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6A Daily News – Tuesday, October 22, 2013 Opinion Plodding and plotting toward plutocracy 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 Plutocracy is government by the wealthy and it is hard to argue that America doesn't become more plutocratic each day. One need only consider how much the wealthy have become wealthier while middle incomes diminish and the roles of Americans on public assistance have climbed over the past 50 years. The facts are so striking that I wonder why so many conservatives raise the specter of socialism whenever progressives and liberals suggest that taxes be raised on the rich to create a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources. We are so far from socialism such concerns are ridiculous considering the ludicrous concentration of wealth in our country. Is it too much to ask the extremely wealthy that benefit the most from what our country has to offer to pay a larger share of their disposable income to pay most of the freight? We all know the old argument that those that work hard deserve to reap the rewards of their labors to provide incentives to work. But it is difficult to justify that the fact that an average CEO earns more than 380 times what his workers do, meaning that the average worker must labor an entire month to obtain what the CEO does in one hour. Perhaps to some this isn't unreasonable considering the education, skills, and risk taking required of an average CEO rela- tive to his average worker, but this can't explain why over the past decade his compensation has increased nearly four times while the worker's has remained stagnant. Even so is it really necessary or beneficial for one person to earn more than 100 times that of the average employee to provide incentives for hard work? Not only socialists believe it is not, maybe 10 times but a hundred, come on. The fact is that the wealthiest one percent of Americans possesses a staggering 40% of all of America's wealth leaving 8 in 10 of us to divide only 7% of the total. That's right, while you and 7 of your fellow wage earners labor to share 7% of national wealth only two other households divvy up the remaining 93%. If this alone isn't enough to make you wonder if life in America is fair, consider the fact that today the richest 1% get 25% of all earnings in America, while 10 years ago they only got 7%. Please view the short video on wealth distribution in America at www.utrend.tv/v/9-out-of-10americans-are-completely-wrongabout-this-mind-blowing-fact/ to appreciate not only the aforementioned statistics but to also graphically understand how far these realities are from the average American's perception of them. I submit that this is one of the most compelling reasons why so many of you adhere to the conservative argument that incomes are skewed ding. Not only that they can because the poor are lazy, while bankroll extensive disinformation campaigns, such as the reality shows that a recently done to undersmall number of mine the Affordable wealthy folks are greedCare Act, in an attempt ily socking away to unfairly influence resources that used to be you and your represenavailable to middle and tatives. lower income AmeriI think almost all cans. Those of you that Americans will agree believe the Tea Party that tax system and rhetoric that the constipolitical campaign tution alone will protect reforms are vital for your freedoms and that more limited governRichard more of us to secure the American dream. ment intrusion into the Let us not be stymied economy will serve by our differences to your interests are being keep these reforms sold a bill of goods from from happening for to plutocrats in the makdo so will only serve ing. the interests of the There is nothing to wealthiest Americans explain the four-fold increase in the wealthiest take at our expense. Please open your over the past ten years other than eyes to the reality that we are the fact that those with great being played by the rich who are wealth inexorably get wealthier inexorably plodding and plotting due to skewed taxation benefits toward plutocracy. and investment incentives that Richard Mazzucchi is a retired they have had the wherewithal to research engineer specializing in affect by currying political favor. The recent Supreme Court deci- energy efficiency and renewable sion to remove restrictions on energy. He has travelled contributions to political cam- extensively and now makes his paigns by recognizing them as a home in Los Molinos, where he is form of free speech has done striving to manifest a sustainable much to make the problem even and spiritual lifestyle and operate worse by allowing the wealthy to a barbecue equipment and bankroll the entire campaigns of supply business. He can be representatives to do their bid- 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-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 After action post script on shutdown theater We might have scrimped, saved and planned for a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime guided float trip down the Colorado River, like Barbara's mom did many years ago. We might have shown up to meet the rafting company vans, ready to move rafts and supplies to water for a few days in the Grand Canyon, only to be