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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 Chinaproducesanaston- ishing number of astonish- ing numbers, including this: In the 20th cen- tury, America made automo- biles mass-con- sumption items, requiring prodi- gious road build- ing. China, how- ever, poured more concrete for roads and other construc- tion between 2011 and 2013 than America did in the 20th century. This fact is emblematic of China's remarkable success. And is related to its current difficulties, including its 2015 growth rate (6.9 percent), its slowest in 25 years. The regime's contract with its 1.4 billion subjects is that it will deliver prosperity and they will be obedient. Now the bill is coming due for the mea- sures taken to produce pros- perity. In 1978, when Deng Xiaop- ing began the regime's at- tempt to leaven Leninism with market reforms, half of the Chinese lived on less than $1 a day. In just six years, collec- tive agriculture almost disap- peared and grain production increased 34 percent, freeing people to move from the coun- tryside to more productive ur- ban employment. No Westerner knows more about China's regime and po- litical economy than Henry Paulson who, as CEO of Gold- man Sachs, then U.S. treasury secretary and subsequently, has made more than 100 trips to China. In his book "Dealing With China," he writes: China consumes almost half the world's cement, coal, iron ore and steel, and 40 percent of the aluminum and copper. Beijing has six ring roads and the seventh, under construc- tion, will be almost 600 miles long, encompassing an area as large as Indiana. Washing- ton, D.C.'s beltway is 64 miles long. Demand for roads so ex- ceeds supply that a 2010 traf- fic jam extended 62 miles and lasted 12 days. China has six of the world's 15 tallest build- ings (America has three) and eight of the 10 tallest under construction. In four years, be- ginning in 2011, the govern- ment built enough housing to shelter the population of the 12th most populous nation, the Philippines. Two months after the September 2014 $25 billion IPO for the Chinese internet company Alibaba, the world's biggest IPO, the company had a $280 billion market capital- ization, bigger than Amazon and eBay combined. China's prosperity has been fueled by the traditional mod- ernization trek of people from the countryside to cities — 300 million so far, with an- other 300 million by 2030. But China has also relied per- ilously on exports and exces- sive, grossly inefficient infra- structure spending to employ the former peasants and make burgeoning metropolises hab- itable. Just between 2010 and June 2013, local government debt alone surged 70 percent to $2.9 trillion. What the regime calls "so- cialism with Chinese charac- teristics" is, like sauerkraut ice cream, a combination of in- compatible ingredients. A se- nior Chinese reformer pro- pounded the "birdcage" the- ory of the "socialist market economy": The market sec- tor should be as free to fly as a bird in a cage — the cage of a state-commanded economy. Private enterprise, however, creates 90 percent of new jobs. By itself, the private sector, which accounts for perhaps 60 percent of China's $10 trillion GDP, would be the world's sec- ond biggest economy, trailing only America's. Although state-owned en- terprises (SOEs) are often cor- rupt and always inefficient, the regime resists privatiz- ing SOEs, which would mean worker layoffs of up to 80 per- cent. More than 100,000 lo- cal SOEs have been closed but, Paulson says, "perhaps another 100,000 or more remain." The fact that Paulson says "no one seems to know the exact num- ber" speaks volumes about the disorderly nature of things bubbling beneath China's still- nasty authoritarianism. China's 87 million party members, Paulson says, "work first and foremost for the party," which remains "the al- pha and omega of political, economic and social life." But as Paulson says, "corruption breeds where power meets op- portunity." Because opportu- nity festers everywhere that the party continues to insin- uate itself, inefficient alloca- tion of resources will depress growth. The regime is wagering that it can achieve its second-high- est goal, prosperity and the geopolitical weight that can come with it, while preserving its highest priority — a Lenin- ist one-party state acting as the vanguard of an accepting population. But China's per capita GDP, one-eighth that of the United States, ranks 80th in the world, barely ahead of war-ravaged Iraq's. After the U.S. opening to China, Daniel Patrick Moyni- han acerbically said that many travelers to China returned more impressed by the ab- sence of flies than by the ab- sence of freedom. The con- tinuing absence of the latter, illustrated by the apparent kidnapping of five Hong Kong booksellers, is not noticed by foreigners mesmerized by bul- let trains. The next stage of China's ascent will test the continuing compatibility of Leninism and dynamism. GeorgeWill'semailaddressis georgewill@washpost.com. George Will The flawed ascent of China Cartoonist's take The news that Sarah Palin re- cently endorsed Donald Trump does our country nothing but good. As her en- dorsement can be construed as a kiss of death, we can rest assured she will assist in the harpooning of Trump's quest for President as surely as she did Senator John Mc- Cain's. Now, if we can just en- dure her screeching voice for a few months. ••• At first glance, it seemed that a client had sent me an e mail reading, "How are you do- ing? We made a trip to Istan- bul, Turkey and had our bags stolen from us with our phones and credit cards in it. The em- bassy is willing to help by let- ting us fly back home since we still have our passports, we just have to pay for our ticket and settle hotel bills, and we really need your help." The first time I saw this scam was when I was informed H. Warwick was apparently in the Philippines and destitute. However, a local phone call es- tablished that Harlan was not in the Philippines, but was at home