Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/691086
It's time for Bernie Sanders to step down. His young supporters will be disappointed for the rest of their lives, but it's time for Bernie to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live." Hefoughthardandifnoth- ing else he showed the Amer- ican people how to deliver a speech full of stale socialist ideas with a lot of honesty and pizzazz. Hillary and Trump are vy- ing to get Bernie's enthusiastic army to enlist on their side. Trump is hallucinating. Hillary is only dreaming. When Bernie's army is dis- banded, whether it's tomorrow or after the convention, they're not going to change uni- forms and join Hillary, Trump or anyone else — unless Jon Stewart decides to run. They're going back to their dorms and parents' base- ments to play video games or plan their summer vacation in Europe. Most of them signed up for Bernie's children's crusade not because they wanted to put an old socialist in the White House, but because he prom- ised them free stuff. Stuff like a free college edu- cation and free healthcare and free dry-cleaning services. Now that their dream of free grad school is gone, they're no longer interested in politics. Most of Bernie's college kids look to me like they don't un- derstand that there's this con- cept people used to call "work." They're in that "Gimme, gimme, gimme" mode — the belief that because you breathe you deserve to be given free stuff that your parents or tax- payers have to pay for. It's much worse today, but that attitude of entitlement was just getting started back in the 1960s. I admit as a col- lege dropout I even tried to take advantage of it — until my "old-fashioned" parents set me straight. As I write in my new book, "Lessons My Father Taught Me," after I quit the University of Arizona after a minute and a half, I knocked on my fa- ther's door in L.A. No answer. I knocked on my mother Jane Wyman's door. No answer. When I called them on the phone, they answered. "I'm home," I said. "No you're not," they said. "We paid your bills while you were in college, but you dropped out. Now it's your turn. You need to find a place to live. Get a job. The gravy train is over." I moved in with some friends and got a job on a loading dock, thanks to my sister Maureen. I worked at Asbury Trans- portation Co. from 5 at night to 1:30 in the morning loading oil well freight onto trucks that went to the fields in Bakersfield. That's exactly where I was the night my father won the election for Governor of Cali- fornia in 1966. My parents taught me if you want to go anywhere in life, you're going to need a strong work ethic to get you there. My father was tough, but my mother Jane made him look like Mister Rogers. When I started my radio talk-show career in the early 1990s, I was driving 262 miles a day roundtrip from L.A. to San Diego. I was not getting paid be- cause we were trying to start a national show. I had two kids and a wife and not enough money. I called my mother and whined, "Can you help me out?" "I have a suggestion for you," she said before she hung up on me. "Shut up and keep driv- ing. Nobody died and said you didn't have to pay your dues. You have to pay them like ev- eryone else. That way when you're a success you'll appre- ciate it. If it's given to you for free, you'll never learn to ap- preciate it. So shut up and keep driving." I shut up and kept driving. I finally got the lesson about hard work and that show lasted from 1992 to 2009, when I walked away from talk radio. It's too bad the kids in col- lege today — Bernie's kids — don't have parents as tough — and smart — as I did. MichaelReaganisthesonof President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "The New Reagan Revolution" (St. Martin's Press). Send comments to Reagan@ caglecartoons.com. Follow @ reaganworld on Twitter. MichaelReagan Bernie'sarmy of freeloaders Cartoonist's take It is discouraging to learn that last week several thousand people braved the heat at the Redding Airport to listen to presi- dential candidate Donald Trump. On the one hand, if we check the number of reg- istered voters in Shasta County we will find the turn- out only represented a small percentage of same. On the other hand, even a small num- ber suggests that he is not only a curiosity, but a person of presidential quality able to in- struct the rest of the world how it must deal with the United States if he is the leader. Where will the blowhard get enough support to win the cov- eted prize? TIME reports one source may be the evangelical movement. "Trump continues to rely on prosperity-gospel preach- ers, who link faith and financial success, to spread his support on social media, and many have di- rect-to-consumer television and radio shows. Mark Burns, a pas- tor in Easley, S.C. regularly in- troduces Trump at rallies and calls for followers to pray for the candidate. 