Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/327990
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS NotlongagoRedBluff'sRiverParkwasanot so pleasant place to spend time — typically occupied by criminals, vandals and addicts. The rest of us didn't feel safe at the park and we stayed away. But we encourage you to take another look. Thankstosomepro-active police work — you'll be hear- ing more about this concept in coming months — and the co- operation of city departments, the city has reclaimed River Park for the majority of resi- dents. Chief Paul Nanfito secured grant funding to purchase and install security cameras that cover the entire park, from Mc- Glynn Pool to the sidewalk crossing under Main Street next to the Chamber of Com- merce office. The police and parks departments coordi- nated to trim trees and clean up the grounds at the park to allow better sight lines for the cameras and improve the park's appearance. From the dispatch desk at the station, officers and dis- patchers can keep an eye on the park around the clock and respond to signs of trouble as it happens. Lo and behold, it's working. Over the last couple of months the less desirable elements that kept the rest of us out of the park have moved on and fam- ilies are beginning to spend time by the river, playing vol- leyball, sharing picnics and en- joying the spring weather. We tip our hats to Nanfito, Lt. Dan Flowerdew and the parks department for giving us back the tremendous asset that is River Park. Now the burden shifts to us as residents to keep the park looking nice and make sure it gets used. When the park is full of residents enjoying them- selves, it will be less likely the undesirable elements will seep back into it. A good time to start is this morning, with the Red Bluff-Te- hama County Chamber of Com- merce's certified farmers mar- ket kicking off the season up until noon. Head over and pick up some succulent local fruit and share some at a picnic table or on the grass. The weekend's heat may keep some indoors, but enjoy the park and market during the cooler morning. Head out to the park Mon- day at 8 p.m. for a free con- cert by the Red Bluff Commu- nity Band. Both are weekly opportuni- ties to take advantage of River Park. Let the city know you ap- preciate being given your park back by making the most of what it has to offer this sum- mer. Editorial River Park: Use it or lose it Voterturnoutshowslittle respect for those who fought for right Editor: I would like to draw at- tention to two items of inter- est. When one drives into our county on I-5, a sign says, "Te- hama County where we honor veterans" and, in last Tuesday's election, voter turnout was 30 percent. I want to challenge every- one who says that they support our troops and veterans to vote. Our soldiers serve so that other countries may have an oppor- tunity for democracy, and of course, one of the defining el- ements of a democracy is the right to vote. Our troops sacrifice time, comfort and even their lives so others may have this right, yet here at home, 70 percent of us can't be troubled enough to fill out an absentee ballot or go to the poll on election day. So if you post on Facebook about supporting the troops or have a yellow ribbon anywhere, honor those veterans and cast your ballot. —HillaryL.Vasey,RedBluff Dead trees filling the slough Editor: Visitors to the Red Bluff area entering from northbound I-5 or Antelope Boulevard can eas- ily tell that Red Bluff is an envi- ronmentally friendly area sup- ported by the Bureau of Recla- mation, State Fish and Wildlife, Corps of Engineers, Forest Ser- vice and other noteworthy envi- ronmental groups. They are sure to see that the burned dead trees in Sand Slough, no doubt, provide hab- itat for lots of Twizzle Tailed Tree Nesters, Saw Legged Root Borers, a few Four-Eyed Twee- zer Beaks, many Carpet Backed Sand Bugs and several other yet to be discovered endangered or native species. The trees also deter the homeless from setting up camp in Sand Slough because one never knows when a burned tree might fall on one of them and put him or her out of their misery. Let's all vote to save the dead trees in Sand Slough, stop global warming and restore the melted icebergs. — Mel Oldham, Red Bluff Thanks to voters Editor: The State of Jefferson Com- mittee wants to thank the peo- ple of Tehama County for vot- ing to join the State of Jeffer- son. We now have Siskiyou County, Modoc County, Glenn County, Yuba County, and we are asking Butte County to sign the declaration or vote it in on November election. So we are moving closer to getting 6 or 7 more counties to join the State of Jefferson. Thank you all for your sup- port. — June Cooper, Red Bluff Why are people supporting fantasy state? Editor: The Jefferson State sepera- tionists are proposing a fantasy state. The most important ques- tion is why are people support- ing it? Perhaps some are being paid, while others think they can make money or escape taxes, but I think the real motive for many of its ardent supporters is fear. It is a fearful world, offer- ing an incomprehensible fu- ture. Automation using com- puters and robots has deleted the jobs we all expected. Facto- ries and businesses which hired millions are run by a few lucky people and cheap robots. Add global competition and world- wide unemployment, so there is always someone who can do it cheaper, and sometimes even better, this is scary enough without the issue of global cli- mate change. No wonder people long for simpler days and solutions with easy to identify villains and good guys. The people benefitting from these changes are not help- ing enough. Some of them are wealthier than many na- tions, which can be danger- ous. It is too much money for a good person, and a terrible amount for less good people. This is why kings and nobility can cause terrible damage — like North Korean rulers. The ability to inherit or make huge amounts of money often has nothing to do with good po- litical, scientific or other abil- ity. Usually the arrogant self- ishness of the super-rich is the opposite of what is needed from a leader. The very foundation of our country was to escape royalty and tyrants, but unless we con- trol the super-rich, we are ac- cepting the very thing our fore- fathers opposed. The Bill of Rights cannot continue to exist in this situation. Billionaires are our new roy- alty — we have to tax and con- trol them because they are con- trolling us and it is not for our benefit because most solutions challenge their power. — Diana Thompson, Red Bluff Your opinions Cartoonist's take Can't believe the Tehama County police are not arrest- ing those fake tribal police, this is terrorists attack on business trying to rob the casino. FBI need to investigate Tehama County police for allowing armed terrorists to disrupt that business and put customers at risk. Bill McCloud: On standoff at Rolling Hills Casino in Corning. You can take all farm bureau, CSAC, RCRC and school boards lobbying for your rural interests and still get wolves, no water, more restrictive gun laws, mismanaged forests and a culture of nanny welfare state that makes more people dependent on government handouts. Tom Knorr: Regarding Measure A to support the State of Jefferson movement Hey, young adults, liv- ing at home with Mom and Dad isn't the end of the world — if you follow the right advice. As it goes, reports the U.K.'s Daily Mail, nearly 30 percent of adults un- der age 35 are living at home with their parents. Why? Well, the economy con- tinues to sputter along, produc- ing few entry-level jobs that al- low young college graduates to get their careers underway. And thanks to soaring tu- ition costs, there is the record amount of college-loan debt that young people are carrying. Nearly 37 million young Amer- icans owe more than $1 trillion in student-loan debt — most of it FEDERAL student loan debt. When you combine college loans with credit cards and money bummed from fam- ily members, says CNN, each member of the Class of 2013 owes an average of $35,200 — and thousands owe lots more than that, making the cost of their monthly student-loan pay- ments well more than the cost of a mortgage for a starter home. So many young peo- ple are opting to stay at home with Mom and Dad. Let me offer some helpful tips to make these living arrange- ments slightly more bearable. The odds are good that your mother is much more willing than your father to keep cover- ing your expenses even though you may be in your 20s or 30s. Parade magazine reports that 41 percent of parents are giv- ing 10 percent of their com- bined income to their still-at- home kids. So the last thing you want to do is further antagonize your father. To that end, always be sure to put the Reader's Digest back on the toilet lid, where it belongs. If you need to borrow Dad's crossword-puzzle pen- cil to jot something down, be sure to put that back, too — on the toilet lid, right next to the Reader's Digest. Every now and then, ap- proach Dad. Tell him that you are sorry for struggling so long and hard, but the econ- omy is killing you. Still, you say, you would like to pay some monthly stipend to help cover the costs of food and utilities — but make sure Mom is there when you make the of- fer, as she will want to hear nothing of it. In this way, you can placate the old man with- out having to come up with the extra cash. By this point in your life, with you still living at home and all, your parents will hold fairly low expectations for you and your future. They won't blame it all on you, of course. Gallup recently released a poll that shows almost 60 percent of Americans think the Amer- ican dream is dead. Many par- ents worry their children will be the first generation to not do better than their parents. Of course, their expecta- tions may be so low, they won't even expect you to pick up af- ter yourself, clean, cut the grass or wash the cars. Every once in a while, surprise them by doing some of these un- expected chores. (Don't sur- prise them too often, however, or they may begin to expect you to pick up after yourself, clean, cut the grass and wash the cars.) In any event, since our po- litical leaders are doing lit- tle to address our country's core problems — debt, deficit, spending, entitlements, eco- nomic growth, federal student- loan bubble, etc. — there is ev- ery reason to expect young people may live at home way longer than they, or their par- ents, would like. You'll need a sense of humor to get through these difficult times. I recommend Reader's Digest's "Life in These United States" — but, as I said, don't forget to put the magazine back on the toilet lid, where it be- longs. Tom Purcell, author of "Misad- ventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor col- umnist. Send comments to Tom at Purcell@caglecartoons.com. Tom Purcell Advice for young adults: How to live with your parents In any event, since our political leaders are doing little to address our country's core problems — debt, deficit, spending, entitlements, economic growth, federal student-loan bubble, etc. — there is every reason to expect young people may live at home way longer than they, or their parents, would like. Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. Tom Purcell Head out to the park Monday at 8 p.m. for a free concert by the Red Bluff Community Band. OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, June 11, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6