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6A Daily News – Monday, December 19, 2011 Opinion Gifts of giving and gracious living 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 The act of giving is the greatest gift because it enriches both the giver and recipients of gifts. Recent studies demonstrate that even anonymous gifting brings an innate reward to givers as the plea- sure centers of their brains are stimulated by such seemingly self- less acts. When one adds the ego and potential payback benefits of giving I would argue that givers actually receive more rewards than those that are gifted. So please help yourself this holiday season to all the giving you can afford by opening your hearts, minds, and billfolds to bring joy, comfort and satisfaction to your fellows and yourselves. Often times the most appreciat- ed gifts are simple, free, and pain- less to give. These are gifts that come from the heart that may offer sincere empathy, welcoming, or forgiveness. While some believe that fear of negative consequences is necessary to motivate right action I prefer a "carrot over the stick" approach by mentoring pos- itive behavior and rewarding what is good. I believe it is much better for me, and by extension all of society, to gift others with toler- ance and understanding rather than point out shortcomings and judge nefarious intentions. Take for example those in our community that are poorly educat- ed, unemployed or living in pover- ty, homeless, or suffering from drug addiction, mental illness, or physical disabilities. Many letters to the editor and at least one Red Bluff columnist suggest that pro- grams to assist them with food, shelter, public education, rehabili- tation, and health care are wrong- headed by enabling laziness while draining our tax dollars and crum- bling our economy. Such harsh and counter-Christian thinking assumes that those using public assistance are louses that need to buck-up and carry their own weight. I believe that God prefers that we offer them aid and rewards those that mentor a less self-right- eous and judgmental existence. Tea Party Patriots want govern- ment to get out of the "socialistic" welfare business and would have churches and other charitable organizations magically take up the slack. For the same partisan reason most fervently oppose the "Obama" health insurance man- date that facilitates access to low cost health insurance. They fail to appreciate that individual premi- ums are reduced and more wide- spread services can be provided more efficiently as the numbers in the medical insurance pool increase. It seems to me that true patriots would be proud to help their countrymen obtain health care leaving me wondering to exactly what they are patriotic. I turn now to gifting sugges- tions of a material sort by bringing up another "S" word dreaded mostly by con- servatives - sustainabili- ty. Sustainability is the economic, social, and ecological practices by which society and its members express their greatest potential in the present, preserve biodi- versity and natural ecosystems, and acting to maintain these ideals indefinitely. Conse- quently items that are produced locally, that employ fair-trade labor, and that minimize waste and environmental dam- age should rise to the top of your shopping list. By frequenting local vendors that advertise in the Daily News you can help support our local economy, reduce transportation requirements, and thereby act sus- tainably. Richard items that consume or save energy, water, or other resources by accounting for the costs of replacements or resources consumed or saved over their lifetime. Paying more up-front may be the most sustain- able choice due to longer service lives, greater effectiveness, or improved operating effi- ciency compared to lower priced alterna- tives. Mazzucchi Positive Point Because sustainabili- ty represents good stew- ardship and Godliness to me if I experience dif- ficulty making up my mind I find it useful to ask myself "what would Jesus do?" Taking a Buy used, reusable, recharge- able, and solar or wind powered items that eliminate resource waste, distribution costs, and dis- posal requirements. Also choosing items with minimum non-recy- clable content and packaging will reduce resource waste and dispos- al requirements. Take the time to consider the "life-cycle costs" of worldly view of the Golden Rule to "do unto the world as you would have done unto you" may make it easier to select the perfect gift. Careful consideration of the wider implications of your choices will allow you to most enjoy the act of giving and get the most out of your gifts of giving and gracious living. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He makes his home in Los Molinos and can be reached at living-green@att.net. 