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4A Daily News – Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Opinion Wal-Mart vs. heritage oak tree 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. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community 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 vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents 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 Fellow citizens of Red Bluff, allow me to express a reflection. Wal-Mart is now going forward with their Super Center in the field behind their already existing petite Super Center? At this point it's only fair to tell you, I've lived across from said field for over twenty years. I remember the smell of fresh cut alfalfa in that field. There used to be a farm house where a parking lot is now. My street was lined with shade trees, real nice on hot days. It was very peaceful. Then Wal-Mart came in with the promise of hundreds of new jobs. That sounded good, it always does. We could always use some good paying jobs, right? But I got to thinking, what's going to happen to the stores downtown? Where are those jobs going? Some city leaders told me, "don't concern you Ed, we need the money, come on man get with it we need to grow." Grow, I wondered, What kind of grow? Well, WalMart came in and started cutting and grading, and all the shade trees are gone along with some charming shops and jobs downtown. I really miss the old sporting goods store. They really knew how to take care of folks. It was always on a first name basis, and they could repair stuff on site like rods, reels, guns, etc. Being a community minded kind of guy, I had joined the Volunteer Fire Department Co.1 out at CDF. I also became a member of the City Planning Commission. It was during a meeting of the Commission that one of my fellow Commissioners made a motion. He introduced the Heritage Tree concept. This would save the last remaining grand old trees in the city that were being destroyed at an alarming pace. It made sense because Red Bluff was on the way to becoming just another collection of boxes along the I-5 corridor. We were losing our identity. The City Council approved the language and it became code. While on the Commission I tried to introduce an esthetics code that would require future businesses to have the look and feel of early Red Bluff. It could be Victorian, old California etc., but it was more than just looks. If you're a business person and or a land owner, then think profit and land value. I knew statistically that an esthetics code it would increase property value, help keep crime down, and promote healthy growth. This was proven to work in what used to be some of the blighted, gang infested cities in Southern California. One such case was the city of Grand Terrace, a once beautiful town next to Riverside. The gang problem became so horrific you would be afraid to even get out of your car. Many of the attractive old buildings took on the look of a third world country. That city decided to fight back. They instituted an esthetic code in keeping with the adobe look of old California. If you look at that city today, land value increased, it's safe, beautiful, winger; besides, I have very little and a testament to a good esthet- hair left. I dislike telling you this, ics code. So here we are many but what Wal-Mart is about to build will be without moons later, and I hear any thought to Red the exact same thing. Only this time we're not Guest View Bluff esthetics and appeal. Think about it only going to have yet Ed folks, they don't live another box, but an even here. Hey, please bigger box, next to the don't get mad at me. old box, and the new I'm just a guy that box will provide even loves his town and more steady jobs than the old box? Never mind our wants it to have a sound footed identity. Get the money. Come future. Believe me, this is a on man get with it and by the symptom of unhealthy planning. way, never mind that Heritage I'm extremely aware that some individuals just don't give a hoot. Tree thing OK, whoops. While on the Planning Com- OK, go ahead and bulldoze the mission I asked an arborist grand old tree down and put up about the big heritage tree stand- another box. You can always ing almost in the middle of what grow another heritage tree; it is now the Wal-Mart field. He only takes about 300 years. Consider this if you will. told me that tree is close to 300 years old and in perfect health. Wouldn't that heritage tree make It's amazing to think that tree a beautiful center piece for Walwas providing shade and shelter Mart? People could relax under long before Lincoln was Presi- its canopy. Maybe they could dent, before Washington crossed have a few tables and chairs to the Delaware, before we were enjoy a snack in the cool shade. even a country, before I was Folks could enjoy a touch of born, and man that's old. But it peaceful lucidity. Go and see for can't survive Wal-Mart coming yourself. If you agree with me, in pitching money and all then I suggest talking to the City lawyered up. As the song goes, Council. I know this is a stretch, but maybe, just maybe they can "we put up parking lot." So here's a thought; after they get giant Wal-Mart to rethink run Raley's out of business they their one size fits all policy here can get rid of Mill Street and tie in Red Bluff. Ask the City both boxes together. Then they Council to look at the beautiful could run the never ending trees of downtown Chico or the parade of truck traffic straight in award winning planning of from Main Street. I wonder why Grand Terrace. My friends, we need to stop giving away the they didn't think of that. Believe it or not I'm not a long farm and charm of Red Bluff. I haired, tree hugging, raging left rest my case. Ballantine 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) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Incomprehensible sums I remember when a billion used to be a number so big nobody could comprehend it, though it is still a massive number. According to Snopes.com 1 billion seconds equals 31.7 years. A billion seconds have elapsed since 1981. One billion minutes is equal to 1,901 years — which would take us back, almost, to the time Jesus Christ roamed the Earth. One billion hours is equal to 114,000 years — which would take us back to the Stone Age. In more recent times, our inability to comprehend the sheer magnitude of 1 billion has been eclipsed by our inability to comprehend 1 trillion. One trillion is equal to one thousand billion. Our federal deficit has been averaging nearly $1 trillion since the collapse of 2008 — causing us to rack up more than $5 trillion in new debt. In order to cover our nearly $4 trillion annual budget, the U.S. Treasury spends about $1 billion every two hours — accumulating $1 billion in new debt about every eight hours. ABC's Jake Tapper tried to simplify these incomprehensible numbers. He compared Ameri- ca's finances to a typical American's finances. By removing eight zeros from America's $3.8 trillion budget, he came up with a sum of $38,000. Now if you are a retiree, you are probably getting by OK if you are able to spend $38,000 a year — unless your finances are as messed up as America's. Though you are spending $38,000 annually, your income is only $29,000 — you are growing your debt by $9,000 every year. What's worse is that you already owe nearly $170,000 to creditors. Paying off that amount of debt with $38,000 in income would be hard under any circumstances. But of course your income is $29,000, not $38,000, so you must borrow about $175 a week to keep up with your expenses. In other words, the U.S. government is growing our debt by $175 billion a week, which is producing around $1 trillion in new debt every year. Still not comprehending how much $1 trillion is? Then you'll like this description by Bill Bryson, one of my favorite authors, from his book "Notes from a Big Country." Bryson asks his readers to guess how long it would take to and tax revenue we need to pay initial and count 1 trillion dollar our bills. Piling on new entitlement bills if you worked without stopprograms and lots of new reguping. lations, rules and "If you initialed one mandates certainly dollar bill a second," isn't helping the writes Bryson, "you recovery. would make $1,000 And so we limp every 17 minutes. along racking up debt After 12 days of nonand our leaders are stop effort you would doing little to address acquire your first milthis incredible challion. Thus, it would lenge. In fact, we have take you 120 days to racked up more than accumulate $10 mil$11 trillion in new lion, and 1,200 days — debt since George W. something over three Bush assumed office years — to reach $100 Tom in 2002. We are the million. After 31.7 proud owners of nearyears you would ly $17 trillion in debt, become a billionaire. a startlingly incomBut not until 31,709.8 years elapsed would you count prehensible sum. Yet too few people worry your trillionth dollar bill." We all understand that very about it. Who can blame them? large numbers are OK so long After all, $17 trillion is only as they add up. So long as we 17,000 billion dollars. have trillions of dollars coming Tom Purcell, a humor in to the government to balance out the trillions of dollars we columnist for the Pittsburgh have going out, we should be Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by OK. But that is the frightening Cagle Cartoons newspaper part. We are not even close to syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web covering our spending. Our at www.TomPurcell.com or ehim at economy has not recovered mail enough to generate the growth Purcell@caglecartoons.com. Purcell