Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/254212
6A Daily News – Tuesday, February 4, 2014 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 Opinion Jim Reed, a Democrat running for the State Assembly for the 3rd District, appears tonight at the Tea Party Patriots meeting. His last appearance prompted a letter from Reed to the editor attempting to refute a statement by a Patriot: that illegal aliens take space in schools that would otherwise go to children of American citizens. He is entitled to his opinion but not to his own facts. Facts: there are finite resources and limited seats to educate children from pre- school through college. Money and space claimed by the children of those here illegally constitutes a quantifiable drain on the education budget that is either 1) denied to legal students, as in higher educa- tion at colleges with limited admis- sions, or 2) paid for through tax revenue that would not be required from American taxpayers if those children and their parents were to remain in their countries of origin. All civilized countries already have schools paid for by their citizens' taxes; those schools are the rightful place to provide education in the students' native tongues. The taxes paid by illegal immigrants do not, in fact, cover the costs of providing services, such as education, med- ical care and income support, pro- vided by American taxpayers— they, in fact, send billions of dollars to their home countries that, by definition, contribute nothing to America's economy. My first reaction to Mr. Jack Hansen's letter ("Accusation was uncalled for," Feb. 1) was the Shakespearean "Thou doth protest too much" upon realizing that I must have gotten pretty close to the mark by using the phrase "corrupt money." He confirmed what is patently undeniable: Teachers union money (aka support) helped elect the three school board mem- bers. Would they have won their seats without said union money paying for glossy campaign mater- ial? Hard to prove the counter nar- rative, of course, but they could choose to be transparent about the issue by simply providing the quantities they spent in the races, and the union could itemize their expenditures. Of course, they could deny ever communicating, formally or informally, with teach- ers or union bigwigs over the Esco- bar firing. That's also hard to dis- prove, as the issue fades and over- seeing authorities continue their disinterest. However, last Friday's Daily News article, "State board to probe RBUHS teachers group," suggests otherwise. Hmmm. I never "inferred directly" that the board members lacked integri- ty—which Mr. Hansen "inferred," or twisted, from my words. I never "assassinated" anyone's charac- ter—just plainly stated the obvi- ous: union money helped elect them and they decided for the union. For the record, I consider all union money—forced from their members upon pain of repercus- sions, derived from taxpayers, including parents of schoolchild- ren, upon pain of legal repercus- sions—to be inherently "corrupt money" (def: "infected; tainted") when spent on political or electoral causes. Unions (or, "associations") can, with permission and agreement from members, negotiate over salary, benefits and work rules. However, those members can't decline to "associate" with the union. Throwing monetary weight around for or against propositions, initiatives, politicians and, yes, local school board elections sure looks like a corrupt process, the way I see it. It's only removed by degrees from actual bribery. Integrity doesn't apply to union expenditures of t a x p a y e r - p r o v i d e d , forcibly-deducted mem- bers' dues, on the politi- cal process with which teachers and the larger public must comply. These same people insist money from rich conser- vatives and corporations taints anything it touch- es, but tens of millions of union dollars, even rela- tively minor amounts spent on a school board race, have no apparent strings, expectations or compromising influence. "Conflict of interest," anyone? How convenient to dismiss and wave away my con- cerns because I had "limited infor- mation" about the firing. What a shame that the coverage of the accusations against Ms. Escobar by the teachers union provided in the Daily News articles was insuffi- cient to allow the average reader an informed opinion. I read a whole lot of gobble-dee-gook that amounted to not liking the way she talked to or looked at people, or whether her changes were well received by the teachers (employ- ees). Oh, the horror of having to teach from "bell to bell" or be cre- dentialed in their field of instruc- tion. I think the teachers owed Ms. Escobar the respect to make every effort to implement her changes and allow the results to stand for the record. Instead, the union spoke, demanded really, and the board members dutifully complied. Meanwhile, I've read of school districts where teachers are rarely fired for cause, no matter how poorly they perform. I'm sure the vast majority of Tehama County's teachers are conscientious, more- than-competent and sin- cerely put their hearts into educating their