Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6530
6A – Daily News – Wednesday, February 3, 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 Yesterday, Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, was pulled from a tree stump in Punx- sutawney, PA. After seeing his shadow, the weather prognosti- cator predicted six more weeks of winter. Though the annual event delights many, it has sparked a long-running controversy with People for the Ethical Treat- ment of Animals (PETA). I sat down with Phil to discuss the matter. He wore dark sunglass- es and smoked an unfiltered Camel cigarette as we talked. Purcell: PETA says that groundhogs are constantly alert when out of their burrows -- that yanking you out of a stump before bright lights and a large crowd is tantamount to animal cruelty. They want you to be replaced with an animatronic groundhog. What say you? Phil: Man, those cats have to lighten up. Do I dig the big crowds and bright lights? No, but let's put things in perspec- tive. I only work one day a year. Show me a groundhog who wouldn't want a gig like that. Purcell: PETA argues that your natural cycle has been dis- rupted. You should be hibernat- ing this time of the year. Phil: Hibernating is for chumps. Only a fool would want to be in a comatose state in a dirt hole, when he could live a life of luxury indoors. Purcell: But the organizers of the event, the Inner Circle, are exploiting you for human entertainment and profit. Phil: That profit has afford- ed me all the luxuries a groundhog could want. I get free health care from my per- sonal veterinarian. I eat as much lettuce, carrots, apples and grains as I want. I have a fine bachelor burrow that includes a running brook. And the Inner Circle fellows supply me with three female compan- ions -- the finest-looking ground dwellers this side of the Mississippi. Purcell: The Inner Circle is trafficking in woodchucks of the night. Sir, PETA believes you'd be happier in your natur- al habitat. Phil: My natural habitat involves becoming the dinner of a larger creature. Look, man, the cats at PETA need to light- en up. America needs to lighten up. You Americans need to get your priorities in order. Purcell: Our priorities? Phil: There is animal cruelty out there. PETA does some good things fighting against it. But complaining about me is ridiculous. There are real problems in the world -- poverty, pain, suffering. Even America is struggling. Purcell: What is your point? Phil: My point is that many of you cats are spoiled. You've misused your wealth - - taken it for granted. Many of you no longer know where wealth comes from or how it is maintained. You elect politi- cians who do bone-headed things to squash it -- and if we need anything right now, we need massive economic growth to meet our expenses. Purcell: You follow our pol- itics? Phil: I read the papers every day -- before I do my business on them. Look, your "educat- ed" people lack common sense. They are easily misled by sil- ver-tongued politicians. Many went broke investing in real estate schemes because they assumed prices would never go down. Purcell: You're los- ing me, groundhog. Phil: As your peo- ple attained material wealth, you let your- selves become spiri- tually and emotional- ly impoverished. So desperate are you for meaning, you latch on to any nutty "cause." One involves meddling with the well-being of a groundhog in Punxsutawney, who is fully aware of his blessings. Purcell: You've been brain- washed, groundhog. We need to break you out of here. Phil: If you or anyone dis- rupts my groundhog heaven, you'll experience a burrow where the sun doesn't shine. Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com. In interview with Punxsutawney Phil 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 Cuts are unfair Editor: Isn't it interesting that funds for breast cancer screening have been cut, which means women will be not be able to have life saving mammograms. Have any funds been cut so that men won't be able to have prostate cancer checks? When the screening begins again, only women 50 and older will get mammograms. We have been told for years that we must be screened starting at age 40. Oh yeah, no rationing will take place; what a joke. Why haven't funds handed out to illegal aliens been cut? Why is our government spend- ing billions of dollars on print- ing every piece of government paper in 47 different languages? Billions of dollars could be saved by printing papers only in English, which is the official language in California. The money saved could be used for mammograms. Our prisons are filled with illegal aliens who get three meals a day and medical care from our taxes. Why aren't those people deported and the money saved used for mammo- grams? Cutting funds for cancer screening for women is not only unfair, it is a stupid move for our state government to do. When the Every Woman Counts program closed its doors, thou- sands of women will not be screened. I think every woman in this state should find out who signed this death warrant for women, and not re-elect them when election time comes up. Wickie Smith, Cottonwood Fee hikes were separate issues Editor: As a director of the Gerber Las Flores Community Service District (CSD) Board I read in the Daily News that the CSD Board "voted 5-0 Thursday to raise both its sewer and water rates." In fact, there were two sepa- rate votes taken. The water rate did pass on a 5-0 vote. The sewer rate increase passed on a 3-2 vote. I gave one of the no votes. At this time the CSD has the capability to charge each resi- dence for the amount of waste- water produced based on a three month winter average of water used. Each customer would have been charged according to how many gallons of waste- water was produced on average over the three winter months and placed into a tier of three or four groups of similar users for billing purposes. The rate approved for sewer use is a flat rate of $44.87 per month, which applies to each waste-water producer in the dis- trict. This flat rate will force well over one half — 68-70 per- cent — of the sewer customers to subsidize and support the customers that produce the most waste-water. I believe that a flat fee is not fair and discriminates against those who produce less waste- water. Gordon Cullison, Gerber Antelope lights Editor: If Caltrans wants to slow down traffic on Antelope Boulevard, put badly needed lights at Mulberry, Hoy, Trinity and St. Mary's. They also need side walks. Parents and children's lives are endangered every time we turn onto Antelope. We also need side walks going down Chestnut to Berrendos and some street lights would be nice. It is quite obvi- ous no one in local gov- ernment cares about any of Antelope's problems. I first complained about the speeding traf- fic nine years ago. A CHP was sit- ting under the old, big oak at the end of Hoy Road. I mentioned he could catch a lot more people in front of Antelope School, as everyone including 18 wheelers drive past there above the posted speed of 45mph. He told me to tell the city. Ex-Commander Mace McIn- tosh of Red Bluff PD told me it was under county jurisdiction and, of course, the county told me it was CHP's problem. Since, Antelope is a State Highway, in the county of Tehama, in the city of Red Bluff, it seems there should be plenty of patrols and plenty of money to fix the problems, but alas, Antelope residents can always depend on local government to forget their needs and the needs of our chil- dren. My thanks to Antelope School for finally getting someone's atten- tion about this ongoing problem and as a result, there is more patrols on Antelope Boulevard. Pat Johnston, Red Bluff Medicare is not an entitlement Editor: Daily News columnist Richard Mazzucchi in his Jan.25 column proposes extending Medicare ben- efits to all Americans but makes no mention of the payment penal- ty for that person to ensure cover- age is fully self paid. Most Americans pay 2.9 percent of their gross salary into Medicare during their 48-year work career from 18 to 65. When adjusted for the 8 percent average compounded annual interest for self-invested lifetime savings, this would require pre-age 65 Medicare recipients to pay a fee of several hundred thousand dollars to receive Medicare before 65. The national average Medicare cost after age 65 is $11,000 yearly until death. For most this cost is fully funded over the 48-year work career. It would be naive and unfair to allow those who chose to retire early, to receive Medicare benefits without first fully paying for the benefits received. Those who are poor and did not buy luxuries during their lifetime are entitled to welfare funded Medicaid or heavily subsidize health care such as County Med- ical Services. Medicare should be limited to those who worked a full career, or those who are forced to retire early due to permanent disabilities that prevent work. It should not be extended to those who retired early by choice, unless the insur- ance costs are fully prepaid. Jospeh J. Neff, Corning Your Turn