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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 Downinthedarkwherethedemonslive, Donald Trump surely knows he's DOA. So he figures that what the heck, he might as well do his best to exhibit his very worst. And during the second presidential debate, Trump went full thug. Hesaidthatifhewins,he'll sic a special prosecutor on Hill- ary Clinton and lock her away. And when Clinton said, "it's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Don- ald Trump is not in charge of the law of our country," he shot back: "Because you'd be in jail." Presumably, we have not be- come so numb to his dema- goguery that we cannot recog- nize the clear and present dan- ger he poses to our democratic values. Not surprisingly, his latest debate performance was stud- ded with lowlights. He said that his boasting of sexual as- sault caught on tape was just "locker room talk," but I can attest, from personal experi- ence, that locker-room guys pushing 60 don't talk about as- saulting women. They mostly whine that attractive women treat them like they're invis- ible. By the way, Trump also said, "Nobody has more re- spect for women than I do," and I won't even bother to parse that one. Let's see, what else ... He said that Clinton has "tremen- dous hate in her heart," which is what the shrinks call psy- chological projection, the need to defend oneself against one's worst unconscious impulses. He also made all kinds of ex- cuses for Putin, which figures. He also denied that he sent a late-night tweet asking us to "check out sex tape" of a former beauty queen, lying about the very thing we all saw with our own eyes. Let's see, what else ... When a Muslim-American asked Trump, "How will you help peo- ple like me deal with the con- sequences of being labeled as a threat to the country?" he re- plied that Muslims should stop abetting terrorism. For in- stance, "In San Bernardino, many people saw the bombs all over the apartment of the two people that killed 14 and wounded many, many peo- ple." Therefore, "Muslims have to report the problems when they see them." There's no evi- dence whatsoever that Muslims in San Bernadino saw "bombs all over the apartment" and re- fused to report it. Let's see, what else ... He stonewalled yet again about his tax returns and his income taxes. And he's not even in sync with his running mate about whether to get tough with Rus- sia. When Trump was told that Mike Pence wants to meet Rus- sian provocations with Amer- ican strength, he replied: "He and I haven't spoken, and I dis- agree." Um ... Your running mate said that stuff about Rus- sia five nights earlier, tough stuff that contradicts your soft stance, and you didn't speak to him in all that time? But of all the lowlights, and there were many more, his ba- nana republic thuggery ranked highest. Ari Fleischer, who served as George W. Bush's sec- retary, who in no way can be considered a fan of Hillary Clinton, said last night: "Win- ning candidates don't threaten to put opponents in jail. Pres- idents don't threaten prosecu- tion of individuals. Trump is wrong." Trump is worse than wrong. He aspires to be Putin's Mini- Me, to be a tinpot dictator like Juan Peron. He has no respect for the peaceful transition of power — in part because he is ruled by his vile temperament and his vengeful impulses; in part because he has never spent a day in public service, appoint- ive or elective, and therefore has no clue about the responsi- ble exercise of power. He goes on national TV, in a debate watched by tens of mil- lions of Americans, and threat- ens a politically-motived pros- ecution as if it were normal. Shame on us if we take this as normal. Most of what Trump said and did Sunday night will be applauded by his wingnut pea- nut gallery, which has a bot- tomless thirst for his serial lies and demagogic drivel. He has a lock on 35 to 40 percent of the electorate — that's his floor — but his debate perfor- mance won't raise his ceiling. There simply aren't enough acolytes to comprise a win- ning majority. Based on what he said and did Sunday night, will tens of millions of new voters suddenly flock to him? Will the dozens of Republican lawmakers who dumped him this weekend suddenly change their minds? Nah. And now they're on record demanding that he quit the race. Imagine that. A month away from election day, and the nom- inee of a major party is under siege to quit. But hey, I'm glad he's defiant. For the sake of the democratic values we revere, the best scenario is for this fa- tally-wounded wildebeest to lumber wildly across the land, bleeding from his wherevers, to the bitter end. DickPolmanisthenational political columnist at NewsWorks/WHYY in Philadelphia (newsworks. org/polman) and a "Writer in Residence" at the University of Pennsylvania. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com. Dick Polman Trump is the banana republic candidate Cartoonist's take Local Republicans have deter- mined that "Trump-Pence" yard signs can be reduced to $5; we encourage his sup- porters to use sig- nage to let it be known that we won't be manipu- lated by the Dem- ocrat/news media alliance into wa- vering in our sup- port in this criti- cal election. Headquarters at 710 Main St. Donald Trump was not my primary candidate and I had harsh words at the time. He won't win or lose based on what I say or how I vote here in a Re- publican county of a "moon- bat" liberal state. However, it be- hooves me to provide some per- spective and context to both Trump's and Hillary Clinton's record and positions, if only to help readers sort truth from fic- tion. I don't hang around with men who brag and expound about their amorous exploits; my dad let his boys know that "locker room" boasts and stories were universally to be dismissed as "bovine