'Jesus said, above all things, I pray that you prosper...it was never Jesus' intention for us to be broke.' I think that is what Donald Trump represents." Although not a student of the Bible, this is the first I have heard of Jesus' "above all things" pray- ing that we prosper, and that we have a little walking-around money in our jeans. It boggles the mind. So does Trump. ••• Oh, oh department: Trump garnered 83.96 of the Republican votes in Tehama County. ••• The local Tuesday columnist is not a fan of President Obama, whom he refers to as "Emperor Obama." This week he was par- ticularly critical of the remarks of the President's Hiroshima speech in that he objected to Obama's "backhanded way of besmirching the use of nuclear weapons by President Truman" in which, "he also displayed his cavalier attitude toward dead American soldiers, sailors, air- men and Marines." That indictment seems a bit much. The columnist concludes with, "The practical need to de- fend oneself from evil regimes is not Obama's concern. Rather he calls for a 'moral revolution' that will make war obsolete" and then adds "Whatever." Is not making war obsolete a wor- thy objective? What should our President have said to our once defeated enemy? "Well, remem- ber, you brought this Hiroshima business on yourselves?" Not the best of statesmanship to de- liver to our present day allies. ••• You may be pleased to note that I recently navigated the cavernous new Walmart store despite my new hip replace- ment a scant several weeks ago. Well, a scant couple of months ago. Time flies when one is hav- ing a good time. I considered commandeering one of those motorized carts but thought I might be considered a wimp for riding in same, and besides I did not have a hand- icap card for my auto — which seem to be plentiful and possi- bly promiscuously displayed — giving me that verified status. I did manage to gain a bit of sup- port for my surgically repaired left hip by draping my forearms over the horizontal push bar on a shopping cart and adapting a lei- surely pace throughout the south 40 of the store, and then back to the checkout stands, without as- sistance. This was no small ac- complishment for those of an advanced age when confronted with the football field sized es- tablishment and little energy to pass or punt. ••• TIME has dedicated nearly an entire issue to Muhammad Ali, nee Cassius Clay. It is cap- tioned simply "The Greatest." I have mixed emotion about this tag and this accolade. In my day we had our box- ing heroes. In no particular or- der were Jack Dempsey, Max Baer from Livermore, California, Joe Louis and later on Sugar Ray Leonard. However, initially Clay — as we called him for years — was considered a loud mouth self-promoter until that fate- ful day when he was drafted to serve in the army and refused to do so because of his faith. None of us bought this lame excuse; he was stripped of his title and in disgrace. Then a strange thing happened. The Vietnam War sent sour, more people refused to serve based on opposition to an "unjust war" and slowly Clay began regaining acceptable sta- tus in the eye of the public. And why? Because he began boxing again and knocking the crap out of all contenders. Somehow this justified his "greatness" and he has never had to look back. After his retirement from the sport — is it truly a sport or con- trolled mayhem — he became a celebrity and a spokesman for his race. That he contracted Parkinson's disease only seemed to solidify his icon status. A defining photo in TIME shows a photo from high above the ring. Ali is shown in one corner with his hands rest- ing against the ropes. In the re- mainder of the frame is his op- ponent spread eagled, flat on his back and apparently oblivious to his surroundings. This must be the meaning of greatness. ••• A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a scotch with two drops of water. As the bartender gives her the drink she says "I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today." The bartender says "Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink." As the woman finishes her drink the woman to her right says "I would like to buy you a drink also." The old woman says "Thank you. Bartender, I want a scotch with two drops of water.'" "Coming up" says the bar- tender As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says "I would like to buy you one, too." The old woman says "Thank you. Bartender, I want another scotch with two drops of water." As he serves her he asks, "Ma'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the scotch with only two drops of water?" The old woman replies, "Sonny, when you're my age, you've learned how to hold your liquor, but holding your water is a whole other issue." 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 Turnout for Trump rally was worrisome It's much worse today, but that attitude of entitlement was just getting started back in the 1960s. I admit as a college dropout I even tried to take advantage of it — until my "old- fashioned" parents set me straight. Sounding off Alookatwhatreadersaresayingincommentsonourwebsiteandonsocialmedia. Idon'tknowwhethertolaughorcry.Laugh, because people like Polson created the monster Trumpenstein through their own racist, bigoted, anti-government rhetoric. Cry, because the rise of Trump will destroy America and the world. Pat Johnston: In response to a column by Don Polson titled "Field cleared for Trump, Clinton" Red Bluff 4at the Community Center ended the day with 154in-person votes. Hope we get to see more people in November. Jennifer Stetson: On coverage of Tuesday's primary election. Greg Stevens, Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD 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 StateandNational Assemblyman James Galla- gher, 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@governor. ca.gov U.S. Representative Doug La- Malfa, 507 Cannon House Of- fice Building, Washington D.C. 20515, 202 225-3076 U.S. Senator Dianne Fein- stein, One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Francisco 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, Kris- tina Miller, 824-7033 Your officials Robert Minch By Michael Reagan OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, June 10, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6