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6A Daily News – Tuesday, October 25, 2011 Opinion Escaping poverty 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 Editor: Too often Red Bluff Daily 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 News editorial contributor Richard Mazzucchi champions transferring personal wealth, created through sacrifice and investments, to those who make bad choices in refusing to sacrifice through frugality and education hours. Instead of follow- ing the liberal line of condemning those who have sacrificed and saved, champion programs that allow those in poverty to earn wealth instead of considering themselves victims. Most born in the 1930s worked hard, saved, and escaped poverty. There were no hundreds of welfare programs such as, aid to dependent children, food stamps, Social Security Disability, a $10,000 per child annual public school subsidy, a $13,000 annual value family Medicaid policy, Section 8 hous- ing, taxpayer funded preschool, free school lunch, winter heating subsidies, almost free pubic bus- ing, free school busing, college tuition financial aid other than aca- demic scholarships, earned income tax credits, and many more subsidies for those classified as in poverty. The value of these subsidies can be $30,000 to $60,000 for a family of 4. Some ideas to escape poverty are here included. Encourage chil- dren to earn spending money through odd jobs, including 15 hours weekly jobs during high school, Self fund high school tuition, books, fees, and clothing. Work in high school lunchroom to earn free lunch. Have your teen children pay half for any other than food, housing, and basic clothing. Delay vehicle purchases until age 21 and use the savings for college. Earn As and Bs in high school to earn scholarships. Find a work/study college program that funds half of college costs when coupled with summer jobs. Dedi- cate 15,000 hours over 19 years to obtain the technical and business degrees. This includes 50,000 evening miles traveling from work to night classes while fully employed, three study hours per class hour, and academic class- room hours. Accept hundreds of days of weekend domestic and global business trips. Take lifetime continuing education to keep skills marketable during the many gov- ernment and business downturns. Obtain more rigorous degrees that have higher market value. Never buy more home than you can afford and never pay less than a 20 percent down payment as homes often sell below costs during reces- sions. Keep cars for 15 years to reduce depreciation and insurance costs. Always save to avoid inter- est on car and other major pur- chases. Pay off all credit card debt monthly to avoid interest. Save and invest 10 to 15 percent of after tax income for emergencies and retire- ment. The escape from poverty to financial security comes with a high burden of self sacrifice and motivation, and not welfare subsi- dies. Joseph J. Neff, Corning Pot Gardens Editor: I am wondering if I am the only one with medical issues caused from all the pot gardens growing in my neighborhood. I keep a headache, sick stomach and am lightheaded from the time my neighbors bring in their 75+ plants in 5 gallon buckets from Sacramento to their garden . I am so sensitive to the skunk odor from July to November that I end up with bronchitis and pneu- monia. I can't use my air conditioner because it brings in the skunk odor and must keep all doors and win- dows closed most all the time because of the odor. I moved here from Cupertino because of the air quality, and now all I have is skunk -, no more roses, carnations honeysuck- le smells, just skunk. Your Turn I do realize the pot growers have their rights, but so do I. I have paid Tehama County Property taxes for over 30 years, paid Association dues for over 30 years and have voted in every elec- tion here in Tehama County for over 30 years. The pot growers I am referring to do not own the property, pay no taxes, pay no Association dues but get food stamps from Tehama county. That is fine with me, I would feed them if they were hungry, but they are destroying our neighbor- hood and my health with their pot gardens. I am tired of being sick,my quality of life has been taken from me and yet, the Board of Directors or the Sheriff's Dept have not done anything to address this particular situation. Is there any help available? Wandell Carter, Corning Economic sins Editor: First off, I would like to com- pliment Mr. Adams for pointing out the horrendous sins of Mr. Bernanke and the Federal Reserve. However I fail to see why the shenanigans of one group excuses crimes committed by another. Next time your pulled over or in front of a Judge for any kind of infraction of the law just point out how so and so did far worse. And because of that you should get off Scott free. Good luck with that. Yes, Mr. Neff most people have a tendency to make a bad decision from time to time and the price paid for some blunders are pretty