Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6456
4A – Daily News – Monday, February 1, 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 The public comment meeting on the proposed Bend-area Sacra- mento River Conservation Area will be at the Bend Elementary School, 22270 Bend Ferry Road, 6 p.m. this Wednesday. County offi- cials, including Administrator Bill Goodwin, will be presenting infor- mation on the specific legislation being formulated by Sen. Barbara Boxer and her staff. Readers should know that the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) designation for land parcels administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), had its inception by administrative fiat from President Bill Clinton's Interior Secretary. You may recall some of the con- troversy in 2000 as Clinton seemed determined to lock up as much land as he could into National Monuments, not requir- ing Congressional approval, but having the same effect as turning them into national parks. The use of those lands became greatly lim- ited in perpetuity. Legislation in 2008-2009 gave more structure and authorization to the NLCS system; vast parcels which had been publicly managed under some level of protection as far back as the 1980s, have been added to the system. Apparently, each parcel is established under language unique to the location, features, use and value of the par- cel for area residents. The usual environmental sus- pects, like The Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society, just love this whole process, which they support with ideological determi- nation. For many of them, land is best enjoyed by preserving it as close to wilderness, and with as few humans on it, as possible. So, should we peasants storm the castle with pitchforks over this? Not as I've been given to understand from Goodwin, who has described the process they've gone through with Boxer's staff dealing with concerns for main- taining current uses into the future. Do those concerns include protect- ing the rights, values and future development of neighboring pri- vately owned parcels? Will current ATV riding, hunt- ing, equestrian, camping or other activities continue or improve with the Conservation Area designa- tion? Are there any so-called "poi- son pill" features to the proposed draft language allowing outside environmental groups or rich busybodies to interfere with our decisions for the area? Will Tehama County residents have the final say after being given suffi- cient time and opportunity to read the bill's language? Show up, lis- ten and voice your opinion – it's your land. Tehama County Tea Party Patriots have a working action group to coordinate with and inform those attending the meet- ing. Please be informed that, as of tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 2, the location for the Tea Party Patriots will move to (drum roll, please) the Trinity Landmark Missionary Church at 20920 Hampton Rhodes Drive. North from Paskenta Road and Luther, it's the first street on the left. South from Paskenta Road and Walnut St, it will be on the right after 0.4 mi. The church is at the end of the road. We depart from the Westside Grange with fondness for the folks that made us feel so very welcome, and the comfortable facility that we're just outgrow- ing. Keep the Grange in mind for your group's needs. Speaking of the Tea Party, it seems that our Democrat friends are comfortable with insults and foul names for a group that polled higher than either official politi- cal party. I'm not here to dissect and deconstruct their arguments or talk- ing points – it's a free market for ideas to persuade people here in Tehama County. Judging by the numbers, there's not much persuading going on. That might explain the head of the California Democratic Progressive Caucus, Ms. Karen Bernal, report- edly being "less optimistic (about Democratic electoral prospects)" in the Jan. 25 article "Democrats gather…." Interestingly, local vot- ing patterns of Independents trend as favorably toward Republicans as the recent high-profile elections back east. In those 3 contests, Indepen- dents voted 2 to 1 for the Republi- can in the Virginia and New Jersey governor's races, and by 3 to 1 for the Republican in the Senate race in Massachusetts. My back-of-the- envelope math tells me that Tehama County Independents voted about 70 percent for McCain/Palin in 2008. I wish Democrats the best of luck persuading local voters toward Canadian- or British- style single payer health care, where everyone's current high taxes pay for everyone's current health care. Medicare, where people and employers pay – while one is working – for health care when one is retired, is bankrupt with trillions of dollars of unfunded obligations. Sure, sign everyone up, no problem. I also doubt that our conserva- tive voters will be persuaded by Ms. Bernal's use of the pejorative, disgusting term "teabaggers" for Tea Party adherents. If she knows what the term means in slang, she owes us an apology for such trash talk. Otherwise, if she merely meant disrespect and insult, Ms. Bernal should explain to readers if this is how Democrats routinely talk about political opponents. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com. This is your land — Local name-calling 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 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 Don Polson The way I see it If the troubling financial shenanigans of late and the deep recession of the last and "lost" decade have a silver lining the good people of Tehama County will take action to prevent decep- tive practices and safeguard our way of life. Personally I would rather be robbed than played like a patsy with underhanded dealings at the hands of amoral profiteers and ineffective politicians. Like most local folk all I want is a fair wage for honest labor, a secure and safe place to live, and the opportunity to help children become honest, happy, and pro- ductive members of a peaceful global community. These wholesome desires are under assault by greedy oppor- tunists, self-righteous sycophants, and pernicious purveyors like never before. The creed "let the buyer beware" must now be fol- lowed at all times it seems, with the widespread use of deceptive banking, manipulative marketing and downright fraud parading as savvy business acumen. It has become increasingly difficult to avoid some scam or another and left to feel at fault by not knowing better. I for one refuse to sit passively watching our way of life corrode before my eyes. I hope that other simple folks will man-up and call a spade a spade by holding people accountable for their actions or lack thereof. This can begin with sending clear signals to Wally Herger, Jim Nielsen, Sam Aanes- tad, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein that we have no need for the partisan politics of late and will not accept this as an excuse for inaction. Their electorate rightful- ly expects and demands they find ways to work together for the common good lest we kick them out of office. We don't want our representatives endlessly blaming one another for their collective failure to do what they were elect- ed to do – find solutions to our problems and implement correc- tive actions. To the credit of the Daily News the names, addresses, and phone numbers of our elected officials are printed in every edition. I entreat you to put this information to immediate use by expressing outrage to them about our current state of affairs and offering your ideas on how we can work togeth- er for the common good. It is now clearly evident that our children need and deserve our active partic- ipation in this process, lest we leave them with a polluted envi- ronment, a dysfunctional and bankrupt economy, and a violently divided world. Some say the opposite of love is hate – I say the opposite of love is indifference. Therefore, I encourage all Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, be we progressive, conserva- tive, or moderate, to work together as Ameri- cans. My hat's off to the Tea Party Patriots that share this objective and are working on ways to end political gridlock that is the result of clos- eted lobbying and shrill talking heads espousing divisive messages of fear and discord. It is time to raise the bar, declare a truce, and return respect and com- mon decency to our political enterprise. This practice begins at home, by listening to and trying to appreciate the per- spective of others without judg- ment and prejudice. It takes tremendous patience and toler- ance, and a good deal of humility, but offers incredible and life changing rewards – not the least of which is the initiation of thought- ful dialogue to share core values and beliefs. At the end of the day this is the only way to perfect our union and create the peaceful global community we desire. Take the time to ask, listen, learn, express and demand responsible action of yourself, your neighbors, service providers, and elected offi- cials. As we banish indifference, intoler- ance, and ignorance we communicate effective- ly and best serve our children and our world. If my words are ide- alistic ramblings you'd rather not hear you can at least test your ability to practice what I am preaching. As a wise cowboy once said "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink," here's to hoping humans don't need to be water-board- ed to understand what I'm saying. Next week – Fight neighborhood blight – please let me know of your concerns and solutions for unsightly properties in our midst. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle. He can be reached at living-green@att.net. End indifference, intolerance and ignorance Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point