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4A Daily News – Thursday, January 16, 2014 Opinion Giving thanks 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 Editor: Thank you to all who participated in the Giving Tree at the Sugar Shack Cafe this year. Well more than70 gifts were tagged for a special child at the PATH Sale House Transitional Living House and placed under the Giving Tree-just in time for the holidays. Through your generosity, we were able to provide a wonderful Christmas to less fortunate children currently living at the PATH Sale House. Thank you for caring enough to share your Christmas, your finances, your heart, and most of all your time in this busiest of seasons. We are so grateful to the Sugar Shack Cafe for caring enough to provide a place for the Giving Tree. Also, a special thanks to Plum Crazy and Discover Earth for their generous donations and a warm thank you to a donor of a $100 gift card that went to a 14-year-old girl at the PATH Sale House. Another donor blessed us with $150, which was used to purchase stockings and stocking stuffers for each child. There is nothing more heartwarming than seeing the smiles on all the children's faces while opening their gifts. Thanks again for your generosity and for being a part of this giving community spirit and for remembering these very special children. You have made a difference in their lives. Jennifer Ragsdale, Red Bluff Trim trees now Editor: There are many reasons to prune your trees now, rather than in spring. Winter is your last chance to prune your trees while they are dormant. Later on, the trees are more susceptible to disease. Wild animals are already starting to build their nests in trees and will be disturbed or killed if you wait until spring to trim your trees. Before you mow or rototill in spring, please take the time to walk through the area to make sure no rabbits, fawns or ground nesting birds are in harm's way. That will flush the parent bird or mammal. Keep your dogs on a leash to prevent them from hurting the animal. If you find a nest, leave an area to protect the nest, and mow around it. It only takes a few weeks for the young grow up and leave the nest. Remember, it is a felony to disturb an occupied nest or eggs, or the parents in any way, possess or make pets out deodorant for granted. We actuwildlife native to California. ally don't even think about it as You must have permission of a it goes into the shopping basUS Fish and Wildlife Service ket. That is not the case at the and/ or California DFG to pos- seasonal winter shelter. One sess or disturb native wildlife. deodorant is as precious to our Leave healthy wildlife alone family of clients as that big or return it to its nest. If you find screen television might be to a native wild animal in someone else. distress, please call This last Christmas Your Tehama Wild Care, evening there were 347-1687. many simple blessing Karen Scheuerpassed out to some mann, very good people. We Cottonwood would like to thank everyone who helped make that happen and especially the Red Bluff Gold Exchange for being Editor: the vehicle to allow for the givThe PATH seasonal home- ing. less shelter would like to pubLisa Kassik, Red Bluff licly thank all the people of Tehama County who took the time to make this Christmas season a very merry one for the Editor: most unfortunate folks in our For those of you who are area. Dish Network customers and Not everyone in our wonder- you saw the short article in the ful community are lucky Tuesday Daily News about enough to have one of the most them reaching an agreement basic needs a person can have, with the local channel providers which is a home. I hope you noticed the last senHowever, through the gra- tence of that article that said, cious help of the Red Bluff "terms of the agreement were Gold Exchange, many people not disclosed." gave things like coats, socks, If you want to know what the blankets and many other such terms are, wait until you get items. your bill in the next few months Most of us take something and you will know real quick. like a simple dollar store Mac McCollum, Red Bluff Turn PATH thanks Dish terms 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 Doubts over Common Core WASHINGTON -- Viewed from Washington, which often is the last to learn about important developments, opposition to the Common Core State Standards Initiative still seems as small as the biblical cloud that ariseth out of the sea, no larger than a man's hand. Soon, however, this education policy will fill a significant portion of the political sky. The Common Core represents the ideas of several national organizations (of governors and school officials) about what and how children should learn. It is the thin end of an enormous wedge. It is designed to advance in primary and secondary education the general progressive agenda of centralization and uniformity. Understandably, proponents of the Common Core want its nature and purpose to remain as cloudy as possible for as long as possible. Hence they say it is a "state-led," "voluntary" initiative to merely guide education with "standards" that are neither written nor approved nor mandated by Washington, which would never, ever "prescribe" a national curriculum. Proponents talk warily when describing it because a candid characterization would reveal yet another Obama administration indifference to legality. The 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the original federal intrusion into this state and local responsibility, said "nothing in this act" shall authorize any federal official to "mandate, direct, or control" schools' curriculums. The 1970 General Education Provisions Act stipulates that "no provision of any applicable program shall be construed to authorize any" federal agency or official "to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction" or selection of "instructional materials by any" school system. The 1979 law creating the Department of Education forbids it from exercising "any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum" or "program of instruction" of any school system. The ESEA as amended says no Education Department funds "may be used ... to endorse, approve, or sanction any curriculum designed to be used in" grades K-12. Nevertheless, what begins with mere national standards must breed ineluctable pressure to standardize educational content. Targets, metrics, guidelines and curriculum models all induce conformity in instructional materials. Washington already is encouraging the alignment of the GED, SAT and ACT tests with the Common Core. By a feedback loop, these tests will beget more curriculum conformity. All of this will take a toll on parental empowerment, and none of this will escape the politicization of learning like that already rampant in higher education. Leave aside the abundant, fierce, often learned and frequently convincing criticisms of the writing, literature and math- ematics standards. Even satis- education has coincided with factory national standards must disappointing cognitive outputs from schools. Is it extinguish federalism's eccentric that it is creativity: At any time, imprudent to apply to it is more likely there K-12 education the will be half a dozen federal touch that has innovative governors given us Healththan one creative federCare.gov? al education bureaucraThe rise of oppocy. And the mistakes sition to the Commade by top-down fedmon Core illustrates eral reforms are (BEG three healthy aspects ITAL)continental(END of today's politics. ITAL) mistakes. First, new communiThe Obama administration has purchased George F. cation skills and technologies enable states' obedience by energized minorities partially conditioning to force new topics waivers from onerous onto the political federal regulations (from No Child Left Behind) agenda. Second, this uprising and receipt of federal largess of local communities against ($4.35 billion in Race to the Top state capitals, the nation's capmoney from the 2009 stimulus) ital and various muscular orgaon the states' embrace of the nizations (e.g., the Business Common Core. Although 45 Roundtable, the Chamber of states and the District of Colum- Commerce, teachers unions, bia have struck this bargain, the Bill & Melinda Gates most with little debate, some are Foundation) demonstrates that reconsidering and more will do although the public agenda is malleable, a sturdy portion of so as opposition mounts. Many proponents seem to the public is not. Third, political dishonesty deem it beneath their dignity to engage opponents' arguments, has swift, radiating and condign preferring to caricature oppo- consequences. Opposition to the nents as political primitives and Common Core is surging to dismiss them with flippancies because Washington, hoping to such as this from Bill Gates: "It's mollify opponents, is saying, in ludicrous to think that multipli- effect: "If you like your local cation in Alabama and multipli- control of education, you can cation in New York are really keep it. Period." To which a burdifferent." What is ludicrous is geoning movement is respondCommon Core proponents dis- ing: "No. Period." daining concerns related to this George Will's email address fact: Fifty years of increasing Washington inputs into K-12 is georgewill@washpost.com. Will