Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/5768
4A – Daily News – Wednesday, January 6, 2010 A MediaNews Group newspaper 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. 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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 Opinion Get this: The federal govern- ment is offering tips on New Year's resolutions. I stumbled upon its "Popular New Year's Resolutions" page on usa.gov, the official Web por- tal of the United States govern- ment. "Lose Weight" is one. When I clicked the link there, it took me to the page for the Weight-con- trol Information Network, or WIN, a government agency tasked with keeping the public informed about obesity, weight control, physical activity and nutrition. WIN's advice: "To lose weight you need to take in fewer calories than you use" and "cre- ate a healthy eating plan." Excited by such ground- breaking information, I moved along to "Manage Debt" -- something the government sure- ly knows plenty about. Its link took me to the Feder- al Trade Commission's Con- sumer Protection page. There I was advised that if I'm knee- deep in debt, I'll want to develop a budget and contact my credi- tors. I was also warned to be leery of debt-restructuring agen- cies. So useful was that advice, I couldn't wait to move on to "Save Money." Its link took me to a page that offered 66 ways to save. I clicked on "Credit Cards" and was informed that, to avoid a late fee, I ought to send in my payment five to 10 days before the bill is due. I also learned that I can avoid interest charges if I pay off my balance each month. Since I own some rental properties, I was curious to see what money-saving tips the gov- ernment is giving to prospective renters. To wit: Renters are encour- aged to shop around for the best deal -- or find a building they want to live in and contact the building manager to see if there is availability. And before signing a lease, renters should be cautious: "Remember that signing a lease probably obligates you to make all monthly payments for the term of the agreement." Probably? I've written a few leases in my day. I've been care- ful to keep "probably" out of the final drafts. Nonetheless, the government offers two other useful sugges- tions: "Drink Less Alcohol" and "Quit Smoking Now." The first link brought me to the National Institute on Alco- hol Abuse and Alcoholism page. The existence of this govern- ment agency struck me as ironic. Our government is doing so much to cause us to drink -- spending, deficits, debt -- that it has to establish another gov- ernment entity to help us stop? The smoking link took me to another government Web site, smokefree.gov, where I learned that smoking isn't good for you. I was able to get live online help from a federal employee at the National Cancer Institute. Though I don't smoke, I was so delighted by the "free" gov- ernment support, I'm looking into starting. "Reduce Stress Overall" was another resolution suggestion. The link took me to Medline- Plus, an online encyclopedia of health information. It is a ser- vice of another government enti- ty, the U.S. National Library of Medicine. There I learned that long- term stress isn't good -- that to address it, one must get to its underlying causes. Well, here are some underly- ing causes. Our government has gotten so bloated, it is offering tips on New Year's resolutions -- and directing us to gov- ernment agencies to help us keep them? If any entity should be making resolutions, shouldn't it be the fed- eral government – and shouldn't its resolu- tions be based on the will and direction of the people? Of course the birds in charge are ramming through legislation regardless of our will. It's enough to drive a man to drink. When I break that resolution, the last place I'll go for support is the federal government. 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. New Year's resolutions, fed-style Commentary N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 Tom Purcell STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 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), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Your officials Embracing innovation made America great Editor: This letter is in response to Ken Sey's letter: Warming proof. Say fails to understand the scientific method, mixing the concepts of theory and hypothe- sis. Not surprising since science education has being less than optimal for decades now. That did not use to be the case. America once raced the Rus- sians to the moon because America understood that scien- tific innovation represented true power. Innovation used to be America's motto from its birth, some of our forefathers were scientists and inventors them- selves. So let's give the argument another perspective. Even if one is not to believe in global warm- ing the said causes are the same as pollution? Who does not believe in pollution? Let's use a tangible example: Our own Sacramento river. Who had a better chance at salmon, we or our grandparents? What chance do we want our grand- children to have? What is caus- ing our sport to decline? There is a pile of garbage, mostly non biodegradable plas- tic bigger than Texas in the Atlantic Ocean. Bits of plastic can be found in the intestines of almost every species of fish, causing reduction in their num- bers due to malnutrition. The ocean is also more acidic, causing the extinction of some species. This acidity is due to a chemical reaction between the water, H2O, and the CO2 in the air that creates carbonic acid or H2CO3. Our air quality is worsening too, almost everyone knows a kid suffering from asthma today, in the past it was rare. When did we politicize pollu- tion? Is really there a pro-pollu- tion party? I quote Say: "Before we destroy our standard of living by going back to the time before the industrial age, we need to see the science behind this glob- al warming theory." What is our standard of liv- ing? Pollution? Instead of demanding our representatives to defend our American right to burn coal — talk about going back or at least getting stuck in time — we should be demand- ing that they embrace the true American spirit of innovation. We used to lead the way, now we lag behind, stuck in defend- ing fossil fuel. Meanwhile the European countries are improving their economies by exporting green energy technology. We buy wind turbines and solar panels from China. We need to remember that science is power and embracing innovation, instead of fighting it, is what made America great. We are loosing the new millen- nium scientific race, and this one is more important than who makes to the moon first. This race will decide which economy survives, and in that our stan- dard of living. Daniela Sartori, Red Bluff Debt hike not only due to war Editor: The day Obama took office on Jan. 20 the national debt was $10.6 trillion, by July 31 it was $11.6 trillion. Obama and the Democrats raised the debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion. I certainly am not going to do a spread sheet on the bud- get but I don't believe it was or will be all spent on the war that was overwhelmingly sup- ported by both houses of Con- gress. George W. Bush was cer- tainly not a conservative by my standards, however, from Sept. 11, 2002 until Nov. 5, 2009 there were no terrorist attacks within United States and to me that is money well spent. For a strong defense I give credit to Bush. Will we be able to say the same for Obama? For the Progressive Liber- als to deny the connection of our Christian heritage to the founding of this country is a mistake. A casual glance at history gives evidence the founders didn't want a government run or sponsored church. They in no way intended to leave God out of government. Also, this country was not founded by Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist or Athe- ists. As far as immi- grants go, Teddy Roosevelt said it best for me in this quote from a speech he made in 1907: "In the first place, we should insist that if the immi- grant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discrim- inate against any such man because of creed, or birth- place, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. We have room for but one flag. the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language…and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the Ameri- can people." Furthermore, name calling such as "religious bigotry" and "immigrant racism" is the refuge of the ignorant. Les Wolfe, Red Bluff Your Turn