Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/351692
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 FiftyJulysago,up the road near San Francisco, in the un- fortunately named Cow Palace, the Re- publican National Con- vention gave its pres- idential nomination to Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, who knew he would lose: Americans were not going to have a third pres- ident in 14 months. Besides, his don't-fence-me-in libertar- ian conservatism was ahead of its time. His agenda, however, was to change his party's na- tional brand. Today, in this state where one in eight Americans live, and where Democratic presi- dential candidates can reap 55 electoral votes without spend- ing a dime or a day campaign- ing, the Republicans' guberna- torial candidate has an agenda and spirit similar to Goldwa- ter's. Neel Kashkari is not, as some careless commentary suggests, an anti-Goldwater, diluting the state party's con- servatism. He is Goldwater 2.0, defining conservatism half a century on. He relishes "turning upside down" the parties' stereotypes. The Democratic candidate, 76-year-old Gov. Jerry Brown, is "the old white guy." Kash- kari, the 40-year-old son of In- dian immigrants, was born in 1973, the year before Brown was first elected governor. Brown is a child of the estab- lishment — his father Pat, Cali- fornia's 32nd governor, was de- feated in 1966 by Ronald Rea- gan. Jerry Brown, California's 34th and 39th governor, is a government lifer, having been secretary of state, attorney general and Oakland's mayor when not unsuccessfully seek- ing a U.S. Senate seat and the presidency (three times). Kashkari prospered in the private sector, a place as for- eign to Brown as Mongolia. Born in Ohio, Kashkari studied mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois, came to California to work in the aero- space industry, then earned an MBA from Wharton, joined Goldman Sachs and landed a Washington job with a Gold- man Sachs alumnus, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. As a treasury official during one of the most dangerous periods in America's economic history, from July 2006 to May 2009, Kashkari says: "I saw the best in our political system." He remembers that, with a liquidity-deprived financial sys- tem pushing the nation to the precipice of a depression, Sen- ate Minority Leader Mitch Mc- Connell simply said, "Of course we'll find a way to get this done." The politically perilous but nation-saving business of bailing out the banking system was done in days. "What other democracy in the world," Kash- kari asks, "can move that fast to deal with a crisis?" Just as McConnell's opponent in this year's Kentucky Republican primary execrated Mc- Connell's finest hour, Kashkari's primary op- ponent vociferously de- plored Kashkari's role as administrator of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). This opponent, a fac- tually challenged fire-breather (of illegal immigration, he said, "We are in a war"), also said Kashkari supports Shariah law. That would be peculiar for a Hindu who calls himself "a lib- ertarian socially" (he is pro- choice and pro-same-sex mar- riage) and lives in Southern California's culturally relaxed Laguna Beach. Today, California is a one- party state: Democrats have 2-1 majorities in both legis- lative chambers and 40 of 55 members of Congress. Repub- licans hold no statewide of- fice and have only 28 percent of voters registered by party. All of which has something to do with these facts: California has the nation's highest income tax, sales tax and poverty rate (adjusted for the cost of living), and the second-highest gaso- line tax. Only four states have higher unemployment rates. Kashkari says California's "U-6 unemployment rate" — which includes unemployed peo- ple seeking full-time jobs, and part-time workers who want full-time jobs, and people too discouraged to seek jobs — is above 16 percent. Running against Brown re- quires discerning silver linings on black clouds. Kashkari says of polls showing Brown lead- ing 52-32: Well, 100 percent of Californians know who Brown is, so 48 percent are looking for an alternative. Kashkari promises to de- rail Brown's obsession — the (at least) $68 billion San Fran- cisco-to-Los Angeles bullet train. Brown has been silent about the recent court decision striking down the tenure sys- tem that entrenches incompe- tent public school teachers. The public likes the decision; teach- ers unions loathe it. Brown, Kashkari says dryly, has "mul- tiple owners." "If I get Jerry on a debate stage," Kashkari says, "any- thing can happen." That is true, as is this: Goldwater lost 44 