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6A – Daily News – Wednesday, October 27, 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 Disturbing letter Editor: 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 I am displeased and dis- turbed by a letter mayoral can- didate Dean Cofer recently sent, in which he states, “I went onto the Chamber’s Website this morning and…the official Corning Chamber of Commerce Website is hosting a link to the ‘Reelect Gary Strack Website.’” As Cofer is well aware — having discussed this with me personally on two occasions — I created and maintain the Corn- ing Chamber of Commerce Web site. It would seem a simple matter, should he have ques- tions regarding this Web site, to address the questions directly to me. This would not, however, have been appropriate in this instance, since the assertion he made is untrue. Addressing this assertion to me, then, would not have been efficacious — in par- ticular, since I would have responded directly to his state- ment and cautioned him against making such false statements. For that reason, he chose to address your letter to others, including the Daily News and Corning Observer. I shall avoid the conspirator- ial concept of imagining that Cofer was attempting to directly obfuscate the issue by introduc- ing spurious allegations — thus making addressing his invented issue more difficult — and state simply that no individual politi- cal candidates’ Web sites are linked from the Corning Cham- ber of Commerce Web site. There is a link from the Re-elect Mayor Gary Strack’s Web site to the Corning Chamber of Commerce Web site. There is, however, no reciprocal link. Cofer’s letter continues: "I know for a fact that not all Chamber members support the reelection of Mayor Strack but that is not the issue." If this “is not the issue,” why state it? The only reasonable explanation he you intended to further cloud the basis of his complaint. Additionally, his letter was not directed to the membership of the Corning Chamber of Com- merce. It is, therefore, unrea- sonable to make reference to whether or not Mayor Strack is supported by those members — in particular, since Cofer is giv- ing witness to the personal posi- tions of the membership with- out allowing them the opportu- nity to respond. Cofer’s letter continues: “I do not believe the mission of the Chamber of Commerce includes taking sides in local political campaigns and elec- tions…" I can only imagine that his purpose here was to make an irrefutable statement that would be universally accepted — thereby adding credibility to his complaint. This might easily seem sound judgment to him, but I find it self-serving and wholly without merit. This sort of subterfuge is analogous to saying, "The sun is shining," at a time when this is plainly seen to be factual and adding, "It is Wednesday." There is no rela- tionship between the first and subsequent statements, and it is not logical that the second fol- lows as a matter of course from the first. It is only utile to make the first statement as it might be imagined that it lends credence to the second statement. In fact, this is not supported by logic. It is very possible that Cofer’s complaint is actually not a complaint in the true sense of the word — setting aside for the moment the basic fact that the complaint is a false- hood — and that it is, instead, a veiled opportunistic tugging at the collective heartstrings, as it were, of the local voting pub- lic. It is his goal to plant the seed within the collective mind of local voters that he is being disenfranchised by forces beyond his control — thus mak- ing you the victim and bestow- ing upon him the position of underdog. Thereby, it would be his position that it is he — the common man fighting the estab- lishment for the betterment of the community at large. David Harter, Corning Interesting figures Editor: 1. The current debt is report- ed as $14 trillion. 2. If the annual deficit — now running in the trillion dol- lars + range — could be totally eliminated, we could use any surplus for each year to pay toward the debt. If the annual deficit were zero — balanced budget, but no surplus — noth- ing would be available to pay toward lowering the debt. Your Turn 3. If we could have a surplus of $500 billion each year with- out fail — this would mean a change of $1.5 trillion from $1 trillion dollar deficit to 500 bil- lion surplus — we could pay off the debt in 28 years. 4. If we managed to eke out a surplus of only $100 billion each year — hasn't been done in past several decades except for one questionable year under Clinton — it would take 140 years to eliminate the debt. If all expenditures, other than national defense and interest on the debt were eliminated — that is nothing spent on any other item — the debt could be paid off in 5 years and 2 months. Figures used are from the 2010 budget: Total expenditures $3.55 trillion, total defense spending $663.7 billion, interest on the debt $164 billion. Therefore $3.55 trillion minus ($0.6637 trillion + $0.164 trillion) = 2.72 trillion. With national debt of $14 tril- lion, divide that figure by 2.72. and get 5.147 which is the num- ber of years — approximately 5 years and 2 months — it would take to pay off the debt with nothing other than defense and interest on debt paid. In short, spending cuts will never eliminate the debt. We have to grit our teeth and accept more taxes, or the alternative of printing more money with resultant, and unpredictable, inflation to pay off the debt. Take your choice. Hugh Merhoff, 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. Recession? Not in Washington D.C. Commentary I feel guilty about it, if you want to know the truth. Patrice Hill, chief economic correspondent for The Washing- ton Times, reports that while the down economy has caused the rest of America to struggle, Washington, D.C., is flourishing. While America has lost 8.3 million jobs since the beginning of the recession, the Washington metropolitan region has lost only 35,000. And by August 2009, not only were all 35,000 of those jobs recovered, but, says The Washington Post, 20,000 new ones were added — and thou- sands more have been added since. Thus, while the jobless rate hovers near 10 percent national- ly, it's around 6 percent in D.C., the lowest unemployment rate among America's 49 largest metro areas. When times are good in America, they're better in Wash- ington, where coffers are flush with tax revenue. When times are bad in Amer- ica, they're better yet in Wash- ington, where policymakers bor- row and pass out billions. That's why, says the Brook- ings Institution, D.C. has grown nearly 7 percent since the reces- sion began in December 2007. It's also why people and orga- nizations are flocking to the region. Its population has been growing by about 100,000 a year. Most Fortune 500 companies have a presence here, happily snapping up large government contracts of every kind. Federal contracts, says Hill, pump $84 billion into the D.C. economy every year — revenue that produces lots of good-pay- ing private-sector jobs, too. Which is why I accepted a temporary assignment in the region. In addition to writing this col- umn, I contract out my writing and communication services. Unlike much of the rest of America, where work has slowed, business is brisk in D.C. Shortly after I arrived, I was contacted by a headhunter to see if I was interested in another assignment with a large quasi- government agency that is receiving billions every month in taxpayer-funded bailout dough. I told the headhunter I could never work for such an organiza- tion, but was curious about the salary. When he told me, I near- ly fell off my wallet. It was an absurd amount of money. But then, a lot of things are absurd in the "land of milk and honey." There are lots of people in D.C. who work in government jobs, who never have to worry about layoffs. The salaries are high — not the low salaries that government workers used to be paid — and the benefits are fabu- lous. Tom I have friends hold- ing such government jobs. They are good, intelligent people and many of their jobs — military, legal and so on — are important jobs. Purcell Still, I can understand many Americans' frustration with Washington. It is sheltered from the hard realities that most Americans face every day. If a private-sector employee in middle America isn't produc- ing tangible value, particularly in a down economy, he or she will be let go. In the end, our nation's capi- tal is ultimately a reflection of our nation's health. If America doesn’t resume healthy growth, even Washington, D.C. will eventually suffer. But for the moment, things are dandy in D.C. Employment is high. The restaurants are full. Few have a worry in the world. For the moment, I'm riding out the down economy while enjoying a nice income — income made possible, in part, by taxpayer funding and excessive government spending. 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. But, as I said, at least I feel guilty about it. ———