Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/19673
6A – Daily News – Monday, November 15, 2010 Opinion Back to basics 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 Now that the American voters 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 have spoken it is time for our local, state, and federal represen- tatives to go about the work of good governance. To most of us this means diligently developing and enacting legislation and poli- cies that provide for our most basic needs such as national defense, education, health care, transportation systems, energy policy, and environmental pro- tection. Sadly, the primary goal announced by Republican Party leaders McConnell and Boehner is to do whatever necessary to ensure our president won’t suc- ceed in his efforts to satisfy the people’s needs. Such self-serving and nega- tive politicking is not what the American people want or need in these times of economic, envi- ronmental, and employment challenges. Rather than fighting we expect our representatives to work out their differences and take care of the people’s busi- ness, not continue partisan wran- gling that only provides hollow excuses for not getting jobs done and erode rather than build respect for our government. At the end of the day most don’t care whether the political map is red or blue, only that our govern- ment is strong and true. We can debate until we are blue in the face whether it is best to raise taxes or reduce services while we suffocate as a nation by drowning in debt by spending more than we allocate and pass- ing the bill on to future genera- tions. The inconvenient truth of our economic insolvency now extends beyond individuals to affect the city of Red Bluff, Tehama County, the state of Cal- ifornia, the United States of America, and with rare excep- tions the world at large. This reality belies systemic problems with contemporary social values, tax policy and governance that lack an underpinning of sustain- ability. No longer can we ignore the cries of the children of the sixties as they viewed a war torn nation and rejected Wall Street and Main Street manipulations that he who dies with most toys wins and that more is better. It is too late for many Americans now losing their homes and credit rat- ings to gradually develop a more sustainable consciousness as they are literally thrown to the streets to understand the school of hard knocks. Fortunately such trauma does have the ability to teach the self-righteous among us the virtues of humility, com- passion for those in need, and the peace and joy that comes from a more right-sized, priority driven, and sustainable manifestation. For many such a transforma- tion might seem like a tremen- dous loss, particularly if you are driven by your ego and the mantra of modern con- sumerism to think that you must have more of everything to consider yourself a success. This is particularly true for those that have claimed to me and oth- ers that "greed is good" because it provides incentives for hard work. Anyone that has suffered from lack of opportunity, disability, intolerance, or eco- nomic injustice knows that greed is the root of evil and that slothful disregard for the human condition of others is both repre- hensible and amoral. Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point Since the byline of this col- umn is "Positive Point" I must speak to what might be learned from our predicament that can set us on a positive course for prosperity and abundance. In my opinion it is time for the Ameri- can people to take personal responsibility for their econom- ic, environmental, and energy crises by acting locally and thinking globally as we make purchases, express preferences, and go about daily living. As we place priority on buying local products, diligently recycle, repurpose, and reuse what we already have, minimize damage to the environ- ment and our carbon footprint, walk, ride bicycles and busses where possible, use renewable energy effi- ciently, and share with our neighbors in need, we can not only weath- er these crises but rise to the challenges that will make our families, communities, states, and nation stronger. I know that for many of you these virtues appear to be idealistic ramblings of a liberal loony or con- servative kook. If so I beseech you to sus- pend your disbelief long enough to consider the virtues of getting back to basics to spare your- selves the harsh realities of spending more than you have and wanting more than you need while blaming others for our problems. Richard Mazzucchi makes his home in Los Molinos and can be reached at living- green@att.net. 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. Union endorsed school board serves whom? Commentary The counting ended; the win- ners of the Red Bluff Joint Union High School District Board turned out to be the three candidates backed by the teachers union. The lowest vote-getter of the three, Ms. McIver, aced out the highest loser, Mr. Benton, by less than 50 votes. There being no talk of recounts or shenanigans, that makes a sweep for the union, which means, for those of you keeping track, that public money in the form of taxes from you, paid for public servants’ wages, some of which were skimmed off to pay union dues. The union spent generous amounts of that money to promote the ulti- mate winners for the school board. Not having children or a per- sonal stake in the quality and effi- ciency of education at our high school, I nonetheless raise ques- tions: To whom do the newly elect- ed school board members owe allegiance? Whose best interests will they serve? Will they ever be in a position to say "no" to the union if union interests conflict with those of the students, parents, taxpayers, etc? Would any of them ever acknowledge that the greater good – educating students at the highest level to be prepared to compete as economically valuable citizens – that that goal is not always compat- ible with the union’s desires? Do they realize that for local students to fare competitively with other California students on standard- ized tests does not negate the fact, documented in this column, that California students lag other states like Texas, and that American stu- dents get the least amount of edu- cational value for the money spent, of any industrialized country? One candidate had no idea how much money was spent per pupil in our schools. Another candidate said it was between $6,000 and $10,000 per student. Doesn’t that matter at a time when public employees are consistently better compensated than workers in the private sector, and their unions fre- quently play negotiating hardball to make sure their members don’t have to sacrifice under tight bud- gets? Teachers unions adamantly oppose and obstruct efforts to pro- vide competition to public schools through charter schools, home schooling and vouchers. Such opposition has no basis in teachers’ job security (except perhaps for home schooling) since students will always need teachers in the front of the classroom however the school is formulated. They clearly oppose such alternatives because it undermines the political and finan- cial power of the union. How does that have any bearing on the core obligation to fill the young skulls with as much knowledge as their brains can hold? Would one or more of the newly elected, union-endorsed, school board members be so kind as to explain how they will fulfill their obligations to students, parents and taxpayers over and above the desires, even demands, of the teachers union? Just asking. There is much to be learned looking at the November 2 election results. Start with Tehama County and its voting patterns. As local liberals and Democ- rats (yes, a redundancy) are pained to admit, our voters went overwhelm- ingly for the Republicans running for offices, gener- ally by almost 2 to 1. As the conservative majority is pained to acknowledge, the voters of California skew more to the left, not just compared to Tehama County, but in many ways compared also to the national electorate. It can be safely said that the val- ues and political leanings of county voters are far more rep- resentative of the center/right national mood on issues than, say, our coastal, urban Democrat strongholds. The above truth is borne out by the ballot proposition results, which have no party affiliation. By margins of around 2 to 1, Tehama County voters: rejected legalizing pot; affirmed using a citizen com- mittee to draw Congressional dis- tricts; opposed any attempt to raise taxes or make it easier to raise taxes or make it easier for Sacramento to raid local revenues; and voted against abolishing the citizen redis- tricting commission. You should be proud. Also bucking statewide trends, Don Polson The way I see it Tehama County, like most rural and northern parts of "red state" California, voted by 5 to 4 for Prop 23 to sus- pend AB 32. That’s the state version of so- called "cap and trade" to use taxation to pun- ish the emission of so- called "greenhouse gasses" by businesses and industry. You envi- ro-nuts and global warming alarmists will just have to bite your tongue and accept that your fellow citizens reject the phony sci- ence behind the idea of human-caused climate change, and consider it to be one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated by scientists and politicians in modern history. It also will give no solace to local lefties to have to accept that Tehama County voted generally the way the Tea Party Patriots, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Associa- tion and this columnist advised; you live and breathe the political air of the Tea Party Nation. The rest of you, who now know that the Tea Party speaks for you, can visit and get to know your fellow con- servatives on Tuesday nights at 6 PM at the Trinity Missionary Bap- tist Church on Paskenta just north of Luther. Don Polson can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.