Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/224151
4A Daily News – Saturday, December 7, 2013 Opinion Burger time 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. 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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 Editor: I've been reading in the Redding paper that In-N-Out Burger was looking at a second location in that area but pulled the plug for some reason. Now, they are quoted as saying they are looking for another possible location somewhere up here. Can I make a plea to the powers that be in Red Bluff to reach out to the In-N-Out folks once again? There's plenty of room out by the former Ford building or directly behind Starbucks on Adobe Road. Both locations provide easy freeway access and more than adequate visibility for their signs. In addition, we need another quality dining experience on the north side of town. Further, think of the jobs it would provide. Let us not delay. Bring the In-N-Out Burger movement to Red Bluff now. Pat Gleason, Red Bluff Thanks Editor: We want to thank the Red Bluff Chamber of Commerce for selecting Ralph and I to serve as Grand Marshalls for the Christmas Parade. We consider it a great honor. Also, thanks to Terry and Jason Bauer for their assistance, the Daily News for the nice article. A big shout out to Gary and Ellie Murray of Gary's Auto Body and Tow Service for escorting us in their classic '58 Chevrolet. A special thank you to Irene Fuller for the beautiful bouquets. Thanks to this wonderful community we have served these many years. Merry Christmas. Joanne Ehorn, Red Bluff Subsidies Editor: Here we go again. Mr. Merhoff just has to show us poor working folks how educated — smart — and sophisticated he is. It has been said that I'm not sophisticated and maybe I ain't. It is for sure I can't penetrate Mr. Merhoff's line of thought. First he says we agree on handouts and more supervision on government spending, and then he launches into a rant comparing farm subsidies to welfare. He accuses me of making unsubstantiated claims of subterfuge on the part of several of our state and national leaders. Excuse me, but am I missing something here? Is Mr. Merhoff making an unsubstantiated claim that my claim is unsubstantiated? I said the $5.1 million is a mere pittance when you compare it to what Boxer, Feinstein and Pelosi have bilked the government out of by channeling government contracts to their husbands. I did not say I approved of it. To substantiate don't work and won't work. A my claim let's just take one system that relieves that class of example for if I listed them all people of all self-responsibility the paper would have to publish so they keep voting in the cana supplement. One of the most didates that promise them the egregious violation of trust by welfare check that gives them a any elected official is war prof- lifestyle equal to or surpassing that of the poor, iteering and Feinstein working families you seems to have been Your mentioned. very good at it. After California has reading these two artimore immigrants cles by Frank and Raithan any other state. I mondo you would am opposed to immithink Feinstein would be praising Bush for the Iraq grants legal or illegal getting and Afghanistan wars. I encour- welfare and other subsidies. I age Mr. Merhoff to check these oppose pregnant women crossing the border just to give birth out. Democratic Blood Money to a so-called anchor baby. and Senator Feinstein's War According to recent news artiProfiteering by Joshua Frank, cles immigrants are given a April 4, 2007, pass at the border by claiming http://www.lewrockwell.com/fr they're a fugitive from a drug cartel and that puts them on the ank/frank36.html. Why a San Francisco Demo- fast-track to all the benefits this crat is one of the biggest war- country can give them. I am opposed to the governmongers around, by Justin Raimondo, October 12, 2009, ment giving billions or trillions http://original.antiwar.com/justi of dollars to farm subsidies, n/2009/10/11/dianne-feinstein- people that don't work and won't work, immigrants legal war-profiteer/. I being educated through the or illegal, inflated government school of hard knocks rather contracts and Middle-Eastern than one of our liberal institu- countries that hate us and tions of higher education, let would and may well deliver me in my humble and unsophis- another 9/11 attack, then makes ticated way say that I am not it difficult or refuses to take opposed to giving a helping care of our wounded veterans hand to those poor, working that so desperately need help families, key word "working." I and then blame it on sequestraam opposed to a welfare system tion. Les Wolfe, Red Bluff that makes welfare an entitlement to a class of people that Turn Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 150 Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, 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 Doing