Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/36967
6A Daily News – Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Opinion LM streets Editor: 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 Being a resident of Tehama County and living in Los Molinos for 30 plus years, the roads that lead to our schools are in such dis- array. 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 Highway 99E down Grant Street to the high school and Stan- ford Avenue, which runs from the south gate of the high school to the grammar school, are the most trav- eled roads during the school year. For the kids that walk to school every day, rain or shine, they are walking in mud puddles or scam- pering off the dry section in the middle of the road to avoid cars. I drive these roads every day and they are unsafe for our kids and whoever else is walking them. I am a Realtor and drive a lot of roads. It amazes me where some of the best streets are, with no traf- fic or kids walking them to school. I know the economy is tough, but kids shouldn't have to worry about getting splashed or even hit by cars to stay dry as they walk to school. My belief is that on Grant Street there is a 15 acre parcel that can be subdivided and the county is waiting for someone to buy and split this piece into a subdivision. If that happens then the new owner will have to improve the road for the new traffic the subdivision cre- ates. If they are waiting for that they will be waiting for long time and our kids will be the one paying the price. I would like to know what can be done to improve this situation. Sending the workers out to fill pot holes every year is a waste of time and money.The county could ask anyone from the school or resident to the need of this problem. Just hope someone walking doesn't get seriously hurt before the county decides to look into the problem. Don Delaney, Los Molinos Inmates Editor: I’m writing in regards to the people stuck in the Tehama Coun- ty Jail, many of whom are there for petty crimes that would only amount to misdemeanors. People are stuck with bail so high they can’t pay, and charges that were raised from misdemeanors to felonies because of prior convic- tions. The county finds out you have a prior conviction — no matter how long ago — and they slap you with a special allegation. What’s a special allegation? It’s extra years of my life for something that I have already served a sentence for, whether it’s related or not. No wonder prisons are over- crowded, people fall into addiction and are doing double time because of something that happened 15 years ago that they have already served a sentence for. Is this county into just making money on people sitting in jail? It’s taxpayers’ money and our friends and families this happens to. Most of us had a job and have been productive members of soci- ety, just trying to raise our families. Now we’re faced with an extreme budget deficit. It’s ironic how many of these non-violent inmates crowd the jail awaiting judgment on petty crimes. Taxpay- ers need to know where their money is going and how it is being spent. There’s little or no justice for some of us in here. The public defenders are supposed to be working for us but they keep peo- ple in the dark, explain very little about consequences and spend the least amount of time they can with their clients. We don’t know the law and are kept ignorant of it, so non-violent offenders make deals and go to prison. Other counties are sending a lot more people to programs. Why can’t Tehama County rehabilitate its non-violent offenders? I want to be a productive mem- ber of society and a father to my children. Not a drain on taxpay- ers. Jacob Snyder, Red Bluff City blows it Editor: Once again the City Council members have ignored the majori- ty and voted against a much need- ed shelter for the homeless. I guess they feel by continually voting against PATH the problem will simply go away. As another supporter said, the homeless are already here. Did any of the council members actu- ally go to the proposed site on Breckenridge Street and see that there are very few homes adjacent to it? As for the proximity to For- ward Park, come on now. The homeless already frequent Dog Island Park. Being a long time volunteer at the Hope Chest Thrift Store, across the street from the proposed site, I was, at first concerned. However, after much considera- tion, I felt it might bring some much needed law enforcement to the area. The traffic on Brecken- ridge is a real problem, no one heeds the yield sign coming off North Main and during school those kids coming flying down Breckenridge from the high school. Also, the police presence might actually stop someone from dumping their trash at our store. This has been an ongoing prob- lem for years and people complain to us. Do you really think we enjoy picking up other people’s junk? Yes, we take down license plate numbers if we can, yes, we call the police. Does it help? No. Your Turn My heart goes out to all the PATH volunteers, how frustrating and disap- pointing it must be for you. Just remember when it's time to vote for City Council how they voted against you. Lucretia Betts, Dairyville Album of service Editor: I have an album of military ser- vice pictures dating back to the 1940s of my uncle that I would like to give to any living relative of his. He lived in Tehama and he died on March 27,1997. This man gave his time to his country and I am at wits end to find relatives who would cherish having these photos. I cannot find any obit with names of relatives surviving him. I can't find any obit for that matter, I only found his death date in the social security page. His name is John Timothy Donnelly, born Nov. 23, 1930. Some family out there has no pic- tures of him before the late ‘50s when he moved to California. Is there anyway you can help me find the family of someone who probably read your paper for years? Could you at least get me in touch with someone in the county that could possibly help me? Diane Miller, Columbus, IN Editor’s note: Please call or e- mail the Daily News for contact information. 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. Are cigars endangered? Commentary Are premium cigars next on the federal government's hit list? You see, as part of the 2010 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the authority "to regulate mar- keting and promotion of tobacco products and to set performance standards for tobacco products to protect the public health." Though the law does not auto- matically apply to cigars, the FDA can issue new regulations that make cigars subject to the law. Boy, does that have premium cigar advocates worried. They say the FDA could force cigar shops to keep cigars under lock and key -- maybe even put them behind black curtains, where customers are not permitted to see or touch them. They say marketing prohibi- tions could forbid them from handing out samples. Decorative artwork common to cigar boxes could be replaced with dire health warnings. They say blended cigars could require FDA approval, ingredient disclosure and hefty FDA fees -- which will drive costs through the roof. I smoke a premium cigar maybe five or six times a year. Why? I don't know. Maybe it's the manly feeling I get when I see my breath billow out of me like a chimney. Maybe I want to be in the com- pany of legendary cigar smokers, such as Mark Twain, Winston Churchill and Art Rooney. Maybe it's just for the relax- ation. There's something calming about taking a slow, deep drag on a stogie. It's like male yoga -- for males who would never do yoga. Sure, there are health risks to those who smoke cigars on a daily basis. Such smokers are more prone to cancer of the mouth and other maladies -- and fully aware of the risk. But moderate cigar smokers? Unlike cigarette smokers, moderate cigar smokers don't inhale the thick stogie smoke. They don't become addicted to nicotine. And, at $10 a pop, pre- mium cigars aren't likely to end up in the hands of underage kids. That's why the typical cigar smoker is a middle-aged fellow with a big gut and a big car. He worked hard in his younger years, saved some dough and now he can relax a little. You see him at pic- nics and other occasions sipping fine bourbon and enjoying an hour- long smoke of a hand- rolled leaf. You'd think in a free country such a relatively harmless pastime would be of no interest to the federal government. But in this nutty day and age, we have our vices all mixed up. It wasn't so long ago that smoking was con- sidered just a vice, whereas a fellow who had chil- dren with one or more women he was not married to was consid- ered a menace to society. Not long ago a fellow who took on more debt than he could manage was considered a fool. Now he demands government relief and our sympathy -- and gets both. Not long ago, a fellow who spent every waking moment get- ting high was called a pothead. Now many are eager to legalize marijuana, so the government can collect taxes from his behavior. Tom Purcell In our progressive times, many bad behav- iors are considered mere vices, whereas mere vices, such as cigar smoking, are con- sidered truly evil. Tobacco smokers are as loathed as mass mur- derers and other gen- uinely evil people, whereas truly bad behaviors are given a pass. So you can see why, in a world turned upside down, the cigar folks are so worried. Isn't it just a matter of time before government do-gooders draft nutty Tobacco Act cigar regulations that send the pre- mium cigar industry up in smoke? Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com. ———