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6A Daily News– Wednesday, July 11, 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 Mountain Road Editor: I want to express my sincere appreciation for saving my home to the firefighters who responded to a fire west of corn- ing on Butte Mountain Road July 7. Fire on Butte My husband and I have spent the past 7 years putting our heart and soul into building our homestead. We have dreamed of having a place where we can ride our horses and experience the peace and quiet of the country. Today, our dreams were all on the line. A grass fire started southwest of us. Saturday, around 3 p.m., my neighbor telephoned and asked me if I was aware of a grass fire right behind us. I said no, and then I started to panic. I got my hus- band; we went outside and saw a big wall of fire heading our way. I wondered if I should call 911, but then we saw the fire- fighters in the air above us. Helicopters and airplanes always were everywhere, flying over, down close to the fires, through the smoke, and then dropping their loads right on top of the fire. They seemed to be flying right through the fire itself, risk- ing their lives with every pass over. sketchy idea of what I need to be doing in situations like this. I hooked up the horse trailer a and brought my horses in, just in case we had to get out soon, but I had great confidence in our emergency response teams that they would come and tell us if imminent danger presented itself. We waited and watched helplessly, hoping and praying that things would get under con- trol and quickly. Soon, things started to change for the better. Luckily, the fire was on the opposite side of the dirt road from our house, and luckily, the wind wasn't excessive. Within about an hour, the firefighters had won, and we were saved from the fire. These firefighters showed Red Bluff Garden Center to have what I needed, and if they didn't, they were only to happy to order. Friendly, reliable help — always. I actually looked for- ward to a trip to the Garden Cen- ter. I several classes there and enjoyed every minute. even attended exceptional skill and profes- sionalism in suppressing this catastrophe. What was especial- ly amazing to me was how fast and proficiently our firefighters responded. I felt grateful know- ing that these men and women were protecting us from this devastating disaster. My husband and I want to personally thank each and every person that helped fight this fire. You are our personal heroes, and we will always be thankful for your dedication and service to protect us on this fateful day. Nannette DiLouie, Corning I was becoming more and more frantic as I saw the flames getting closer and closer. I, like most people, only have to be consolidated Editor: I was absolutely crushed when my husband pointed out the ad for a consolidation sale by our beloved Red Bluff Garden Center. Another business I could always count on the Most of our garden and yard are plants from the RB Garden Center. They had heirloom plants they grew themselves, great choices and variety that you can't find at the big box stores. Now we will have to trav- el out of town taking our busi- ness elsewhere in order to get the plants we want. business consolidates with another branch, retires or closes their business, one can't help but wonder "Where will it end?" Will the uniqueness of Red Bluff eventually disappear and become a ghost town of empty storefronts? For me it started with the Hol- iday Market on Monroe. Then it has slowly gone to many other stores or restaurants. The River- side Restaurant, Hal's Eat Em Up, The Hallmark Store, The Flower Shop on Main Street, just to name a few. As each Small Town, USA today's economy, the need to watch every precious dollar being spent and look for "bar- gains" at big box stores and buy- ing in bulk. But it seems in doing so we've also lost sight of the importance of supporting our neighbors — local businesses. Look-alike towns have I understand, especially in Your Turn become so homogenized with their Burger Kings, McDonald's, Taco Bells, Walmarts, Costcos, Home Depots, Applebee's, Olive Gardens, Red Lobsters, Star- bucks, etc., etc., etc., if you have no other unique refer- ence, you might not know what town you're in, or care. And, when corpo- rate America abandons us — refusing to admit they over built in many areas, then what? Buy locally. Lisa Morris, Red Bluff Common Sense Editor: But, Mitt Romney? Really? Why does anyone believe that a multimillionaire vulture capital- ist, who has no concept of mid- dle-class American's needs or how to meet them, would be a better President? Romney has proven time and time again that he has no real principles or ideals other than getting elected to one office or another. He has flip-flopped so many times on so many issues that he belongs on a merry-go- round in an amusement park, not in the White House in Washington D. C. Please, please, show some common sense and do not vote for such a false Messiah. Robert Wilkinson, Red Bluff voters, Republicans and Democrats alike, do not like President Obama and want to vote for another candidate for President. 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. Prognosis not good for HSAs Commentary It figures. Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs, have been so successful at reducing the cost of health care, the ObamaCare people are out to get them. get a good look at my leg cost. Each person I asked looked puzzled and said the same thing: "I don't know. Nobody ever asked that before." than buy a health insurance pol- icy that has a low or no deductible, you purchase one that has a high deductible. Since the insurance company doesn't have to pay anything until you exceed your high deductible, it's happy to give you a much lower premium. You save on the premium — and by shopping around, since most of your initial health care costs are on your own dime. Rather than use a name- brand medication, you choose the much cheaper generic. You ask doctors and other providers what particular services and treatments cost. Of course, they hardly ever The HSA concept: Rather know. When I blew out my Achilles tendon playing racquetball five years ago, I asked the doctor what the surgery to reattach it would cost. I asked the nurse what the crutches she gave me cost. I asked what the MRI to everyone. Say your employer is paying $10,000 a year for your family's "Cadillac" health insurance that covers almost everything. Well, why not give that $10,000 cred- it directly to you, so you can buy a policy with a $5,000 deductible that costs, say, $5,000 a year? You take the $5,000 you save on your premi- um and invest it in an HSA tax- free. If you have medical needs, you can use your HSA money to pay for them until your deductible is met and your insurer takes over. And by shop- ping around, you help drive down the cost of health care for That, in a nutshell, is what is wrong with our health insurance and health care systems: Con- sumers are completely divorced from costs. Massive inflation has been the result. To help put consumers back in control, HSAs became law in 2003. They offer all kinds of flexibility to individuals and families. healthy, you can grow a tidy little HSA nest egg. When you turn 65, you can use that money for anything you want. says Forbes, is going to make HSAs more costly. But ObamaCare, This is because HSAs are driven by consumers, whereas ObamaCare is driven by command-and-con- trol bureaucrats. If you are lucky and stay Tom See, the Oba- maCare people have published guidelines that require all health insurance plans to have an actuarial value of 60 percent — which means at least 60 percent of any care is paid for by the insurer and no more than 40 percent is paid for directly by the insured. HSAs don't meet the 60-per- cent threshold. This is because ObamaCare counts only the $5,000 paid for your family's insurance policy, not the $5,000 your family sinks into its HSA. Purcell fused bureaucratic standards, that means 50 percent of care your family receives is paid for by your insurer, 50 per- cent by you. The only way for your HSA to meet the 60-percent threshold, then, is for you to pur- chase a more expen- sive policy, signifi- cantly limit the amount you put into your HSA or abandon it altogether. Under ObamaCare's con- down, your costs go up — as happens every time govern- ment's powers expand and indi- vidual freedoms are taken away. ——— Your ability to choose goes Which is precisely what the ObamaCare folks want. I can understand why many Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web at www.TomPurcell.com or e- mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.