Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/754638
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 Tomorrowisthisnation'sday of Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my fam- ily: my wife of 49 years, who grew up with me, puts up with me, and who is so grace- fully growing old with me; my son and daugh- ter and their spouses, who are better partners and par- ents than me; my four almost perfect grandchildren—each of whom is my absolute favorite in his or her own unique and spe- cial way. I am thankful that I had the best mother in the entire world. The Holidays are not the same without her. I am thankful for my sis- ter Judy, who, when times get tough, is the glue that holds our family together; and to my big brother Don who is so good at letting you know what he thinks—while at the same time not sweating the small stuff. I am thankful for my in-laws, my cousins, and my nieces and nephews. I am thankful for 50-cent burgers, milkshakes and secret sauce from Bud's Jolly Cone. I am thankful that Daily News columnists are free to write whatever they want, al- lowing me to continue to be the exceptional athlete I have al- ways been. I am thankful that someone somewhere invented BUNCO, giving the wife a reason for be- ing. I am thankful that 37 years ago I made the decision to join the Rotary Club rather than the Kiwanis Club, as even though the Kiwanis Club is okay, it is far inferior to the Rotary Club in almost every way. I am thankful for flush toi- lets. I am thankful for PATH and the Back to School Project and Adopt-a-Family and Secret Santa Programs and the Salva- tion Army and Special Olym- pics and the Kiwanis Camp and Easter Egg Hunt and Tough Enough to Wear Pink and the Dairyville Orchard Festival and the Manton Apple Festival, the Relay for Life and so many other events and organizations who do so much on behalf of the disadvantaged and disen- franchised. I am thankful for my five- year-old granddaughter, who is willing to tutor me on the dif- ferent features available to me on my cellphone. I am thankful for Tod Doll- ing. I don't know why, I just am. I am thankful for every coach I ever had and for every teacher, too, as they are, truly, doing the very same thing. I am thankful to all the bosses I have had in my long life, as I fully realize that being boss is not an easy thing. I am thankful for every em- ployee I have supervised in my long lifetime, as I fully realize that working for me was not an easy thing. I am thankful for choco- late NECCO candy wafers, as well as individually wrapped "chicken bone" candy. I am thankful for little league baseball, youth bas- ketball, soccer, back-to-school night, dance recitals, grandpar- ent's day, dictionary projects, camping trips, and all the other healthy activities that allow me to be a part of my grandchil- dren's lives. I am thankful that my best friend is Tom Hanks. I am thankful that I live in a giving community that in only six years has collectively con- tributed over a million dollars to purchase and restore the historic State Theatre. I am thankful for the privi- lege I have had in working for the past seven years with the greatest rag-tag group of com- munity volunteers imaginable in support of the State Theatre project. I am thankful for Linda Bullock who works so hard as State Theatre House Manager. I am thankful that I live in a beautiful home at the end a road, where I am able to en- joy amazing sunrises and sun- sets, and where the deer, tur- keys and even buffalo roam; and from which I can see the State Theatre blade blinking brightly in the distance. I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. I am thankful that I live in a nation where Les Wolfe and Pat Massie Johnston are guar- anteed the right to express their opinions, no matter how completely off base and flawed said opinions might be. I am thankful for my many terrific friends, past and pres- ent, far and near. I am thankful for those beautiful murals on the State Theatre walls featuring nearly naked women riding those magnificent white horses. I am thankful for the CBS Television show "Sunday Morning". I am thankful for the kind words as well as the criticism I receive regarding my column, but mostly I am thankful for the kind words. I am mostly thankful be- cause I realize that in the big scheme of things, my life has been, and is, pretty darn good. It would be absolutely perfect if the wife would only let me have a dog. Have a wonderful Thanks- giving. ••• Paula Ross recently lost her mother, Katie Daniels, who by all reports was a character of the very best kind. Losing one's mother is one of life's more diffi- cult events. Billie and I offer our condolences to Paula and her entire family. Rest in peace, Ka- tie Daniels. You mattered, a lot. ••• As another year comes to a close, many of you may be thinking about making tax-de- ductible contributions to vari- ous worthy causes within this community. One such cause is the State Theatre Seat Replace- ment Program. For a contribu- tion of $500 you can help re- place one of our 70-year old theater seats. You will be able to select your specific seat, as well as the inscription you wish to place on its nameplate. See www.statetheatreredbluff.com for additional information. ••• Sponsored by the Downtown Business Association and the State Theatre for the Arts, this coming Saturday at 2 p.m. the historic State Theatre will be showing the iconic Christmas film, "The Polar Express." Hot chocolate and Santa Claus will be present, and a bicycle will be awarded to one good little girl and one good little boy at the end of the festivities. Best of all, admission is only $2. 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 The things for which I am thankful Cartoonist's take Thanksgiving may get ugly this year. God only knows what may happen when a progressive lib- eral Democrat discovers he's sit- ting next to a cousin or uncle who is a conserva- tive Republican. But there's no need for mashed potatoes to fly. In 2009, Harry Stein, an au- thor, columnist and contribut- ing editor to the political mag- azine City Journal, offered me advice on how people of differ- ing political opinions can navi- gate Thanksgiving dinner. Stein, an erstwhile '60s rad- ical who evolved into a conser- vative, faced a similar dilemma at a dinner party a decade ago. When the guest next to him dis- covered his conservative/liber- tarian thinking, the fellow said loudly, "I can't believe I'm sit- ting next to a Republican!" "It was," Stein told me, "as if I was wearing not only a white hood, but a Nazi armband." So accustomed had Stein be- come to such broadsides — common experiences for con- servatives living in progressive bastions — that he wrote a hu- morous book on the subject: "I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican: A Survival Guide for Conservatives Marooned Among the Angry, Smug, and Terminally Self-Righteous." Now that Donald Trump has won the presidency — and