Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/54786
4A Daily News – Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Opinion 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 Maligning, mischaracterizing and misleading mush In contrast to the opinion of my 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 conservative colleague who writes on this page I always endeavor to share objective facts and offer opinions to help readers come to their own decisions regarding appropriate public policy. While I believe it unnecessary to defend my credentials and expertise, I cannot leave asper- sions such as that quoted below from last week's edition unchal- lenged. "Our resident liberal writer parroted the talking points put out by those same fringe groups in the process of decrying Congressman Herger's supposed parroting of Republican talking points. I con- sider it a privilege and honor to write and correct such disingenu- ous, fallacious statements." Please let me entreat you to consider who among us on this page is being disingenuous. First of all the Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Coun- cil, and American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy can hardly be characterized as fringe groups as they represent the con- cerns of the American environ- mental and scientific communi- ties. Just because they don't agree with our columnist below the fold does not make them fringe, it just makes them targets for maligning. The assertion that there is no such thing as "filthy tar sands oil" by characterizing it as crude oil is without merit. The material pro- posed to be transported by the Keystone pipeline contains much more than crude oil, and most of this material is arguably filthy, thereby making my point. These materials become waste products of the refinement process to be carried out on American soil, thereby potentially contaminating it. Furthermore, the process of recovering crude oil from tar sands requires a massive expendi- ture of energy and emissions of various pollutants. My recogni- tion of natural gas extraction and promotion of renewable energy and improved energy efficiency as preferable energy policy is scien- tifically and factually sound, irre- spective of my colleague's mis- characterization. My colleague's ongoing dia- tribe on what he calls the "big green rat-hole" is nothing but spe- cious hyperbole. Mankind has applied green energy technologies throughout history since the appli- cation of sunlight to warm lodg- ing, as evidenced by ancient south facing cliff dwellings, and the use of wood-fires to cook. "Green" is differentiated from non-green activity due to its natural origins, environmental stewardship and equitable application to meet human needs. It would seem that characterizing such pursuits as a rat-hole is misleading. Green technologies offer the world a sustainable lifestyle not dependent upon finite fossil fuels, big oil, toxic nuclear isotopes or carbon dioxide polluting fuels. While Wally Herger and other cli- mate change deniers correctly claim that carbon-diox- ide is essential to human life, they fail to recog- nize there can be too much of a good thing as atmospheric levels rise to excessive levels that are unequivocally a con- sequence of widespread fossil fuel use. It is true that there are other con- tributors but there is no denying that fossil fuel combustion is an exacer- bating factor within our control, and that increased atmospheric carbon-dioxide concen- trations are the cause of the greenhouse effect known as global warm- ing. Putting all this aside, I will use the rest of my limited space to provide new information rather than respond to false assertions that I am compelled to challenge. Specifically I want to address HR- 3835 — the legislation that Wally Herger is recommending with his Republican colleagues to freeze all federal salaries as part of the 2013 federal budgeting process. While there is merit to freezing or reducing some federal salaries, such as his, any blanket freeze would be an affront to federal workers and keep many qualified Americans from becoming public servants, particularly as our econ- omy improves. Then their HR-3578 Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point would require the Con- gressional Budget Office to use a bud- getary baseline without a correction for infla- tion so that any such increases would count as additional spending. This is patently mis- leading since any reduction in the buying power of the dollar is not a spending increase but a real reduction of income. To so charac- terize it is to mix apples and oranges in a mélange of budgetary subterfuge. Let's end rhetorical quibbling and political brinks- manship that demonstrate disre- spect and heighten tensions. Such unfortunate commentary and ill- conceived reform makes me fear that this year will be another filled with maligning, mischaracteriz- ing, and misleading mush. