Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/794280
ChipThompson, Editor 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: Daily News 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS MaybeI'mchannelingDonaldTrump.Or maybe he's been reading my columns — or my mind. All I know for sure is that when he gave his great speech to Congress Tuesday night he did exactly what I suggested he should do that morn- ing in my col- umn in The Hill — stop being Donald Trump. Quoting my father, I wrote that there comes a time when the president-elect has to become the presi- dent — and then start acting like one who represents the whole country, even his en- emies. I said the president should be a conservative, make con- servative appointments and run a conservative govern- ment. But I also suggested that he immediately stop catering only to his base and tell us in his speech where he wants to take the country and how he plans to take us there. President Trump did all that and much more in his widely applauded speech Tuesday night, which was a great turning point for his administration to move for- ward on his agenda. By spelling out his core goals, and asking the House and Senate to create the leg- islation to put them into place, Trump proved to Con- gress he wants to lead. On Tuesday night he set the cornerstone for his ad- ministration's agenda. Like Trump Tower, he now has to begin rebuilding and rehabilitating America from the infrastructure up. Many of our bridges and roads are in shambles. We take off and land at airports that would shame a Third World country. In Studio City, Ca., not far from my house, a 90-year-old pipe burst and caused a sink- hole that swallowed cars but thankfully no people. President Trump is abso- lutely right to want to throw a trillion public and private dollars at the crumbling in- frastructure of the country — the more private the fund- ing, the better. He is also absolutely right to want to rebuild and build-up our military after eight years of neglect by the Obama administration. As my father used to say, we fought four wars during his lifetime — none of which were fought because America was too strong. President Trump under- stands that. So does Secre- tary of Defense James Mat- tis. So does his disgruntled fellow Republican, Senator John McCain, who'll some- day applaud the president if he stays on course to rejuve- nate the Army, Air Force and Navy. The president's signature campaign issue, enforcing and reforming our awful im- migration policy, will face a huge political fight and a lot of compromising. He'll need to find the area where we can all come to- gether. Nobody is going to get 100 percent of what they want, so everyone — includ- ing the president's base — has to be willing to give a lit- tle. President Trump's other aims — lowering taxes on people and corporations, cut- ting regulations on busi- nesses and repealing and re- placing ObamaCare — are goals conservatives have been dreaming about for years. He has a real chance of accomplishing many of his goals and the goals of con- servatives in the next 200 days, but he can't do it alone. He's going to need the ad- vice and help of thousands of people. So if I could give one more bit of advice to President Trump, which comes from a placard that was on my fa- ther's desk, it is, "There's no telling what a man can ac- complish or where he could go if he doesn't worry about who gets the credit." My father knew it's never about taking credit, Mr. Trump, it's all about getting things done. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "The New Reagan Revolution" (St. Martin's Press). Send comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com. Follow @reaganworld on Twitter. MichaelReagan Channeling Donald Trump Cartoonist's take Time has a special seg- ment on aging in their Feb. 27 issue. It asks many thorny questions. The magazine dis- cusses "anti-ag- ing" pills, drugs to sharpen the mind and the many methods people, down through the ages, have tried to thwart death. They begin with an anti- wrinkle recipe dating back to 1600 BC for "transforming an old man into a youth" via a fruit called hemayet, and con- tinuing up to a radio evange- list named John Brinkley in the 1920s who transplanted testicular glands from goats into humans The list con- cludes in the 1930s when a man named Giocondo Protti allegedly rejuvenated the el- derly by performing blood transfusions from young do- nors. However let's consider the section titled "Why do people want to live so long, anyway?" with quotes such as "The thing that is most dif- ficult and inscrutable to us mortal beings is the fact of our own death. We don't un- derstand it, we don't get it, and as meaning-laden be- ings, we can't fathom what it means not to exist. At the same time, the odds of living a long life that's also a good healthy one are slim. Almost all people complete their most meaningful years before age 75 mindful that the U.S. life expectancy is now 78.8 years." The article concludes with the observation that "Liv- ing past that age is rarely as good as it may sound. Physical function crumbles for about half of Americans at around 80, and aging makes all of us mentally slower and less cre- ative. We may die later, but we don't