Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/17343
6A – Daily News – Tuesday, October 5, 2010 Opinion Agenda issues 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 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 Editor: I am wondering if Mr. Nichols is now going to put the Chief of Police on administra- tive leave as he has not put Traf- fic Control on the City agenda? This is a repeat of the finance director Termination. You can not tell Mr. Nichols what has to be done. This looks like when we had the last City Manager whom had to be terminated. The City council does not seem to have any control of what the City manager does. The City Council also should be doing their job and giving direction to Mr. Nichols, Not having him do nothing. It looks like everyone is passing the buck, Mr. Nichols, Mayor Jeff Mover, Councilman Wayne Brown, and The Budget Committee. We cannot afford this circus at this time or any- time. The people of Red Bluff deserve much more than we are getting from our public servants (the City Manager, City Coun- cil). We need a change all around. Frank McCaughey, Red Bluff Traffic control Editor: There continues to be a debate between the Police Department, the City Council, the City Manager, and event sponsors on who is responsible for paying overtime for the police department to provide traffic control for large-scale events in Red Bluff; particularly at the Fair Grounds. The real problem seems to be in the way the revenue generated for the City by these events and the expenses associated with these events are budgeted. Mon- ster Trucks, The Fair, The Bull Sale, The Red Bluff Roundup, are all profit centers for the City. A fairly accurate estimate can be made of the additional revenues that come in to the City above and beyond the normal revenues received at other times of the year. These events combined could be listed as 'Extraordinary Revenue'. The expenses associ- ated with providing additional City services would then be list- ed as 'Extraordinary Expenses'. The current 'Extraordinary Rev- enue' far exceeds the current 'Extraordinary Expense'. The main issue appears to be that the City Budget includes the extraordinary income as part of ongoing revenue. have it both ways. You can't Either you budget expecting the overtime as a trade off for the revenue or your create separate profit and expense centers to account for them. Either way these events bring in far more revenue than they cost us in additional extra- ordinary expenses such as police overtime. We don't need to sud- denly cry unfair when the bill comes due. We need to budget expecting the bill to come due and be grateful we got in more than enough revenue to cover it. Jeff Moore, Red Bluff Big government Editor: I have had it with the lies, the two faces of our elected offi- cials. The American people need the truth. Make them stand up show us the real background of the per- son running for office. We elect the people running for office to work for us, to serve us. When they do their job, they are reelected based on their perfor- mance. No deals for votes. The American people have to take a stand — enough is enough . We need the spirit of 1941,take charge of are country and not be sold out like what’s happening in our country today. Show me your back bone and I will vote for you. I am, at this moment, not anything but a legal American. Eric Peterson, Gerber Kudos to citizens Editor: RE: Geoff Johnson "Builders, union chime in on service cuts" I would like to take this opportunity to say "Kudos" to all the good citizens of Tehama County viewing the on-line arti- cle by Geoff Johnson, "Builders, union chime in on service cuts" (RBDN 9/22/10) because it appears readers did not allow their attention to be easily diverted from the developing events and issues duly reported upon by this newspaper in spite of the most industrious of attempts in the commentary sec- tion (by an anonymous "Janet in Oakland") to do just that. Kudos, readers, you are to be commended for not taking the bait. What takes place in our Board of Supervisors meetings here in Red Buff- especially in those matters addressed by the citizens who (to their credit) are present in order to discuss the obligations of our county offi- cials - is relevant to our quality of life here in Tehama County. Commentary designed to shove aside or back seat news we receive regarding events in our Your Turn community, posted anonymous- ly like this one from Oakland and solely for purposes of recruiting people to work for the author's own person- al, narrow, party-ori- ented politics ... Well, how straight from the Lyndon-LaRouche- Canvassing-for-Con- verts playbook. Canvassing for converts in all the wrong places. As evidenced by Mr. John- son's reporting, we have folks here in our county who think it matters when we discover that we have our own public agen- cies operating with high, non- productive overhead costs. Who find it disconcerting when they learn that, for instance, the director of a particular county department has salary and bene- fits which account for nearly a third (that's right, a third) of the department's personnel budget while overseeing just two full- time and two half-time employ- ees. I do applaud my fellow coun- ty residents for their efforts in being involved and informed in these "Board of Supervisors" matters, and for subsequently taking a pass on the opportunis- tic spam posing as commentary on these topics, and leaving it to languish untouched on the elec- tronic vine. Bravo! Perhaps Ms. Janet in Oakland might find it more productive to pursue distracting the good folks of say, Bell, California, from their task at hand (i.e., putting things in their own front yard in order). No - wait -I take that back. Their time is too valuable to waste either. Janice (no anonymity here) Stout, Los Molinos 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. The pixie dust blues Commentary Who is that masked superhero zoooming across the country on treacherous adventures to save the Democratic damsel? It’s President Obama, in a desperate attempt to erase the midterm election enthu- siasm gap. Two words: Good luck. We’re talking about a chasm that makes the Grand Canyon seem but a crack in the sidewalk. Wider than the space between Christine O’Donnell’s ears. The difference between my understanding of international cheese derivatives and a gold receipt spindle. The problem is, The Right is as fired up as a homecoming bonfire, while The Left is walking around with their collective chins scrap- ing the ground like a squad of cheerleaders who got dumped en masse by the football team Friday before the Big Dance. The situa- tion has become so dire, the administration decided to slap its followers upside the head with a big old dose of Tough Love, alter- ing its signature philosophy from Hope and Change to Scold and Chide. In Madison, Wis., Prez 44 chal- lenged a rally of 25,000 supporters to buck up and quit their bellyach- ing the day after Vice President Biden yelled at a group of New Hampshire Democrats to stop whining. Experts are split as to whether this strategy of berating the base is an effective incentive or the reckless last-ditch long-shot of a party splintered like a picnic table factory after a direct hit from a SCUD. Or just plain dumb. That too is a possibility. The Disciples are disappointed with their Messiah. Not every one of their pet projects got passed in the previous 20 months. So they whine and they grouse and they grumble and snipe and gripe and snivel and whimper and wail. “He didn’t pass the Rainbows in Every Pantry Act.” “He showed his true colors by failing to put an end to world hunger.” pusses are the far left-wing nut- jobs who remain royally pissed the president didn’t push through single-payer, blissfully unaware of any resistance offered by the opposition. It doesn’t mat- ter. Superman shouldn’t need help. Conservatives know the importance of banding together to do whatever it takes: lie, cheat, steal, obstruct. Pro- gressives, on the other hand, need to be goosed to get off the couch when it’s on fire. “He’s just a Republican in moderate Democ- ratic clothing.” And compared to them, he is. Of course, compared to them, so is Fidel. Most of these sour-pouting And sloshing through the ashes of arson, they still don’t do angry. They do do petulance. Not herd animals. Tend more to the cannibalistic snails-with- out-any-teeth genus. Given enough time, they’ll gum each other to death. Doesn’t matter if the Tea Party threatens to take over the entire government, the true believers won’t vote because it would take precious Will Durst Raging Moderate time from centering their chi. So President Knute Rockne Man is sentenced to perform hard-labor pep talks to rally the troops and replicate the enthusiasm he produced two short years ago. Don’t hold your breath. He’s got about the same chance as a grey- haired hippie has of capturing pixie dust with a butterfly net. Pixie dust being something these spoiled children understand. Altogeth- er now, clap if you believe in the pro- gressive movement: “I do believe. I do believe. I do believe in Obama.” Just one last piece of advice: No capes. Will Durst is a San Francisco- based political columnist who often tells jokes. On stage.