Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/177798
6A Daily News – Tuesday, September 24, 2013 Opinion Ridiculous and reprehensible representation 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 A NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last week finds that Americans' disapproval of Congress has reached unprecedented levels, while approval of President Barack Obama has also dropped significantly. According to the survey, 83 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing in Washington, an all-time high in the poll. Just 12 percent approve of Congress' job, while 57 percent they would replace every member of Congress if they could. The president's approval rating has dropped to 45 percent, down from 48 percent last month. Obama's new approval rating is the lowest in the poll since August 2011, when the president was entangled in a standoff over the debt ceiling with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other congressional Republicans. I think Obama has it right when he stated in a speech in Kansas City recently, "They're focused on politics; they're focused on trying to mess with me, they're not focused on you." What else can you conclude when the Republican Party votes in masse to align with Tea Party intransigence by failing to honor our national responsibility to pay our debts and refuses to fund a program that has been approved but that they disagree with? The very idea of extorting the President and the people of the United States to get their way is offensive and patently disrespectful of the electorate by placing personal political will against the best interests of the country and its citizens. Why we continue to pay these juvenile delinquents over $175,000 a year and offer them full medical and lifetime pensions is beyond me, and apparently beyond 83% of the rest of you. All our representatives are culpable for this dysfunction as they are simply not doing their jobs to achieve compromise and boldly lead our nation as required. Instead they conspire in cloistered cabinets devising ways to backstab and cripple the very institution for which they work, and by extension the good faith of the nation. But as a party, Republicans are correctly singled out for being unable to advance legislation to preserve government operations without including a provision to eradicate the Affordable Care Act although this is the law of the land. As an implicit acknowledgement that its work had not yet wrapped up, the House has canceled a planned recess next week in anticipation of the frenetic work it will take to cobble together a compromise to keep the government open that can win the support of Congress. More gravely, Congress faces a deadline sometime next month to authorize the gov- and retard progress." Maybe this is just a ernment to borrow more test to see how unpromoney to finance its ductive Congress can existing obligations. be before the people Even if lawmakers rise up and vote the assemble a compromise entire crew out of that averts a shutdown, office. To more Amerithe prospect of defaultcans every day this ing on the national debt would be far more awaits them. Obama effective than the symsaid that if a default bolic posturing and were to come to pass, puffed up Tea Party then, "Basically, America becomes a deadbeat." Richard bravado that brings not only Congress but the This dangerous posentire country to a turing faces certain standstill while wreckdoom in the Senate, ing havoc on the finanwhere Democrats will cial markets and U.S. predictably restore credit worthiness. Can't funding for the health they, as well as all of care overhaul. And you, see that with such even if they were to fail, Obama has flatly promised to a strategy we the people stand to veto the bill and there are not lose fortunes in our retirement enough Congressional votes to portfolios as we bear witness to override the veto in any way our ridiculous and reprehensible shape or form. There is absolute- representation. ly no benefit or progress here Richard Mazzucchi is a retired after wasting the people's time to symbolically vote 40 times in the research engineer specializing in House to repeal the Affordable energy efficiency and renewable Care Act. We get it you bunch of energy. He has travelled babies– you don't like the law extensively and now makes his that was enacted and you don't home in Los Molinos, where he is have the votes to repeal it – so I striving to manifest a sustainable say "please just put on your big and spiritual lifestyle and operate boy pants and do what you can a BBQ equipment and supply that might be productive, rather business. He can be reached at than continue this juvenile tirade 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; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-225-3076. 