age slower." So, what to do to stave off the downside of living long? Time says stay curi- ous, eat more plants than you think you may need and re- think what it means to be old. I would add my own admo- nitions: Don't smoke, don't drink alcohol, don't get obese and keep your sense of humor. I asked three aged and fre- quent e-mail correspondents, "Do you want to live longer and if so, why?" One replied "I am ready to go at any time if I can ne- gotiate an "easy out" with the grim reaper. I have done about all I can expect to ac- complish. My body seems to be falling apart at a steady but manageable rate. What I fear most is becoming depen- dent on others. It seems that simply desiring to live long is selfish. The test is whether you can still contribute." Another replied, "Living long is great...but it is the quality of it that makes the journey worthwhile." A third responded, "Yes I want to continue living as long as possible, as long as I know who I am, where I am and continue to recognize the people around me." ••• I have been clearing out some closets and found some old reel-to-reel tapes. As I no longer own a device suitable for playing them, I offer them to anyone who was prudent enough to keep such a device. The tapes were made profes- sionally featuring classical music performed by Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy and with the music of Franck, Gershwin, Beethoven etc. Also the original cast recording of "My Fair Lady," plus Sinatra and Count Basie at the Sands Hotel, Miles Davis Great- est Hits and numbers by the Hi Lo's. Great stuff if you can find a way to play them. ••• A fellow author once worked at the Sears Catalogue store in Red Bluff. Reading my story of Elspeth Troop, the late Russ Frey's mother, she said that Elspeth always wore white gloves when visiting the store and once inquired about the availability of "Ant Farms" as requested by a young friend, which she found re- pugnant to even think about. ••• We have belatedly come to the conclusion that we helped Trump get elected by merely watching him on tele- vision nightly to see what re- cent outrageous statement he had made. Allegedly the net- works devoted more time to him than all the other candi- dates combined, and it made no difference if what he said was fact or fiction. All his ut- terances had to be was outra- geous enough to garner our attention. Apparently tele- vision exposure is all that is needed these days to sell any- thing. ••• Sightem: A homeless person on a bike towing all his earthly be- longings in a small trailer on which was prominently dis- played a small American flag. Is this because he is proud to be an American or does it keep him from getting beaten up from time to time? ••• Don't forget that the State Theatre has a few new seats left for sale. I am reluctant to write this because the chief seat seller, B. Cornelius, uses this plea to help him fill his Wednesday column, and he may think I am stealing his thunder by hawking the seats. Therefore we will be enter- tained by his little league bat- ting average. Failing that we will be forced to read about some guy he once met on the train. ••• Internet put down: I was standing at the bar at the Legion one night minding my own business. This fat chick came up be- hind me, grabbed my behind and said, "You're kinda cute. You gotta phone number?" I said, "Yeah, you gotta pen?" She said, "Yeah, I got a pen." I said, "You better get back in it before the farmer finds you missing." ••• When love fades… Last night I was sitting on the sofa watching TV when I heard my wife's voice from the kitchen ask, "What would you like for dinner, my love? Chicken, beef or lamb?" I said, "Thank you, dear, I think I'll have chicken." She replied, "You're having soup. I was talking to the cat." Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff, former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail. com. I say Live long and prosper may be overrated President Trump's other aims — lowering taxes on people and corporations, cutting regulations on businesses and repealing and replacing ObamaCare — are goals conservatives have been dreaming about for years. Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. Red Bluff should be ashamed of their roads throughout the city limits. Tom Burgess: On a repaving project for Antelope Boulevard and SR 36E Such wonderful people. Good choice. Sharon Wilkes: On Clay and Lilly Parker being named grand marshals of the Round-Up Parade 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 U.S. Senator Dianne Fein- stein, One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Francisco 94104, 415 393- 0707, fax 415 393-0710 U.S. Senator Kamala Har- ris, 501 I St., Ste. 7-600, Sacra- mento 95814, 916 448-2787, fax 202 228-3865 Local Tehama County Supervisors, 527-4655 District 1, Steve Chamblin, Ext. 3015 District 2, Candy Carlson, Ext. 3014 District 3, Dennis Garton, Ext. 3017 District 4, Bob Williams, Ext. 3018 District 5, Burt Bundy, Ext. 3016 Red Bluff City Manager, Rich- ard Crabtree, 527-2605, Ext. 3061 Corning City Manager, Kris- tina Miller, 824-7033 YOUR OFFICIALS Michael Reagan Robert Minch OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, March 3, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6