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He makes his home in Los Molino 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: governor@gover- nor.ca.gov. U.S.REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Ceanothus 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 Mont- gomery St., Suite 240, San Francis- co, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. The sad state of CA viewed from ski lift Commentary An interesting conversation on a ski lift chair brought reflection on the financial woes of tax-and- spend California, and the miscon- ceptions some folks have about taxes. First, it should be understood that, as with polite company every- where, conversations on ski lifts eschew politics and religion; obvi- ously, you don't know what your chair mates believe, or what posi- tions or parties they hold to. You exchange where you're from, where you've been skiing or boarding, what runs, and condi- tions, etc. Having a duplex, half of which we call home for most of the win- ter, makes us as local as anyone and folks find it interesting that our regular home is in Red Bluff, Cali- fornia. Meeting people from Lake Tahoe to Washington to Australia or Romania, you ask what they do for a living, if they're retired (like us), what schools they go to, their children, or whatever helps pass the time until unloading at the top of the lift. We'll all be seeing each other again, so there's no reason to broach subjects about which we might disagree. One man, upon hearing that we hail from California, remarked that our fair state sure had more than its share of woes. I always point out that our part of the state is "Superi- or California," aka the State of Jef- ferson, if only in our hearts. They knowingly nod. I offered what I know to be the prime cause of our woes: the out of control spending, meaning the inability to live within the massive amounts of revenue that go to Sacramento. Even when revenues go up by 5 percent, they want to spend 7 percent more. Out- rageously, the only solutions we are offered by Governor Brown and the Democrats are to raise taxes on the rich, and add to our currently-among-the-highest-in- nation sales tax. That led me to refer to the fact that various states have different mixes of tax sources but California has the fifth highest per person tax burden in the country, while Texas has the fifth lowest. Ah, but there's no snow skiing to be had in Texas. Point taken. I asked if they could confirm that the best tax situation for Oregonians is, as I had heard, to work in the Portland area and live across the Columbia River in Washington. It turns out that prop- erty taxes are lower in Washington, income taxes marginally lower in Oregon, and buying everything in Oregon relieves someone of pay- ing sales taxes. Then one lady said that she thought it would be good for Ore- gon to have a sales tax and smooth out the ups and downs affecting revenues to the state coffers. Aha, I thought to myself, I've found a lib- eral. Oh, the questions that I could ask. What should that rate be? Tax only goods? Or include services (there are those here in the Golden State that think there's sales tax gold in them thar' services)? Does she have a ballpark figure for how much her household spends on the categories that she wants taxed, and has it occurred to her that that might mean parting with thousands of dollars she and her family cur- rently get to spend as they wish? Of course, I didn't ask such uncomfortable and revealing questions, as they would also likely expose what I call "liber- al hypocrisy." In this case, it's someone advo- cating for a tax forced on everyone, even if most oppose it, and the ludi- crous notion that name- less, faceless bureaucrats know better than us how best to spend our money. I have in front of me more articles about the failed state of Califor- nia's economy than I can shake the proverbial stick at. Just the head- lines shed light on the self-inflicted nature of our state's pathetic con- dition: "California taxes away jobs while Texas adds them," "Study: Regulation costs California econo- my almost $500 billion," "Low-tax Texas beats big-government Cali- fornia," "California's woes not due to Prop 13," "Gov. Jerry Brown implores California voters: Please raise taxes on yourself," "The Golden State is crumbling," "Who killed California's economy?" "California suggests suicide; Texas asks: Can I lend you a knife?" In the "2010 State Business Tax Climate Index" California rated 48, meaning only New York and New Jersey fared worse; in the "2011 State Business Tax Climate," Cali- fornia dropped a notch to 49, mean- ing even New Jersey is better for businesses on taxes. "Interestingly, all ten of the states with the worst Don Polson The way I see it business tax climates voted for Barack Obama …" while the states with the best tax climates over- whelmingly voted for either McCain (2008) or George Bush (2004). California is also near the bottom, at 48, for "eco- nomic freedom." It gets worse, not better, with Democrats in charge. The number of com- panies leaving Califor- nia has gone from one per week in 2009 to almost six per week in 2011. From 1993 to pre- sent, a net one million people have left the state; hence, U-Haul moving truck rates are 30 to 40 percent higher to go from here to Dallas, Texas than from Dallas to Red Bluff. Please spare us, liberals and Democrats, your fallacious reason- ing and lame attempts to point fin- gers anywhere but your own ide- ologies and policies. Go to "Polecat News and Views" linked under the Daily News blogs (DonPolson.blogspot.com) and scroll down to the "California" label. There are over 40 articles, half a dozen in the last month, let- ting you know vital facts and per- spectives you'll not find in Califor- nia's mainstream news media. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.