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6A Daily News – Tuesday, August 20, 2013 Opinion Parsimonious pursuit of plenty 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. 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. 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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 The title seems oxymoronic as it is difficult to equate frugality or stinginess with excess however it is certainly true that efficiency and good stewardship are the hallmarks of sustainability. I recently read a statement by quotable liberal Paul Krugman with some chagrin: "The public has no idea that the deficit has been falling like a stone. A solid majority think it is still going up, and hardly anyone knows that it's going down." The reason for my chagrin is that the reason this is true is that a majority of the public doesn't understand the difference between the deficit and the national debt, which continues to rise inexorably as federal spending exceeds income. Many believe this sad state of affairs is due to our national propensity to get involved in "dumb wars," such as the invasion of Iraq and the criminalization of drugs. While these crusades take a large toll, our economic problems are even bigger. Were we able to completely cut funding to the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) the federal budget would still be in the red. In addition one has to consider the economic devastation of losing the millions of high paying American jobs associated with our military/industrial complex and our police and corrections officers dealing with the war on drugs. The numbers are staggering – for the 2011 fiscal year, the presi- dent's base budget for the DOD was $664.84 billion. When the budget was signed into law the final size of the DOD budget was $680 billion, $16 billion more than President Obama had requested. Since the recent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were largely funded through supplementary spending bills outside the federal budget another $37 billion was added to the federal budget for "overseas contingency operations." Meanwhile our war on drugs is estimated to cost over $40 billion per year for enforcement and incarceration costs. Add to this the costs of international drug interdiction efforts and the foregone taxes that would be levied if drugs were legal it is not a stretch to estimate annual costs in excess of $100 billion. But putting these numbers in perspective however reveals they alone would not resolve our fiscal fiasco even if their costs could be cut to zero since the total income of the federal government in 2011 was 2,304 billion dollars with total spending of 3,603 billion – leaving an annual deficit of 1,229 billion dollars or 56% of income. So while the military budget was nearly 29% of our national income, and the war on drugs may add another 5%, we still would have spent $561 billion or nearly 25% more than we took in if those costs were eliminated. To make matters even worse and muddier, the government also of-life medical procedures, limitincurs indirect costs such as inter- ing the number of vehicles and est on additional debt and incre- miles we drive, investing in energy mental costs such as the costs of efficiency and renewable energy systems, and demanding care by the Veterans more from our represenAdministration for tatives than finger pointmore than 33,000 ing and passing the wounded soldiers. buck. Some experts estimate In many ways we these indirect costs will will find that "less is eventually exceed the more," as we simplify direct costs. As of June our lifestyles, reduce our 2011, the total cost of waistlines, and more the wars in Iraq and fully appreciate what we Afghanistan was have. We will find more approximately $3.7 trillion, an amount larger Richard time to share with one another as we become than the $2011 federal less engaged with techbudget in its entirety. nology, improve the Similarly the war on health of our minds and drugs also carries addibodies with physical tional costs to society if exertion, and preserve you consider the lost the environment for earnings and productivfuture generations by ity of the millions of Americans now in custody and the cutting our resource requirements. continuing losses stemming from For the sake of our nation I entreat their arrest records, depression, you to join your fellow citizens in and diminished earning potential. this parsimonious pursuit of plenNonetheless it is clear that there ty. is more to be done about our econRichard Mazzucchi is a retired omy than ending wars, although that would be a good start. As indi- research engineer specializing in viduals we must increase produc- energy efficiency and renewable tivity and decrease our demand for energy. He has travelled resources. Most of us are living far extensively and now makes his beyond our collective means and home in Los Molinos, where he is should implement measures striving to manifest a sustainable immediately to come into balance. and spiritual lifestyle and operate These measures include such a BBQ equipment and supply things as delaying early retire- business. He can be reached at ment, foregoing elective and end- living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point 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) 558-3160; Email: 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) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary From Russia to Oregon bakery—with love? Before diving into the main topic, I am throwing my unqualified support to not only the