Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/31273
6A – Daily News – Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Opinion Loves this area 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. 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 Editor: It was with great pleasure and much “head-nodding” that I read the letter from Carol O'Connell about “How do I love thee..Let me count the ways.” Having only been here about 30 years I can only echo every word of the letter! I wonder how often we actually stop and take note of how lucky we are to be living in this area. Yes, Red Bluff has changed in the 30 years but mostly for the good. We have modernized and grown and are not the little cow- town we once were but we still maintain our cowboy roots and the courtesy and ethics we learned as kids. We came to the Red Bluff Round-Up a few times before we moved here 30 years ago and never met an unfriendly face. So when we moved our horses and dogs and the whole kit and caboodle, we were welcomed with open arms. I, too, love living here although I now live about 20 miles away in an even more rural area, Rancho Tehama, somehow we manage to make it to town (Red Bluff) almost every day! I am sure there are a great many people who agree with you Ms. O’Connell! Thank you for putting it into words for us. Dixie Lee Rice, Corning Out of retirement Editor: Today’s letter (May 4) by Mr. Lalaguna prompts a letter from a retired letter writer. It should be absorbed by the Red Bluff City Council and the Tehama County Board of Supervisors. It is as the saying goes, “You only get what you pay for!” As a two-time Grand Jury member in Tehama County, I can concur with the letter by Mr. Lala- guna 100% in the fact that elected officials belong to the “do nothing Party.” The only thing growing in Tehama County is in more govern- ment jobs. More Taj Mahals as on Oak Street, Caltrans new facility on Hess Road and now the $40 to 80 million Antelope Water and Sewage project, that is being done mainly to get more money from taxpayers to benefit county-city coffers. There are water purifiers that can do the same job at a frac- tion of the cost and are guaranteed up to 10 years. The feeling I get from these officials is that as long as the taxpayer will pay, let’s get ‘er done. The Daily News prints stories or articles but few facts. Red Bluff Ford and Helser Chevrolet are empty but what are the facts and reasons? The judicial system is a joke. A felon gets 2 years in state prison for a fake ID and a hidden compartment that had Febreze and laundry soap so it might mask drug activity. Gov. Brown is releasing thousands of inmates for petty crimes and T.C. keeps sending same to prison. I digress from Mr. Lalaguna’s letter which, unlike mine, sticks to the point and mine is to inform readers of what I feel is wrong in T.C. W. R. Hendrix, Red Bluff Bring ‘em back Editor: Bring our soldiers home! We have been on the wrong track since WWII. Donald L. Ward in Corning nailed it. Our 2009 military budget was $948.7 billion. China’s was $91 billion. Who the hell are we afraid of? We have 700 military bases in 130 countries? For what? What are we doing now? We’re spread all over the world with no one to fight. We haven’t won a war since WWII. Hey face it. We got to bin Laden from here. We didn’t have to invade three countries to do it. The CIA found him. The navy seals took him out. They could have done that from an aircraft carrier in the Ara- bian Sea. Maybe they did. We don’t need to rethink what our position in the world is. We are number one. But we won’t be for very much longer if we waste all our assets on a military we don’t and probably never will again need. What do we need? An air force, a navy, a small strike force and a well regulated militia. Let’s get serious and solve our problems here at home and put America back to work. Fred Boest, Red Bluff Farewell tune Editor: Although a final departure date remains uncertain, it has been announced that Glenn Beck will leave his Fox News cable show sometime this year. Many of your dedicated readers will probably be deeply saddened when they hear his "Hello Ameri- ca" greeting for the last time. On the bright side, thousands of Fox viewers will be overjoyed and dancing in the street to the tune of "Goodnight America" an oldie Beck uses as a signoff, and tailor- made for his overdue swan song. Rodina Turner, Los Molinos On overspending Editor: After reading Daily News lib- Your Turn eral editorial page rantings of Richard Mazzucchi, I often won- der how much of his income comes from feeding at the public employment retirement trough. California is not $27 billion in debt from the declining income and therefore declining state taxes of private sector employees and retirees. The deficit is caused by overpaying public employees salaries and pensions as well as the