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6A – Daily News – Wednesday, February 10, 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 "I thought the purpose of Presidents Day was getting steep discounts on furniture and linen." "Ah, you speak of the confu- sion surrounding that federal holiday. Snopes.com does a fine job clarifying what the day is really about: celebrating George Washington's birthday." "Who was this George Washington?" "For goodness sakes, he was our first president, our best president and one of the prima- ry reasons the experiment called America was able to work. His birthday used to be celebrated with as much fervor as the Fourth of July." "That's a good holiday for getting steep discounts on cars and carpet." "In 1885, a bill established Washington's actual birthday, Feb. 22, as a federal holiday. But in 1968, the Uniform Holi- days Bill began the confusion. It created more three-day week- ends for federal employees by moving Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day and Veterans Day from fixed calendar dates to designated Mondays -- though Veterans Day was later moved back to Nov. 11. It also established Columbus Day, a new federal Monday holiday. Then there is the matter of Pres- ident Lincoln's birthday." "Who was this President Lincoln?" "For goodness sakes, he was our 16th president. He led us through the American Civil War. Many think we celebrate both Washington's and Lin- coln's birthdays on Presidents Day, but Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12, was never designated a federal holiday, though it was recognized by many states. With two more federal holidays added -- Columbus Day in 1971 and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in 1986 -- some states stopped observing Lincoln's birthday altogether." "That's too bad. That was a great day for getting steep dis- counts on televisions and radios." "As far back as the 1950s, there was talk of the federal government establishing a Pres- idents Day to celebrate both Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays, but it never hap- pened. There was talk in 1968 about renaming Washington's Birthday as Presidents Day, but that never made it into the final Uniform Holidays Bill. Offi- cially, it's still 'Washington's Birthday.' A spoof involving President Nixon added to the confusion." "A Nixon spoof?" "He issued an exec- utive order in 1971 that defined the third Mon- day of February as a federal holiday. Some claimed his order cre- ated a 'President's Day to honor all president's even myself,' but that simply was not true. Nixon's official order identified the federal holiday as 'Washing- ton's Birthday.'" "So if the third Monday of every Feb- ruary is Washington's Birthday, why can't we get it straight?" "Because, as Snopes.com says, 'some states still observe Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays as separate holidays, some observe only Washing- ton's Birthday, some commem- orate both with a single Presi- dents Day (or Lincoln-Wash- ington Day), and some cele- brate neither.'" "Even though the third Mon- day in February is designated, by the federal government, as Washington's Birthday?" "Correct. You have to under- stand that federal holidays only apply to federal offices and agencies. States are not obliged to adopt them. Thus, many do as they wish. In Alabama, for instance, the third Monday in February c o m m e m o r a t e s George Washington and Thomas Jefferson -- even though Jeffer- son was born in April!" "Whoever this Jef- ferson fellow was, the federal government should create an April holiday to cele- brate his birthday." "Because we need to reaf- firm his belief in limited gov- ernment?" "No, because we need a day for getting steep discounts on patio furniture and lawn tools." 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. Understanding Presidents Day 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 America's rising independence Editor: Had enough yet? I believe it is time to restructure the politi- cal system and develop an inde- pendent party. Oh, there already is one? Then let's dissolve the Democ- ratic and Republican charade. Billions wasted watching the staged bickering of these two political parties, pretending to represent working class Ameri- cans. What a disgrace. Follow the Tea Party, vote independent and witness the movement for real change. Mike Murphy, Red Bluff LitFest will be missed by many Editor: I was saddened to here the the annual LitFest was cut by the Tehama County Department of Education.I understand that finances played a huge role in cutting this event, too bad the community was unable to fund it. I know that both of my chil- dren benefited from this event, my daughter 20 years ago and my son 10 years ago. Maybe next year sponsorships can be found in our community to bring back this worthwhile pro- gram. I had the opportunity to see both of my children develop a desire to write stories and poems. I was able to hear the excitement when they shared what they had learned and who they met. We still have the books autographed by the guest authors. The Litfest impacted thou- sands of local kids over the years, schools from the sur- rounding areas sent their chil- dren as there was no other pro- gram like it available anywhere else. Red Bluff and Tehama Coun- ty hit a home run with this pro- gram. Thanks for the memories and inspiration. I hope to see it back next year. Melody Brewer, Red Bluff It's up to us to save our youth Editor: Like many others I've been committed to the youth of this community for many years. It's a job I love and wouldn't change, ever. Volunteers and paid teachers and others who mentor get to experience a lot of joy over the years because so many of young people grow to become respon- sible citizens. Whether paid or not we do it because we want to impact a child in a positive way. Many times our input is the only positive in their lives. Over these years I've also experienced several bouts of sadness. Depression really. Mentors, teachers and others who work closely with young people feel this, too. I remem- ber all of "my" kids but four of these kids stand out right now. They died before their time. All were tragic, but three were real- ly senseless. The other one was due to a terminal illness. He knew he was going to die but continued to grow as much as he could. He was so coura- geous. Up until a few days ago the number was only three, but now it's four. No matter how they passed on all of them were really good kids. There's no such thing as a bad kid, only bad examples. Each of these four did get to experience good examples even if only for a short while. Many times the bad examples are just too much and they go astray. As mentors and teachers we see this a lot. Too much. Sadly, drugs, alcohol, tobac- co, gangs and violence play a part and we lose these young people. Some are either lucky or strong enough to survive being young. They received good mentoring from other healthy adults in their lives. But there's no guarantee of success. I believe that the more posi- tive things in a person's life the better. You probably believe this, too. I hope so. We can never give in to negatives. There are a lot of problems living a life. I'm praying and hoping young people seek out those programs and healthy adults that lead fairly structured lives — setting examples to fol- low, examples of productivity, success and self-respect. Men- tors, volunteers and teachers will continually guide these kids toward a better life while they are here on this earth, in this community. This first week of February is a sad one for me. This latest young person to die so tragical- ly underscores why we need more healthy programs and some funding that will undoubtedly make a huge differ- ence and impact in their lives and in this community. I watched this last young life over the years and even though he experienced some really, mostly, negative moments I remember him as a very talented kid who had so much potential. All four of them did. He could have bene- fited from having a mentor in his life. In our Young Marines office downtown I've begun a project to hang pictures of all those kids who have touched me and where they are today — but these four will have special frames. Each of these kids will have a short biography. All of them will be on the Wall of Fame. Be that healthy adult in a kid's life. Contact one of the programs and either volunteer or donate some money to any one of them. Mentoring is one of the most important aspects in any community. Every moment and every dollar committed towards these ideals goes a long way. John Minton, Red Bluff Your Turn