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6A – Daily News – Wednesday, April 13, 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 Has the county gone too far? Editor: 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’m coming upon three months in the Tehama County Jail. My name is Tracy Pryor. My husband and I have owned and operated several successful businesses in Red Bluff. First, Hal’s Eat em-up, where I have served many of you. Even though we no longer own Hal’s, we have had other businesses such as VIP clothing and tan- ning, Pryors Child Care and a bounce house business. My child care business was accredited by the state of California, and I was also awarded a hometown hero award from Tehama County. My husband Mike and I donated 9,000 square feet of land to the PAL program so chil- dren in this community can have a free, warm place to play hock- ey. My family has donated thou- sands of certificates to our com- munity, in an honest attempt to promote and support children and their parents — from honor roll milk shakes, snow cones, proud parent tanning and much more. My husband Mike is not only my partner in raising our three children, he has also proudly volunteered and coached in this community. Above all, we’re members of Calvary Church for several years. With all that being said, my husband and I are being robbed of our constitutional rights by dropping charges and refiling our case, which clearly violates my rights to a fast and speedy trial. My bail is set at $180,000. The scheduled amount is $10,000. Cruel and unusual is as clear as the words in this letter. We have lived in this commu- nity for more than 14 years. We have no criminal history. Yet, here we sit in jail. So, how far is too far for Tehama County? You tell me. My husband is being held on the original charges of cul- tivating. Why, when every- thing is done under federal laws and guidelines, does Tehama County not have to honor and abide by those same laws? It makes no sense to me nor does it seem right. On March 7, after several months of pointless and expensive court hearings and continu- ances, Tehama County failed to produce sufficient evidence against us and surpassed the statute of limitations time limit to do so, the district attorney’s office proceeded to drop charges, then rearrest us both and refile all charges. The charges against me came after a friend of my husband bailed him out so he could take care of his family and fight his case at the same time, but instead Tehama County decided it better for them to remove both parents from our home, resulting in the fact that our three children were forced to leave their home, change schools and leave class- mates, lifetime friends and move out of county with family mem- bers. Charges of conspiracy to commit perjury is still sitting on my head. I am nothing more than a bargaining chip against my husband. Those are the words of every person who has heard our story or has been involved with trying to resolve this, including our county officials. Since my stay at Tehama County Jail, I have had the chance to talk with several other wrongly done individuals. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can say my family has been put through enough pointless torture and heartache. I haven’t been able to hug or kiss my children in 82 days. Never had I imagined going through something so utterly tragic and hard, much less living it. Something needs to be done. Yes. Tehama County has gone too far and should not be made able to do so. Tracy Pryor, Red Bluff PATH thanks Editor: PATH is again thanking our community for supporting our 10th Annual Dinner and Auc- tion. So many businesses gave financially as well as donations for our auction. It was a great success because of their gen- erosity and compassion for the homeless. This letter also offers thanks to a man who was very impor- tant to all involved with PATH. His name was Mike Anspaugh. He passed away a few days ago after a long illness. Mike started out in our shel- ter several years ago and with the help of people from PATH he was able to get a home to live in. Mike didn't stop there. He started volunteering in the shelter and helped many people who were homeless. He became a board member and was very active in all the activi- ties and lending a hand to any kind work that was needed. He believed in hard Your Turn work and he shared that with so many. Mike touched the hearts of everyone in PATH and we will miss him. Mike was able to make it home to Wash- ington to be with his family a few weeks ago. He will be missed by all of us at PATH. He is truly what we are all about. He made a big difference in so many lives. Our prayers are with his family and friends. Pam Klein, Red Bluff Herger in Corning Editor: All who are interested in local, state and federal issues are invited to attend the public meetings of the Corning Tea Party Patriots. Meetings are held every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Corn- ing Senior Center, 1015 4th and South streets. Congressman Wally Herger will be the guest speaker April 21. The patriots are working on an initiative for the November ballot putting a sign along I-5, voter registration and staying informed on current legislation going before committees in Sacramento. For an insight into the Patri- ots visit www.reddingteaparty.com. We hope to see you there. Patty Smith, Paskenta 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. Tax-time miseries Commentary Boy, are accountants going through a rough patch now -- even rougher than we taxpayers are. Despite software that has greatly simplified tax prepara- tion, American accountants suf- fer a host of daily aggravations. They're responsible for filing on behalf of some 82 million U.S. taxpayers and for under- standing the U.S. tax code's 5,600 incomprehensible pages, according to AccountingTo- day.com. No wonder, then, that the American accountant suffers "a poor work/life balance, botched sleep schedules, poor eating habits, and problems in personal relationships." One survey found 64 percent complain that their clients, far more confused by the tax code than they, are careless or unpre- pared. I hope our accountants can forgive us. The same survey says our emotions get in the way of orga- nizing our tax information in a timely manner: "Procrastination (45 percent) is one of the biggest challenges for those who haven't filed in a suitable timeline by this time of year. "Others blame nervousness about filing taxes correctly (28 percent), confusion and the process (26 percent), laziness (23 percent), and lack of organi- zation (20 percent)." I could toss in extended happy hours, but I don't believe that was on the list. The survey describes other things agitating accountants. Thirty-six percent complain about the need to resolve com- plex tax situations, twenty-three percent about "aggressive clients" -- who probably want to know why they owe so much after spending hours organizing business expenses and deduc- tions. And client deductions are a sizable source of grief. AccountingToday.com cites one client who tried to depreci- ate his cows. Another tried to deduct the costs of raising a cat. A third tried to deduct his hot tub for medical purposes. A fourth "tried to claim water bottle costs towards health care since his doctor told him he needed to drink more water." If such deductions sound reasonable -- they do to me -- you are among a rapidly shrinking group: Americans who actu- ally have jobs, incomes and high taxes. Again, I hope our accountant pals can forgive us. The survey says 60 percent of us feel mighty uneasy about being audited. "That's more than those who are worried about other nerve- wracking situations, such as receiving a performance review at work (39 percent) or visiting the doctor for an annual check- up (35 percent)." checks, we're sickened to see our bank balances depleted. We're more sick that our combined annual contributions are $1.7 trillion less than our government will spend this year. We're sicker yet that Tom Purcell we have to hand over fat checks to our accountants to make sure we comply with that incomprehensible tax code. Of course, our accountants get the worst of it all. Taxpay- ers themselves, they must work ungodly hours to put our taxes in order. I hope they can deduct their poor work/life balance and eat- ing habits. ——— The article doesn't say what kind of doctor, but it's surely a proctologist -- whose proce- dure's surely far less intrusive than an audit! In any event, at this cruddy time of year, many are miserable and uneasy. About to write massive Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.