Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/331028
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 Whenitcomestocreatinganewstateof Jefferson this question should evoke many other questions before responding in the affirmative. But such precaution didn't stop the 56% of the Tehama County voters in the recent primary election to support it without further investigation. Perhapsifthismovehada chance of being enacted more of those opposed would have bothered to vote, but alas we have asked our supervisors to misalign themselves along with Glenn, Modoc, Siskiyou and Yuba counties that al- ready voted to join the move- ment. Three of the five saner supervisors in Butte County however have required more facts before jumping on this train wreck in the making. It would appear that suc- cess of the secession is less important to its supporters than the expression of wide- spread distaste for state gov- ernance that plays without end at local Tea Party meet- ings. After all in their sim- plistic minds no government is better than any govern- ment, without even consider- ing the chaos of resultant an- archy where those with the most and biggest guns have the most sway. Considering the Tea Party's fervid support of gun rights, perhaps the move is a strategic means of controlling local politics. And there in a nutshell lies my fear of these political machina- tions, they can and will lead to the silencing of those that speak out for environmental protection, social justice, and freedom of expression. What is almost as trou- bling to me is the reticence of most local voters to consider the economic consequences of secession. No budget has been put forward by Jefferson Staters to show how we will pay for the services that are presently provided by taxes collected from the wealthier counties of California. Sim- ply keeping our relatively pal- try contributions within the new state will probably pro- vide no more than half of the funds required. Furthermore, once all those employed by the state of California in the northern counties, the unem- ployment rate will skyrocket to further decimate tax col- lections. To those with any comprehension of simple eco- nomics it is clear that an eco- nomic death spiral will result, wherein few jobs will lead to lower tax collections will lead to fewer jobs and service that will….. These difficult questions are responded to by secession- ists and their Tea Party sup- porters with fairy tales about how with reduced regulation — most of which is federal and would still be enforced — business will flourish in de- pressed areas to create jobs and income. I won't be the first to ask "How's that hopey changy thing working our for you!" Instead I can foresee business exits and bankrupt- cies in the new state because of the limited income base, relatively poor infrastructure, and less educated workforce. But hey, why should such trivialities derail the Tea Party Express to the mythi- cal state of Jefferson, where the self-righteous say "Don't Tread on Me" as they tram- ple on the less fortunate and those that protect our planet from damage. Theirs is a pre- scription of anarchy and un- bridled capitalism, wherein those with much are sure to gain, and those that struggle are certain to lose, or leave, which in some minds is the best outcome of all. After all if we leave California then we can just move all our home- less or otherwise worthless residents south and east to where liberals coddle them. What really underlies this vote is the frustration that comes from being a small conservative county in a large liberal state and even larger nation. Rather than compete in the intellectual battles nec- essary to convince others to refine their concepts and pre- suppositions, it is far easier to just take your ball and go home. But such isolation does not serve humans well, par- ticularly Americans, who are made strong in their diversity of thoughts, races, and philos- ophies. No individual party, state, or even nation has a li- cense on the truth so we must work together to craft solu- tions that best meet the needs of everyone. What is true of all is that we have an equal right to live and prosper de- spite our circumstances and histories. I would hope that we more fully consider the consequences of our votes when deciding what is to be or not to be. RichardMazzucchiisare- tired research engineer spe- cializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striv- ing to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle and op- erate a barbecue equipment and supply business. He can be reached at living-green@ att.net. Richard Mazzucchi Isthestateof Jefferson to be or not to be? Cartoonist's take CAPTION A previously scheduled guest can't make tonight's Tea Party Patriots meeting. Substituting will be an informational video on Agenda 21, the United Na- tions-formulated so-called "sus- tainability" initiative, decades in implementation and every bit as undermining of local, state and private freedom to use land and resources as it has ever been. Get informed—6 PM at the Westside Grange. Have your news sources cov- ered the literal hordes of ille- gal immigrants simply walk- ing across our southern border? Yes, if you read The Drudge Re- port (drudgereport.com) and other conservative sites like Na- tionalReview.com and Power- lineblog.com; no, if you rely on networks and newspapers. Cov- erage I've seen has described a "humanitarian" situation, even crisis, because the unaccompa- nied youths and minors, and fe- male adults, are traversing in- hospitable southern terrain into Texas and Arizona with little if any water or food. While local news media can't ignore this massive flouting and invasion in defiance of immi- gration laws and borders, na- tional media finds the story cu- riously illusive to report on. If you go to