Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/73464
4A Daily News – Saturday, July 7, 2012 Opinion DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY 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 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 Editor: I say strike two for main- taining the quality of home- town events in Red Bluff. While I read the paper as often as I can, did I miss the story in April where the chamber had voted not to fund fireworks for the July 4th display? To publish that news one day before the event was upsetting to say the least. I have grown up here like Non-event 4th many, who have attended or watched the event annually. This event, even more polar- izing than the Bull Sale, the Round-Up, the no longer here boat drags, monster trucks and other similar events, gath- many were left feeling empty, as though something big would be missing from the day's event and rightly so. Travelling to another county for a half-hour display was not appealing, and watching the PBS broadcast, while beautiful, did not take the place of watching a local fes- tive event and hearing others ooh and ahh along with me. Shame on the chamber and whomever else was party to this decision. If you think the community wouldn't have banded together to help keep this night an event, look at what was done when the ers more together in a social setting than any other. I would guess, like me, McGlynn Pool was threatened with closure. Or the State Theatre or the Tehama Coun- ty display entry to the State Fair. We also lost a lot with the end of Lake Red Bluff, even if not everyone boats, attends drag races or fish, but that loss was strike one. Your Turn How many hits can we take and still make Red Bluff a destination or attract more to our community? The branding efforts may attract visitors, but what if they are consider- ing a relocate? In a generalized statement, I say to those making these types of decisions, quit taking away our coveted community fun days if you truly value the quality of our hometown. To keep the community involved, involve the community. Sharon Wilkes, Red Bluff Editor: Finally, President Obama got it right when he said, "It's all George W. Bush's fault." Regarding Obamacare, President George W. Bush appointed Benedict Arnold Rodgers to the Supreme Court. Healthcare Act Bob Kelley, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, 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), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 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; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Affordable Whirling Dervish Commentary We are all familiar with the term "Whirling Dervish," when we use the term we usu- ally refer to something fast and furious (not federal secret gun control programs). The whirling dance is performed by Sufis, a mystical branch of Islam. It is claimed the act of whirling helps the devotee focus on God. On our trip to Egypt in 2010 we saw dancers in long skirts maintain incred- ible balance while spinning at a seemingly impossible rate of speed. have seen a lot of whirling, I mean spinning, in the media in an attempt to get the elec- torate to focus on one point of view or another regarding the recent Supreme Court deci- sion about the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA), com- monly called either Oba- macare or Romney Care II, depending which needle one wants to plunge into which target. This last week or so we It might be good to look at much that has been said by some of the more analytical commentators. George F. Will felt the result of the decision would be a reactivation of the elec- torate. He stated that our gov- ernment was drifting far away from the vision of Madison and Jefferson, who of course envisioned simpler times and did not envision 300 million of us spread across the conti- nent, bound together by a trade, communications, a global economy, and the 24 hour news cycle. Mr. Will did not agree with the decision, but he put his disagreement into a sort of historical per- spective. Mr. Romney stated the Supreme Court had upheld the law as mostly constitutional, but it did not proclaim that it was good policy. Most of us know such proclamations are not part of the Supreme Court's job description. His statement also implied that courts can interpret the Constitution with some flexi- bility, and apparently so can Congress. Our President read from one of his three prepared speeches. Apparently he saw the early Fox News proclama- tion that the ACA had been struck down and was ready to give speech number two; his aides let him know that Fox News was guilty of wishful thinking again, and so he gave speech number three. Some commentators pro- claimed that the Court was following a tradition begun with John Marshall, the first Chief Justice, in the Madison vs. Marbury case in the early 1800's. In that case Chief Jus- tice Marshall made the point, which we now accept, that the Supreme Court can determine if a law is in accordance with the Constitution; in that case the Court ruled that a part of the law that the Jefferson administration had violated was unconstitutional. There- fore, Marbury had no right to appeal. According to those com- mentators, Chief Justice John Roberts used similar logic when he dodged the issue of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, and said the mandated penalty for not buy- ing health insurance under the ACA could reasonably be considered a tax; taxation is something that Congress can implement. In this case, Roberts avoided the issue of whether or not Congress, in passing the act, had overly interpreted the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Ironically the Republicans, who originally backed the concept of the mandate, and then called it a tax, were cer- tainly not prescient, because that was the argument that saved the day for the ACA. Some other commentators thought that Chief Justice Roberts was being sensitive to the low regard the Supreme Court has in many minds after the Citi- zens United case, that he was afraid of politicizing the court, and he was wary of the reverberations from this issue; there- fore he voted to uphold the power of Congress and let the voters fight this issue out. This would spare the Court some grief and activate the elec- torate as George Will predicted. The BBC radio news had an item just before the decision, focusing on some women who were praying in front of the Supreme Court that God's will be done. Apparently they believed it was God's will to strike down the law. We do not know how the actual result will play out in theological discussions. tion the Reagan tax increase of 1982 among others greater as a percentage of GCP than ACA. Joe Harrop selves and our Posterity." These are broad goals, and the rest of the language in the Constitution is not always very precise about how to achieve those goals. In most organiza- tions there are bylaws that clearly establish rules and procedures for mak- ing decisions or tak- ing actions. Our Constitution was cre- ated to "in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Jus- tice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to our- Not all responses were ana- lytical; the Governor of Flori- da had a more blunt reaction to the decision; he declared his state (it is his because he used his own money to be elected according to some) will not implement the ACA. He said hopefully we will have a new President who will repeal the law. Of course, it would take cooperation of both houses of Congress and any new President to make that happen. The Constitution is a politi- cal document, drafted after a series of compromises. The most notable of which may be the two house legislature, the original language about counting slaves as three fifths of a person, and the Electoral College. Rush Limbaugh, never one to let the truth get in the way of his pronouncements, stated that ACA is "the largest tax increase in the history of the world." Of course, it must have slipped his mind that both Presidents GHW Bush and Clinton presided over big- ger tax increases, not to men- This most recent decision about the ACA reminds us we are still trying to figure out how to make the Constitution work. We may be well over two hundred years old as we were reminded on the Fourth of July, but we are still matur- ing into what it means to form that more perfect union as well as to pursue the other broad goals in the Preamble. Nobody said it would be easy, or pleasant to ensure our per- fect union. Welcome to the American democratic process. Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.