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), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 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. Occupy: From hypocrisy to obscurity Commentary It would seem that as the Occu- py Wall Street movement fades from the headlines, and the parks they illegally "occupied" to help a compliant, sympathetic news media generate those headlines, they get to share Time magazine's "person of the year" award. "The Protester" is a misnomer because the very essence of the Occupy movement has been the use of mobs and masses to lend legitima- cy to ideas that resonate only with the progressive left, governing and media liberal elites. While the Occupy movement fades into obscurity until the Democrats need another rent-a-protest, we can con- sider the obscurity of the Coffee party, also ginned up by, and ulti- mate embarrassing, the media. Don't forget the Internet-based "f*** tea" campaign. You never knew? Not surprised. Most Americans are not sympa- thetic to income and wealth redis- tribution by the government, from those who've earned it – by prof- itably and patiently starting and growing businesses selling prod- ucts and services – to those who haven't. Most people reading this would agree that, for the most part, those who can be productive mem- bers of society should hold jobs and earn their own way; all have a constitutional right to the "pursuit of happiness" and to keep what they legally earn. Americans are also fairly high in compliance to tax laws because they see them as not especially onerous, and equitably adminis- tered. However, those earning over $250,000 have about a quarter of the income but pay almost half of all income taxes (25.7 percent to 46.0 percent per IRS and the Tax Foundation); those earning under $100,000 have nearly half of all income but pay only one quarter of income taxes (48.5 percent and 25 percent). Also, the richest 1 percent used to pay as little as 15 percent of all income taxes when the top rate was 70 percent; as the top rate declined to around 35 percent, the share of income taxes paid by that 1 percent has risen to about 40 per- cent. Some would say "fair enough" since the richest 1 percent own about 40 percent of America's wealth. You see, when the tax rate is kept steady or even lowered, the rich spend less time avoiding taxes and more time doing things with their money that earn them a return on their investments and, coinci- dentally, result in taxes paid to the government. Go back to 1960 and you'll see that the richest 1 percent, taxed at over 90 percent rate, earned only 9 percent of all income, and paid 13 percent of income taxes. After almost 50 years they doubled their share of income, but tripled their share of taxes paid. Sounds like they've been paying a "fairer (higher)" share all along. The most prominent sign on the front page of the October 18 Daily News article covering the Occupy Red Bluff protest downtown, sim- ply said "Create JOBS—TAX the RICH 1%." Given the tax and income facts I've provided above, you can see why I have no respect or sympathy for the ideas and mes- sage of the Occupy folks (I respect people, howev- er misguided or unin- formed they might be). This same group is adamantly opposed to so- called "corporate greed". That's a misconception since corporations (which, we are reminded, are not people) earn as much profit as they can for their shareholders, already pay tax rates from 6% (biotechnology, drug) to over 32% (retail automotive) and, finally, pass on all taxes to the ultimate purchaser of their product or service. If any given business has high profits, competi- tion from other businesses, not government tax policy, is the appropriate (and, if you will, fair) means to spread the monetary gains around. Much rhetorical hay is made over businesses sitting on trillions of dollars rather than investing in or starting, new or expanded businesses. What is it other than greed by government to covet a share of money it has had no role in earning or creating? These same governments have made promises with taxpayers' money to provide benefits to peo- ple, some of whom have done nothing to warrant receiving some- one else's money. As the saying goes: "Business is efficient; gov- ernment is dumb." To illustrate the futility of trying Don Polson The way I see it solve spending-fueled deficits by raising taxes on the rich, the Atlantic's Daniel Indiviglio analyzed IRS and Treasury data for a piece titled "Chart of the Day: 'Buffett Rule' Wouldn't Bring In Much Revenue." Mil- lionaires pay an effec- tive rate of 29% current- ly; raising that rate modestly to 35% on all income over $1 million nets an additional $37 billion. At a rate of about 40%, the result is an additional $66 bil- lion; get really aggres- sive and raise the rate to 75% and an additional $250 billion goes to the IRS. Let's just do the really fair thing and seize 100% of every dime of their income over $1 million – that ought to do the trick, right? Wrong! That tax-rate highway rob- bery will result in a grand total of about $430 billion in the first year only; no one will ever earn that much again. Don't forget that even that massive amount of income taxes will only cover less than one- third of our current deficit of $1.5 trillion. Makes no sense but it illus- trates who is really greedy: govern- ment. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.