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 Back home; discouraging words; fair week Happy 4th birthday, Tehama Tea Party Patriots; let's enjoy some pizza tonight. Coming back home to stay (until the snow flies, anyway) after almost 3 months of summer traveling can require some adjustments. Our "camping" (parking the motorhome in various beautiful water front locales) ended literally where we started: East Lake in the Newberry Caldera National Monument, near La Pine, Oregon at over 6,300 feet elevation. While Red Bluff scorched some new records, East Lake's early July highs got into the 80s; by September those highs in the sun had dropped to the '70s, making for delightful boat trips around the lake and idyllic outdoor book reading. Thank Mother Nature and the meteorologist for a delightful Tehama Fair week. With near-wintry weather returning to the mountains and lakes of Oregon, I'm glad for warmth back home. Everyone should make a point of supporting and enjoying the fair—be sure to drop by the Republican booth in the Jelly-Tyler building for camaraderie with your fellow political travelers. Having written weeks worth of columns either before leaving town or on brief returns to collect mail, I was chagrined to read discouraging words directed my way in my accumulated papers. Mr. Minch has apparently been providing both sides of an imaginary debate over my position on same-sex (whatever). He first attacked me by name (bad etiquette for columnists, no?), insisting that I formulate a response to his hypothetical scenario of children I never had who turned out with made-up sexual preferences. Having rightfully concluded on his own that "It's none of your business," he has nonetheless failed to respond to a reasonable request that he state his position on real life instances of persecution and punishment of business owners who decline to commercially participate in the "celebration" of same sex ceremonies. Quips about party hats are inadequate. I don't mind being kept on my factual toes by attentive critics. However, when they make a broad-brush attack, "Whenever (Polson) veers from bombast to reality he invariably trips over the facts," if I am factually correct, the pity's not on me (D. Janott, "Pity Polson" 9/20). Look up "Party in Power," use the uspolitics.about.com link; look up "Composition of Congress Since 1867," use the arts.bev.net link. I provided a quote from Truman advocating that "the benefits of (America's) production (be) distributed among all its citizens." Marxist rhetoric, I think. It is indisputable that 1) FDR and Truman were cut from the leftist/progressive mold, 2) Democrats controlled Congress from 1931 through 1946 and 3) The Congressional election of 1946 delivered a massive victory of 246 Republicans to 188 Democrats in the House of Representatives. Subsequent return of the House to Democrat control with Truman's reelection, and the election of Dwight Eisenhower with a 2 year Republican Senate, do not refute the popular vote for the Republicans in 1946, which was a rejection of the FDR/Truman/Democratic agenda. While catching up on quotes relating to the respect due Presi- dent Obama, three items stood out: fatherless homes, depriving young boys and men of neces1) Wall Street Journal sary discipline. columnist Peggy NooTo Obama, slandernan reported that White ing gun control oppoHouse staffers have nents, who "make it as adopted a new and easy as possible for danunflattering nickname gerous people to get for their boss—"Obamtheir hands on a gun," is me"—which she overpar for the course—disheard in chats with a few respect, castigate and senators (Dan Weil, lie about us to an audiNewsmax, 9/20). Why? ence that laps up char"Because it's all about acter assassination and him and his big demonization of "their thoughts" as well as a Don enemies," to use anoth"second-term team not quite as adoring as the Polson er Obama phrase. about 3) Speaking first." 2) Resuming his gun The way the attempts to de-fund Obamacare while fundcontrol advocacy after I see it ing the rest of governthe mass murder at the ment, Obama said, Naval Yard in Washing"they're trying to mess ton and the mass shooting at a park in Chicago, Obama with me," verbiage that would said that "for the sake of our chil- normally be heard from the dren" (naturally) "we've got to get mouth of a street thug, union back up and go back at … those tough or bare-knuckled Chicago who fight to make it as easy as pos- ward boss. The way I see it, Mr. Obama sible for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun…" In the case has so personalized and identified of the Naval Yard murderer, Seattle himself with the office of the authorities had it in their hands to President; is so thin-skinned, narconvict and imprison Mr. Alexis cissistic and vindictive over the for shooting a car over perceived normal back and forth of issue disrespect by construction work- advocacy; and is so incapable of ers. That would have given him a the most basic level of honorable criminal record sufficient to deny disagreement with his oppohim a security clearance as well as nents—that the greatest purveyor a job in a company that placed of disrespect for the President is … Barack Obama himself. He employees in military facilities. Likewise, police reported that can barely go a day or an utterthe Chicago shootings, which ance without insulting the office would have rivaled the death toll at that he holds. the Naval Yard had the shots killed Don Polson has called Red Bluff their victims, were part of a gang turf war. Gangs have been around home since 1988. He can be by e-mail at for over 150 years but are greatly reached donplsn@yahoo.com. exasperated by single parent,