pool; a great community resource that has become a budgetary alba- tross. I wonder if KBLF, the self proclaimed voice of our commu- nity, has joined the Chamber of Commerce yet. I wonder if the Walmart Supercenter project is free of lit- ning to fill in what appears to be an embryonic sink hole that drivers have to dodge going west on Luther near Walmart. Maybe the city is waiting for mitigation funds from the Walmart Supercenter. I wonder if anyone has considered the wisdom of leaving the subject to flood- ing signs out under the railroad crossing on South Main dur- ing the summer when rain is rare. Are the signs needed for legal protection, or are they a “sign” of laziness? I wonder if any of our Board of Supervisors has given any serious analysis and response to the Robert Wood Johnson assessment of our community. Before I left for Wisconsin I had a brief meeting with a local executive actively involved in our community. She indicated she was concerned that, with the closure of the three car dealer- ships and other economic issues, people may begin to consider Red Bluff a dying community. I wonder. Oh, by the way, the planes were late and only half our bag- gage made it home. Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.