Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/5809
6A – Daily News – Friday, January 8, 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. 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 Opinion Walk this way. From time to time, I'll be walking with someone through a store or even out in the street, and I'll hear a song in my head. I begin to strut from side to side and I'll say to them, "Hey, walk this way." The next thing I know, we're both shucking and jiving to a tune that neither of us can hear. It's kind of a funny sight, actually. I use this example as a metaphor of how easy it is to get others to conform to our own ways. It's also true when it comes to resolutions at the start of every year. I didn't make any this time. Well, that's not entirely true. I made one and forgot what it was the very next day. It's true. I purposely vowed not to make any changes because I knew that I would fail. In addi- tion, my own personal aversion to these types of ideas, espe- cially in print, reared its ugly head. When enough people tell me what it is exactly that I should do, I will do the opposite just out of spite. It's my cloud, so get off of it. I get so tired of reading oth- ers' opinions regarding just how and why we should make resolutions and changes at the start of every new year. It's like there's a rule book out there now about how to approach such a silly phenome- non. Why should we remind ourselves every December that there are certain things about us we don't like? Talk about bashing our own self image on an annual basis. I, for one, won't fall for it. And, as a matter of fact, it is my intention to help you, the read- er, to metaphorically fall in line. So, walk this way, please. Here are my reasons for stiffling any New Year's resolu- tions. First, the timing is bad. We spend weeks from Turkey Day to Christmas indulging in all the good things we enjoy. You know — all that food, drink and gifts that make us overweight and selfish. Who wants to suddenly stop that celebratory freight train? I know I don't. And, if you're anything like me, just flipping off the light switch on Jan.1 only plunges me into a deep and dark depression. It's no wonder Janu- ary is such a cruel month. The majority of our society just spent weeks having a good time and is now told it can't. How bad is that? What we need is a gradual ending to all the fun – unil, like, the 4th of July. It takes me about six months to figure out what's really wrong with me, any- way. The next reason is the weather. We spend less time outside, so why take away those activities that help us pass the time indoors? I want to eat and sleep. Toss in some football games and a few Seinfeld episodes and I'm one happy camper. The weather is also daunting for those who prefer to exercise outside rather than in some stuffy, claustrophobic health club. I can hear the owners laughing all the way to the bank, knowing full well the newbies won't be around long. The final, and most important rea- son is why not accept ourselves for who we are? I think our soci- ety does itself a great disservice by telling its citizens that they're not good enough in their cur- rent condition. Personally, I think we'd all be a lot bet- ter off if we would just look in the mirror and say to ourselves, "I'm OK just the way I am." So, walk that way. Have a great Friday. ——— Pat Gleason grew up in Los Angeles and has taught English at Red Bluff High School since 1990. He can be reached at phgleaso@rbuhsd.k12.ca.us. It's about time we all fell in line 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 Pat Gleason Simply Put 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 There's been a great deal of discussion about the new decade in recent weeks around the newsroom, but one of the more interesting points is how we should refer to the new year. Correctly, it was argued by a San Francisco Chronicle writer, we should say twenty-ten, not two-thousand-ten. But we're not very good at doing so, and I blame the last decade. For 10 years, we have been saying two-thou- sand through two- thousand-nine. Bad us. After all, I was born in nineteen- sixty-five, not one- thousand-nine-hun- dred-sixty-five. U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima in nineteen-forty-five, not one-thousand-nine-hundred- forty-five. You get the point. This begs the question, what should we have been calling 2000-2009? The more popular choices are aught and naught to repre- sent the zeros. So two-thou- sand-four becomes twenty- aught-four or twenty-naught- four. Both aught and naught mean zero, so what's the tie- breaker? Should we draw from the wisdom of Jethro Bodine from the Beverly Hillbillies, who dreamed of becoming a dou- ble-naught seven secret agent, like James Bond? I'm afraid naught, I mean not. The choice comes down to references to the decade in its entirety. Do we really want to be nostalgic for the naughties? I choose the aughties as the lesser of two evils. *** Did anyone else watch Gov. S c h w a r z e n eg g e r 's State of the State address Wednesday and walk away won- dering who in the Capitol is a pig and who is a pony? The story, used to illustrate the impor- tance of cooperation in pursuit of a common goal, was told about the governor's pig and pony who have devised a way to get into dog food stored in a plastic bin. Each plays a role, and each enjoys the fruit of the effort. Is it just me, or should voters look to elect somebody next time around who cannot be out- smarted by a pig and a pony? Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112 or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.co m. Oughta be aught, not naught Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. Education should be a top priority Editor: My name is Steve Meagher and I am the Region 4 director of the California School Boards Associ- ation (CSBA) and a local School Board trustee sitting as the presi- dent of the Red Bluff Union Ele- mentary School District. CSBA's Region 4 rep- resents all public school districts in the counties of Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Butte, Yuba, Sut- ter, Placer, Nevada and Sierra. It is CSBA's goal to bring attention to the status of education in the state of California and, hopefully, bring about pressure on our legislators to address the prob- lems. On Wednesday, following the governor's State of the State address, CSBA Executive Direc- tor Scott Plotkin hand delivered more than 500 letters to the gover- nor from school board trustees and superintendents illustrating the drastic and long-term effects budget cuts to education have had on school districts throughout the state. Continued loss of revenue to school districts has equated to the loss of programs and personnel, which translates to lost opportuni- ties for millions of children. The State Legislature will be voting on the federal Race To The Top (RTTT) education funds. Much has been said concerning California attempting to gain fed- eral education dollars by applying for RTTT funds. Even if California eventually qualifies and implements all fed- eral requirements to receive this money it must be remembered that this is one-time money and the projection of a possible $700 million is a mere drop in the buck- et to the $12.5 billion in cuts that education has received in the last two years. Accepting this money under the premise of boosting the educa- tion budget only gives false hope and distracts attention from the real issue, which is adequate funding. CSBA would like to encourage all residents to contact their local legislators and demand that they make educa- tion their priority. It is one thing to say that education is a priority. It is another thing to vote in support of education. If the legislator does not vote in support of education then educa- tion is not their priority. Steve Meagher, Red Bluff Better headlines for DUI story Editor: Your Jan. 2-3 headline about drunk drivers makes it sound like a hide and seek game. It would be better to use: 5 drunks taken off the street 5 dangerous drivers removed from street 5 people stupid enough to drink and then drive taken off the street I know you can do better than what you did. Bill Trapp, Red Bluff Your Turn