Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/183315
6A Daily News – Tuesday, October 1, 2013 Opinion No time left for you 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 With all the political brinksmanship and drama these days it seems Representative La Malfa and his congressional colleagues are focused primarily upon their political careers while giving lip service to their constituents. We need real representation for effective governance, not a bunch of folks protecting themselves and their party at all cost. Correct me if I am wrong, but when the losing team members pick up the ball and ends the game, it is an act of resignation and disrespect for their opponents. It seems that by listening to intransigent Tea Party members that the Republican Party as a whole has chosen the path of poor losers and needs now to learn how to be more sportsmanlike in their dealings. Any gains proffered by extorting the President and people to rescind what was previously agreed upon will only harden their divide and plunge the fragile economy in chaos by stopping home lending, disability application processing, national park operations, food inspections, and myriad other federal government services necessary for the proper functioning of our nation. The saddest part of this misguided strategy is that it was doomed to failure from the outset since there is no way the President or majority Democratic Senate will allow the crippling the landmark Affordable Care Act in its infancy. It is clear that Senator Cruz and his misguided followers are cruising the ship of state into an iceberg to gain favor of their far right supporters at the expense of the nation's service to its citizens, the honor of its financial obligations, and the due process of law. We can, should, and will expect more when going to the voting box and will remember the damage done to our 401Ks, our national credit rating, and our flagging economy by this juvenile and selfserving showmanship. We look forward to the day when our legislators hone the art of compromise and boldly lead this country rather than conspire to cripple it to get their way. After all they are supposedly working for us in return for their sizeable salaries, tremendous benefits, and high stations. How one can defend closing the very institution for which they work in order to advance their interests is beyond logic bringing to mind the poor sports on the playfield I alluded to earlier. The good news is that they now have ample opportunities for improvement by learning from the sary to move us from what most failed strategies of intransigence agree is an overly expensive, complex, and unfair delivery and adopting more of services leaving mature practices of lismany without preventatening and compromise. tive medicine and Such is the art of goveraffordable care. nance, practices sadly Democrats and lost when folks speak Republicans can agree more than they listen, that the Affordable Care and their egos override Act needs refinement as as the grace of humility it is implemented as we as positions are stated are treading on unfamiland best solutions are iar ground, but we canimplemented. Perhaps La Malfa had it right Richard not be to afraid to move forward in our attempt when saying he is one of to right a sinking ship us, and we must theredespite what Senator fore seek solutions by Cruz and his Tea Party looking within rather patronizers choose to than pointing our fingers do. Their tactics of at others. extortion and intransiIt is time for liberal gence will surely backleft wing "tree huggers" to work with the far right property fire because their claims of workrights advocates so both sides can ing for the people they represent benefit with partial gains rather ring hollow when the majority of than both lose to an inability to Americans seek solutions to our compromise and move forward. vexing problems with old fashAt the very least it would be bene- ioned negotiation rather than their ficial to all to try out one option so slash and burn tactics. Governance as to learn from the experience so should not be a war of personal as to revisit matters with an vendettas where there is no time improve insight should it prove left for you. unworkable or unhelpful. With a Richard Mazzucchi can be system as complicated as health care such bold moves are neces- reached at 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 m a i l : 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) 2868537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Obamacare abomination must be destroyed It marks a truly abominable descent into despicably offensive rhetoric for the mouthpiece of President Obama, Daniel Pfeiffer, to say Republicans "have bombs strapped to their chests." We're objecting to a $17 trillion national debt, and the nearly $2 trillion that will be added to the debt over 10 years via Obamacare. Adding more trash-talk, Pfeiffer further described negotiations with Republicans as akin to bargaining over a home price by saying you'll burn the house down if your price is not agreed to. Someone please wash his mouth with soap! Of course, such flaming