states but won the future. His conservative cadre cap- tured the GOP, which won five of the next six and seven of the next 10 presidential elections. If California becomes a purple state, and Democrats can no longer assume its 20 percent of 270 electoral votes, Repub- licans nationwide will be in- debted to the immigrants' son who plucked up Goldwater's banner of conservatism with a Western libertarian flavor. GeorgeWill'semailaddressis georgewill@washpost.com. George Will Neel Kashkari is Goldwater 2.0 Supervisorsgivein,give away county Editor: It seems that Mr. Joe Rodota, former cabinet secretary and deputy chief of staff to Gover- nor Pete Wilson, has had a few things to say in reference to the proposal for creating a new state called Jefferson. In articles he's previ- ously written — such as "Bad Breakup: Keep California To- gether" — he says that it is "a bad investment in fixing Cali- fornia" and is "no solution" to any of the problems which the proposal claims it is designed to remedy. Well, bless his schol- arly and gentlemanly heart, Mr. Rodota is being way too kind. Plainer speaking folks I know say that the proposal regarding the fictitious state of Jefferson is nothing more than a means for charlatans and fools to scam more fools. Hallelujah, brother, for plainer speaking folks. Clearly, some counties — a lot like some people — are easier to scam than others. However, just last month, citizens everywhere had the privilege to witness how Del Norte, Shasta and the commendably cautious Butte counties demonstrated to the entire state — as well as the na- tion — that they, much to their everlasting credit, were not so gullible. It is evident now that the bil- lionaire venture capitalists from Silicon Valley and all their followers have a far easier task when approaching county offi- cials, like the ones we have here at the Tehama County Board of Supervisors, who are easily duped whenever it comes to all the pretty lies that are the hall- mark of any con job. And, it surely must have felt like Christmas for them when they all soon realized how eas- ily these board members suc- cumbed to not only all the pretty lies about what would be created and what problems would be solved, but also to the demands on the board that were presented them. It had to have been a cause for celebration as soon as they realized they were able to per- suade the board to abandon its essential role of representing all of the approximate 60,000 resi- dents in this county in order for the board to take up acting as a sort of protection racket for the Silicon Valley vulture capitalists and all their minions wearing those green double-cross shirts. How ironic it is that here's a scam which is a huge bait- and-switch double cross being played upon residents of Cal- ifornia — and it very publicly states it on the front of their green shirts. But, the key word here is pro- tection. As if the board thought no one would ever notice that it sent this less-than-meritorious proposal out to be put on the ballot without even having read the actual resolution addressed in this matter. Or, that they acted without first doing some research. And without first ob- taining some much needed in- dependent analysis. As if they thought no one would ever no- tice how they, the board mem- bers, deemed the only relevant info to be the input which they got from the land of the vulture capitalists via their followers — who were permitted to lobby the board at great lengths in sessions, while the board lim- ited other, opposing public in- put to a minimum. Protection in the form of re- jecting all requests that the board not proceed in a hasty manner, allowing more time to assess the risks involved. And, the biggest protection of all? That was extended by the Tehama County Board of Su- pervisors when it consummated the give-away of this county on July 15, which happened to fol- low what they earlier declared was to be nothing more than a non-binding, just sort of "opin- ion poll" kind of thing to take place on June 3. By the way, just how many of us trusting resi- dents read our voter pamphlets and fell for that one? It was the ultimate protection for which the board was even quite will- ing to commit a violation of the oath of office in order to carry out the odious and scandalous give-away. As if no one would ever no- tice. — Janice Stout, Los Molinos America needs high skill workers Editor: The current drive for am- nesty for 11 million low-skill illegal border crossers lacks common sense. The 1982 am- nesty proved to be a failure, since the border remains min- imally protected and another catastrophe of illegal crossing followed. Our country