two- thirds liberal dominat- ed legislator's refusal to cut entitlement spending to match declining private sector income. Republican state legislators are wisely refusing to support the nor- mal liberal practice of raising taxes to fund ever increasing public sec- tor spending. Democrats need to face the reality that the job cutting practice of increasing taxes digs a deeper deficit hole for the middle class and wealthy who are over- taxed.The 45 percent of Americans who receive more in tax credits than they pay in local, state, and Federal income, property, and sales taxes, need to start paying their fair share and reduce their demand for unearned entitlements such as public schools, Meidcaid, public transit, tax free mortgage interest, and tax free employer health insurance. Increasing taxes for those already paying 30 percent of their income in taxes does not create prosperity but unemployment from decreasing job formation. Govern- ment cannot create jobs. It takes $1.30 in private sector taxes, including the costs of accountants and auditors, to create $1 in public spending. Keeping these earnings in the hands of the private sector creates real jobs. Joseph J. Neff, Corning 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. Obama gets Osama bin Laden Commentary Pull the banner out of storage and string it back across the air- craft carrier. Because this time, Mission Really Accomplished. Barack bested bin Laden. Obama got Osama. Or as the right-wing talk shows probably reported it, “Alien President Murders Muslim Brother.” Though not a big fan of the whole killing thing, it would take a stupendously bloodless American to decline the pleasure of hammering a couple of nails into this particular coffin. The most-wanted man on the planet. Found. And you had to admire the way it was done; mem- bers of Navy SEAL Team Six fir- ing two warning shots into the head. One for each tower. The tar- get was totally unarmed and never had a chance. That’s known as synchronicity. Live by the sneak attack, die by the sneak attack. President George W. Bush famously said: “He can run, but he can’t hide,” and finally was proved right. Although you got to admit, bin Laden gave it a good run: nine years, 230 days. Think he might have earned Hide-and-Seek Grand Master Championship status. An award that alas, must be presented posthumously. Buried at sea, but that’s just a polite way of saying the carcass was kicked overboard. An extreme act of pollution, upon which the Arabian Sea EPA sure- ly frowned. Hopefully, the archi- tect of Ground Zero won’t float across to the Sea of Japan into all that radiation — could spawn a training school of three-eyed mutant terrorists. In a way, it’s too bad we ditched him so soon. Mucho bucks could have been raised by touring the country giving ordi- nary folks a chance to pose with the corpse like they used to do in the Old West. “Get your picture taken with the Butcher of 9/11. 10 bucks.” Could have carted the remains around in a refrigerated casket shoved onto the bed of a Ford F- 250 traveling to County Fairs and Tractor Pulls. Like what happened with the World Series trophy only with more punching. Eventually the cadaver would end up in Vegas with its own Cirque du Soleil show, or as one of the stiffer stiffs on “Dancing With the Stars.” The Pakistanis aren’t happy. First they claimed to be an integral partner in the operation. Unh-hunh. “Here’s a broom. Thanks for your assistance. Got to go.” Now they’re whining it made them look bad. You know, our role in making you look bad is superfluous. Head Hon- cho al-Qaida himself living for five years behind your version of West Point and nobody notices? Right. Like Lady Gaga hiding out at the Vatican. Either you’re complicit, stupid, incompetent, or both. The safe house was not equipped with Inter- net or phone connection and they burned their trash inside the com- pound. So, if you think of it, he pretty much was living in hell. All we did was change the location. We also managed to retrieve a sizable cache of computer disks, which hopefully will reveal a vast network of terrorist contacts and Will Durst Raging Moderate sleeper-cell structures, but we all know what’s really on them. Porn. Hot stuff. Muslim women wearing see- through burqas. Beard- on-veil action. But now, thank god, this whole thing is over and our troops can come home and we won’t have to take off our shoes at the airport any- more and can turn our attention to hunting down the next-biggest threat to democracy: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The New York Times says Emmy-nominated comedian and writer Will Durst “is quite possibly the best political satirist working in the country today.” Check out Redroom.com to find out about upcoming stand-up performances or to buy his book, “The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing.”