rodeo clown at the Missouri State Fair for poking fun at our president with an Obama mask, but also to the throngs of rodeo spectators that roared their approval of the comic skit. To all of the naysayers and political figures, even Republicans in that state, offering real or phony outrage, (e.g. the NAACP "jumping the shark," so to speak, by calling for a federal Justice Dept. investigation), I say the following: Good Lord, search your character, find the political courage and sense of humor to realize the obvious— presidents have been the butt of jokes, skits, mocking imitations and worse for as long as I can remember, throughout America's history. Abraham Lincoln repeatedly drawn with a monkey-like face comes to mind. I remember hearing, on 1960s recording technology—the black vinyl, 33 rpm, LP record—an impressionist (Rich Little?) ridiculing and making fun of President Kennedy, his family and administration. Kennedy wasn't around long enough for the late-night routines to kick in, but there was none of the opprobrium, faux outrage and harrumphing we've seen from President Obama's defenders and acolytes (with their apparent candle-lit devotionals to "Lightbearer" Obama) over this rodeo clown's stunt. Heck, there have been mocking, ridicule-filled skits, imitations, cartoons and, yes, caricature-masks of every recent man to hold the office. I can attest to the 8 long years of Bush Derangement Syndrome complete with "kill-Bush-themed" plays, books, college essay assignments and movies. The catalogue of such often-sick protest portrayals (drawing Bush's decapitated head dripping blood from both neck and knife, or Bush-headed puppet with Hitler mustache) has been posted at my blog, DonPolson.blogspot.com, under the label "Bush Derangement Syndrome" going back to 2009. Put this subject in perspective by going to that part of my blog to find 2 posts from January, 2011: "The progressive 'climate of hate'; an illustrated primer, 2000-2010," 1/10/2011, by Michelle Malkin, (categories include Bush-, Palin-, Tea Party-, border control-hate), linked to original post by Malkin. Also, for those aghast at the thought of people laughing at a bull chasing the Obama-masked clown, go to "Death threats against Bush at protests ignored for years," 1/15/2011, with a link to the original post at "zombietime.com" from 8/19/2009. When I heard a news report covered by radio talker and journalist, Lars Larson, on his regional show for Oregon and Washington (KBND, 1110 AM), about a bakery owned by an older married couple in Gresham County, I nearly wept angry tears over the injustice imposed upon them. You see, they are a devout, Christian couple and, while they will sell any of their bakery products to anyone with money, they disapprove of so-called same-sex-marriage and would not produce a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. Predictably, rather than simply respecting the bakers' conscience and checking with other bakeries, the couple have filed a complaint with some governmental agency life, liberty, property or their purseeking to inflict their will on the suit of happiness, just that that happiness can't include Christian bakers, or "gay pride" parades or impose some appropripushing homosexuality ate sanction, fine or upon children. That last maybe consignment to one should be utterly a reeducation camp for uncontroversial to any"sensitivity training." one, including gay men Bear in mind that Oreand lesbian women, gon's constitution, as who would have a hard amended by the voters time coming up with of that state, recognizes counter arguments only traditional marfavoring promoting it to riage between a man children. Those opposand a woman, so this ing bans on "gay pride" lesbian couple are Don parades will be unable legally persecuting the their case bakery over a same sex Polson to make parade activiunless the union that is not even legal in that state. I hate The way ties that can be seen on video and audio recordno one in this matter I see it ing, accessible on the but I hate the fact that Internet, could be openpeople are not simply ly discussed in this, a allowed, and acknowledged to have, the right to exercise family newspaper; they can not their God-given conscience in and for good reason. In America, of course, such a matters of moral and ethical right to "peaceably assemble" can beliefs. So, when I see the umbrage and should not be abridged; there and objections to the laws of Rus- is, however, no right to promote sia that prohibit homosexual "pro- homosexuality to children. I think paganda," and advocacy of homo- Russia has it at least half right; sexuality to children, I find myself those in America that support thinking that there might be logi- forcing people to violate their own cal reasons for such positions by conscience over accommodating Russians and their leaders. If they same sex unions have it all wrong. feel that it is in their nation's exis- If you think about it, there are tential interest to place the weight quite a few ways in which the of law behind the proposition that homosexual so-called "marriage" a civilization must produce chil- agenda relies on forcing people to dren sufficient to assure its sur- do or say, or not do and not say, vival, and to honestly acknowl- things they have every right to in a edge that homosexuality under- free country. mines that imperative, they are Don Polson has called Red Bluff within their national rights to dishome since 1988. He can be courage those activities. by e-mail at It does not appear from what reached I've read that they are deprived of donplsn@yahoo.com.