brusquely turned away by federal park rangers "shutting down" river access. It happened to some folks. We could have bought a dream home, and been the retired couple, Ralph and Joyce Spencer, 77 and 80 years of age, "who were evicted from their home on Lake Mead in Nevada by an officious park ranger who told them they had 24 hours to vacate the premises. The Spencers own their home outright, but it sits on land leased from the federal government …" with a legally binding contract that the feds have no legitimate reason to violate ("Vindictive Shutdown Theater," National Review). Locally, I would have liked to drive to the boat ramp area of the Recreation Area and hike over to the pond, but couldn't hike there from outside the closed gate. I hope others, physically more capable than I, made use of our collectively owned land without interference. In "Seniors Held Under Armed Guard at Yellowstone National Park," NRO writer Sterling Beard conveyed the brutish indignities inflicted on a group of tourists: held for hours, not allowed to photograph a herd of bison, visit privately owned shops or even bathrooms at those shops, as their bus departed the park. Stated privatelyowned-and-staffed Claude Moore Colonial Farm director, Anna Eberly, "I have never worked with a more arrogant, arbitrary and vindictive group representing the NPS (who shut their parking lot)." The partial government shutdown, punishing and depriving Americans, should motivate Americans to divest the federal government of its land, facilities, agencies and powers. In "HOPEYCHANGEY: How Federal Workers Became Obama's Private Army," we can see that "the civilservice system has been exposed as a failure—at least in this administration. Instead of an independent workforce of professionals who implement federal regulation in an even-handed and competent manner, we have returned to the era of partisan retribution and politicallymotivated malevolence … It's part of a disturbing pattern emerging in the second term of Barack Obama … the risks of larger government and regulatory overreach go far beyond incompetence." Weeks worth of shutdown and debt ceiling reporting in the Daily News showed that news reporting in general, the Associated Press in particular, function as either stenographers for, or devoted advocates of, the Obama/Democrat narrative. Cartoons performed the hack job of positing phony beliefs to Senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz ("We hate government") and one-sided ridicule of Tea Party Republicans for the shutdown. The AP articles reflected network news blame-placing. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner: "Republicans never expected to get a fair shake in the Big Three networks' coverage of the 16-day government shutdown, but the final tally … is stunning: 41 stories not support raising it blamed Republicans and even if it causes the zero blamed Democrats U.S. to default on its … another 17 blamed debt." Most feel govboth sides. The broadcast ernment spends too networks invariably much money, wastes blamed Republicans 60 percent of it, and (highlighting victimized that Congress "passes Americans and federal too many laws" and the workers) even as they "wrong kind of laws." ignored examples of how Sounds pretty Tea the Obama administration Party-ish to me. CBS and Senate Democrats found blame going to were working to make the Republicans more than shutdown as painful as Don Obama/Democrats by possible." The debt ceiling itself Polson 4 to 3; however, 75 percent saw "negotiations was misreported as a default on debts by the The way as the way out." Obama and Harry Reid AP, networks, most cable I see it alone said "NO" to shows and, ultimately, by negotiations in a conPresident Obama and his ference committee. mouthpieces. However, nearly $200 billion goes into the Republicans made many comproTreasury Dept monthly; less than mises—the blame lies with the $20 billion must service our $17 Democrats, period. Last Thursday's Daily News trillion debt. By law, the President and his administration are required graph of an AP-GfK poll of to allocate money to make debt "Adults" found "The tea party payments rather than default. movement" less responsible for the However, Obama predictably shutdown than Leader Harry Reid, might feign powerlessness and rely Barack Obama, Congressional on the Democrat/media complex Democrats, Speaker Boehner or to point blame at Republicans. Congressional Republicans. Look (or read at Despicable, but true. In the last 2 up years, America's debt has DonPolson.blogspot.com) "Moriincreased $2.4 trillion while our ci: Obama Victory Based on GDP (value of all goods and ser- 'Deception and Demagoguery,'" vices in America) has increased "Barack Obama has won the shutless than $1.2 trillion. Isn't there down; His prize is a lame duck something horribly wrong with our presidency" (by Tim Stanley), and federal finances that our govern- "Why the Shutdown is a Republimental/economic world would can Victory" by liberal Peter crash and burn if spending was Beinart of The Daily Beast. limited to income? Don Polson has called Red Bluff In September, a Reason-Rupe home since 1988. He can be poll found "70 percent of Ameriby e-mail at cans oppose raising the debt ceil- reached ing … (and) 55 percent say they do donplsn@yahoo.com.