stu- dents. However, tenure after 2 years assures a virtual job-for-life with little or no accountabili- ty. Mr. Hansen, a "for- mer school superinten- dent," assured us all that he knows "as a fact that the union had no direct influence in the deci- sions reached by the board." So, for 4 months the steady drumbeat and pressure from one of the most powerful unions in Tehama County had "no direct influence." Of course, there was never going to be a way "to resolve the issues while retaining the superintendent" because the union was never going to yield an inch— so "the concerns and problems were not going to go away and it was unfortunately time to move in a different direction." I'm certain that the union won't have to exert any "direct influence" in said direc- tion now that the High School Governing Board and (Interim) Superintendent Joe Harrop have the example of just how a teachers union can both speak loudly and carry a big stick. As NEA Presi- dent Lily Eskelsen sang in October 2011, "Solidarity Forever—The Union Makes Us Strong!" Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com. Solidarity forever — The union makes us strong Commentary N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 Don Polson The way I see it 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@sen- ate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558- 3160; E-mail: governor@gov- ernor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Wash- ington, 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. Your officials F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote that the rich are different from us. To which Hemingway indirectly snorted, "Yes, they have more money." And now seems like a good time to offer up a few words of sympathy for the rich. Because our wealthy brothers and sisters are going through some tough times. Not financially. No, no, no. They're doing pretty good on that end. Last year the stock mar- ket shot higher than the 4:20 break at a Denver pot dispensary on Jerry Garcia's birthday. The fortunate among us are comfortable alright, but becom- ing increasingly uncomfortable, if you catch my drift. It's us nasty poor people. Again. It appears that we're picking on them. You know. Whining. Complaining. Jealous. Hungry. Rather than pulling ourselves up by the boot- straps like they did when their daddies left them all that money. Cries of financial inequity have been so alarming lately that venture capitalist Thomas Perkins felt compelled to com- pare America's poor to the Nazis. He wrote that while Germany's 1 percent were the Jews, America's 1 percent are the well-heeled. And did it in a letter to The Wall Street Journal. No surprise there. Where did you think he'd get it published? The San Francisco Chronicle? The Progressive magazine? Rachel Maddow's blog? Sporting a Richard Mille watch, which lists for $330,000, Perkins later apologized for using the term "Nazi," but dou- bled down on his assertion that the rich are being demonized. The bellyaching billionaire: a uniquely American phenome- non. Pretty sure the Romanovs expressed similar sentiments. The Marie Antoinette Bakery has reopened and is proud to be serving day-old cake. Apparently, acute affluence causes the outer epidermis to shrink profoundly. Causing the prosperous to exhibit super-sen- sitivity to the slings and arrows tossed at their outrageous for- tune. To say that reaction was loud and swift is akin to imply- ing that Mt. Everest slopes. Many malcontents called for the Perkins to have his analogy com- pleted by tattooing a serial num- ber onto his arm. But in America, that anti-rich stuff doesn't fly because folks worry that any restrictions on the loaded and bloated will come back to haunt them when their ship comes in and they themselves start rolling in it. Wealth projection. Another American exclusive. A recent study revealed that 85 people in the world now con- trol the same amount of wealth as half the popu- lation of the planet. Eighty-five people have as much money as 3.5 billion. Admittedly, some of those 3.5 billion people have taken a vow of poverty. But not all. Four of America's nine richest are members of the family that owns Wal-Mart. Really? Could- n't they pay their workers a tad more and still be four of the top 30 richest Americans? Top 100? They have 2,200,000 employees and the last year's profit was $17 billion. That's almost $8K profit off every employee. Imagine how much more stuff Wal-Mart could sell if each employee made $2,000 extra? They call sharks "eating machines." And corporations are sharks that eat money. But even stockholders are starting to ques- tion the $100 million CEO salary. Although, it's nice to know that when there's a run on guil- lotines, Wal-Mart will stock a nice selection of attractively priced models. But if you want something extra sharp with a built in timer, might want to check out Richard Mille. Will Durst is an award-winning, nationally acclaimed political comic. Go to willdurst.com to find about more about his new CD, "Elect to Laugh." Email Will at durst@caglecartoons.com. Guillotine Time Will Durst Raging Moderate