steep. But shouldn't even those who have fallen on hard times because of their mistakes be given some aid to subsist or should they all be shot? You blamed the mortgage crises on those who took out loans they could not afford but what about those shysters who offered those loans in the first place. Or the wises guys on Wall Street that bun- dled those bad loans up and sold them on the international market? I am sure it must be hard for geniuses like Mr. Neff to compre- hend, but some people just don't excel in academics nor does every- one have an aptitude to be an engi- neer. Besides if everyone worked at designing things who would be left to take away our garbage? Menial jobs are also necessary in communities these days. It is a sad state of affairs when the industry doing the most hiring in this coun- try, is the one that specializes in the taking of lives. I certainly can agree with what you said about Congress. When I say Congress I'm referring to both the Democrat and Republican branches. Like a line one actor once said, Congress. like babies, should be changed often, and for the same reason. Orval Strong, Gerber 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. Wearing my debate fatigues Commentary Time to sound the alarm on an ominous political epidemic sweeping the nation today. A feverish America finds itself lar- ynx-deep in the throes of a severe case of debate fatigue, as evi- denced by the most recent gather- ing of GOP candidates in Nevada — which by any unofficial tally should count as the 367th debate in the past four months with about 519 to go before an actual nomi- nee is grudgingly settled upon. Nowhere are the symptoms of this malaise more apparent than amongst the participants them- selves, who have slowly shifted from irritable to ornery to down- right cantankerous. And it's going to take more than a short regimen of low-grade antibiotics to kick this virulent bug. You could say the last debate got a bit testy. You could also say that Girl Scouts make ineffective NFL middle linebackers. In nick- el coverage. Against Aaron Rodgers. Mirroring the emotions of their constituents, the candi- dates are starting to get on each other's nerves like somebody else's disco music in a bathroom with stainless steel walls. After Rick Perry accused Mitt Romney of hiring illegal aliens to work on his lawn, the former gov- ernor of Massachusetts put a con- descending hand on the Texas governor's shoulder and received a look that would liquefy granite. Fortunately, Mitt is made of stiffer stuff. But only the presence of TV cameras kept the two from mak- ing a date to meet under the bleachers right after school. Perry's frustration is evident. The shine on his campaign has faded to root-cellar dim, partly due to an inability to form a com- plete sentence in public. Himself admitting, "Debates aren't my strong suit." No. Not your strong suit. Weak suit. Leisure suit. Bathing suit. Or birthday suit. Face it, debates aren't your Bermuda shorts. And neither is foreign policy Herman Cain's black socks with sandals. Michele Bachmann was con- fused by Libya being part of Africa, and Newt Gingrich may have scuttled his entire campaign by vowing, as nominee, to engage President Obama in a series of seven three-hour-long debates. Smooth move. Like telling a man with heartburn you plan on serv- ing nothing but jalapeno burritos for dinner the next two weeks. And the sour cream has curdled. Plenty of Tabasco, though. The seven nominees in attendance spent the evening snapping at one another like hyenas over the last piece of zebra calf muscle. When the subject of immigration arose, they climbed across their podiums playing king of the hill on who would implement the strictest enforcement. Variously promising to utilize the National Guard, electric fences, predator drones; and I think somebody men- tioned alligator pits. Domestic alligators, of course. The experts claim these things are designed to build better candi- dates. "His new-found confidence is a direct result of being hardened in the primary debates." But where does "battle tested" end and Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome begin? Could John McCain's punch-drunk staggering be attrib- uted to the head blows he sus- tained over six months of these internecine con- flicts four years ago? Luckily for every- Will Durst Raging Moderate body, the next debate is more than three weeks hence. Plenty of time to grab some air and arrange a few photo-ops in stately poses, such as handing out Halloween candy and voting. Not forgetting the most important presidential business of all, begging for more money. Power ties off. Knee pads on. The New York Times says Emmy-nominated comedian and writer Will Durst "is quite possibly the best political satirist working in the country today." Check out the website: Redroom.com to find out more about upcoming stand-up performances or to buy his book, "The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing."