Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/37101
4A Daily News – Thursday, July 21, 2011 Opinion Negative point 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 In response to Richard Maz- 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 zucchi’s column in the Daily News on July 11 regarding the 3- 2 City Council vote to deny the homeless shelter location. My original thought after read- ing the column was this guy is a crybaby of the first order. The way he singled out Councilman For- rest Flynn, however, requires a response with some facts. Mr. Mazzucchi obviously doesn’t know Mr. Flynn’s history over the last 25 years. Forrest has volun- teered hundreds of hours working on Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corpora- tion projects and events; he has taken part in hundreds of Red Bluff, Tehama County improve- ment projects, all to make Red Bluff, Tehama County a better place to live. Additionally, he served as a City Councilman for 16 years, retired and when a leadership cri- sis occurred, he stepped up again to serve the citizens of Red Bluff as a council member. Over the years, Forrest and I have disagreed on many council matters. When we did, I would meet with him, present my data and views and we would discuss the issues. It was my hope he would be reasonable and see it my way. When he did, I was pleased; when he did not, my committee would work harder or change directions to compromise with the council. When an elected official does not see it your way and you write, “It might as well have been his (Flynn’s) middle finger that he flipped in the path of those seek- ing to...,” Mr. Mazzucchi may need to change his column title to Negative Point. I don’t have a dog in this fight, even though I believed the old Piper Lumber location or the old Salisbury High School location would have been better locations for a homeless shelter, until now, I kept it to myself. A close friend of mine who owns, arguably, one of the best Victorians in Red Bluff, called City Hall with his objections to this proposed Breckenridge Street homeless shelter location. This gentleman has spent over a mil- lion dollars on his home and he lives in Alamo. He believes this was a poor planning decision regardless of the quality of the proposed facility. A million-plus- dollar home close to a homeless shelter will lose value as will, in his opinion, other homes around it. Perhaps Mr. Mazzucchi has room on his property for it. If Red Bluff continues encouraging homeowners to fix up their homes and Victorians, the city has to pro- tect these owners from out of place types of developments. Anyone who believes an elect- ed official flips for fear better check the record of that official to see if they do their homework, examine prior voting record, know their philosophy on growth and development and look at their real time efforts over the time they have served working to make this a better city. I’m going to give my friend Robert Minch a pass for his poem/comment in the July 15 Daily News. He was part of my inspiration, as he wound down his service back in 1978, in getting me started to get involved. Mr. Mazzucchi gets no pass. I hope he volunteers his time, effort and money on many of the on- going Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber projects to make Red Bluff, Tehama County a better place to live. Who knows, he might even get to work alongside Mr. Flynn as he continues his work on projects mak- ing a better place for the citizens of Red Bluff and Tehama County. Mr. Mazzucchi’s attack on Flynn, because he thought his vote was in his bag, was out of line and mean-spirited. My advice to him: Do some homework before you start writing. And yes, I do have some crying towels. Bill Moule, Red Bluff State of the US Editor: There is an old saying: “Jesus is coming and boy is he mad.” What a sorry state of affairs this country is going through. Now Kindergarteners are required to learn about homo- sexuality while someone in Texas has filed a lawsuit to pre- vent Christians from gathering to pray for our country. Are we going to have to remove Thomas Jefferson from our history books to make room for Harvey Milk, whose only accomplishment was to become the first openly gay supervisor from San Fran- cisco and to prey on young men for sexual deviancy? Since when do we have to label everyone and put him or her in a box as straight or gay? What about tolerance for the rest of Americans? It is estimated that only 3 percent of Americans Your Turn are gay and yet 97 percent of us have to bend to their will and accept their lifestyle. It is also a fact the majority of Americans are Christians and believes this country was found- ed on Christian principles in spite of President Obama’s opin- ion. Now you know why our children cannot read or write or even pass a test. Schools have become a place of social engineering instead of a