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4A Daily News – Tuesday, January 28, 2014 Opinion Obama State of the Union Drinking Game 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 WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY: Four taxpayers: One old, rich white guy investment-banker type wearing a Brioni suit (Bank Boy). Two ordinary folks wearing jeans, one in a blue work shirt, the other in a white shirt, no tie, sleeves rolled up (the Jeans). And one person wearing clothes that look like their former life involved toxic dump storage cleanup (Rags). One living room with flatscreen TV tuned to C-SPAN. One shot glass per person. Everybody brings own, placing all on a coffee table in front of TV. Bank Boy gets to choose first which to use during game. White shirt picks next, then blue shirt. Bank Boy takes last shot glass as well, and Rags needs to make a deal to rent it from him, find a replacement or drink out of own cupped hands. Two packages of Vienna All Beef Chicago Style Hot Dogs in middle of table with butter-grilled buns and pickles and tomatoes and onions and condiments, including that weird neon-green relish in little ramekins on the side. One bottle of Jack Daniels. A large stash of beer on ice. Rags gets whatever is on sale, such as some generic Lite Beer from Trader Joe's. Bank Boy gets whatever microbrew he wants. The Jeans get domestic, but are responsible for paying for all the beer, Jack and hot dogs. The Jeans each ante up 20 bucks cash. Rags and Bank Boy are allowed to use IOUs. Which do not need to be redeemed. RULES OF THE GAME: Every time Barack H. Obama says "Bipartisanship," the first person to stop laughing is exempt from drinking three shot glasses of beer. When the president mentions unemployment, the last person to eat a fully accoutered hot dog has to drink a shot of Jack. If the president says, "If alQaida is calling you, we want to know why," first person to finish a whole beer gets to spit pieces of hot dog at the others until they finish their beers. When Barack circuitously intimates something that might concern the NSA, the last person to stand and salute has to drink two shot glasses of beer. If and when Obama defends Obamacare, everybody must drink a shot of Jack, a whole beer, and throw pieces of broken hot dog at The last person with an the television. If anyintact weenie does not body hits POTUS in the have to eat an entire head, the other three shot glass full of that have to drink another weird neon green relish. shot of Jack. EXTRAS: If Obama speaks of Before the speech, the integrity of the politeveryone writes down ical process, the last perwho they think will give son to cough "Hack!" the Republican must drink three shots of Response. Anybody beer. who correctly identifies If the president the person doesn't have relates a touching heartWill to watch it. felt story of some poor Players may sell unfortunate denied each other hints. health care, Rags gets to Bank Boy takes kick everybody else home the $40 and the once. Twice, if the subJack. ject of the anecdote is in Leftover beer and the audience. Three hot dogs go home with times, if he/she is sitting Rags after he/she finnext to an astronaut. The first time Barack H. ishes washing the dishes. Obama mentions immigration, the Will Durst is a nationally last person to pretend to faint has acclaimed, award-winning political to drink three shots of beer. Whenever Obama makes a ref- comic. Go to willdurst.com to find erence to his faith getting him about more about his new CD, through tough times, last person to "Elect to Laugh," and calendar of fall to their knees and shout "Hal- personal appearances including lelujah!" has to drink one shot of "Boomeraging: From LSD to OMG." Email Will at Jack. Every time the Chief Executive durst@caglecartoons.com. Check winks at or points to Michelle, out willandwillie.com for the latest players swordfight with hot dogs. podcast. Durst Raging Moderate 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) 558-3160; 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) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary What's so bad about rezoning a few acres? Tehama County Supervisor for District 3, Dennis Garton, will appear before the Tehama County Tea Party Patriots tonight, at the Westside Grange, 6 PM. Given the controversial agenda item involving rezoning a 40-acre parcel at Baker and Plymire, attendees will have an opportunity to get a more detailed explanation for whatever decision the Board makes on the issue. One never knows how exercised to get over such issues as land use, rezoning and changes in population density. As the news article by Rich Greene in Saturday's Daily News explained, 36.85 acres of currently rural land is and has been "listed as residential in the county's General Plan since the 1980s and stayed that way in the 2009 update. Right now it's just a theoretical rezone, (Planning Director Sean) Moore said." Moreover, "the rezone was simply being