scat." I'm surprised only that it should be shocking when it comes from someone of Trump's reputation and admit- ted activities. As a self-styled "lo- thario," Trump's pursuit of ro- mantic achievement is legal, per- haps understandable, although repulsive in a moral sense. But let's just step back and consider the primary source of moral outrage: the Democrat Party and news/entertainment media outlets. Those were the selfsame defenders of serial phi- landerer and abuser, Bill Clinton, dismissing his reported exposure of his privates to Paula Jones, groping of Kathleen Willey, rape of Juanita Broderick and numer- ous other abusive encounters. "It's only about sex" was the tired refrain over his having to settle with Paula Jones for $800,000. Hillary enabled his assaults by viciously attacking his accusers. Hillary insisted re- cently that "women are to be be- lieved and given the benefit of the doubt" when they report sex- ual assaults. The entertainment and cultural left have so dimin- ished the standards for judg- ing behavior, based on Christian moral guidelines, that routine halftime and awards shows per- formances are simply not safe for young viewers' eyes and ears. These are the same hypo- crites that revered Ted Kennedy who clearly killed, by negligence, a woman he'd "romanced" and left to die in a car that ran off a bridge in Massachusetts, and in- famously engaged in "sandwich" maneuvers with waitresses and Senator Chris Dodd. In "America, You Have No Right to Judge Donald Trump," D.C. McAllister, a woman, pointed to the "holier than thou glee" from Trump haters and how "the left has been howl- ing like puritanical wolves…It's ironic coming from a secular cul- ture that long ago declared ob- jective morality dead." In "Hillary Laughs About Her Defense Of A Child Rapist," her callous and cynical attitude was revealed through court docu- ments and an audiotape, un- earthed by the Washington Free Beacon, of an interview of Hill- ary Clinton by Arkansas reporter Roy Reed. In the course of de- fending an admitted rapist of a 12-year old girl by a 41-year old man, Clinton 1) knew of his guilt, 2) attacked the girl's credibility as being "emotionally unstable" by "fantasizing" and "seeking out older men" and 3) chuckled over the rapist passing a poly- graph test. Well, Mr. Minch took the bait in my little "rope-a-dope" gam- bit and has showed either his hy- pocrisy, foolishness or duplic- ity. Having been, for about 16 years, in the same line of work as Mr. Minch, I used the same tax forms as any self-employed busi- nessman or woman, Schedule C "Profit or Loss From Business." If one is "in the business" of list- ing, selling, leasing, buying and investing in real estate, there are normal, reasonable and neces- sary expenses associated there- with. The title, "Profit or Loss From Business," implies that, when such expenses cancel gross income from commissions, pay- ments, etc., there may be a busi- ness loss. If the business is conducted as a form of corporation, there is essentially a similar recon- ciling of income and expenses. However, profits or losses may well include rents, lease pay- ments, depreciation and mort- gage income that may or may not result in a loss on pa- per and in the bank account. When losses anywhere ex- ceed income, the tax laws allow for those losses to be applied against prior years' income, in an amended form, or to fu- ture years' taxable income. That was specified in a law, signed by then-President Bill Clinton. So, perhaps Mr. Minch would respond clearly and explain: If he filled in "expense" lines that effectively reduced his taxes, he "avoided" paying taxes due on his income in a perfectly le- gitimate manner and use of the law. Neither that nor what Mr. Trump did with his $916 million loss were a "failure to pay," or evasion of, taxes. If Mr. Minch or Mr. Trump did not ap- ply expenses and losses against profits, then it would be a fool- ish overpayment of taxes, and an abrogation of responsibilities to oneself, one's business, and one's family. If Mr. Minch did reduce the taxes due on his gross income by using the numerous catego- ries of "ordinary and necessary" business expenses, then it would hypocritical for him to imply/ state that Trump 1) "evaded" and failed to pay taxes, and 2) that it was a "breach of trust." If Mr. Minch cannot provide straight answers, it may be du- plicitous to readers who sin- cerely wonder how Mr. Minch could use legitimate expenses or losses to reduce his "taxable in- come (loss)" but condemn Mr. Trump for doing the same thing, if only different by scale. A $916 loss, a $916,000 loss or a $916 million loss, if deemed legitimate under a law signed by Bill Clin- ton, should not be cause for Mr. Minch to get on his high horse and express umbrage. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@ yahoo.com. The way I see it Trump's mouth not same as Hillary's past Most of what Trump said and did Sunday night will be applauded by his wingnut peanut gallery, which has a bottomless thirst for his serial lies and demagogic drivel. He has a lock on 35 to 40 percent of the electorate — that's his floor — but his debate performance won't raise his ceiling. Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. Since Wilcox is my home, I pass by 2-3 times a day. I will surely miss this magnificent piece of California history. Kelly Halvorsen Heise: On the remains of an oak tree at Ide Adobe being taken down That was such a magnificent tree, hope they do something special with the wood in remembrance. Iris Hendryk: On the remains of an oak tree at Ide Adobe being taken down 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 Your officials Don Polson OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, October 11, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6