Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/36514
6A Daily News – Thursday, July 14, 2011 Opinion Capitol should stay out of city affairs 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 The editorial was originally pub- lished in the San Jose Mercury News: The point of local government is to 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 provide public services, like fixing streets and fighting crime — not to cre- ate jobs. But from the flurry of bills sailing through the Legisla- ture this spring and summer, you'd think cities were taxpayer-funded employment agencies. The measures backed by labor unions share one thing in com- mon: They meddle outrageously in the way cities and local agen- cies are run, limiting options for local officials and giving more power to employees and unions to protect their jobs. make it virtually impossible to use this rare legal procedure to renegotiate labor agreements. Editorial What do you think? Let us know Senate Bill 469 requires cities to con- duct an "economic impact analysis" before approving a super- store — but only those, like Walmart, that sell groceries, not department or hardware stores. This would protect grocery union jobs. Several measures, including AB 646 and AB 455, tilt the playing field The state is no model of good govern- ment. In fact the Legislature has com- pounded if not caused many of the prob- lems cities face. Lawmakers should fix their own budget mess and butt out of municipal affairs. At least a half-dozen of these bills has passed either the Senate or Assembly over Republican opposition and appears headed to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. If he means what he says about returning power to local government, he must veto them all. The national trend toward stripping public employee unions of collective bargaining rights hasn't yet taken root in California. But power grabs like this can only increase voter unease about the influence of public employee unions, which hold inordinate power over elect- ed officials through their strong cam- paign organizations. Labor supporters are hurting their cause with these bills rather than helping it. Assembly Bill 506, for example, erects major hurdles for cities headed toward bankruptcy. Unions want to toward labor amid negotiations and dis- putes. The most egregious, SB 931, for- bids agencies from using taxpayer funds for consultants or lawyers to advise on getting around union rules. It is so broadly framed that it could prevent officials from seeking the most basic advice. AB 438 is perhaps the most blatant public job protection bill. It requires extensive public notices before a city can withdraw from a county library sys- tem to contract with a private company, and it bars lower pay rates and layoffs in a new system. Libraries are essential public ser- vices; we're leery of privatizing them, too. But local officials are running out of options as retirement costs rise and vot- ers resist raising taxes. More broadly, if the state all but bars library outsourcing, what's next? Preventing private mainte- nance of parks? Requiring a public vote before anyone can be laid off? Bell and Vernon aside, most local officials are managing horrific budget deficits as best they can. Their own vot- ers will hold them accountable if they go wrong. The state is no help. The least it can do is get out of the way. Voted for ban Editor: The front page article in the June 29 edition of the Daily News has created some confusion regarding my vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries. I voted to ban dispensaries based on the many reasons cited. George Russell, Red Bluff Editor’s note: George Russell is Tehama County Supervisor for District 2. Fire on Lopeman Editor: As a homeowner whose home was threatened by (the July 11) fire on Lopeman Drive, thank you doesn't seem quite enough. We are certain the rapid response from Cal Fire, Red Bluff Fire Department, the CDF helicopter from Vina and of course the young men from Ishi Fire Camp are what saved our home and others. Although the fire was started sometime around 3 p.m., the firefighters from Ishi were still working in the fields up until 10 p.m. last clearing brush and checking for hot spots. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your hard Your Turn work and diligence. Al and Polly Poerink, Red Bluff PATH thanks supporters Editor: I was so encouraged last Tuesday at the meeting PATH held at the Presbyterian Church after last week’s City Council meeting. There were about 45 people in attendance and some were from the opposi- tion. We had two City Council members present also. There were a lot of good ideas expressed from both sides. It was truely a show of what people can do when we work together. We still do not know if the state will let us move our grant but we are pursuing it and moving for- ward.Thanks to all who attended. Pam Klein, 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. Choosing homosexuality Commentary Is being gay something one chooses? Are we all capable of being gay or lesbian, but the better among us choose to be straight? Tim Pawlenty, former Minnesota governor and current candidate vying for the 2012 GOP nomina- tion, was asked by David Gregory on NBC’s Meet the Press (since Pawlenty has shown himself to be so knowledgeable on Lady Gaga) if being gay is a choice, or if they’re "born this way." Pawlenty’s answer was telling, "Well, the sci- ence in that regard is in dispute." And by "telling," I mean it is now clear he has not read much on the science of homosexuality. The American Psychiatric Association stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental disor- der in 1973. Gay-cure or conver- sion therapy is condemned by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Associa- tion, and the American Counsel- ing Association. Remember those gay penguins? The science is not still out on this one. Republicans have a bad habit of deferring to science as an authori- ty only when they wish to inject doubt (see: climate change, evolu- tion, round Earth). This is a basic misunderstanding – if not misuse – of science. There are always more questions in science because that’s what science is: an intellec- tual systematic study – basically tons and tons of questions. So it will appear indecisive if your worldview demands certainty. There used to be unanswered questions about how bees could fly – but we still built legions of planes. On the other hand the "the- ory" of gravity is not controversial, but if you look hard enough there’s bound to be a crank somewhere disputing gravity on the basis of feeling that it’s wrong. "Some reputable scientists are not 100 percent convinced gravity exists." We, as a culture, have decided we’re not going to practice the harems, plural marriages and incest the Christian Bible men- tions and instead have opted for love-based non-arranged mar- riages as the ideal. Our mores are clearly flexible, but somehow the religious right has cherry-picked a hard line on homosexuality. Why? Pure politics. In the same Meet the Press interview, Gregory described Paw- lenty as a "boilerplate Republi- can." Gay marriage was a boon to Republicans in the 2004 election. It gave George Bush the "political capital" to attempt social security privatization. Now an Iowa group called Family Leader has a "marriage vow" pledge they’ve managed to get two GOP candidates (Min- nesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylva- nia Senator Rick Santorum) to sign. The pledge it’s a primer for plenty of proposed wedge issues: pornography, polygamy, adultery, women in combat, Sharia law and one we haven’t seen in more than 150 years – slavery. Republicans embrace hot-button social issues as a way to get their dis- astrous economic policies passed. It’s like Three- Card Monte: while all eyes are on the two grooms – white-collar grand larceny gets decriminalized. Tina Why is it important for Republicans to insist homosexual- ity is a choice? Why even get into the logical snag of someone want- ing to want to be attracted to the same gender? Here’s why: If you can choose being gay, then homo- sexuality can be condemned as a moral shortcoming. And the immoral having the audacity to demand acceptance is the perfect rallying cry for the GOP base. If you can’t choose to be gay, and it’s something you’re born with – then being against homo- sexual civil rights is just plan old- fashioned prejudice…something the rest of us choose to condemn as a moral shortcoming. Dupuy The easiest way to marginalize a group of people is to call their circumstances a "choice." The poor? A choice. The under-paid? A choice. Drug addiction? A choice? Single moth- erhood? A choice. Each is arguably more complicated than this dismissive one-word declaration. However, if you disagree – you’re against person- al responsibility! Yes, the GOP is the party of personal responsi- bility…unless it’s abortion rights or whom you wish to marry. Then the Gov- ernment should save you from yourself. The actual choice in this issue is choosing to deny science when it doesn’t fit your agenda. The actual choice is choosing to use a group of people who want to become a family as a political prop. The choice is using "choice" as a way to parlay prejudice against a minority into ballot ink. Tina Dupuy is an award- winning writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com.