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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 Lifeisfunny.WhenIwas truly young, life seldom, if ever, passed quickly enough to suit my fancy. Be it my next base- ball game, a Fri- day night dance, Christmas va- cation or just plain old din- ner, it seemed like I was always checking a clock or looking at the calendar in the hope of moving time along at a more acceptable pace. While I am normally not the smartest person in any group or gathering of people that number more than just me, it is my personal hypothesis that being impatient regarding the passage of time is actually a very healthy sign. It indi- cates that one feels good about one's self, as well as the world around him or her, as the case may be. When I was a child, it al- ways seemed that the last day or school would never arrive. As an adult, I spent nearly 40 years working at a job that was actually very good to me, yearning for the day that I might walk out that door for the very last time. Amazingly, as fulfilling and exciting as it was, that was the day that my perception of time changed forever. In the blink of an eye I went from wishing my life away to wondering, practically every day, where in the hell did the time go? While not important to you, this is my column, and I must say that it absolutely blows my mind to realize that I retired as this county's Chief Proba- tion Officer nearly two de- cades ago. It is also my personal hy- pothesis that one's not-so- healthy feeling that time is passing far too quickly, is as- sociated with one's under- standing that one's days are numbered; and that one's time on this earth may in fact last twenty more years; twenty more months; twenty more weeks; twenty more days or, heaven forbid, twenty more minutes. •••• The above treatise concern- ing time is offered as a pre- amble to the more meaning- ful portion of today's column, that being a discussion of how quickly 84 weeks has passed since my very first "William Tells" column was published on February 24, 2015. I got into the column-writ- ing business for the same rea- son as all the other column- writing blowhards in the com- munity. We think we are way smarter than you, and in many cases we are. We love to read about our ideas and opin- ions; and, most importantly, none of us were breast-fed when we were babies. As for how my column has been received, I am proud to report that for the most part the number of folks who go out of their way to tell me that they enjoy reading my column pleasantly surprises me. If you read my column, you realize that I am not inter- ested in writing about mat- ters of importance. Seldom, if ever, will you find me dis- cussing politics. Why anyone would be foolish enough to do that is beyond me. As relat- ing to politics, I believe what I believe; and anyone who does not agree with my view is an idiot, pure and simple. Because I have a social con- science, I do on occasion dis- cuss matters that I consider important to the community; matters such as crime, educa- tion, government, community service — and even more im- portant matters such as why garbage men have to work on Labor Day. Any columnist worth their salt should concentrate on matters within their area of expertise. Because I was an ex- ceptional athlete, I often write about sports. Because I grew up in what I remember to be this almost perfect hometown, I often write about the peo- ple and things that made Red Bluff the town that I still love today. Based on your response, I know that many of you feel the same way. Every week I receive e- mails and phone calls from folks sharing stories similar to mine. The names and places they cite may differ from mine, but their fondness for the past they lived is no less important or vivid than the amazing past I have chosen to remember. Many of you would like me to engage in some unseemly literary exchange with the se- nior Daily News columnist who on occasion talks to his dog. I have for the most part resisted the urge, because even though I am getting on in years, the man is old enough to be my father. Besides that, he has decided that he should be my mentor; and every week he sends me what he sees as helpful hints on how I might improve my writing. Most re- cently he scolded me for my use of the term, "that said," suggesting that I should in- stead use the term "that writ- ten." I sent him a note thank- ing him for his sage advice. That said, it's my column and I'll write it any darn way I want to. •••• I have used this space in the past to recognize Red Bluff Rotary, the Masons and others for developing the Cone and Kimball Plaza prop- erty. That said, it is only be- cause of the cooperative ef- forts of City Parks Main- tenance Supervisor Mike Skelton, his crew, the Tehama County Probation AB 109 crew and the good folks of the Red Bluff Garden Club that the plaza sits as the beautiful crown jewel of downtown Red Bluff. Thank you, one and all. •••• One of the perks of my col- umn-writing gig is that it gives me the opportunity to publicly recognize family members on their birthdays. I somehow missed daughter Co- ri's 28th birthday on Sept. 14. I love you, Cori. More importantly, I would like to wish happy birthday, today, to my favorite 10-year- old boy in the entire world, Taiton Thomas Brimhall. Grandma and Grandpa love you more than you will ever know. •••• Coming to the State The- atre: Sept. 30. "Harvest for Health" to benefit the Family Counseling Center. Oct. 5. Free concert featuring US Air Force Band of the Golden West. Call 529-2787 for ticket informa- tion. BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, a retired Chief Probation Officer, a champion of the State Theatre and an exceptional athlete. He can be reached at bill. cornelius@sbcglobal.net. William Tells Impatience is a healthy sign Cartoonist's take Get this: After many schools have phased out cursive writing lessons across America, more schools are bring- ing the lessons back. As it goes, tech- nology was such just a few short years ago that the emergence of elec- tronic documents — completed on computer keypads — no lon- ger required a handwritten sig- nature. However, according to The Economist, technology inno- vations in handwriting recog- nition are reversing the trend. As more people forgo "clunky" desktop computers in favor of mobile devices, handwriting is now a faster way to input data than keyboards. "As a result," reports The Economist, "a number of school boards in America have insti- gated a return to basics — espe- cially time spent learning long- hand." Which is great news. Look, cursive isn't just a way to put words down on paper or an electronic pad. It helps