Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/688359
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, 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS There was a lot to contemplate this Memo- rial Day Weekend. We attended the superb Masterworks Memorial Day concert at the First Church of God, and then went home to watch the PBS Memorial Day concert in Washington DC. Both wereinspiring,and made us dwell on those we memorialize, those who gave up their lives and their fu- ture in service to this great country. Jerry Sigler's well done narration of a Salute to Our Fallen Heroes at our lo- cal event was particularly in- spiring. On Monday we set our flag out, and I began to won- der, if we are respecting those whom we memorial- ize. I particularly thought about voting, something we have the privilege to do in our land. Some of us take voting for granted, but many do not even bother to vote. This year we sent in our absentee ballots within two days after we had received them. We read through can- didates' statements and ar- guments for and against the state proposition, care- fully filled in the empty cir- cle next to our choices, and signed the envelopes before we dropped them off at the li- brary. This was a relatively sim- ple thing to do, certainly not inconvenient nor a logistical problem. This is not Saudi Arabia where women can vote but can't drive to the polling place, nor is it one of the states where even regis- tering to vote is a pain if you are a minority person. So why has voter turnout been so low? Will it continue to be so this year? For the gubernatorial elec- tion in 2014 voter turnout in Tehama County was slightly more than 50% of registered voters; however, only about two-thirds of those eligible to vote actually bothered to reg- ister. In other words, about one third of those over 18 ac- tually voted. The turnout for the 2012 Presidential election was far higher. This year will be interest- ing; I suspect there are some people who normally don't vote who will actually turn out because of all the hype created by candidates such as Trump and Sanders. It is not clear, however, how many others, angered by the ado- lescent tone of the election, will just stay home out of frustration. I was not able to vote un- til I was 21, which was three weeks after the 1960 Nixon- Kennedy contest. As a col- lege senior majoring in jour- nalism, I followed the elec- tion very closely, analyzing the issues, the statements by the candidates, and the com- mentary by what we now call "talking heads." In an academic commu- nity like Stanford we had lots of opportunity to dis- cuss politics, and in 1960 we were not distracted by what I sometimes call "anti-social media." There were many points of view, and we held polite and animated discus- sions without the adamancy and finger pointing we see today. A lot of proverbial water will pass under the bridge be- tween now and the November election; floating on top of that water will be a lot of sensa- tional flotsam and jetsam. Dirt will be dug up and we will be inundated with a variety of al- legations and claims that will have their ten minutes of fame in the media. Donald Trump's "Univer- sity" scandal is sure to be in the headlines as well as his claim there is no drought in California. (Don't ask the parched trees about the im- pact of the "non-drought", or those who monitor ground wa- ter levels.) I am sure that Mrs. Clin- ton's e-mail issues will be front and center along with her hus- band's indiscretions. The media, of course, has fanned the flames of sen- sationalism. It is estimated by one source that as of the end of April Donald Trump has received over $1.5 bil- lion in free publicity in the mainstream media, three times that provided for Sanders and Clinton com- bined. As a trained journalist I was taught that journalism was an opportunity to in- form, but today, I sometimes question if the media is in- forming or inflaming. I also wonder if we all too willing to become inflamed. I receive daily e-mails from Sanders, Clinton, and Trump and their surrogates. Even the President "wants to meet me"; while I believe every vote is important, I am not comfortable with all of the pandering for votes. Each of us is important we choose to vote. Those we me- morialize would have liked to have had the opportunity that we have to vote. This June 7 I will not only be counting the vote tallies, but also remembering those who sacrificed to allow us to vote. JoeHarropisaretired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Joe Harrop Voting and Memorial Day Cartoonist's take Wherehaveall the lawn mowers gone? Editor: Where have all the lawn mowers, weed eaters, sprinklers and hedge trimmers gone? From the looks of many yards in Tehama County, it ap- pears these garden tools have not been located this year. Now is the time to find those gar- den tools and get to work in the yard. The tall weeds in and around yards are a fire hazard and not to mention being an eyesore. Let's take pride in our res- idences. Please take time to clean up trash — even if it's not yours — mow those lawns, re- move the weeds, water the lawns and shrubs, fix the fence and plant some pretty flowers or better yet, plant drought tol- erant plants and shrubs. If your neighbor, family member or an acquaintance isn't able to keep up their yard, lend a hand and help them. Tehama County is a wonder- ful place to live, so let's make it even better. There is noth- ing more gratifying than some- one telling you how pretty your house and yard are. — Nellie Barber, Red Bluff Bruce represents Tehama County Editor: If you want a supervisor