Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/17765
6A – Daily News – Wednesday, October 13, 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 Poor planning Editor: Communication and plan- ning – what a concept. Being a concerned city of 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 The evidence is right under their noses, yet they ignore it. I am living in the Washing- ton, D.C., area for a spell. I moved here temporarily from Pittsburgh -- flyover country -- which is the land of friendly, considerate people. People are not so considerate in D.C. -- particularly on the roadways. Drivers here come from every part of the globe and drive every kind of vehicle. Yet most have one thing in common. You better get out of their way. In Pittsburgh, it is routine for one driver to allow another to merge. Drivers don't do that here. It is every man, woman and child for himself or herself. Ironically, the same town that produces gargantuan govern- ment programs that clog the free flow of commerce also has the most cutthroat, though efficient, drivers on the planet. The average D.C. driver would hand his mother to mur- derous thugs if it would cut three minutes off his commute. D.C. drivers provide a glimpse into human nature: Peo- ple are motivated by self-inter- Red Bluff resident I am frustrat- ed and concerned about the direction of the City Council and City Manager and looked forward to attending Monday’s candidate’s forum. Being a concerned parent of a teenager, I find it necessary to attend the Red Bluff High School board candidate’s night. What to do – these impor- tant, one time opportunities were being held on the same evening, at the same time. A lit- tle communication and planning please. Lee McLeod, Red Bluff Thanks Editor: We live in Lake California, a small gated community nestled where the Sacramento River meets with Cottonwood Creek in the very north end of the county. We are a community of 1,100 plus homes and have only one road in and out, Lake California Drive, a narrow, winding some- times bumpy tree-lined two lane road passing through beautiful farms with cattle and horses. Truly a wonderful setting. Several weeks ago, the coun- ty was notified by our commu- nity of a problem with a drainage ditch which, if left unattended might completely ruin the road base. The county was very quick to respond and make the necessary repairs. Not only did they make the repairs, but repaved many sections that were very bumpy, uneven, and dangerous to travel. Now, thanks to the Tehama County Road Division, we now have a much smoother, safer and enjoyable ride in and out of Lake California. Bill Law, Cottonwood Savage inaccuracy Editor: One conclusion to be drawn from Terry Savage's Oct. 2 Daily News column is that she knows very little about Social Security. Her column was replete with inaccuracies, large and small, and failed to offer the reader even the most basic understanding of the Social Security program. Ms. Savage states the com- bined Social Security and Medicare tax “consumes the first 15.3 percent of your earn- ings.” She goes on to say that while the worker actually pays only half and the employer pays the other half, in reality it some- how all belongs to the worker. Here are the facts. The employer and employee each pay a tax to the tune of 7.65 per- cent. The employee's contribu- tion comes right out his salary and the employer pays his por- tion as an operating expense. If the employer did not have this obligation, the funds would not be paid to the employee nor would they be considered the employee's. Terry Savage makes another big mistake in her failure to explain that Social Security is income insurance. She discuss- es only retirement benefits paid by Social Security. She fails to note the disability benefits paid to workers and family members when that worker has become disabled, regardless of age. Ms. Savage also fails to mention anything about the benefits paid to the survivors of deceased workers. Social Security pro- out fail.With assets over $2 tril- lion, it is strongly positioned to fully meet its obligations well into this century. Right now Terry Your Turn vides a measure of financial stability to all families in the event the breadwinner becomes unabl e to work or dies. These benefits are paid as long as qualifica- tions are met, regardless of taxes paid. If you don't think disability benefits and sur- vivor benefits are important, just ask anyone who receives them. Ms. Savage also suggests today's workers “have little or no chance” of getting future retirement benefits. She goes on to suggest we'd all be better off in the stock market. Huh? Is she talking about the same market that stood with a DJIA at 11,723 in November 2000, dived to 7,286 in October 2002, rose to 14,165 by October 2007 then crashed to 6,763 by March 2009? Those numbers represent the reality of the stock market over the last decade. Contrast that kind of loss and uncertainty with Social Securi- ty's record. The Social Security system has never missed a payment in the 70 years it has been paying benefits and now pays more than 51 mil- lion people every month, with- Savage seems to have no idea of the good deal she, her family and all of us have with Social Security. Hopefully, she'll edu- cate herself to the realities of this main- stay of American life. David Janott, Red Bluff Past news Editor: Your experiment with excerpts from Daily News papers from the past was inter- esting. The type font when transposed made for difficult reading though. I found two articles of spe- cial interest to myself however. I am an alumnus of RBUHS class of '57 and as I recall the FFA during my tenure took down the old grandstand and used the timber for the school farm out west of town. This is something that could not be done today. Mr. Rogers was the Ag teacher during my four years and as I recall won a national award during those years. I have many fond memo- ries of those years. My father bought 10 acres of young walnuts on the river below Blackberry Island around '47-'49 and sold the 5 acres the river left him about five years later. Back then the powers that be were quite adamant about letting the river find its' own channel. Fred Boest, 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. Beltway lessons Commentary est; D.C. drivers are motivated by getting from point A to point B as quickly as they can. They have navigated every back road, every shortcut, every little trick to bypass the Belt- way's bumper-to-bumper lem- mings. Some commuters ride scoot- ers or motorcycles to weave their way past hundreds of backed-up cars. Some unassuming govern- ment employees, dulled by years of paper-pushing, save their cun- ning for their daily commute; they put lifelike mannequins in their passenger seats so they can use high-occupancy-vehicle lanes undetected. D.C. drivers' genius and cre- ativity are things to marvel at. Every day, thousands make mil- lions of individual decisions with one goal in mind: getting where they're going in the fastest manner possible. As I was doing just that the other day, it occurred to me that D.C roadways are a fine model for our economy. The goal is the freest flow of traffic possible, so that individu- als can get to their destinations as freely as possible. Rules and government over- sight are essential. If there were no speed limits, traffic lights and police presence, the roads would eventually erupt into chaos. So our government bodies establish basic rules of the road and then, for the most part, get out of the way. Sure, if a challenge evolves -- if people begin causing accidents by texting while driving or driving too aggres- sively -- the government alters the rules to clamp down on destructive behaviors. Tom But the government mostly stays out of the way. Despite thousands of drivers every day, D.C. roads work remarkably well for most. And despite this simple, highly effective model, some who drive in D.C. are oblivious to the lessons taught by its roads. They use government force to make us use one technology and not another (kiss your low-cost, perfectly useful incandescent light bulb goodbye). Purcell They go after "the rich" with higher taxes and end up hurting the middle class and the poor. They impose cost- ly "employee" man- dates on small employers, who quickly decide it is cheaper and better to not employ. They are forever doing things -- new laws, taxes, mandates and outright intru- sions into private mat- ters -- that fly in the face of human nature and end up obstruct- ing the free flow of our economy. If only the policy 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. makers here would abide the lessons of the beltway -- rather than take the rest of us on a bumpy ride. ———