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4A – Daily News – Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Opinion Life experience 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 should count Editor: In this job market finding a job is close to impossible if you have spent the last 12 years as a stay at home mom and a volun- teer. 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 As a volunteer I chaired com- mittees, worked with children aged 5-13, spent hours upon hours in the classroom. I helped to raise money for everything from books to playground equip- ment. For all my years of hard work for the school district this is what I get employers see volunteer on your resume and toss it in the bin. Those of us who were lucky enough to stay home and helped in the schools gave of them- selves, so that the children in the schools could have extras. I never expected the children or the parents or the teachers to say thank you. I also never expected to have it held against me. To be told time and time again that none of it matters, that I have no work experience. I would like to see some of these people get 30 to 40 parents who are tired and most of whom would rather be somewhere else motivated to give just a couple of hours of their time to help with a big fund raiser. I don't only need a job but want one, I want to be able to pay my bills without having to sell something, I want to show up with a smile on my face every day thankful that someone gave me a good job. I am sorry to say that I have begun to feel as though this is never going to happen. Jennifer Orton, Red Bluff Salaries Editor: The Aug. 14 Daily News article on the pay and benefits of Red Bluff, Corning, and Tehama County public employ- ees clearly shows the reason for California's $20 billion deficit--excess pay and bene- fits. A typical civilian employ- ee of a nonunion company receives 77 percent less pay and benefits than their govern- ment employee equal. Remem- ber, 88 percent of workers and retirees are nonunion hence the basis of comparison. The employer's provided benefits of a 5 percent salary match for retirement, 7.65 per- cent of gross salary for Social Security and Medicare, two weeks vacation, 9 holidays, 5 percent unemployment tax, 3 percent workmen's compensa- tion tax, and 70 percent of the $12,000 annual health insur- ance is typical for a civilian employee. That is, about 30 percent of gross pay are bene- fits. The Daily News article confirms that a public employ- ee receives 50 percent of gross salary as benefits. The City Council, Board of Supervisors, and School Boards have grossly overpaid and over-benefited public employees. Those excess pay- ments are not sustainable for taxpayers who must constantly cut their spending to match declining net income. There are several immediate actions needed. These include ending fixed pension programs and substituting 401k pension plans limited to matching 5 percent yearly of a public employees salary, ending health care benefits upon retirement, ending inflation adjustment of pensions after retirement, requiring public employees to pay one-third of their health care insurance pre- mium, and ending carryover of sick leave and vacation hours past yearend. These restrictions are required of civilian employees. Joseph Neff, Corning Re: Moral judgements Editor: While I am glad that Les Wolfe is very involved in the community in showing his intolerance for things such as gay marriage, and although I respect everyone’s opinion as valid, I can’t help but to read the many letters to the editor that get published in the Daily News and feel compelled to respond. One thing Les needs to realize is that one’s ideological beliefs are not the beliefs of the whole. He often talks about the Bible and gives his interpretation of what certain lines of scripture mean, scripture written by man, and he uses that to justify his opinion. One can interpret scripture a thousand different ways. Not to mention that this is scripture writ- ten by men, in an effort to inter- pret Jesus’ message. And yet, hypocrisy and contradiction are found everywhere in the Bible. The true message of uncondition- al love, to put it simply, is not what our fundamentalist churches are preaching. Rather most, due to the need for power and to cast a feeling of fear over the people, and just plain ignorance and greed, tend to be the real inten- tions behind such churches according to my experiences that is, even if the pastor believes these sermons as truth. My faith as a gay man, born this way by the way, has led me to feel that homosexuality is not a sin, as it is based on the love of another human being. Sins have underlying intentions that are energetically negative. Your Turn Because the person I love unconditionally and want to marry hap- pens to be a man, there is nothing but positive energetic intention and I think the historical Jesus, Bud- dha, etc, would come to agree in this day of age. This is not an issue that is based on a liberal agenda. But more an issue based on the intol- erance, and bigotry of a conserva- tive agenda. Though I know many conservatives who are pro-gay rights. In the end, all we ask for is equality. Prop. 8 was just ruled as unconstitutional based on many facts by Judge Vaughn Walker. It is a profound judgment if you read the entire 126-page judgment. I think that there is a surpris- ingly high number of people that have gay family members or friends, and I ask them to open their minds and dive deep into the heart of themselves as they ponder the acceptance of their family member or friend. As a gay man, I cannot tell you how incredibly hard it was for me to finally accept myself and love myself unconditionally to the point where I could pursue a life of happiness and personal truth. Equality is a fundamental right for all. Please open your minds to the irrefutable fact that all the gay community wants is tolerance and equal rights for all. Kristopher Scott, 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. One born every minute Commentary It could have been worse. Some years ago, I had just spent the last of my savings to have a British convertible restored. I was a master then at buying high and selling low. Nonethe- less, desperate for cash, I was eager to sell. I figured I could get $4,900 for the car, but I was also a mas- ter at poor timing: Only a fool would sell a convertible just before winter. My newspaper ads generated no calls. My for-sale sign in the window generated only one lead. He was a 40-ish-looking fel- low, who had arrived in a brand- new Infiniti. His clothes were impeccable, his presentation flawless. In short order, he told me about his distributor business; he provided specialty supplies to hair salons in a three-state region. He told me he was looking for a sports car as a gift for his girlfriend — that she longed for a red British convertible. He looked over the car care- fully, praising me for the quality of the restoration. He said he'd gladly pay my full asking price, in cash — even joked that I was- n't asking enough — so long as his mechanic could give it a once-over. I handed him the keys with- out hesitation. He was, after all, the car buyer I had dreamed of. “This car is in excellent mechanical condition,” he said, smiling, when he returned an hour later. “Could I come by tomorrow with a cashier's check to finalize the deal?” Of course he could. I slept peacefully that night. I was in a fine mood all the next day — until I arrived home from work to see my garage door open and my British sports car gone. The fellow didn't drive my car to his mechanic, you see. He drove to a hardware store and had a key made. My stupidity didn't end there, regrettably. Clever fellow that I was, I had hidden the title — that's right, the title — in a crevice under the rear seat. The silver-tongued con man found it. He drove my prized British sports car to a used-car lot and, forging my signature on my title, sold it to the dealer for a lousy $1,600. That should have been the worst of it, but it was not. Eager to reduce my insurance costs, and certain the con man would buy my car, I had called my agent and told him to cancel my coverage the fol- lowing day. When I testified at the con man's trial, I would learn that he was a master thief who had been in and out of jail his entire life. I'd also meet six others who'd been duped the very same way he duped me. We all agreed he Tom He did as I asked — both of us unaware that the cancellation would commence at 12:01 a.m. the fol- lowing day, some six hours before the con man stole my car. Thankfully for me, even stu- pid people catch a break now and again. An off-duty policeman spot- ted my car at the used-car deal- ership and it was eventually returned. The used-car dealer was the only one to suffer — he was out 1,600 bucks. Purcell 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. was a master at tuning into our wants and worries and pretending to be exactly what we needed him to be. In any event, the incident haunted and embarrassed me for years, but it doesn't trouble me anymore. At least I'm not one of the 63 million Americans who fell for that "hope and change" nonsense. ———