summer work in December, Part 1 The City Council held an election and our new Mayor is Daniele Jackson; Mayor Pro Tem is Raymond Eliggi who is beginning to warm up to his role as a councilmember, speaking out, often in support of items in opposition to those who nominated him for Council. An ominous sign was that the same budget committee members, Brown and Schmid, who admitted not being thorough in working on this year's budget were reelected to try again. I hope we can afford that second chance. Meanwhile the one Council member who has had many years of leadership experience as well as many years of budget building experience for a complex organization has not been selected either to lead or to help build the budget. That member is Clay Parker. The December 3rd meeting took slightly more than 90 minutes, but if the Council had been well prepared and the agenda had been made clearer to them, it could have been completed in less than half that time. There was confusion on the part of some members about what they were to vote on and what the proper sequence should be for voting. There were lots of questions that had been asked and answered at previous meetings, particularly from Councilmember Schmid. Red Bluff is often praised for its slow pace; the City Council and City Government seem to have taken that theme to heart. Tuesday night they finally got around to three items they originally discussed this summer, and they continued incrementally to deal with technology issues…and, of course, to further deplete their projected ending balance by appropriating even more unbudgeted money. The latest estimate based on last month's numbers is that the ending balance for June 2015 will be less than $47,000. When I pointed this out to Council, the City Manager told me those numbers were based on certain assumptions and "were only estimates." If the Council is ignoring "only estimates", perhaps that accounts for the difficulty of both budgeting and living within their budget. The first item carried over from summer was a decision whether or not to participate with an organization called 3 Core, Inc; this item had apparently been left out of the budget and the vote to remain in 3 Core was two to two this summer. According to its web page "3 Core, Inc is a private, non-profit corporation that works as the economic development planning and coordinating agency for the TriCounty region, composed of Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties and the nine member cities located therein." It is not clear whether the Council thought economic development help was a needed item for our city, or if they just forgot about it and didn't want to abuse the budget so early in the budget year, something that the ing dues to 3 Core. At the Mayor's proceeded to do anyway fairly request the representative of 3 Core detailed the histosoon after the tie vote. ry of Girls with Guns In any case, Council and 3 Core, providing members should have concrete examples of 3 been aware of the favorCore's help in stabilizable cost benefits ratio of ing that growing busiworking with 3 Core ness. since they have routinely One Council memapproved these dues for ber speculated the the last three years; nevadded sales tax from ertheless, according to that one business alone my notes that considerawould more than pay tion never came up when the fee for the dues. The they had the tie vote last Joe 3 Core representative summer. said the internet sales One reason for the tie tax has certainly done vote this summer may that, but he couldn't have been the straightstate that local sales forwardly ambiguous "recommendation" given to the taxes were that great. Even when he learned of all the Council on the agenda; that recommendation by City staff was to benefits that have accrued to Red either vote for or against paying 3 Bluff as part of 3 Core, Schmid Core dues, with no justification for voted no. The motion to continue either option. Perhaps two voted paying dues was passed 4 to 1. for and two against because of this This is an unbudgeted item, adding another $2500 to the deficit spendambiguous "recommendation." After the Council hemmed and ing total. Schmid cited budgetary hawed, a representative of 3 Core concerns for his vote. The Council spent more time spoke to Council and answered questions. There were a lot of on this relatively inexpensive item questions from Councilman than it did deciding to appropriate Schmid, who despite his experi- the unbudgeted $44,000 to lease ence on the Council seemed purchase police vehicles recently. More next week. unclear about what 3 Core does for the City. Joe Harrop is a retired educator Mayor Daniele Jackson had with more than 30 years of service done her homework, however, and mentioned that the organization to the North State. He can be at Girls with Guns was outraged that reached DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. the City was considering not pay- Harrop