Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/40457
4A Daily News – Saturday, August 27, 2011 Opinion Thank you 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 A huge thank you to Dave from Red Bluff who carries a clip board and saved my "hay" Aug. 25 on Hwy. 36. You are my hero. After coming out of 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 Susanville I lost one bale of hay onto the highway without know- ing it. He flagged me down, retrieved the bale he pulled to the side of the road, reloaded it onto my truck and sent me on my way. What a guy, and all with a sense of humor. Thank you again from Donna who travels with a load of hay. Donna Mack, Greenville Scam alive, well Editor: We received an official look- ing check in the mail for $15,000 from the so called Inter- national Award Payment Center. This is a new and even more sophisticated form of the classic up front fee scam started by the Nigerians years ago that most people are aware of now. The scam for this particular version is to detach and return the 1080 form along with a $9 discounted fee. Somehow these criminals are getting local addresses out and targeting elders. A public service announce- ment from your friendly local Internet watchdog. Laurence D'Alberti, Red Bluff Mazzucchi Editor: I have learned in 33 short years to keep from forming a strong opinion (or at least one I share openly) about things which I have no first hand knowledge of. I know Mr. Mazzucchi has no first hand knowledge of the "cruel treatment" experienced in SHU units state wide. He has no knowledge of how they are structured or what is required to commit someone to a SHU term. Reading another journalist's article then re-writing it in your own words doesn't qualify you as an expert. Let me enlighten you on some easily overlooked facts. SHU inmates are classified as Level IV which is the highest level in California's Corrections system. This designates: Mur- der, attempted murder, rape, armed robbery, etc. These are not DUI offenders or other non- violent offenders. Inmates that first enter "the system" are not sent to the SHU immediately. If they commit a violent crime while in prison, or the institution has proven that they are actively involved in a gang, using a quite stringent criteria, they will have a court hear- ing to sentence them to SHU. Typically SHU inmates are serving several con- secutive life sentences and will not walk the streets of society again. A limited few will, most will not. This is where we agree on the death penalty. If the courts have tied corrections hands with the death penalty, how do you propose to house 1,500 proven violent inmates? How do you keep them from attacking each other or the offi- cers tasked with keeping them and us safe? How do you deal with someone that refuses to conform and just do his time? The answer is the SHU. I'm not saying it's perfect. It needs work. Like all programs it could use a few tweaks, however doing away with it all together Your Turn is not going to solve anything beyond ending the hunger strike. Every few years the inmates team up on a hunger strike to bring sympathy from the outside world. Lest we forget what brought them to their current dwelling. I have personally witnessed the inmate population receive better medical and dental care than I currently have avail- able. I have to pay out of pocket to get med- ical, they do not. Within the last few years the on site medical staff at California Prisons has grown to the point where they almost equal they custody staff. Is it any wonder the budget is so huge? Prison life isn't perfect and I really don't think it's meant to be. If it weren't a deterrent there would be no point in sending them to prison. Next time you think you know enough to climb up on your soap box and spew facts with your opinion, realize there is another side and that information may be just what you need to balance your thinking. Wes Anderson, Tehama 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. Brooding about books and bookcases Commentary Sam and I got together for cof- fee the other day. It was a mild morning, and we sat outside. Both of us had been away for a while, and we talked about our visits to our families. We also chuckled a lot over the extensive national news coverage of the earthquake centered in Virginia. Neither one of us felt the story justified so much coverage, particularly for west coast veterans of "real" earth- quakes. Soon we began talking about the Governor of Texas and the Congresswoman from Minnesota who were doing well in opinion polls about GOP presidential can- didates. Things got a little feisty when I asked Sam if Governor Perry could reasonably take credit for the job growth in Texas. "Well, you know how it is. There is not a real relationship between taking credit for some- thing and making it happen. Politi- cians are quick to take credit, but are very good about avoiding blame." "I understand that Texas is tied with Mississippi with the highest percentage of minimum wage jobs." "Let's not get into that; the election is more than one year away, and I want to save my ener- gy for after the candidates are sort- ed out. How is that Kindle working out?" he asked. "It's been great; I have been able to read thirteen books on it since December, and it has not interfered with our moratorium on bookcases at home. I did fall off the wagon recently, however." "What do you mean?" "I rejoined the History Book Club; they made me an offer I couldn't refuse, so I got four good books for four dollars plus ship- ping and no obligation to buy any more. The only problem is that their 3,200 pages are so thick that they won't fit on our bookshelves." "What are you going to do?" "I thought about hiding books here and there, but that would only be a temporary solution, and with my memory problems I'm not sure I could ever find them when I wanted to. So I've begun going through the books already on the shelves and trying to decide which I could donate to the library, give to the Book Barn, or pawn off on friends or relatives. I started with those I had begun to read and found less than satisfactory and had set aside. Then I looked at those I've never gotten around to read and probably won't ever get around to read; I saved some and put others into the box to go. Then I found a few I really didn't need to keep around anymore. Next were some that might be appreciated in the church library. I also picked out some 100-year-old books that may have looked good on the bookshelf because of their impres- sive bindings but were not of real value to me; those went to my niece's husband. " "I don't understand what the big deal is? They're just books." "Well they seem like friends to me, and I hate to part with them." "You sound like one of those dysfunctional hoarders." "That's mean." "How many have you gathered up to give away?" "I'm not making much progress; I only have about thirty ready to go." "What's the problem?" "I guess I am some kind of hoarder. My father's garage was filled with odds and ends, nuts, bolts, screws, nails, brackets, and even hubcaps of all sizes and shapes. He contended he might need them sometime. I've collected books using the same ratio- nale." "Really?" "At least that is what I tell myself. There is a certain pleasure I get just looking at a specific book on the shelf, even if it has been years since I may have read it. Then there are the books on the "I need to read next list." Of course there are those I would like to reread, and those I probably kid myself into thinking I will have to refer to from time to time. It's been fun, though and I have had some surprises in the process of culling." "Like what?" "Well I found a bookmarker in one book. It was an adult admis- sion ticket for Disneyland from August 1981; the price of admis- sion was only $9.25. My guess was I was making more than $9.25 per hour in 1981; so that price seems reasonable." "What is the admission price now?" "I checked online, and the listed price for a one day visit for an adult is $80.00. I know that when I retired I was not making $80.00 per hour, so the price has far out- distanced what I would consider to be affordable." "I also found a fact sheet from the California School Boards Association from the same year. It was interesting to compare some of the data with relatively current data. For example, in 1981 20 per- cent of students came from homes where another language was spo- ken; in 2008 it was 44 percent. There were other dra- matic changes as well over the same general period of time." "What else did you Joe Harrop find?" "Surprisingly California was ranked 49th in pupil teacher ratio in 1981, but in 2008 they were ranked 50th, just a slight drop given all that has hap- pened with school financing in California. The ratio of district staff to pupils was ranked 47th in 2008, dispelling the rumor that educa- tional staffing is top-heavy. The average teacher's salary was ranked third in 2008." "That's all very interesting, but it seems to me you are procrasti- nating about making room on your bookshelves. And don't forget the Internet where you can find many of things that you hoard on your bookshelves. " I promised to try harder, but as a book-a-holic, it is difficult to let go. At least I am not addicted to some- thing else, even if I subscribe to the Anna Quindlen view: "I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves." (From Enough Bookshelves, in the New York Times, 7 August 1991) Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.