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4A – Daily News – Thursday, March 31, 2011 Opinion Ask your doctor Editor: 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 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 This seems the question we hear all the time on TV now. Why do the drug companies pay an actor to tell us this? When they come to the doctors’ offices and give them free sam- ples. If the doctors listened to their patients that have prob- lems and give them safe drugs, we would see more injuries healed. But this is not what the drug companies want, they need you every month. So first ask your doctor what you never will see on TV from a drug company called cannabis. When your choice is only poison prescriptions and your government is OK with killing you with opiates or meth or BZ or other drugs. Ask your doctor. Opiates have caused me $100,000 worth of damage to my teeth and 12 years of opiates should have killed me. Ask your doctor about my medicine before you start with legal hero- in called Oxycontin 100 percent opiate, Norco 10 percent opiate, Vicoden 5 percent opiate. This is why patients get addicted to these prescription drugs for many years. I would have been on them for 18 years, but I would have been dead. So please go ask your doctor about cannabis and live. Many patients need to learn the histo- ry of this very powerful plant that our government has allowed us Californians to use as real medicine since 1996. We can remember voting in 1996. Many citizens can remember 1936, for this same plant was medicine in America then. It takes a very smart person to learn how to get off of opiates, just ask your doctor. If we just take what they give us, we become dead inside and then you’re on 14 different pre- scription drugs. What a world we live in. Drug companies have our doctors working for them and patients think doctors care. Doctors care only about the money patients bring them, they have become our today's push- ers and the pharmacies are the dealers. Doctors in the past knew more about plants than doctors of today, cannabis or opiates? Ask your doctor. John Prinz, Red Bluff Republicans Editor: Why is it the Republicans always give their total allegiance to the super-wealthy, the idle investor-class, and of course the massive corporations? In their every move, these Republicans have never shown the least bit of empathy, sympathy, or compas- sion for the common working person. As far back as the early 1920s, the Republicans have done everything in their power to bring harm to all those who actually work for a living. Natu- rally the Republicans fawn over the Wall Street Casino, Banksters, and corporations. Look at what these heartless Republicans are presently trying to do: destroy all rights to join a union, destroy Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, destroy minimum wage, Food & Drug Adm., Environmental Protection Agency, Endangered Species Act and PBS/NPR. They're not through yet! The Republicans also want to destroy unemploy- ment insurance, work- er safety laws, work- er's compensation, public schools, and eliminate 87 percent of our social programs for the elderly, the sick, poor children, and even cut back on Veterans benefits. to stop hating. Try it for a week. Once you see how much better you feel, it may become a life- long choice. Refuse to pay attention to Your Turn negative, opinionated and biased statements or articles. Hate doesn't do anyone any good. It damages the health and well being of both the hater and the hated. Ignore your prejudices and make up your mind to treat everyone you encounter with kindness and respect. Smile and nod a greeting to Good grief - one Republican recently introduced a bill that would repeal our Child Labor Laws! This would permit chil- dren down to the age of 14 years to work in an industrial setting! Have Republicans no shame whatever? All the while, these Republi- cans keep cutting the taxes for the super-wealthy and the corpo- rations. So then, why do the Republican politicians receive any votes from us common hard-working people? The Republicans keep beat- ing their drums about, abortion, same-sex marriage, gun rights, and tearing down the wall sepa- rating church and state. This is all a sneaky sham and a back door fraud against us common working people. Donald L. Ward, Red Bluff Stop the hate Editor: Let's all make up our minds everyone you pass. You'd be surprised at how many people smile back. Stop judging peo- ple by their appearance - you never know the story behind their situation. Make a point of doing little kindnesses whenev- er the opportunity crosses your path. If you see someone in need of a hand, a few dollars or some food, give if you're able. It doesn't have to be much - every act of kindness counts and may be just the spark to give hope