now that millions may be in for the rowdiest Thanksgiving din- ner of their lives — Stein's ad- vice for surviving holiday din- ner parties is more essential than ever. His first suggestion: Make a concerted effort to get beyond "straw man" stereotypes. "In theory, liberalism is predi- cated on openness to varied per- spectives, but talk to lots of lib- erals and what you'll hear is that all conservatives are greedy, hard-hearted knuckle draggers," said Stein. "To them, 'conser- vative' is another way of saying 'warmongering,' 'racist,' 'homo- phobic,' not to mention 'aching to wipe out every last polar bear for the sake of Big Oil.'" Who wouldn't loathe a fellow with beliefs like that? The truth is conservatives, just like liberals, come in all shapes and sizes; many are as nuanced, complex and thought- ful as anybody else. The truth is progressives and conservatives agree with each other more than they are aware. "Discovering the common ground can only occur when discussions proceed in a logical and factual manner," said Stein. "If you want to argue a point and demonstrate the truthful- ness of your position, be sure to have your facts straight." Stein gave one example per- taining to health care. "Some progressives believe that conservatives are simply dupes of the insurance indus- try stampeded by phony propa- ganda, and, yes, that we are rac- ists," he said. "The fact is, it's a lot easier to name-call than deal with our arguments, starting with the likelihood that not only will a government takeover of health care have devastating ef- fects on the economy, but it will not be good for health care." Another example: Some pro- gressives believe that conserva- tives could not care less about the poor. "What we believe is that con- servative polices, such as tax in- centives to hire, are a great deal more beneficial to the poor than the polices that came out of the Great Society," said Stein. "Such policies encouraged women to raise children without fathers. Today, in some communities, 70 percent of children are born to single mothers." Stein used to think it best to avoid such discussions at the Thanksgiving table, but his posi- tion has changed over the years. "We are facing a lot of chal- lenges in our country and we really need to discuss them in a civil and thoughtful manner." Still, if you're a conserva- tive and fearful of being discov- ered, Stein said, you may want to plan ahead. "You might want to sit be- side a large liberal behind whom you can duck in case the mashed potatoes fly." 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 How to survive Thanksgiving dinner politics I am thankful for my five-year-old granddaughter, who is willing to tutor me on the different features available to me on my cellphone. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recently signed an ex- ecutive order forbidding Mary- land public schools from begin- ning classes before Labor Day. Governor Hogan's executive or- der benefits businesses in Mary- land's coastal areas that lose school-aged summer employ- ees and business from Mary- land families when schools start in August. However, as Gover- nor Hogan's critics have pointed out, some Maryland school dis- tricts, as well as Maryland schoolchildren, benefit from an earlier start to the school year. Governor Hogan's execu- tive order is the latest exam- ple of how centralized govern- ment control of education leaves many students behind. A cen- trally planned education system can no more meet the unique needs of every child than a cen- trally planned economic system can meet the unique needs of every worker and consumer. Centralizing education at the state or, worse, federal level in- evitably leads to political con- flicts over issues ranging from whether students should be allowed to pray on school grounds, to what should be the curriculum, to what food should be served in the cafeteria, to who should be allowed to use which bathroom. The centralization and polit- icization of education is rooted in the idea that education is a right that must be provided by the government, instead of a good that individuals should obtain in the market. Separat- ing school from state would em- power parents to find an edu- cation system that meets the needs of their children instead of using the political process to force their idea of a good educa- tion on all children. While many politicians praise local and parental control of ed- ucation, the fact is both ma- jor parties embrace federal con- trol of education. The two sides only differ on the details. Liber- als who oppose the testing man- dates of No Child Left Behind enthusiastically backed Presi- dent Clinton's national testing proposals. They also back the Obama administration's expan- sion of federal interference in the classroom via Common Core. Similarly, conservatives who (correctly) not just opposed Clinton's initiatives but called for the abolition of the Depart- ment of Education enthusiasti- cally supported No Child Left Behind. Even most conserva- tives who oppose Common Core, federal bathroom and caf- eteria mandates, and other fed- eral education policies, support reforming, instead of eliminat- ing, the Department of Educa- tion. Politicians will not volun- tarily relinquish control over ed- ucation to parents. Therefore, parents and other concerned citizens should take a page from the UK and work to "Ed-Exit" government-controlled educa- tion. Parents and other con- cerned citizens should pressure Congress to finally shut down the Department of Education and return the money to Amer- ican families. They also must pressure state governments and local school boards to reject fed- eral mandates, even if it means forgoing federal funding. Parents should also explore education alternatives, such as private, charter, and religious schools, as well as homeschool- ing. Homeschooling is the ul- timate form of Ed-Exit. Home- schooling parents have the free- dom to shape every aspect of education — from the curricu- lum to the length of the school day to what their children have for lunch to who can and can- not use the bathroom — to fit their child's unique needs. Parents interested in provid- ing their children with a qual- ity education emphasizing the ideas of liberty should try out my homeschooling curriculum. The curriculum provides stu- dents with a well-rounded ed- ucation that includes courses in personal finance and public speaking. The government and history sections of the curric- ulum emphasize Austrian eco- nomics, libertarian political the- ory, and the history of liberty. However, unlike government schools, my curriculum never puts ideological indoctrination ahead of education. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at the RonPaulInstitute.org. RON PAUL Education system broken — let's try 'ed-exit' Tom Purcell Bill Cornelius OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, November 23, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6