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6A – Daily News – Wednesday, March 23, 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 Students of the 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. 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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 A Cowboy Poem Commentary Well, Mr. Harry Reid, leader of the U.S. Senate majority, You're plum wrong about fed- eral-funded cowboy poetry. A few weeks back, you took to the Senate floor Deploring cuts to a cowboy- poetry festival you said would be no more. It exists through the benevo- lence of the federal government, you decried, fide. Reid, free? Whose funding makes it bona Don't you know, Mr. Harry That America is the land of the We built this land through our grit and our guts, Not the misuse of taxpayer funds. That's the thing we're desper- ate to be ending, Ridiculous spending and Chi- nese lending. But in Washington, D.C., there's a disconnect, Between those who produce and those who collect. We already spend on things we can't cover, Yet some politicians are eager to add others. Here's what is worrying us average Joes, We're worried for our kids and what their future shows. We’re broke, we're flat, we've got nothing to spend, Unnecessary programs must come to an end. Yet for the prior two years, sir, you and some others Have grown government to the point that it smothers. And so it was you took an eco- nomic mess And you did your best to make it a "permanent worse." The stimulus program you said was a "must" Is dang near a trillion-dollar bust. Thanks to the health care "plan" your party rammed through, Private job creators aren't sure what to do. Spending too little is the least of our woes, Our federal budget is nearly $4 trillion -- twice what it was a decade ago! There's no mystery why unem- ployment remains high, Yet big-spending politicians scratch their heads -- why? Your spendthrift ways we won't keep "swallerin'," And you still have no clue what is causing our hollerin'? Here's something we want you to try, Embrace the wisdom of the poems you want us to buy. You need not worry about cow- boy poets, They're Americans strong and resilient, you just don't know it. If it's a cowboy-poetry festival they wish to run, They'll figure out how to raise private funds. America did better without government largess, A key contributor to our deficit mess. With all due respect, Mr. Harry Reid, It is introspection you need. Your "yearnin's" have got ahead of our "earnin's," That's why our econ- omy keeps not "returnin'." Tom Purcell Any fool knows this maxim to be a big one, When you've dug yourself into a hole, a smart feller stops dig- ging! Not you, though, Mr. Harry Reid, There's nothing to impede your spending need. We know of only one thing that will do, Though we'll have to wait till 2012 for that to come true. We hope and pray that our once great land Will muster the courage to take a stand. That we elect new political be, Taxpayers shouldn't fund it in this democracy. You got that, Mr. Harry Reid? ——— Tom Purcell, a humor colum- nist for the Pittsburgh Tribune- Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPur- cell.com or e-mail him at Pur- cell@caglecartoons.com. leaders who do the right thing, Which is to bring discipline to our spending. Leadership is what we need, Boldness, courage and honesty, indeed. We need a paradigm shift if we are to recov- er, A simplified govern- ment we must rediscov- er. If we do not rein in our reckless ways, Growth will evade for many more days. Massive growth is essential, you see, To generate billions more in new tax money. We need fewer people across our great land, Turning to our government and holding out hands. As nice as cowboy poetry may Year ignored Editor: I am very disappointed in the story or should I say very small clip about the four kids who are students of the year. All those kids work very hard to get where they are at. The least you could have done was have the clip on the front page instead of buried somewhere. I'm very proud of the kids and so should you have been. But running on the front page was a story about teenage moth- ers. Think you could have spared a little space for kids who are doing the right thing. Diane White, Red Bluff Comment policy Editor: Looks like the new comment policy really cut into the amount and quality of comments in the daily snooze. John Hacker, Red Bluff Let kids be kids Editor: After breakfast it has been my routine to sit and read the Daily News and drink a cup of coffee. Of course Opinion is one of the regular pages I read and enjoy. Some were a little long but others weren't. With Jack Hacker's letter saying farewell comments I had to add my farewell also. What a shame. I work with the comput- er but it is not the same as sitting down and relaxing and reading. I find the paper much easier to find what you are looking for rather than going through a bunch of keys and stuff. Guess I'm really not much of a com- puter person. Okay, enough of that. I won- der what is going to go in that space, we don't need any more weather reports. Now Bernie Gleason's letter about youngsters playing vari- ous sports without the yelling from the side lines and every- thing is competition. From the very beginning it's uniforms, practice, going from school to school etc. I don't think the kids know how to play hop scotch, jacks, games like that. I certainly agree with Bernie, let the kids be kids and enjoy their youth. Elizabeth Watson, Red Bluff Drivers licenses are dangers Editor: The reason our drivers licenses are taking so long to get to us is because they’re putting GPS in them. These GPS have all our per- sonal data in them. I was told, by a supervisor of the Sacramento DMV office I would be able to feel the GPS because it is a little raised. But I can only feel the rise where a num- ber is under your picture — your birthdate — where your signature is and where your birthday is at the far right hand side of your license. If you hold your license up to a light you can see the bear in the middle of the right hand side of your license that is perforated. The GPS is actually on the back in the bar codes. I was also told this program was supposed to become law across the United States back in the Bush administration. It never was fully instigated. The reason for the GPS was to put all personal information, including your health record on one card, your driver’s license, and do away with passports. It was also to make it easier on a person who travels across the connecting borders. When coming up to a border check point they are equipped with a device that can read all your information and allow you to go through without delay. Some people think this is a great idea, as it does speed things along and it has all your pertinent information at hand. Others do not. Kathy Nelson, Red Bluff Berrendos Your Turn Matadors Editor: On Wednesday, March 16, some of the Berrendos stu- dents held a "Tip-a-Kid Save a Life" at the M&M Ranch House in Red Bluff. It was one of many fundraisers for the Berrendos Mini Relay For Life. It was a huge success. The kids wanted to thank the M&M Ranch House and staff for letting them do the "Tip-a-Kid Save a Life" and also for being extremely nice and willing to show the kids how to do everything. I understand that it now is a part of a billion dollar stimulus pack- age for the DMV under Obama. The problem this advanced identity card with enhanced secu- rity features is that anyone can buy a device that downloads a program onto their laptop. This device can be pointed at a person within 30 feet — women with purses are the easiest targets, also men with their wallets in their back pockets are easy marks too — and get all their information. I was shown an ad in a magazine for $150 plus shipping for this device. Thanks to the community for coming out and showing your support for these kids. Also to the radio stations for getting the word out for them. This event was a fun learning experience for these kids and they did great at raising money for their relay. Thank you again M&M Ranch House for everything. Without your support none of this would have been possi- ble. Great job Matadors. Keep up the great work. Tonya Cantrell, 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.