that will represent we the people, then Sandy Bruce is that per- son. She is 100 percent vested in Tehama County. She is diligent in her work. She will do the leg work necessary for an intelli- gent and fiscal decision. If you have a problem she is available to research it and will get back to you. She is responsible and accountable. Sandy has lived in Tehama County for 38 years and has raised her family here. Sandy was appointed by Governor Brown on April 13, 2013 until December 2014. She was one of 24 applicants that had applied for the job. If you want a member on the Board of Supervisors for Dis- trict 2 to represent you, then vote for Sandy Bruce. — Francyne Thomas, Red Bluff VoteLawrenceforDistrict1 Editor: Please now your supervi- sor district, even if it is a ger- rymandered mess like the west end of Antelope Boulevard. I am in District 1 with in- cumbent Steve Chamblin. He has a good knowledge of drug and alcohol abuse and the Wal- nut Street traffic mess. However my vote is for Rich- ard Lawrence. He spent a lot of time with me in my home so I could analyze his background qualifications. I found him ex- tremely well educated, yet hum- ble, very honest with a voice mellow. What we do not want in of- fice is a hot-headed reaction- ary with an overly defensive at- titude. I've had this in my own family. Always a no-win situ- ation. This begs the question what is the entire code of con- duct regarding supervisor be- havior? Most of us understand policy. Perhaps this is why I so dearly miss the original two good men Ron Warner and the late George Russell. Lawrence says that he's will- ing to hold town hall meetings, like Supervisor Candy Carlson. These meetings give a better idea of county problems to the ones in government. And a less stressful voice time to the res- idents in attendance. We get a voice in a possible fix of prob- lems at hand. No formality with the designated three minutes under the gun. Know your district. Vote Richard Lawrence for District 1 and Candy Carlson for District 2. — Kathy Bonner, Red Bluff Bruce will make the right decisions Editor: I have been acquainted with Sandy Bruce for a number of years, both through work and as a personal friend. In all things I find Sandy to be hon- est, truthful and upstanding. If given the choice of taking the word or desires of a cam- paign donor or anyone else on an issue coming before the board, Sandy will always do her own in depth research in or- der to make a well informed de- cision. Having worked directly with the county in the changing world of health insurance, if elected Sandy will bring to the board a deep knowledge of how the system works and the ef- fects a decision could have. I trust Sandy to make the right informed choices for Dis- trict 2 in Tehama County. She will have my vote for Supervi- sor in the upcoming election. — Louise Lawson, Red Bluff Realtors thank candidates Editor: The Tehama County Associ- ation of Realtors would like to thank the following candidates for attending our Candidate In- terview on May 11. Sandra Bruce and Candy Carlson, District; Richard Law- rence and Steve Chamblin, Dis- trict 1 and Burt Bundy, Dis- trict 5. These candidates discussed real property issues and con- cerns with our members. — Donna Medina, Red Bluff Shooting at UCLA Editor: I'm still in shock about the news from UCLA (June 1). William Klug taught my first mechanical engineering class, and was the first profes- sor to take an interest in me, learn my name and make me feel I was in the right place. He was a gifted educator, and so supportive and understand- ing that I cannot fathom the circumstances that led to this tragedy. I only hope we can come to- gether to support those clos- est to him, and do something to stop this from happening so damn often. — Greg Warwick, Danville Letters to the editor A lot of proverbial water will pass under the bridge between now and the November election; floating on top of that water will be a lot of sensational flotsam and jetsam. Dirt will be dug up and we will be inundated with a variety of allegations and claims that will have their ten minutes of fame in the media. Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. Thank you to those who served. And thank you all who helped to make this memorial possible. Howard Parks: On the completion of a Gulf War Memorial at the Veterans Hall in Red Bluff Thank you son for your service. Your name is among those who served in the Gulf War. Sharon Stone: On the completion of a Gulf War Memorial at the Veterans Hall in Red Bluff Joe Harrop State and National Assemblyman James Gallagher, 2060 Talbert Drive, Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 895-4217, http://ad03. asmrc.org/ Senator Jim Nielsen, 2634 For- est 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@governor.ca.gov U.S. Representative Doug La- Malfa, 507 Cannon House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515, 202 225-3076 U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Fran- cisco 94104, 415 393-0707, fax 415 393-0710 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, 1700 Montgomery St., San Fran- cisco 94111, 510 286-8537, fax 202 224-0454 Local Tehama County Supervisors, 527-4655 District 1, Steve Chamblin, Ext. 3015 District 2, Candy Carlson, Ext. 3014 District 3, Dennis Garton, Ext. 3017 District 4, Bob Williams, Ext. 3018 District 5, Burt Bundy, Ext. 3016 Red Bluff City Manager, Rich- ard Crabtree, 527-2605, Ext. 3061 Corning City Manager, Kristina Miller, 824-7033 Your officials OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, June 4, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4