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4A Daily News – Wednesday, August 3, 2011 Opinion Sportsmanship 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 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 My name is Rex Bohn and I am president of Redwood Empire Little League and Tour- nament Director for the sections tourney the young men from Red Bluff won in Eureka before their victory over Petaluma at the North State Tournament. The community of Red Bluff should be aware that this group of young men and their loud, enthusiastic followers repre- sented Red Bluff and Tehama County with the utmost degree of sportsmanship, good play and were able to keep that sense of what they were playing for and still be a “bunch of kids” at the same time. The baseball fans of the North Coast are proud that your boys are moving on and the Red Bluff community should know that they will make them proud on the field and more important- ly off the field as they head to San Bernadino to represent all of us in the North State. Rex Bohn, Eureka Branding Editor: I assume this is an effort to find reasons to advertise our section of the state as unique. How about this as a branding idea to be placed on “Welcome to Tehama County” signs at the highway entrances to the county? Occupancy Tax Free Zone Save 10-15% on Lodging Every place I have stayed during the last few years has assessed this tax. Lobby the cities and county to repeal the Transit Occupancy Taxes. Make Tehama County totally TOT free. The longer you stay, the more you save. As the word spreads through the branding advertising, it might sway visitors from stay- ing in Redding, Anderson or Chico. Signs along the major highways, say south of Chico and Orland, and outside of Red- ding could alert travelers as to the advantages of bypassing those towns. Branding advocates, please discuss the TOTFZ. John M. Elko, Red Bluff Rehab or prison Editor: I’m writing this as an addict who has great concerns about our court system who chooses to send Tehama County drug offenders to prison in lieu of programs designed to help. Those suffering with the disease of addiction. My very first arrest for a very small usable amount of methamphetamine I was sen- tenced to three years in Califor- nia Corrections and Rehabilita- tion where they have added the word rehabilitation but removed 99 percent of its programs. I was stuffed into overcrowded prisons and await a release date with no rehabilitation offered other than as a word. I really want help but am pushed aside by court appointed attorneys and told we don’t qualify for the programs offered: Prop. 36 or Drug Court, and continue to read in the Court Round-Up of others who were accepted into the program who have the same or worse charges I or others have been disqualified for. There seems to be no rehabil- itation for those who need and truly want help. Our fate seems to lay in the hands of a proba- tion officer who for 15-25 min- utes interviews you upon a series of questions and passes a recommendation on that truly reflects nothing of a person’s good qualities, but magnifies the problem and hence the worst. I’m just asking those who want reha- bilitation and under- stand addiction to speak up. This is a problem that is in everyone’s life at some level. Prison is not an alternative program to addiction that offers rehabilitation. Save money and give all addicts the same chance. We all suffer from the same disease. Alcoholism is a disease and they’re not sent to prison for drunk in public or open containers. I am not condoning the use of drugs by any means. There is absolutely never a positive outcome in addiction. Lives become unmanageable. Those using become powerless over the disease until, through the tools gained, with the will- ingness to stop using are learned through rehab and programs like Prop. 36 being granted to addicts. Those stranded in the ditch of addiction will either see death, prison or insanity. Let’s add treatment at the top of that list so addicts can stand again clean and be productive members of society. Prison does not teach. Kevin Teem, Red Bluff Greed a factor Editor: I've long wondered why pre- Your Turn scription drugs cost so much when bought here. You can get them in other countries for much less, but you take a chance in doing so. I know there's a lot of risk for drug companies and liability is extremely high, but still there appears to be a lot of room left to lower the costs, thus bringing down the cost of healthcare. Why and how can this continue? Because our ineffective legislators are too busy playing their stupid political game of vote- for-me. This country is on the brink of who- knows-what? Fear tactics all over, scaring seniors, taking away from those who need help the most and for what? To get their way, to fool us all over again. Where are the honest, reliable, steadfast leaders, who will truly make a difference. President Obama is stuck on taking away deductions for corpo- rate jets, as though that will make a huge difference. They need to take one of his away, make him stay home, dig in, do something responsible for this country, like he promised. He continues to harp on taking away from the highest money- makers who already pay the most, while the freeloaders sit on their rears, using foodstamps to gamble at the casino. How did that hap- pen? Who's watching the hen house? Get rid of half the freeloaders in Washington, the Czars, the aides, many more I'm sure who don't do much but silliness, take charge of making good decisions that really make a difference. In my job, I have to pay for my own cellphone. What a novel idea. We can only hope. Bernice Cressy, Cottonwood 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. A man in search of his mail Commentary A man reaches a point in his life when he realizes what he real- ly wants. All I really want is my mail. I opened a post office box a few years ago. I have all my busi- ness correspondence sent there. Last September, I moved tem- porarily to Washington, D.C., to work on a six-month project. I returned to the Pittsburgh area every six weeks and retrieved my mail from the P.O. box. Last spring, I knew the six- month bill would be coming due soon, so I went to the post office to pay it in advance. "You can't pay until the bill is due," said the woman at the counter. "But I will be gone for six weeks and wish to pay it now." "Our systems don't allow you to pay in advance." I drove back to Washington and worked hard for six weeks. I returned one evening, eager to retrieve a half-dozen checks wait- ing for me in my P.O. box. It was locked. Annoyed, I returned the next day to pay the box bill and retrieve my mail. "We sent your mail back to sender," said the woman at the counter. "Why?" "Because you didn't pay your bill." I explained that I had tried to pay in advance -- that I was work- ing out of town on a project. "You're supposed to fill out a form to let us know you will be out of town," she said. She took pity on me, though. After I paid the bill -- I was charged a late fee because that is how the postal system works -- she gave me the name of a fellow at the main processing center. He helped me track down some of my mail, including some checks. I always look forward to depositing checks. I figured all was well. It was- n't. For the next several weeks, clients phoned me to tell me that checks they'd sent to me were being returned. The little yellow return slips on the returned mail said my P.O. box was canceled. I called the post office and talked with a supervisor. "It shouldn't be doing that," she assured me. "I agree," I said. "How do we stop it?" She told me to bring in one of the little yellow return slips. I had one of my clients scan one and e- mail it to me. I brought my computer to the post office and showed the woman at the counter what the little yellow slip looked like. "Yep, it is being blocked at the main office," she said. "It shouldn't do that." "I agree," I said. ple who work for the post office. Most are crushed under the weight of outmoded business processes and bureaucratic inanities. Most lack the orga- nizational support to service customers as well as they would like. Which raises an "How do we stop it?" "It should stop any- time," she assured me. But it didn't. A few weeks later, I phoned again and got another supervisor. This fel- low, thankfully, was extremely professional, knowledgeable and apologetic. He told me the problem was in the computer system and he would fix it. I could hear him typ- ing as I waited. He promised it would take one day to register, then all would be well. I was delighted that the prob- lem finally was resolved. I hold nothing against the peo- Tom Purcell obvious question: In an era in which consumers can make convenient transactions over the Internet, shouldn't we move away from the old bureaucratic govern- ment model -- rather than closer to it, as we have been doing the past two years? But then, what do I know? I'm just a man in search of his mail. ——— 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.