Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/26475
6A – Daily News – Saturday, March 5, 2011 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY 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 Comment policy Editor: Sorry to see that you are changing your comment poli- cy. 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 I for one don't want to log on to some useless site to post a comment. Most of the time it is just a quick comment. Other times it is something I would not want traced back to me, even though it was never scandalous or libelous. So farewell comments. Wonder how others feel? John Hacker, Red Bluff Youth basketball Editor: I want to thank J.B. Stacy and Cornerstone Bank for helping to save the Youth Bas- ketball League. In 1966 Rob Gibbs, who worked for the Red Bluff Recreation Department, and I originated the league. It has now endured for 45 years, but it almost was cancelled due to concerns about organization and finances before J.B. came up with a plan to save it. The league is different from some youth sports because you don't hear the coaches or the parents yelling at the players or the refs, who are high school kids. The reasons for this are many; no scores, standings or player stats are kept, and, thankfully, there are no playoffs or all-star games. The games were most Satur- day mornings at the RBUHS main gym and the field house. Two games were played simul- taneously in the field house, and due to the limited seating, the stands were crowded with encouraging and interested spectators, which created an atmosphere of positive attitudes. I have been told that some adults want the league to be more competitive but that is not, was not and, I hope, never will be, the point of the league. The league was created to give kids the chance to experi- ence healthy exercise, the great sport of basketball and the value of being part of team. The opportunities for serious competition will come soon enough for kids who have the skills and interest to partici- pate. Until then, just let kids play. Bernie Gleason, Red Bluff Pensions Editor: I have been reading about so many people writing about Defined Benefits pensions who don't understand how they work. The worker funds a pen- sion in that they chose to have a percent of their wage to go into a fund, which is invested for them by fund managers to help pay for their retirement. This is not a gift, this is earned income. This applies to both private and public workers. A 401K is a plan, which a person put money into a plan, which they can invest themselves, into stocks, funds, CDs at their deci- sion. Your Turn Most employers contribute from 0 to 15 percent. When I was working, my employer only set up the plan and did not match any funds. It was all my money. If you think that they are getting anything for nothing, you are mistaken, they earned if. You can retire at and early age under any plan but you take a cut in benefits if you do, because you will draw it longer. The amount you are cut depends on how old you are at the time of retirement. Remember that retirement comes very fast. Open an IRA, 401K or anything, plan your retirement early. Frank McCaughey, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Simplifying things Commentary When I started this commentary I was multitasking, something this male does not do very well. I was trying to balance research on income in the United States, the attempt to squash public employee unions in Wisconsin, and my reac- tions to recent events in my denomination, the Presbyterian Church, USA. Needless to say, my blood pressure most likely shot up as my ability to focus dissolved. I took a deep breath and thought of a pleasant and simple weekend we enjoyed with our younger son recently. Our son had heard us tell stories about our life growing up; you know the stories about walking up hill in both directions to and from school, about the blistering winters of San Francisco, etc. For a com- bined Christmas and Anniversary gift he said he would like to fly to San Francisco and spend a week- end with us visiting our old haunts, the family homes, schools, and other places he had never seen. It was a fun weekend; we start- ed out at the cemetery visiting fam- ily plots that went back to great grandparents, and then we visited and photographed the various places we lived: our family homes, our first apartment, our first home, our grandparents’ homes, and eventually student housing at Stan- ford where our son was born. My family home was built before World War II on a street just over the border between Daly City and San Francisco; our house was one of six on the entire block. The house next door was a twin to ours and was only separated from us by about an inch; there were three older homes to the south and a very large home on the northern corner. Across from us was a large com- mercial nursery; the rest of the block was vacant lots. Just across the border with Daly City was what we thought of as a jungle while growing up, large eucalyptus trees, railroad tracks, and huge aca- cia bushes. Today, of course the block has been built out, most just after the war was over; the small lawns in front of each home have been paved over, and wrought iron added to most of the first floor win- dows. The nursery is gone and in its place a small mall including a supermarket, a Subway, and small shops. The jungle has been replaced by a BART station, and the wide boulevard behind the house had been turned into High- way 280. In contrast, my wife’s family home was in a neighborhood built just after World War I; the houses were separated by at least ten feet and there were lawns and land- scaping. Her mother sold the house four years ago, and the new owners had invested a lot to upgrade win- dows, plumbing, and electrical ser- vice, but the general appearance of the house and the neighborhood remained as it was 38 years ago when we moved to Red Bluff, and most likely for the fifty years before that. Both of our elementary schools had been torn down and replaced by single story structures and new playground equipment; our junior high school had not changed except for the addition of many student gardens on the campus. The field and playground appear the same, except for thinned out landscaping, and we both felt a sense of continuity and content- ment seeing the school was so familiar to us. Our high school had been painted; when we attended the white paint job blended into the morning fogs that enveloped the school, but now the dark paint clearly revealed the building. A sta- dium had been added, but the neighborhood appeared the same…Sunset District row houses built after World War II. We visited our first apartment in Park Merced; the neigh- borhood seemed to have more young residents than when we lived there in 1965-66. At that time there was a waiting list, and most of the residents were established middle class couples. Now there are large signs encourag- ing renters, and there are plans to demolish our low rise apartment and replace it with a high density towers, increas- ing the number of inhab- itants by over 10,000. From there we went to ing had been painted and renovated but it was still recognizable as the place we had attended many years ago, been married 45 years ago, and taught senior high Sunday school. Joe Harrop see our first home, a two bedroom, split level house on a 33’ by 75’ lot; it was cozy and well kept by the previous owners. Like a lot of San Franciscans we (my father in law and I) built an “illegal” room in the basement to give us more room. We didn’t know about family rooms in those days, but we creat- ed one for our two person family. We used off the clock specialists to do some of the work we weren’t up to. We went to dinner at a coastal restaurant where my parents spent many Friday nights and we had our rehearsal dinner; the restaurant seemed not to have changed much, but the food was not as good as we had remembered it. We treated our families to an early dinner here after I received my doctorate; I remember look on my father’s face when two of the children ordered a children’s meal of abalone which was listed at “market price.” They had never had abalone before, and actually cleaned their plates. On Sunday we attended church where we were married and had been actively involved. We noticed the congregation had aged, and a few folks recognized us. The build- From there we went to the Stanford Campus, gawking at the new buildings that keep springing up. Both of our dormitories seemed more institutional than they did when we were undergraduates, and the students seemed so young. We looked at the graduate housing where we lived for two years; we recalled we left San Francisco for Stanford with one child and two cars and left for Red Bluff two years later with one car and three children. Our son, who was eighteen months old when we moved to Red Bluff did not really remem- ber much of our graduate school experience, but we showed him the fire house we would visit with him on our bicycles, the band practice field, and much of the campus. We visited the bookstore and bought souvenirs for the grandchildren. At the end of the day we col- lapsed and spent the evening remi- niscing about our family history, telling stories and laughing at shared events. It was a wonderful way to spend a weekend, and it reminded me of the simple plea- sures of life. In spite of all the turmoil in our world it is good to be able to reflect and share our family story. Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.