proposed so the county's General Plan Housing Element could comply with state regulations and that there were no plans in the work to build anything at the location." That certainly sounds reasonable enough, as far as it goes. I suspect that given interconnected levels of local, state and federal government, together with the tendency in recent decades for mandates to flow from higher to lower levels, such mild subterfuges (going through the motions to appear to comply with housing regulations with no intention of ever actually building said units) are par for the course. However, were such a potential project—36.85 acres "at a minimum density of 16 units per acre" that could house nearly 1,200 or more people—"in the work" for what was pasture across from my home on Saint Mary's Avenue decades ago, I would not have been complacent; I'd have been darn mad. Then there is the predictable influx of low income or subsidized tenants and ancillary problems that rarely confine themselves to the property boundaries. One of my earliest experiences as a crime victim involved being robbed at knifepoint in a Chicago low income, high-rise project, so I'm not unfamiliar with the problems. Some folks mention Agenda 21 and its intention to encourage, even force, people into ever-denser housing concentrations, primarily of urban-centered nature, for the questionable goal of minimizing the use of supposedly limited resources for housing and transportation. It's a real, although greatly misguided, agenda antithetical to core American values of private property and freedom to self-direct our lives. One could easily ascribe such ulterior motives to the potential development, at least on paper, for the Baker Road rezoning. Similarly, impact fees, such as have been proposed by air quality officials for residential, commercial and warehouse/factory developments, have the inherent purpose of discouraging new construction, theoretically conserving resources and, critical to the agenda, limiting supposed climate-warming gases. All wrong-headed. Our local supervisors and planning officials may have no such motives in their decisions and votes but someone up the regulatory food chain, even including the Obama administration, does. Even now, in places as far apart as Westchester County, New York, and our own Bay Area, Obama's right next to you, your family and Housing and Urban Development neighbors. It is not, however, a Department is slowly but inex- case of racial discrimination. There are suburbs in the orably moving to impose south, around Atlanta, (liberals always gravitate for instance, where there, don't they) well-to-do African"regionalism." American populations The short version have fled poverty-, goes like this: Free peocrime- and drug-infestple with the means to do ed cities to create black so have migrated out of middle-class islands of the urban unpleasantness civility. White, rural of cities to surrounding counties all across areas with more space America have plenty of and less crime. People drugs and a violencemaking such decisions, ridden underclass within their own self-interest, Don out minorities because have created relatively more affluent, certainly Polson the problems stemming from welfare, illegitisafer and more civil, suburbs and "ex-urbs" The way macy and social deterioration are no respecter (larger population cenI see it of color. ters independent of So, I don't like it one major cities) that, coincibit when populations dentally, have far fewer low-income and minority resi- are artificially made more dense for ideologically suspect reasons; I dents. You see, free people naturally like it even less that such a potengravitate to, and surround them- tially lifestyle-changing decision selves with, those who share their is forced on local governments by social, moral, economic and civic far away bureaucracies unaccountvalues. President Obama and his able to the people having to live supposedly enlightened, but cer- under said rules and dictates. Note: When the High School tainly ideologically fanatical, housing overlords see all of that as Board was elected, with at least 3 "disparate impact" racism and candidates, including Barbara income discrimination. Their McGiver, owing their seats at least delivered wisdom and mandated in part to support and campaign solution to such fabricated prob- material bought and paid for by lems is to condition receipt of teachers unions—I suggested those indispensable federal hous- there might be a pay back opporing dollars, and development and tunity. Doing the union's bidding road approval, on the creation of and firing Ms. Escobar proved my high-density, mixed-income suspicions were on the money— "infill" projects among the more corrupt money. affluent areas outside of cities. Don Polson has called Red The result is poor and minority relocation, together with inherent Bluff home since 1988. He can be by e-mail at crime, drugs, gangs, broken fami- reached lies and property deterioration, donplsn@yahoo.com.