verbal garbage has become routine for the Republican-and-Tea-Party-hating Democrat left in Washington, MSNBC and other smash-mouth dens of slimy utterances. I note that Mr. Mazzucchi has gone no further than using "extortion" in his written fusillade, to his credit. However, when someone engages in extortion, they typically "get (money) by threats, etc" (Webster's Pocket Dictionary). Republicans seek only to "get" smaller spending increases for the federal government—no increases would reflect the decline in Americans' income under Obama—or rather to "get" less debt and less of a fiscal burden on our citizens and economy. Not one Congressional Republican "gets" money via threatened, hard negotiating positions. The word "extortion" would, in a strict sense, apply to those on Obama's side who do threaten to let government shutdowns occur unless their collective government "gets" more money. If the shoe fits…. Appropriately, John Hinderaker, at Powerlineblog.com, said that "not only has Obama refused to negotiate with the House, he has also had his spokesman describe Republicans as suicide bombers. The irony is rich: those who are concerned about $17 trillion in debt 'have bombs strapped to their chests,' while the world's biggest sponsor of actual suicide bombers—you know, the ones who blow people up, as opposed to disagreeing with Democrats—are newly-discovered moderates … Cheap shots aside, it is not surprising (since the) foundational belief of the leftists among whom Obama came of age was that America is too rich and too powerful. So Obama has a general desire to make the United States poorer and weaker. He is doing a great job so far." To follow up on polling results mentioned elsewhere, "the rest of the story" is that, with an average approval of 43.5 percent (RealClearPolitics.com), Obama's disapproval is at 51.3 percent; that's a negative 7.8 percent, indicating deep dissatisfaction. Congressional Job Approval is only 16.8 percent, so with 75.5 percent disapproval, you have a negative 58.7 percent … for both parties. However, the average Generic Congressional Vote is only 2 percent higher for Democrats than Republicans (41 to 39), not a ringing endorsement for the Dems. Moreover, when pollster Scott Rasmussen asked voters whom they trust on 15 issues, Republicans garnered more trust on 11: Economy, Nat'l Security and War on Terror, Job Creation, Energy Policy, Afghanistan, Immigration, Taxes, Health Care, Gov't Spending, Gun Control, and Issues Affecting Small Business. Democrats scored higher only on Social Security, Education and Environ- Court judge twisted the clear wordment, with the parties even on ing of the legislation to turn a "fine" over the mandate Gov't Ethics and Corto purchase insurance, ruption. into a tax—a tax saddling The polling on ObaAmericans in perpetuity. macare (RCP "Public The same political/media Approval of Health crowd that has given Care Law") has been Democrats a pass when more negative than posflaunting immigration, itive for as long as the marriage or national question has been security laws, now insists asked, starting in that Obamacare is etched December 2009. The in legal stone. No, it's not best it has gotten is 5 and Republicans can and percent more negative, will crusade to abolish it, generally over 10 perDon to destroy it, root and cent more negative, until summer 2012, Polson branch, for the foreseeable future. when it went back to 5 Article headlines percent higher disapThe way alone condemn the proval. Since May, the I see it entirety of Obamacare: disapprove/negative "Obamacare Will spread has gone from 10 Increase Health Spendto 19 percent (CNN:38 For, 57 Against)—the people don't ing By $7,450 for a Typical Famlike it and don't want it ("the dogs ily of Four"; "Tennessee: Obadon't like the dog food"). Hence, it macare will triple men's premiwas fitting for (my hero) Senator ums, double women's"; "ObaTed Cruz, to read the Dr. Seuss macare's 'Cool Calculator': The story because the character stri- 'Wedding Tax'"; "Obama on dently resists the persistent exhor- Obamacare: 'We did raise taxes tations of "Sam-I-Am" to eat on some things'"; "Obama lied, "Green Eggs and Ham." I doubt My Health Plan Died"; "How Americans will eventually like President Obama is flouting ObaObamacare, however, as the Seuss macare"; "Unpublished CRS character did with Sam-I-Am's Memo: Obama Administration Has Missed Half Of Obamacare's dish. Remember, Obama and the Legally Imposed Implementation Democrats neither sought, Deadlines"; "It's Fact, Not Anecappealed to, nor received a single dote, That ObamaCare Is Turning Republican vote when they ulti- Us Into A Part-Time Nation"; mately jammed Obamacare and, finally, "Obama's Long List through Congress in a most abom- of Broken Promises." Search by or at inable legislative fashion. Indeed, title, Obamacare represents a budgetary, DonPolson.blogspot.com "health policy, cultural, political, religious, care system" label. judicial, constitutional, historical, Don Polson can be reached by and economic abomination in e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com. every sense. One single Supreme