DonPolson.blogspot. com, use the "illegal aliens" or "immigration" links on the right side; you'll find 5 recent articles that will raise your ire and anger at President Obama's thinly-veiled efforts to obliter- ate America's immigration sys- tem. Make no mistake: A na- tion without effective borders is a nation speeding towards obliteration; non-enforced im- migration laws—which a con- stitutional, representative gov- ernment formulates, and the ex- ecutive (President Obama) is charged with enforcing—inev- itably decimate a nation's very existence. Limits on this page allow only the most salient aspects. Let the titles inform your con- cern and outrage: "Immigra- tion Bedlam; a public-health and public-safety disaster," "Obama Committed to Es- calating Lawlessness at Bor- der," "Teenage Latin Border Horde; urged by local media, minors from Mexico and Cen- tral America are clogging Bor- der Patrol stations," "Obama's Lawlessness Responsible for Spike in Illegal Immigration," "Feds say no end in sight for policy of 'dumping' illegal im- migrants in Arizona," and "An Orchestrated Immigration Wave At The Texas Border? Not So Paranoid To Think So." This deserves to be put along- side Obama's other corrup- tion, catastrophes and scan- dals: Obamacare, IRS target- ing conservatives, Benghazi, VA hospitals, advancing Soviet aggression, Iraq and Syrian descent into Islamist/Sharia hellholes. The numbers and impli- cations are staggering, with Secretary of Homeland Secu- rity Jeh Johnson, who swore an oath to uphold the law, announcing recently that 560,000 illegal immigrants "will be given formal work authorization in the United States despite average unem- ployment rates of 20 percent for American teenagers." Af- rican-American and Hispanic youth are suffering particu- larly from such policies (La- bor Department has unilater- ally authorized the admission of an additional 100,000 guest workers). Johnson simply af- firmed, "that the United States will continue exempting for- eign youth from America's im- migration laws. You may not have heard that Cecilia Munoz, "who runs im- migration policy for the White House (she is a former execu- tive for the open borders group La Raza and was too radical to ever be confirmed by the U.S. Senate) likened amnesty to a civil right." A far left outlier po- sition, right? Not so, as "the na- tion's chief law enforcement of- ficer, Eric Holder, has (also) described amnesty as a 'civil right.'" (Breitbart.com) "Just a few months before the last election the president illegally and unconstitution- ally granted amnesty to some 800,000 people." Obama freed almost 104,000 illegal-alien criminals last year. "He clearly doesn't give a damn about shielding Americans from the public-health and public- safety dangers posed by those who breach the border, includ- ing deadly felons now walking American streets" (Deroy Mur- dock). Between buses, detention centers, schools, etc, Americans are being exposed to tuberculo- sis, MARS, scabies, chicken pox and other maladies. The additional costs associ- ated with allowing and subsi- dizing such a huge influx is es- timated by the White House to be from $1.4 to $2.3 billion an- nually. More numbers: Bor- der Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector appre- hended 154,453 immigrants last year—up from 97,762 the previ- ous year. Less than 7,000 Un- accompanied Alien Children (UAC) crossed the border on av- erage from 2003-2011; that rose to nearly 25,000 last year, is es- timated to rise to 60,000 this year and—astoundingly—may reach 130,000 next year. De- tention costs, per month, will be $450 million this year and could cost almost $1 billion next year. (U.S. Office of Refu- gee Resettlement) "Word has gotten out that we're giving people permission and walking them out the door, so they're coming in droves" (Chris Cabrera, National Bor- der Patrol Council). People back in Central America now be- lieve that those who make it to American soil have a good chance of staying. USCIS Coun- cil President Kenneth Palinkas has warned that we face "per- petual amnesty" due to these policies. "It is a direct conse- quence of the president's ille- gal actions. (The parents think) my child will have amnesty" (Ted Cruz). National Border Pa- trol Council's Chris Cabrera: "Why are we letting them (con- firmed foreign gang members) in here? (They say) 'You're go- ing to let me go, just like you let my mother, my sister go … and the government's going to take care of us." Are you ticked off enough to demand a long, strong fence and enforcement of our laws, yet? Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@ yahoo.com. Don Polson America invaded by moochers, designed by Obama policies What really underlies this vote is the frustration that comes from being a small conservative county in a large liberal state and even larger nation. Rather than compete in the intellectual battles necessary to convince others to refine their concepts and presuppositions, it is far easier to just take your ball and go home. Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. This "fantasy State" is a grass-roots effort to leave a corrupt, bankrupt, ineffective, and non-representative one (unless you belong to a special interest group). Mike Bachelor: Response to a letter to the editor critical of Jefferson State movement I remember going to Rodgers when I was a kid, 25cents is what I remember paying. Linda Huston: On restoration efforts at Corning's Rodgers Theatre But hey, why should such trivialities derail the Tea Party Express to the mythical state of Jefferson, where the self-righteous say "Don't Tread on Me" as they trample on the less fortunate and those that protect our planet from damage. OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, June 17, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6