enjoying his golden years. As a consequence, no one had to fly to his rescue. Q: Do people actually send monies to rescue friends and re- lations? If so, should they have their computers taken away from them by their caretak- ers? But even if made aware of their naiveté, will they still be a sucker and maybe vote for Don- ald Trump, or perhaps vote to separate the state of California? Tsk, tsk. ••• M. Oldham informed me of the origin of a "shot of whis- key." In the old west a .45 car- tridge for a 6 gun cost 12 cents, and so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash, he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey. Mel is retired and has time to think about these things. ••• The incessant rain is good for ending the drought and money in the bank for those in the roofing business. It is however a downer for the horses who stare dejectedly out the doors of their stalls and neigh for access to the soggy pasture beyond. This is the down side to later having a good spring time horse ride in the surrounding orchards. To those prosperous parents thinking of buying a horse or pony for their kids, be aware it can be a costly venture just to keep them sheltered, fed and in good health. However it can be vastly rewarding. Just give it se- rious thought before venturing into the horsey business. Speaking of the weather, some 40 years or so ago, North- ern California experienced such rainfall that bridges washed out stranding the town of Eureka. Upon hearing that big operator Swift and Company could not get their supplies to the town, I hired a DC passenger plane from a firm in Ardmore, Okla- homa, had our truck meet the plane in Redding and loaded it with wrapped quarters of beef. An hour or so later, we had the meat being distributed in Eu- reka. It seemed like the thing to do, and we got good press from the venture. ••• News flash. Nevada County Board of Supervisors clarifies state of Jefferson stance: They don't support it. Yea! ••• You may have noticed a plethora of letters to the edi- tor yesterday in which the writ- ers rose to the defense of the current Board of Supervisors. Such support usually arises de- pending upon whose ox is being gored. The Supes have passed over a female member in favor of long term members, which should cause voters the next time around to consider some new faces for this staid men's club. Also one might read an of- fering from a right winger who avers that "Liberals believe that truth is hate speech and lying builds character. Their loyalty to Bill and Hilary Clinton and Obama is more than enough to prove it." No sir, I can attest that the opposite is often the truth. To suggest that a person must be lopped into either the liberal or the conservative camp is fan- ciful in this age of discontent with party labels. My advice is to re-register as a non-partisan. You may be denied the right to vote in the primaries, but the real test will come in November when you can truly vote your conscience and not be governed by party or convention man- date. With the current array of presidential candidates, for example, is it no wonder that many of us await others, with- out baggage, to step up to the plate? ••• With recent gyrations of the stock market, one might be confused by the terminology employed. When you see the phrase "…and therefore we are experiencing a market correc- tion," please understand that this is a euphemism for "…the market is in free fall and woe is us." ••• A balding, white haired man walked into a jewelry store with a beautiful much younger gal at his side. He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend. The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring. The man said, "No, I'd like to see something more special." At that statement, the jew- eler went to his special stock and brought another ring over. "Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000" the jeweler said. The lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with ex- citement. The man seeing this said, "We'll take it." The jeweler asked how pay- ment would be made and the man said, "By check. I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds. I'll pick the ring up Monday after- noon." On Monday morning, the jeweler angrily phoned the old man and said, "Sir, there's no money in that account." "I know," said the old man, "but let me tell you about my weekend." Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail. com. I say Palin endorsement is kiss of death for Trump campaign China consumes almost half the world's cement, coal, iron ore and steel, and 40 percent of the aluminum and copper. Beijing has six ring roads and the seventh, under construction, will be almost 600 miles long, encompassing an area as large as Indiana. Washington, D.C.'s beltway is 64 miles long. Demand for roads so exceeds supply that a 2010 traffic jam extended 62 miles and lasted 12 days. Robert Minch StateandNational Assemblyman James Gallagher, 2060 Talbert Drive, Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 895-4217, http://ad03. asmrc.org/ Senator Jim Nielsen, 2634 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate. ca.gov Governor Jerry Brown, State Capital Building, Sacramento 95814, 916 445-2841, fax 916 558- 3160, governor@gover- nor.ca.gov U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa, 507 Can- non House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515, 202 225-3076 U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Francisco 94104, 415 393-0707, fax 415 393- 0710 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, 1700 Montgomery St., San Francisco 94111, 510 286-8537, fax 202 224- 0454 Local Tehama County Supervi- sors, 527-4655 District 1, Steve Chamb- lin, Ext. 3015 District 2, Candy Carlson, Ext. 3014 District 3, Dennis Gar- ton, Ext. 3017 District 4, Bob Williams, Ext. 3018 District 5, Burt Bundy, Ext. 3016 Red Bluff City Manager, Richard Crabtree, 527-2605, Ext. 3061 Corning City Man- ager, John Brewer, 824- 7033. 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