young people develop fine mo- tor skills. Secondly, kids who write in print, rather than cursive, open themselves to the risk of forg- ery, argues Katie Zezima in The New York Times. Third, says Zezima, kids who can't read cursive cannot com- prehend historical documents, such as the U.S. Constitution — much like half of our politicians. I have nostalgic reasons for continuing the art of cursive. Up into my 30s, I sent, and re- ceived, letters to lots of friends all over the country — I still have a box in my attic that con- tains every single one of them. The last time I sorted through the box, I stumbled upon a letter I had received in 1985. It was from a fellow I'd gone to Penn State with, who went on to become a newspaper editor in Maine. It was written on a light-blue final-exam book- let with great wit and humor. As I read it, I was trans- ported back several years to the age of 23. I laughed out loud as I read it. As soon as I finished, I began fishing around the box for more letters. I found a stack of pink enve- lopes sent to me by two girls, Bonnie and Tracey, who at- tended the same college as my friend Griff. He had them send me an anonymous letter once during our freshman year. A ro- bust correspondence resulted between 1980 and 1984 (and I dated Bonnie in 1985). As I re- read those letters, I laughed so hard tears tumbled down my face. I spent hours that day re- reading the dozens of letters I'd received over the years. It was amazing to me how much living I'd done and forgotten about. And I hope the many let- ters I have sent to many friends brings them similar unexpected pleasure now and again as they root through their own boxes of letters. One of my most prized pos- sessions is a letter written by my father's father in 1924 con- soling a woman whose mother had just died. He wrote the let- ter when he was 21 (he died at 34 when my father was only 3). I was given his letter in 1997 by the son of the woman my grandfather wrote the letter to. I was struck by how similar my grandfather's style is to my fa- ther's — how similar his tone and style are to mine — and moved by the beauty and art- fulness of his signature. In any event, I understand that the world has changed. I communicate by e-mail and text these days, just as most people do. Still, the least we can do is to pass on our powerful cursive tradition to our kids. Maybe they'll take the time to hand- write a few letters to their friends. And have something to cher- ish the rest of their lives. Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Wicked Is the Whiskey," a Sean McClanahan mystery novel, both available at Amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom@TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell The comeback of cursive Many of you would like me to engage in some unseemly literary exchange with the senior Daily News columnist who on occasion talks to his dog. I have for the most part resisted the urge, because even though I am getting on in years, the man is old enough to be my father. Tom Purcell Bill Cornelius The Wells Fargo bank account scandal took center stage in the news last week and in all likeli- hood will continue to make head- lines for many weeks to come. What Wells Fargo employees did in opening bank accounts without customers' authorization was obviously wrong, but in true Washington fashion the scandal is being used to deflect attention away from larger, more enduring, and more important scandals. What Wells Fargo employees who opened these accounts en- gaged in was nothing more than fraud and theft, and they should be punished accordingly. But how much larger is the fraud perpetrated by the Federal Re- serve System and why does the Fed continue to go unpunished? For over 100 years the Federal Reserve System has been de- valuing the dollar, siphoning money from the wallets of sav- ers into the pockets of debtors. Where is the outrage? Where are the hearings? Why isn't Con- gress up in arms about the Fed's malfeasance? It reminds me of the story of the pirate confront- ing Alexander the Great. When accused by Alexander of piracy, he replies "Because I do it with a small boat, I am called a pirate and a thief. You, with a great navy, molest the world and are called an emperor." Over two thousand years later, not much has changed. Wells Fargo will face more scrutiny and perhaps more punishment. There will undoubtedly be more calls for stricter regulation, not- withstanding the fact that regu- lators failed to detect this fraud, just as they have failed to detect every fraud and financial crisis in history. And who will suffer? Why, the average account-holder of course. Any penalties assessed against Wells Fargo will be made up by increasing fees on account-holders. Clawbacks of bonuses, if they occur, will likely face resistance from the bene- ficiaries of those bonuses, lead- ing to protracted and costly law- suits. Even if the Wells Fargo CEO and top executives of Wells Fargo step down, the culture at Wells Fargo is unlikely to change anytime soon. As one of the larg- est banks in the world, Wells Fargo knows that it is not only too big to fail, but also too big to prosecute. At the end of the day, no matter how much public pos- turing there is, Wells Fargo and the regulators will remain best buddies. And those regulators who failed to catch this fraud will be rewarded with more power and larger budgets, cour- tesy of the US taxpayer. Through all of this, the Fed- eral Reserve will continue its pol- icy of low interest rates and easy money. Retirees who hoped to be able to live off the interest on their investments will find them- selves squeezed by continued low interest rates. Those living on fixed incomes will see their monthly checks buying less and less as the prices of food staples continue to rise. The fat cats on Wall Street will continue to have access to cheap and easy money while those on Main Street will face a constantly declining qual- ity of life. It is well past time for the Fed- eral Reserve to face the same mu- sic as Wells Fargo and the bad actors on Wall Street. It is, af- ter all, the Federal Reserve's cre- ation of money out of thin air that enables all of this fraudu- lent behavior in the first place, so why should the Fed remain un- touchable? Let's hope that some- day Congress wakes up, hauls the Federal Reserve in for question- ing, and puts as much pressure on the Fed as it does on private sector fraudsters. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at the RonPaulInstitute.org. RON PAUL Who's the bigger financial fraud? OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, September 28, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6