place to learn. Our children are taught toler- ance for everything except the founding principles that at one time made this country great. Muslims, in spite of wanting to kill us infidels are peaceful, lov- ing people while Christians are bigoted warmongers who are destroying the country and the world. If it all possible get your chil- dren into a private school. Your child or grandchild does not have to be part of it. Teach your children morals. Tell them there is a difference between right and wrong. Tell your public schools you do not want your kindergartener to learn about sex or sexual deviancy and refuse to allow your child to participate in social engineering. If you will not teach your children, the state will be more than happy to mold them into something you will not recognize. Some people will call me a bigot but it is time to stand up for what you believe in. Jesus is coming back and we will reap what we sow. Ken Rice, 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. Budget debate straight talk Commentary If indeed the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, President Obama and his cohorts in the Democratic Party must be feeling the heat on their backsides on the eve of the Cut, Cap and Balance (CCB) vote. In response to the GOP's pro- posal, it should come as no sur- prise that White House spokesman Jay Carney would use scare tactics to suggest that the CCB bill would impose egregious cuts to Medicare. Democrats currently engaged in the debt ceiling budget debate refuse to tell the truth about the financial state of our union, and choose to continue down their spendificant pathway — which is expected to dead-end by way of a brick wall in 2019. Republicans have done their part to sound the warning bell, and offer an alternate route, via Rep. Paul Ryan's, (R-WI) "Path- way to Prosperity," and more recently, Cut, Cap and Balance. Both proposals tell the unvar- nished truth about America's date with financial destruction and provide a sensible, alterna- tive. In April, the Congressional Budget Office produced an analysis showing Ryan's plan would "reverse the course of fis- cal history by lowering federal health care spending from 8 per- cent to 5 percent by 2050," as compared to a 14 percent spend- ing hike, should we stay on the current path toward insolvency. Whether the irresponsible spendaholics admit it or not, Medicare is one of the largest (and fastest growing) federally funded programs, with federal spending expected to reach 20 percent by 2016, exceed the cost of Social Security by 2018, and exhaust trust funds by 2019. Medicare's funding is out of actuarial balance in significant part because the number of workers paying Medicare taxes is shrinking while the number of retirees is on the rise - as Amer- ica's baby boomers retire. Is it not ironic that the same genera- tion that pushed Roe v. Wade on American society, resulting in over 52 million abortions since 1973 — and ostensibly 52 mil- lion fewer taxpayers - is now facing an unprecedented budget shortfall to pay for their inces- sant list of taxpayer-funded pro- grams-the same programs they now need? Unfortunately, the GOP's attempt to warn Americans about the pending budgetary derailment has fallen upon deaf Democrat ears, which are in tune only with causes promoting their own political expediency, rather than our nation's financial health. What Fortune Magazine's senior editor-at-large, Shawn Tully describes as "the best choice in a world of poor alterna- tives," Democrats view as an opportuni- ty to manipulate facts, misrepresent the truth, and mask the outcome. The only political party that has voted to cut Medicare is the Democrat Party - when they voted to cut $500 bil- lion out of Medicare in the Obamacare bill. The Democrats Susan Brown Speaking on behalf of the party bereft a conscience, dur- ing a recent appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," Democratic National Committee chairper- son, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, argued the GOP plan will "throw you to the wolves and allow insurance companies to deny you coverage." In reali- ty, the GOP plan will provide seniors more control and pro- mote health insurance company competition to drive down costs. want us to climb aboard their bandwag- on headed to the Promised Land; only problem is, this bus is headed over a cliff the size of the Grand Canyon. Along the way, a few Republi- cans are trying to give us warning of the dan- gers ahead for Medicare and a host of other similarly periled programs. We can heed the warnings and make a U-turn, or we can keep going with the pedal to the floor, off into finan- cial oblivion. Susan Stamper Brown is an op-ed columnist, motivational speaker, military family advocate and grief counselor who writes about politics, the military, the economy and culture. she can be reached at susan@susanstamperbrown.co m.