Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/56055
6A Daily News – Wednesday, February 22, 2012 Opinion Costly bridge Editor: 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 The Cottonwood bridge on 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 Bowman Road has been in the planning stage since 1998 — 14 years. How much has been spent so far? I would like to apply for the job of transplanting the seven elderberry bushes for $10,000. Heck, I'll do it for half that. What a deal. Anyone still wondering why we are broke? Linda Richards, Cottonwood Loose pit bulls Editor: In the early afternoon of Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, I was sitting in my living room and my cat, Milo, was laying, sun- ning himself, in his favorite place outside, in our flower bed under the window. I heard a ruckus in my front yard and went to the door to see that two loose pit bulls dogs each had either end of my cat in their jaws. They both took him down to the sidewalk in front of our house where they tried to tear him apart. While hearing my cat screaming, I ran out barefoot to help my cat and got the dogs away from him. One dog ran down the street, but the larger one confronted me, then ran across the street to chase a man into his pickup truck, and finally joined his pal two blocks down the street to a house where they attacked and killed another cat, who was also a very much loved family member of that senior couple. I picked up Milo and yelled for my companion to come and take him to the vet. As I held him in my arms, he reached his paw to my shoulder. Milo's head was bobbing and blood was run- ning from his nose, mouth and neck where holes had been punctured into him by the dogs. He looked up at me and gave a gurgling meow for help, but there was nothing I could do as his rib cage had also been crushed, so he had to be eutha- nized. Milo, you were the patri- arch of our cat family and we miss you very much. Understand this, lions and tigers kill for food, but these pit bulls attacked and killed for pleasure and entertainment. Their owners should be held responsible even though they have been fined for no leaches and no licenses, and the local police have returned their dogs to them to live in their back yard with better fencing, while my cat is buried in mine. On the same day, another cat was attacked and killed on Ante- lope Boulevard by two other loose dogs, a pit bull and a labrador. As we know and the local animal control officer stat- ed, dogs that have the taste of blood in their mouth and the memory of attacking and killing in their mentality will do so again. There is no code or ordi- nance to deal with dogs that attack, maim, maul or kill small animals, wildlife, pets or any life other than humans for the authorities to enforce penalties upon owners. The local, state and national news reports more often than any other breed iden- tify pit bulls as the predominate dog breed that is involved in human and non-human vicious attacks when the dog is uncon- trolled and unrestrained. We have five peo- ple under the age of 5 living within two houses on each side of ours. It is time, before there is another tragedy, that our com- Your Turn munity step up and protect our loved ones from another loss by providing our law enforcement with the tools to deal criminally with matters of dog civility. C R Miller, Red Bluff Kart races Editor; I wanted to thank the Daily News for the short but nice arti- cle in regard to the Red Bluff Outlaw racing. Our local youth who are involved in mainstream sports get their fair share of attention, as well they should, however most people do not feel that racing is a sport. I have twin grandsons who race out at the fairgrounds and I for one can tell you that they work out to keep themselves in shape to race out there. It is a short track and they are turning constantly and it does take a lot of upper body strength to handle those karts around the track. It is a family affair. Parents are highly active in their chil- dren's lives. It is a time for par- ents and their children to bond. They work on their karts togeth- er throughout the week. They have learned far more than your average youth mechanics, the workings of an engine, even though it is a small engine, how to set up a front end, etc. I can tell you that my son and daugh- ter-in-law enjoy their weekends out at the track with their boys. It has taught the majority of these kids out at the track good sportsman- ship. They are highly competitive on the track but when the race is over they hang out together and have a blast. When one of my twin grandsons won the perpetual trophy a few weeks back almost every driver came up to him and was so excited for his win. His twin brother was set to win the Autism Awareness Trophy when a lapped kart drove down into him and the youth that ended up winning told us that if that had not happened there was no way he could of caught him and that he should of won. This is sports- manship at its best out there. It is little known outside of the kart racing world that out of Red Bluff there are quite a few drivers who have gone on to the big leagues of racing. They are very successful at what they are doing. Some are driving Sprint Cars around the world, United States as well as local tracks within California. These are 15- to 17-year-olds. Some have gone on to NASCAR and in their own right are finding success. It is my hope that the Daily News will pay more attention to this sport and have more regular articles, especially when we have highlighted events, such as Autism Awareness night, Per- petual Trophy night and of course the Winter Nationals. Again, thank you for your article. DeeDee LaChance, 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), 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. What a concept for U.S. automakers Commentary What's billed as America's biggest car show is wrapping in Chicago today. Boy, American concept cars sure aren't what they used to be. USA Today reports that "in a more cynical age of downsized dreams and tight development budgets, the wild concept car -- auto show eye candy -- is becoming rarer." I'm an American. I love cars. I love how the automobile has been an American success story. In the early 1900s, Henry Ford perfected the assembly line, which made the automobile affordable. By 1950, America was producing two-thirds of the world's cars. And up until the early 1970s, America was pro- ducing magical cars. I speak of the '69 Chevelle SS, with its 396-cubic-inch engine, four-barrel carburetor and 375 heart-stopping horses under the hood -- the first car I ever drove and one I will never forget. The early '70s also gave us the Plymouth Duster, one of the most reliable vehicles ever mass-produced. A 1972 Duster was my first car, which I bought in 1984, fresh out of college, from my Uncle Jimmy for $400. He'd bought it -- wrecked -- for $75 in 1981, fixed it up and dri- ven it 40,000 miles without so much as a tune-up. I drove the Duster without issue for six months before trad- ing it in for a brand-new 1984 Pontiac Sunbird -- a product of a period when American automakers were having serious quality issues. It had squeaky bushings, stalled in damp weath- er and had a faulty sensor on the clutch that prevented the engine from starting. Still, I went American again - - with a 1987 Pontiac Firebird that was a pretty good car, though the T-tops leaked, the alternator stopped at 20,000 miles and the transmission began slipping at 60,000 miles. And I went American again five years later -- with a 1991 Ford Thunderbird. Its powerful V-8 made it fast, but it had lousy suspension, brakes that over- heated and a transmission that started acting up at 20,000 miles. After that, I finally aban- doned American cars. I bought my first Japanese car -- a 1994 Mazda 6 that I drove without incident for four years. I traded that in for a top-of- the-line 1998 Mazda 6 that was a dud. Did that have something to do with American automaker Ford buying a controlling interest in Mazda a few years prior? Whatever the case, I moved to a 2001 Nis- san Maxima in 2004. When it was 8 years old, there was a minor incident with the fuel injectors, but the car was otherwise grief- free. long time. Sure, American cars' quality has improved, but too late for me: I'm a Nissan guy now. Besides, it agitates me that GM and Chrysler made so many bad business decisions that they needed the federal government to bail them out. It agitates me that Last year, I pur- chased a brand-new Nissan Maxima -- only the second new car I've ever purchased. It's fast, sleek and stylish -- the nicest car I've ever owned. And it has been per- fect since day one. Tom Purcell Aside from a super-clean 1992 Chevy S-10 pickup I own - - it's been sitting in my dad's garage for 12 years now -- and a super-clean 2000 Jeep Wrangler 4x4 I purchased so I can make it up some monstrous hills to my house in the winter, I have not bought an American car for a they lack the funds to unleash the creativity of their designers to produce unbelievable concept cars to influ- ence future designs. Hey, I'm an Ameri- can, and I love cars. I'd love to see American automakers earn back a reputation for making the world's finest and coolest cars. ——— 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.