Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/521865
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS WhenIsignedontopartic- ipate in the State Theatre proj- ect, I did so because I felt it im- portant that we save this deterio- rating old build- ing. While sav- ing the theater has been grati- fying, what have been more spe- cial to me are the friendships I have developed with the folks who have supported the State Theatre. In early 2011, the STFTA be- gan implementing its capital campaign to acquire the the- ater. With the assistance of con- sultant Scot Soder, our Resource Development Committee de- veloped a highly sophisticated naming rights and donor rec- ognition program. The rest, as they say, is history. Over the next several weeks I will share with you information regarding the good folks who have written checks and pro- vided in-kind support to the his- toric State Theatre. My purpose in doing so is not to highlight specific contribution amounts, but rather to highlight the qual- ity of those who reside in this community. Take Dave and Kathy Span- felner, for instance. I knew Dave and Kathy way back in high school when I was a freshman and they were seniors with my much older sister, Judy. I was a classmate of Dave's brother, Gary. All I can say is that Dave and Gary must have had excep- tional parents, as both are way nicer than me, and likely than most of you. Anyway, in early 2011 my very first visit to so- licit financial support to buy the State Theatre was to the beau- tiful home of Dave and Kathy Spanfelner. I remember feeling like a vacuum cleaner salesman as I opened my State Theatre pro- spectus and outlined various contribution levels. More im- portantly, I remember walking out of the Spanfelner home re- alizing that they understood that while the State Theatre had been an important part of our past, it could be even more im- portant to our future. Thank you, Dave and Kathy, for sup- porting the State Theatre. As a teenager growing up in Red Bluff in the '50s and '60s I and most of my friends found summer employment picking prunes, peaches and walnuts at family-owned farms carrying names like Sale, Brandt, Jones, Spanfelner and Lindauer. Most of us worked well into the fall, and were able to earn enough money to buy our school clothes at Zuckweiler's Department store. As a teenager I picked prunes on the Lindauer Ranch. In high school I took two years of Span- ish from a young teacher by the name of Dorothy Bliss. Af- ter college, I found employment in Tehama County as a proba- tion officer. It was there I met the legendary matriarch of the Lindauer clan, Sydney Lindauer, who served as president of the local Juvenile Justice Commis- sion. Sydney's son Ken had the good sense to marry my high school Spanish teacher, Dorothy Bliss, and together they raised two beautiful, talented and in- telligent daughters by the name of Hillary and Allison. Hillary, a fellow Rotarian, serves as di- rector of the Family Counseling Center, and she and husband Mike Vasey are the proud par- ents of two college-bound sons, Aaron and Josiah. Fifty-five years ago while picking prunes on the Lindauer Ranch, I did not suspect that a half century later Ken Lindauer would, without solicitation, knock on the State Theatre door and hand us our very first check to ensure that his home town would have a cultural and performing arts center for use now and by future generations. Thank you, Lindauer family. You are the best. By the way, the next time you attend an event at the theater you will be sitting in the Ken and Dorothy Lindauer Auditorium. Speaking of the Lindauer Au- ditorium, on Saturday last, it was filled to capacity with a very appreciative audience who was thoroughly entertained by the iconic Country-Rock Group, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Bravo to all involved. It was a special eve- ning, indeed. Last week's quiz: Several readers correctly responded that SF Giants first baseman Will Clark homered off pitcher Nolan Ryan (7 no-hitters) in his first major league at bat. Though not eligible to play, N. Rick provided a second cor- rect answer: Brett Pill, Wade Le Blanc, 0 No-hitters. Coming State Theatre Attrac- tions: June 10 and 11 Solliah Dance Academy Recital June 19 Woodstock the Film BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, a retired Chief Probation Officer, and a champion of the State Theatre. He can be reached at bill. cornelius@sbcglobal.net. William Tells I remember feeling like a vacuum cleaner salesman as I opened my State Theatre prospectus and outlined various contribution levels. Cartoonist's take This month Congress will consider whether to renew the charter of the Export-Im- port Bank (Ex-Im Bank). Ex- Im Bank is a New Deal-era fed- eral program that uses taxpayer funds to subsidize the exports of American businesses. For- eign businesses, including state- owned corporations, also bene- fit from Ex-Im Bank. One coun- try that has benefited from $1.5 billion of Ex-Im Bank loans is Russia. Venezuela, Pakistan, and China have also benefited from Ex-Im Bank loans. With Ex-Im Bank's track re- cord of supporting countries that supposedly represent a threat to the US, one might expect neo- conservatives, hawkish liberals, and other supporters of foreign intervention to be leading the ef- fort to kill Ex-Im Bank. Yet, in an act of hypocrisy remarkable even by DC standards, many hawkish politicians, journalists, and for- eign policy experts oppose end- ing Ex-Im Bank. This seeming contradiction may be explained by the fact that Ex-Im Bank's primary benefi- ciaries include some of Ameri- ca's biggest and most politically powerful corporations. Many of Ex-Im Bank's beneficiaries are also part of the industrial half of the military-industrial complex. These corporations are also ma- jor funders of think tanks and publications promoting an inter- ventionist foreign policy. Ex-Im Bank apologists claim that the bank primarily ben- efits small business. A look at the facts tells a different story. For example, in fiscal year 2014, 70 percent of the loans guaran- teed by Ex-Im Bank's largest pro- gram went to Caterpillar, which is hardly a small business. Boeing, which is also no one's idea of a small business, is the leading recipient of Ex-Im Bank aid. In fiscal year 2014 alone, Ex- Im Bank devoted 40 percent of its budget — $8.1 billion — to projects aiding Boeing. No won- der Ex-Im Bank is often called "Boeing's bank." Taking money from work- ing Americans, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to subsi- dize the exports of large corpo- rations is the most indefensible form of redistribution. Yet