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4A Daily News – Monday, December 26, 2011 Opinion Grinch's comeuppance with just desserts 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. 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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 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and several state attorneys general are finally taking action against the "too big to fail" financial institutions in the United States to redress their egre- gious treatment of home buyers and investors. Last week Bank of America agreed to pay a $335 mil- lion settlement for the discrimina- tory treatment of minorities that were overcharged and given high- er interest rates than they were qualified to receive. Earlier this month a federal judge refused an SEC settlement with Chase Bank to the tune of $250 million for mis- leading investors in high risk mort- gages for being too lenient and let- ting the Grinch off without admit- ting blame. Kamala Harris, the California State Attorney General, is a key figure in an effort by the Obama administration and state attorneys general to forge a $25 billion set- tlement with banks over foreclo- sure-processing abuses, but she has resisted the proposal, calling it "inadequate" for California home- owners. She filed suit last week with Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac to compel the release of key infor- mation that documents wrongdo- ing. On December 1st 2011 the Massachusetts Attorney General, Martha Coakley, sued five of the nation's largest banks over allega- tions of illegal foreclosures and deceptive mortgage servicing practices, saying she can no longer wait for the outcome of the multi- state negotiations that have dragged on for more than a year. Her suit seeks accountability against the banks for both cutting corners and also rushing to fore- close on homeowners without fol- lowing the rule of law. The sad thing about these multi-million and billion dollar lawsuits is that they were neces- sary in the first place. The Grinch financiers should have been happy with the money made by responsi- bly shuffling funds and arranging mutually beneficial lending agree- ments, but instead greedily took advantage of trusting customers with incoherent and arguably unconscionable practices to line their pockets and stock portfolios. To add insult to injury these too large to fail financial institutions skirt accountability or when held accountable deduct fines from income taxes, thereby facing no net loss while denying any wrong- doing. With some 40% of all income in America coming from the financial services arena it is vital that impeccable ethics be practiced to keep from corrupting the core of our economy. This will engender fairness and help level the playing field when it comes to access to capital, a key element of opportu- nity and progress. What we need to do is hit the Grinch where it hurts by raiding their personal accounts and convicting them of felonies for defrauding and rob- bing their clients. Per- haps sharing time in jail cells with those that more honestly commit robbery will rebuff these white collar criminals. Additional and effec- tive regulation and over- sight of the financial ser- vices industry is called for rather than less as Republicans and other conservatives would have you believe. It is no coincidence that these same politicians receive the lion's share of cam- paign funds from this industry and that legisla- tors in general are reti- cent to tangle with finan- cial titans and their highly paid lobbyists and attorneys. It appears that we the people, yes the 99%, must rise up and make our votes count come next November to boot them from office and install legislators with a calling to serve all their constituents rather than just their wealthy supporters. Campaign finance legislation is more necessary than ever now that corporations have been granted unlimited freedom to buy elections in our media driven world of 30 second sound bites. What concerns me most is that Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point so many gullible Americans believe the sound bites and rhetoric of those that claim regula- tion is a bane to busi- ness development, that taxing the wealthy stymies job creation, or that liberal entitlement programs are bankrupt- ing the nation. Instead history teaches us that lax regulation promotes corruption, failing to adequately and effec- tively tax the wealthy bankrupts the nation, and entitlement pro- grams are vital resources for 54 million Social Security recipi- ents and the 46 million Americans now living in poverty, the highest level in 52 years. While some believe that only a religious revival can cure our prob- lems I would suggest that all will be better served by kicking greedy bums out of office, passing legisla- tion to require ethical business and campaign practices, and enforcing the rule of law to ensure every Grinch's comeuppance with just desserts. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He 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: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Ceanothus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 893- 8363. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Fein- stein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Mont- gomery St., Suite 240, San Francis- co, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Jesus Christ: In or out of Christmas Commentary A Christmas Eve service pro- vided the opportunity to sing the carols that convey "the reason for the season." As you read this, the festivities, gifts, parties and contemplation are over and, we can only hope, you and your loved ones are somehow better for it. Maybe better off that it's all over, but maybe better off for other reasons, reasons contained in some of the verses we hear and sing. See if any of them speak to your need for hope, ful- fillment, and meaning. "Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful: Highest, most holy, Light of light eternal, Born of a virgin, a mortal he comes; Son of the Father now in flesh appearing! Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to thee be glory given! Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!" "The First Noel: Then let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord, That hath made heaven and earth of naught and with His blood mankind hath bought. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel! Born is the King of Israel!" "Oh Little Town of Bethle- hem: How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given, So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in. Oh holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray, Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today, We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell, O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emanuel." The pastor also discussed elements of the biblical story that point to the conflict between earthly power and heavenly, Christian rule in the hearts of mankind, even to this day. The ruler Herod found out from the Magi, the wise men traveling to Jesus' birth, that the coming of a king to rule the Jews was imminent. Knowing only earthly power, that there could only be one king, himself, and having sys- tematically murdered wives, sons and anyone else that could usurp his position, he ordered the slaughter of the children in Bethlehem. Other than that, he was a fairly good ruler of his subjects, efficient, generous in building temples and providing food when droughts came. However, his incomprehension of a spiritual kingdom of hearts and souls, as well as suspicion that such devotion would ulti- mately undermine his rule, pro- vided the first of many exam- ples of misguided antipathy for Christianity. In a sense, we have witnessed a slaughter of innocents and antipathy to Christianity over the last century in America, such that our Founders, Framers and inspired leaders would have despaired in disbelief. That so many people and governing rep- resentatives could not only abandon the faith that permeat- ed America's birth and sus- tained her through trials and conflicts, but also tolerate the killing of many millions of unborn children – well, it's frankly disturbing. Both agnos- ticism and atheism, that should only deprive the nonbelievers of their own hope, have become nearly vicious, certainly inex- orable, in campaigning to drive anything Christian or Christ- centered from the civic life of our nation. I think it serves only to elevate the state, and diminish the individual, as each generation has less exposure to the faith that birthed our God- given freedoms, liber- ties and constitutional self-government. The intent is not unique to our land but has reared its anti-Christian head often in the last centu- ry. Don Use the Internet to look up "How the Nazis stole Christmas" (The Independent) and "How Hitler's Nazi propaganda machine tried to take Christ out of Christmas" (UK's Daily Mail) from late in 2009. An exhibit of tree orna- ments, cookie forms, posters and other material, collected from German flea markets by Rita Breuer an her daughter Judith, illustrated how that nation attempted to turn Christ- centered traditions and decora- tions into a pagan winter sol- stice celebration. "Christmas was a provoca- tion for the Nazis – after all, the baby Jesus was a Jewish child. The most important celebration in the year didn't fit with their racist beliefs so they had to react, by trying to make it less Christian." (Judith Breuer quot- Polson The way I see it ed in the German newspaper Spiegel) Of concern to current Christians should be this: Ger- man churches put up little opposition to the Nazification of Christ- mas. "You would have expected them to protest loudly and insist that it was a Christian festival," said Breuer. "But instead they largely kept quiet, out of fear." As WWII developed, efforts shifted towards the troops, and the fallen, but always as a usurpation of Jesus' birth. "The hijacking of Christmas did not end with the Nazis. There were also attempts to de-Christianise the event in the former communist East Germany. Prominent com- munist authors tried to substi- tute the birth of Jesus with that of the Soviet dictator Josef Stal- in, who just happened to have been born in a humble Russian hut on December 21." (The Independent, 12/21/2009) Again, as individual faith in God as our grantor of rights and economic freedom is dimin- ished, the fascist/communist/corporatist state grows. Note to Tea Party Patriots: The next scheduled meeting is after New Years, on Jan. 3. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.