to someone who felt hopeless. No matter what our color, creed or station in life, all humanity shares the same DNA. This proves that we are all one race, the human race. How much more pleasant our time here on earth could be if we all put our prejudices aside and stopped hating. It's amazingly simple, once you put your mind to it and the benefits are immeasurable. Patricia Scott, 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. Close the Bank of America-size loop hole Commentary The ravages of the economic downturn have left a series of empty storefronts in my neighbor- hood. They exist as specters of a former up-and-coming enclave of local businesses. Now they’re home to hurried graffiti, the occa- sional panhandler and once a year to tax accountants. Yes, the hal- lows of what used to be local retail gems are now spots for seasonal businesses to sort out how much you’re paying the government for, as Oliver Wendell Holmes put it, "civilization." Which pretty much sums up Tax Day 2011. The middle class and small businesses have been wrecked by "too big to fail" Goliaths who engaged in ethically reprehensible - yet shockingly legal practices. And now, regard- less of how our government failed to guard against an economic cata- strophe, we still have to pay our share of taxes to that same govern- ment. So we all have to "tighten our belts" now, right? All of us? In this together? To get through this tough economic climate…togeth- er? Well, apparently, "too big to fail" also means too big to pay fed- eral taxes. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released his list of the top 10 worst corporate tax avoiders. A post on his website notes, "Exxon Mobil made $19 billion in profits in 2009. Exxon not only paid no fed- eral income taxes, it actually received a $156 million rebate from the IRS, according to its SEC filings." It continues, "Over the past five years, while General Electric made $26 billion in profits in the United States, it received a $4.1 billion refund from the IRS…Bank of America received a $1.9 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, although it made $4.4 billion in profits and received a bailout from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department of nearly $1 trillion." There are other names on Sen- ator Sanders’ list: Chevron, Boe- ing, Valero Energy, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, ConocoPhillips and Carnival Cruise Lines. Yes giant corporations – mak- ing giant profits – and keeping it all by engaging their cost-effective cavalry of accountants. And in some cases actually getting paid by the treasury. A Government Accountability Office report in 2008 found that nearly two-thirds of US compa- nies pay no income tax. So when teachers, firefighters and police- men are being fed a line about "shared sacrifice," it really means "shared sacrifice" among other teachers, firefighters and police- men. Of those on Sanders’ list of cor- porate tax cheats, Bank of America seems to be in the crosshairs of a few organizations. And rightly so, Bank of America paid no federal income tax in 2009. None. And yes, it was a bailout recipient during the final days of the Bush Administration. Some 115 foreign tax- haven subsidiaries enabled the Bank of America to not pay fed- eral taxes to its name- sake – America. So it’s fitting that the Move Your Money project mentions them specifically. Wikileaks is also releasing damaging documents about the banking behemoth. And US Uncut, which describes itself as "a grassroots movement taking direct action against corporate tax cheats and unnecessary and unfair public ser- vice cuts across the U.S. Washing- ton's proposed budget," calls Bank of America their primary target. US Uncut accepts no donations whatsoever and held demonstra- tions over the weekend. The rallies successfully shut down BofA branches in DC and San Francisco for the day. Tina Dupuy So far the idea of corporations actually paying their taxes has gar- nered a wide spectrum of support. Last week, Bill O’Reilly and guest Lou Dobbs got miffed at General Electric not paying any federal taxes. It’s mainly because O’Reilly could some- how blame it squarely (and unfairly) on Obama even though it’s been going on since the cur- rent President was a state senator. On his Fox News Channel show, O’Reilly said, "I want GE to pay their fair share like the rest of us." And the leftwing - most notably The Nation magazine among others - has been covering US Uncut’s actions with interest. Wait - Bill O’Reilly and The Nation actually agree on some- thing? Carl Gibson, spokesperson for US Uncut, explains the support: "This message is magnetic – if you make money here – you should pay taxes here." Here. Here. ----- Tina Dupuy is an award-winning writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com.