many who criticize welfare for the poor on moral and constitutional grounds do not raise any objec- tions to welfare for the rich. Ex-Im Bank's supporters claim that ending Ex-Im Bank would deprive Americans of all the jobs and economic growth created by the recipients of Ex- Im Bank aid. This claim is a ver- sion of the economic fallacy of that which is not seen. The products exported and the peo- ple employed by businesses ben- efiting from Ex-Im Bank are vis- ible to all. But what is not seen are the products that would have been manufactured, the businesses that would have been started, and the jobs that would have been created had the funds given to Ex-Im Bank been left in the hands of consumers. Another flawed justification for Ex-Im Bank is that it funds projects that could not attract private sector funding. This is true, but it is actually an argu- ment for shutting down Ex-Im Bank. By funding projects that cannot obtain funding from private investors, Ex-Im Bank causes an inefficient allocation of scarce resources. These ineffi- ciencies distort the market and reduce the average American's standard of living. Some Ex-Im Bank supporters claim that Ex-Im Bank promotes free trade. Like all other defenses of Ex-Im Bank, this claim is rooted in economic fallacy. True free trade involves the peace- ful, voluntary exchange of goods across borders — not forcing tax- payers to subsidize the exports of politically powerful companies. Ex-Im Bank distorts the mar- ket and reduces the average American's standard of living in order to increase the power of government and enrich politi- cally powerful corporations. Con- gress should resist pressure from the crony capitalist lobby and al- low Ex-Im Bank's charter to ex- pire at the end of the month. Shutting down Ex-Im Bank would improve our economy and benefit most Americans. It is time to kick Boeing and all other corporate welfare queens off the dole. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at VoicesofLiberty.com. Ron Paul Ex-Im Bank brings welfare for the 1 percent Another view Get this: Conservatives give better graduation speeches than their more liberal-minded counterparts. After reviewing two commence- ment-speech an- thologies — "The World is Wait- ing For You," which features 18 speeches by liber- als, and "Remem- bering Who We Are," which showcases 30 conservative speeches — Washington Post blogger and book critic Carlos Lozada gives five reasons why conservatives do a better job. First, he writes, conserva- tives are more likely to speak to graduates as individuals, rather than as members of a move- ment or generation. Whereas liberal speakers say things such as, "you are the first generation that ...," con- servative speakers are more likely to say things such as, "you'll rise or fall on your own" or "take opportunities as they present themselves and work hard. Eventually it will come to you." These latter points were made in speeches by Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly of Fox News. Second, Lozada writes, con- servative speeches, on average, are shorter. This became evi- dent as he compared the length of conservatives' and liberals' speeches. This makes sense to me. Whereas conservatives tend to give speeches that push tan- gible, measurable performance improvements, liberals are great at sweeping generalities that fire up audiences but are short on specifics (remember people fainting when presidential can- didate Barack Obama promised "hope and change"?) I offer other notable exam- ples: Republican President Abra- ham Lincoln gave one of the most compelling speeches in history. The Gettysburg Address took only three minutes. Gasbag communist dictator Fidel Castro once gave a speech that lasted seven hours and 10 minutes. Third, per Lozada, conserv- atives give more actionable ad- vice, while liberals give more general advice. Whereas Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood presi- dent, says that "life as an activ- ist, troublemaker, or agitator is a tremendous option and one I highly recommend," conserv- atives' speeches focus on such topics as "The Art of the Entre- preneur" (U.S. News & World Report's Mort Zuckerman), how to "Restore and Remake Our Country" (historian Victor Da- vis Hanson) and how to "Do Your Best to Be Your Best" (Su- preme Court Justice Clarence Thomas). Lozada gives some specific ex- amples of the differences. Lib- eral Marian Wright Edelman tells students, "Godspeed, as you go out and change the world." But more-conservative speakers tend to demand specific action and results. "Promise yourself that over the next year, you're going to spend half an hour a day learn- ing something new," said Ben Carson, now a Republican presi- dential candidate. "Immerse yourself in faith, family, community, and work, and never waste your time chas- ing anything unearned," said Arthur Brooks, American Enter- prise Institute president. "Watch what happens when you spend a lot of time marve- ling at your last accomplish- ment," warned Theodore Olsen, former solicitor general. Fourth, according to Lozada, conservatives tell better stories that are more memorable and personal. He offered an example involving Fox News contributor Brit Hume: "Charlton Heston asked Hume to call him 'Chuck,' and Hume responded: 'I could no more call you Chuck, sir, than I could call Moses 'Mo.'" Fifth, writes Lozada, conserv- atives are less likely to suck up to you. Whereas Anna Quindlen told one audience "you totally rock" and Wynton Marsalis told an- other, "Check yourselves out, be- cause it's a beautiful thing," con- servatives are more likely to de- mand improvement. Lozada writes that Rush Lim- baugh, when asked what he would say to a graduating class, responded, "The first thing that I would say is the world does not re- volve around you, yet, and you are not the future leaders of the country, yet, just because you've graduated." Despite Lozada's conclusion that conservatives make better commencement speakers, lib- eral speakers outnumber them 6-to-1 at the top 100 universi- ties (according to Young Amer- ica's Foundation's 23rd Annual Commencement Speaker Sur- vey). So, if you have to sit through a college commencement speech this spring, prepare for sweeping generalities that are long on bluster and short on specifics — kind of like the last few presidential campaigns. Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Purcell@ caglecartoons.com. Better graduation speeches Bill Cornelius Tom Purcell The people who saved the State OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, June 3, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6