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6A Daily News – Wednesday, November 2, 2011 Opinion Makers, takers 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. Boy, you can't count on any- 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 thing anymore -- not even the rich. When we think of "the rich," we think of guys like Thurston Howell III, the "Gilligan's Island" millionaire with the con- descending upper-class accent. We think they have the finest clothes, homes and cars -- an abundance of material posses- sions that they never need to worry about losing. If only that were so. According to the 1996 book "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, 80 percent of Ameri- ca's millionaires were not born millionaires. They are first-gen- eration affluent. They earned their money by providing some product or ser- vice that other people need or value enough to pay for. We might classify some of their businesses as "dull," say the authors: "welding contrac- tors, auctioneers, rice farmers, owners of mobile-home parks, pest controllers, coin and stamp dealers, and paving contractors." Most millionaires get by on an annual income that is only 7 percent of their total wealth. They save at least 15 percent of that income and invest another Editor: I would say Mr. Harrop, regard- ing his article in the Oct. 29 Daily News, may be correct about press coverage envy. The main stream media made a big issue out of a false accusation of a Tea Party par- ticipant spitting on some congress- man and didn't mention or show on TV the banners and signs that support Communism, smash capi- talism and, SEIU members carry- ing the red flag of Communism. AFL-CIO and teachers unions are also represented and in some cases, their students. There is also the radical Muslim occupiers including the Council on Ameri- can-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Several of CAIR's employees and former employees have been jailed and deported for terror-related offenses, What would the main stream media do if someone speaking at a Tea Party meeting said "Let's take out the Occupiers" like Hoffa said about the Tea Party? You get three guesses, and the first two don't count. The SEIU devoted $28 million to Obama's campaign, making the SEIU the organization that spent the most to help Barack Obama get elected president. Comparing the occupiers to Rosa Parks is really a stretch. What will the movement evolve into? So far, it has evolved into filth, destruction, sex, drugs and criminal behavior. One woman was recently arrested for pimping a 16-year-old run away. Isn't that far enough? The Tea Party is made up of makers and shakers. People that produce or have produced such as, farmers, small business owners, merchants, teachers that are fed up with our educational system and government employees that are fed up with their union dues sup- porting candidates they don't sup- port and many more. The occupiers are mostly made up of takers and whiners, not mak- ers. They are teachers and other government employees that can't be fired because of their tenure. The sign carried by a winning whiner from Occupy Wall Street. "I want to be self-sufficient with- out having to do anything for myself." Of the 99 percent, approximately 50 percent don't pay any income tax and that most- ly makes up the occupiers howev- er, those that don't pay income tax get a tax refund. How does that work? The Tea Party knows that it is capitalism that makes this country work. It is capitalism that paid your salary and retirement along with all the millions of other gov- ernment employees and all the government projects. It is the mak- ers, shakers and producers that pay the taxes that provide the revenue to pay for the salaries and the pro- jects. However, the government is just too damn big. The makers, shakers and producers are out- numbered by the takers and whin- ers. If Mr. Harrop voted for Obama in 2008 to prove he wasn't preju- dice, I hope he will vote against him in 2012 so we both will believe he is as smart as he thinks he is. Les Wolfe, Red Bluff Bird wins, taxpayers lose Editor: Reading the newspaper accounts of the hearing between activist Don Bird and fake Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, I have to laugh, even though what happened is any- thing but funny. Nielsen forgave Bird a $7,500 judgment as long as Bird stays off of Nielsen's property. Bird has been there once to deliver a Sacramento Valley Mirror article. Bird cannot attempt to arrest Nielsen. Bird can drive by his house as often as he wants, picket against events Nielsen is attending, keep his firearms, which he has none of, and can keep bird-dogging Nielsen in every way he has been with these minor exceptions. The restraining order does nothing to keep his family safe, which was the basis for Nielsen's reason for the restraining order. What did Nielsen get out of it? He, his wife and his few support- ers didn't have to take the stand and perjure themselves, under oath. I asked his lawyer, who was paid by our tax dollars, how much it cost the taxpayers for Nielsen to abuse his power and try to intimi- date Bird? She said she didn't know and had no idea where to get the information. Three lawyers came up from Sacramen- to, documents filed, witnesses subpoenaed, plus court costs must have cost us a pretty penny. Nielsen and his wife made Your Turn ridiculous and unfounded accusa- tions against Bird in their declara- tions. Don drove by Nielsen's house 108 times, since 2008. No one was there. How can you stalk somebody if they are never at the place you're supposedly stalking? If Bird wanted to stalk the Nielsens, he would have to drive down to the gated community in Woodland where their mansion is. The Nielsens claimed they saw Bird in his brownish red older vehicle drive by and follow them at the Gerber mobile. Bird has a white vehicle and a champagne colored vehicle and has never seen the Nielsens at the trailer. Mrs. Nielsen, being the director of the California Arts Council, would be able to tell the difference between a light champagne and reddish brown color, especially when she is being paid $95,000 a year to do her job. The truth is they never saw Bird, because they are never at their Gerber property. The truth is Nielsen abused his power and taxpayer dollars to try to violate Bird's First Amend- ment and his right to hold elected officials responsible for their crimes. Nielsen paid Bird $7,500 to leave him alone, so he can con- tinue to commit fraud and abuse his position and our tax dollars, commit perjury and try to intimi- date his critics into silence, but the truth is Bird can still hound Nielsen, just can't bother Nielsen's fake nest or threaten him with arrest. Pat Massie Johnston, 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Millionaire myths Commentary 20 percent. They aren't speculators, either; they invest for the long term. They "wear inexpensive suits and drive American-made cars. Only a minority drive the cur- rent-model-year automobile. Only a minority ever lease motor vehicles." You probably don't see them around much. Nearly two-thirds work between 45 and 55 hours per week. Those that own their own businesses never really are "off." Here's an interesting finding: Only 3.5 percent of America's 100 million households are wealthy, with a net worth of at least $1 million. Ninety-five percent of Amer- ica's 3.5 million millionaires have net worths between $1 mil- lion and $10 million. Only 5 percent -- some 175,000 households -- have net worths of more than $10 million. Of course, those statistics date to 1996, when "The Mil- lionaire Next Door" was pub- lished. The rich have changed somewhat since then. The well- to-do are not doing so well of late. Robert Frank writes in a recent Wall Street Journal article that the mega-rich have suc- cumbed to the lure of low inter- est rates and easy money and have become the "lever- aged elite." "The household debt of the top 1 percent surged more than three- fold between 1989 and 2007, to $600 billion, and grew faster than their net worth," he writes. Their debt hasn't worked out so well. With the economy tanking, the over-lever- aged rich are feeling significant pain. Some who borrowed to pursue high gains have suffered severe losses. Both their income and net worth have taken hits. "The number of Americans making $1 million or more fell 40 percent between 2007 and 2009, to 236,883, while their combined incomes fell by nearly 50 percent," says Frank. "(A)s of 2009, the richest 20 percent of Americans showed the largest decline in mean wealth of any other group." He also points out: "Only 27 percent of America's 400 top earners have made the list more than one year since 1994." Tom Purcell That's because in America, people are moving from "low income" to "middle income" to "high income" -- or in the reverse direction - - all the time. One's income level is not static in America. In any event, our nutty, heavily indebt- ed country's rich are taking it on the chin - - and as they suffer, and rein in hiring, spending and invest- ment, everybody suf- fers. Now that I think of it, maybe America's rich are more like Thurston Howell III than I real- ized. Mr. Howell, according to his "Gilligan's Island" back story, had been a billionaire, but lost much of his wealth during the Great Depression. ——— 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.