Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/33100
6A Daily News – Thursday, June 2, 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 Sad on Daniels Editor: Last week Indiana Republi- 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. 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In his second term as Indiana Governor and the support of a Republican House and Senate, he ended the previous Democrat led state fiscal deficit with major reform including ending special pay and benefit and work rule favors for the public employee unions, and reform- ing pubic education by more equitably sharing tax dollars between declining performance and enrollment urban schools and growing and well perform- ing suburban schools. An important reform was expand- ing the number of charter schools, and continuing $7,500 per student funding for charter schools versus the $10,000 average for public schools. He also approved the transfer of any state public school student to a private or parochial school, and a $4,500 tuition voucher for each transferee. Another impor- tant reform was adding the mandate to yearly classify all public school teachers and prin- cipals as above average, aver- age, below average, or poor per- forming with likelihood of ter- mination. Tenure for teachers, as the criteria for continuing employment ends with the sub- stitution of performance based annual reviews. It would be a giant leap for- ward if California legislators and Governor Brown could make the needed reforms by cutting taxes and deficit spend- ing, to rate teachers based on performance instead of tenure, to end the ownership of the state by public employee unions, and to grant any student the right to use their parents education tax dollars for the choice of public, private, charter, or parochial schools. Joseph J. Neff, Corning Where’s the savings? Editor: Some friends and I have start- ed debating this park closure issue. How will the state save money by closing state parks? Most of the arguments that indicate money savings are immediately refuted by the State’s own answers to specific questions. How many rangers will be laid off? The state says, none. They will be reassigned to vacancies in other areas. Will the state allow these properties to go to seed? No. They will have landscap- ing and property maintenance done by rotating crews. Couldn’t they do those things now? I mean really! At the two state facilities in Tehama County, Ide Memorial Park, and Woodson Bridge, use fees are collected on a voluntary basis. Supposedly you fill out a form, deposit some money, (It varies according to your use.) and deposit the envelope in a slot. So apparently they don’t even need someone to collect money. I visited both of these facilities last Sunday. Ide was closed. All the buildings were padlocked. I ran into some folks from out of state and they wondered why such a facility would be closed on the weekend. I could only agree that it did seem counterpro- ductive. People don’t take time off from work, or take their kids out of school, to sightsee, they go on the weekend. At Woodson Bridge, they apparently only have camping with access to the river. I saw two uniforms and two state pickup trucks. The entrance shack was closed, but the lights were on. Granted we are not in the prime time for park visits or camping yet, but the only savings I see in closing these two facilities is that the restrooms would not be cleaned. I even considered the fact that they wouldn’t need insurance, but if you consider that, there Your Turn would be no reason to cancel cur- rent liability insurance as the state could be sued for any injuries that occur whether there is supervision present or not. To that point, why not pass a law that you assume responsibility for your own safety when you step onto a state park? No lawsuits by clumsy oafs means no need for liability insurance. In point of fact; it looks to me like there is no reason that these two facilities are not net earners for the state other than the fact that they are run by the state. I’m beginning to believe that this is a complete farce, perpe- trated on us taxpayers to get us to go along with the governors’ budget plans. A committee in Redding has found that privatizing the mainte- nance of the city parks would cost more than they are spending now. These things are issues of “management.” You don’t need a degreed specialist in Forestry to run a day park. The Boy Scouts have been suggested as “managers” of these facilities. I think it would make an excellent merit badge. But you could also use other youth groups. Really, you would only need one adult to supervise their activities keeping the park clean and answering questions from the tourists. And a little courtesy from park visitors would go a long way towards solving many of these possible problems. Fred Boest, 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. The rich don’t create jobs – we do Commentary The rich don’t create jobs. The bottom 80 percent of Amer- icans have 15 percent of the net worth, and the top 1 percent has 35 percent of the net worth in what is still the richest country on earth. So, when I say “rich” — I mean really really rich. “The rich create jobs” is a well- worn catch phrase from right- leaning political yappers who give this 1 percent all the credit when it comes to the financial health of the country. But the rich are not, in fact, the venerat- ed “job creators.” What creates jobs? Demand. You and me and all the other unwashed masses demanding a product or service forces busi- nesses to hire more people. It’s not “the rich” out of the good- ness of their hearts hiring poor slobs to help them out. It’s a simple Econ 101 staple: Supply and demand. Demand is a good old demo- cratic/egalitarian tenet of the power of the consumer. Supply is the purview of busi- nesses and the acclaimed entre- preneurs. We want — they deliver. Basic economics. Basis of civi- lization. Supply-side economics is…well, one sided. And cur- rently not growing anything but wealth disparity. So why treat “the rich” as some fragile group of demigod humanitarians who will wither if ever subjected to a tax increase? Republicans act like taxes are the kryptonite/Achilles heel/Samson haircut to their mythical hero job creators. Americans are noted for being resilient, hardy and enduring people. But the rich must have constant coddling, or they won’t survive? One type of job created by high demand and, therefore, wealth is lobbyist positions. Lobbyists are a security force hired to protect your pile of cash. And since the Republicans just so happen to be the party that will tell you wealth as a virtue, poverty as a personal fail- ing and taxes as the most putrid of punishments – well, it sounds like the said pile of cash defend- ing itself. Despite the soaring deficit due to unpaid-for tax cuts and unpaid-for wars, the solution to the sagging economy in the Republican-controlled House is…wait for it…more tax cuts. Yes, the Republican proposed “JOBS Act” calls for the top corporate tax rate to be cut by 10 percent. It also dismantles Unemployment Insurance as we know it. More unpaid-for tax cuts?! Sound familiar? In a word: Yes. “Just because we proposed it in the past doesn’t mean it was not a good idea,” House Speaker John Boehner told POLITICO. “The fact is, we’ve had a lot of good ideas. We’re trying to package this in a way where the Amer- ican people understand what it’s going to take in terms of changing policies here that will create jobs in America.” Tina Dupuy Why do Republicans believe the wealthy are solely responsi- ble for the economic well-being of the nation? If the rich were the job creators — they have failed at the task (ahem, 9 per- cent unemployment) so because of that the GOP should stop kowtowing to them. If a chef, whose job is to create meals did- n’t create meals (except maybe overseas), he’d be fired — not “given more incentives” to cre- ate meals. President Bill Clinton, who left office with a budget surplus, said last week at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation Fiscal Summit in Washing- ton, “The, the idea that the lower the tax rates are, the better everything'll be has been debunked now for 30 years both in positive terms when I was president, and in negative terms by quadrupling the debt once and then dou- bling it again. So, I mean, how many times do we have to see this movie before we know how it ends?” Yes, if deregulation and unpaid-for tax cuts were the secret to a robust economy –— we’d have a robust economy. The Democrats are pegged as the party of “tax and spend” – but at least when you TAX and spend — the spending is paid for. Tina Dupuy is an award- winning writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com. Here’s some demand-side economics: Pay for spending. Tax the rich.