is loos- ing its diversity with exploding border crossing and a lack of deportation. America depends on citizens paying more for taxes than they receive in services, to pay for those who are truly dis- abled and unable to earn an in- come. An illegal border cross- ing couple burdens taxpay- ers with more than $300,000 in costs per child for the 13 years of a $12,000 yearly pub- lic school education and $7,850 average Medi-Cal costs each year from birth to age 18. Other welfare costs include non-English education, free school lunches, aid to depen- dent children, housing subsi- dies and earned income tax credits. There should never be am- nesty or future citizenship for illegal border crossers. Visas for highly educated global cit- izens should be increased, and border protection should be expanded. Legal immigrants should be welcomed. — Joseph Neff, Corning Your opinions Cartoonist's take "Just following the will of the people." That's been the GOP rationalization for accomplishing abso- lutely nothing for five and a half years. Doesn't mat- ter what the issue is. Im- migration. Jobs. Infra- structure. Climate change. Banking reform. The pro- liferation of substandard dental schools in Nebraska. According to them, the peo- ple want... zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada. And to mask their inaction, Re- publicans have coordinated a feeding frenzy that would make rabid hyenas jealous. Something about Obama drives them crazier than choc- olate banana fritters with rasp- berry sprinkles in a bento box. Maybe because he's the smart- est guy in the room and not the least bit shy about sharing that opinion. Maybe he's the ultimate anti-Bush. Or there's something about him that looks differ- ent. Extremely different. Could be the ears. What it boils down to is "Open Season on Obama." The memos have circulated. The strat- egy is conspicuous. To derail any possible presidential accomplish- ment by stalling progress and tossing a continuous slew of das- tardly insults onto and at his per- son. And the mud is flying faster than fingers in a steno pool. Dif- ferent circus. Same clowns. John Boehner plans to sue the President. For what? Not even he knows, but you can be sure, the term "smarty pants" will be bandied about. He did drop some tidbit about objecting to the President changing the em- ployer mandate to Obamacare, but that can't be the source of his irritation, since the GOP in- sisted on it. It would be like slapping some other family's child for obeying you. Dick Cheney called him the worst president of his lifetime. Which is quite a coincidence, since many argue Dick Cheney was the worst president of Obama's lifetime. Obama should actually take solace from this charge, since Dick Cheney has been pretty much wrong about pretty much everything since at least 1999. Sarah Palin called for the POTUS to be impeached. And Sarah Palin demanding punish- ment of someone for not prop- erly fulfilling an office is another of those "pot with the kettle and the color black" situations for which the Republicans are so renown. The needle on the irony meter just crazy spun then melted. Rick Perry accused the Presi- dent of orchestrating the conspir- acy responsible for a deluge of Central American kids crossing the border. And he said it while wearing his new studious look- ing glasses, so you know he's se- rious. Also, the fact he correctly pronounced the word "conspir- acy" is a huge upgrade. These attacks are perfectly timed to kick the President while he's down. Right now his approval rating has sunk lower than scorpion-infested, throw pillows filled with mold spores. Like a tray of hickory smoked baby back ribs at a PETA con- vention. Tacks in a bath. What Obama needs is a Rob Ford, Francois Hollande moment. A video of him naked, smoking crack with Lindsay Lohan, to go viral. Republicans even complain Obama is a do-nothing Pres- ident. With Mitch McConnell stalling every advance in the Senate and the House and Su- preme Court lined up against him, it's a miracle they're able to get Flag Day commemorations through Congress. Makes a person worry this po- litical paralysis may be the new normal and we'll never be able to affect positive change ever again. Instead of the status quo, we got the status no. America has gotten stuck... on stuck. Email Will at durst@caglecar- toons.com. Visit to willdurst.com to find about more about his new CD, "Elect to Laugh" and calen- dar of personal appearances. Will Durst The status no: Republicans are stuck on stuck Will Durst George Will OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, July 24, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6