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6A – Daily News – Monday, March 29, 2010 Opinion Coffee Party brew ha ha D NEWSAILY 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. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. 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 As I drove to Round Table Pizza in Red Bluff last Wednes- day night with a hand-made Coffee Party sign and blank mailing lists at hand, I truly wondered if I’d see anyone there other than Orval Strong who asked me to help set this process in motion. Much to my surprise and excitement I was greeted by about a hundred folks filling tables in the back room, with others standing at the entry. An hour and a half later I left with a listing of fifty families and individuals wanti- ng to work together to improve local, regional, and national governance. Following introductions by Orval and me a general question and answer format ensued. Sud- denly a real "brew ha ha" unfolded, as passions came to a boiling point when suspected Tea Party bashers were ques- tioned. Many were taken aback by the intensity of concern that some in our midst might try to take control of the meeting and subvert our agenda. Personally, I was glad to see a diversity of people and perspectives and welcomed the opportunity to debate topics of mutual interest. After calming these passions as best I could we heard from each individual, except for one person that dramatically excused himself by shouting expletives in reaction to com- ments regarding the disruptive behavior of some Tea Party advocates. This was indicative of how emotions can get to the best of us when passions run high, and the difficulty of main- taining decorum when dis- cussing highly personal and important matters of public pol- icy. Nonetheless, we heard from dyed in the wool progressive democrats like me, more main- stream democrats, several inde- pendents, a Libertarian, two very respectful Tea Party Patri- ots, and one self described ide- alist to help define who we are and what we should be about as a party. Anyone who is interest- ed in learning more or getting involved can send me an email, or visit the Facebook page "Tehama Coffee Party Loyal- ists" to express your views and get on our emailing list. As might be expected every- one thought we needed organi- zation that is a tall order when herding cats of many colors and individual tastes. I plan to attend a Tea Party gathering soon to see how they deal with such matters in the hopes that we might learn from one another as we put our passions to work to improve this nation, rather than sit on the sidelines bashing those with whom we might disagree. I believe that when deftly applied our strong feelings and energies can forge a better union for us all – much as the Revolutionary and Civil wars did. I trust that over the years we have learned how to keep our domestic political battles free of violence. Now on to the polit- ical grist - to the delight of 70 percent of Californian democ- rats, and the chagrin of 84 percent of Californ- ian republicans, Presi- dent Obama delivered on his promise to pro- vide universal health care to all Americans last week. With Cali- fornian independents evenly split, a majority of Californians sup- port this legislation. Since no one can accurately predict how this all works until we give it a try, I would hope that those in opposition will at least give the plan a chance to play-out before condemning it. I found it telling to hear a local private physician say "I think a lot of this stuff was done to hasten the decline of private health care in this country, and force a crisis where this all becomes nationalized." I won- der how we might otherwise provide the universal health care that our president promised to those that voted him into office. It seems to me that we already expressed the will of most Ameri- cans on this issue and are now want to ensure that the promises and dreams of a better future have an opportu- nity to take hold. Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point One thing most all agree upon is that the prior health care sys- tem was broken and destined for disaster with increasing premi- ums and diminishing availability of care. While I may not be a Doctor of Medicine, I know that resisting change when present systems aren’t working is a pre- scription for disaster. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle. He can be reached at living-green@att.net. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), 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), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 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; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Events, beliefs and candidates on display Commentary Before sharing some observa- tions from the Tea Party Patriots’ candidates night with readers, take note: 1) Channel your frustration over setbacks in Washington (vot- ers will have the last word, so don’t lose hope) into action and unity by showing up on Tuesday at the Tea Party Patriots meeting. See "Local Calendar" or call 515-2138; don’t miss a chance to hear from our Congressman, Wally Herger, on the subject of taxes. 2) If Corning is your beat, Tea Party Patriots meet on the first and third Thursdays each month. April 1st will see an ever-growing group at the Senior Center, corner of 4th St. and South St. (not South Ave.) a couple of blocks south of Solano St. Their candidates night guests will be Todd Bottke (Judge, Office 2), Jonathan Skillman (Judge, Office 1), and Sheriff Parker. 3) Make plans to attend the annual Red, White and Blue Fundraising Banquet for the Republican Party on Saturday, April 10, at 5 PM at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 735 Oak St. It is an excellent way to show your sup- port for the local people and party that tirelessly work to advance Tehama County’s conservative val- ues. Prices are reasonable, the food will be awesome, State Senator and Lt. Governor candidate Sam Aanestad will be the featured Speaker, and C. Jerome Crow will be honored as Tehama County Republican of 2009. Make a call now as the limited seating for this signature event of the political cal- endar has sold out in the past. The numbers to call are 529-1226 or 865-2666. Also on April 10, plan to say hi to the Tea Party Patriots at their chili cook-off booth. 4) Mark April 15 as the day to rally with Tea Party Patriots down- town at noon to support the troops, the Constitution, limited govern- ment, fiscal responsibility and oppose Obama/Pelosi/Reid health care. Interestingly, since we’ve been informed that the Coffee Party is for what the Tea Party is against, or against what we are for, you can figure out for yourself what the opposite of support for the troops, the Constitution, limited government and fiscal responsibil- ity amounts to. I must admire the courage of folks supporting the health care bill since it is the most unpopular piece of major legislation ever passed in Washington, and is probably wide- ly reviled in Tehama County. It’s also curious how a writer could mischaracterize Tea Party beliefs. I haven’t seen any signs or state- ments locally, or in photos and video of Tea Party events, that advocate higher military spending, or that oppose "free … education." Certainly, "any program that takes money from those who have it and gives it to those that don’t" would be supported by those on the receiving end, but Americans in general (and Tea Party Patriots, in particular) don’t support income redistribution. This column under- standably spends little time cor- recting ignorant misstatements by other writers. Auditor-Controller candidate Leroy Anderson didn’t lose any support when he told the Tea Party Patriots that "without groups like yours, government at all levels is not held accountable." An incum- bent running unopposed, he seemed quite knowl- edgeable as he fielded questions from the group and was very gracious with his time. If attorney Todd Bot- tke had given us a spot quiz after his talk, to see if we could recall his impressive background, I would have had a hard time because there was just so much to remem- ber. If you get a chance to hear him, please avail yourself of the opportunity to meet the man behind the campaign posters. His response to a question about how he’ll acquire the knowl- edge and abilities to actually be a judge prompted one audience member to break into a round of "here come da judge". Hilarity ensued. size quietly achieving lengthy fed- eral sentences for drug criminals rather than routinely trumpeting counts of pot plants pulled. Among his goals are to increase patrols by moving any officers he can out of administration and onto the streets, and to put inmates to any appropri- ate work that could save the county money. Last but certainly not Don Polson The way I see it Candidate for Sheriff-Coroner, Dave Hencratt, described the many aspects and accomplishments of his 21 years in law enforcement, including jail, patrol, training and as a Senior Detective in charge of marijuana eradication. He said it has been his preference to empha- least was the presenta- tion of candidate for Supervisor, District 3, Dennis Garton. His 40 years in law enforce- ment speaks for itself as a tribute to his devotion to public service. Asked about the proposed Bend recreation area, he echoed and emphasized the requirement for another access besides the residential streets of the Bend area. He also stated that the pro- posed advisory committee should exist in perpetuity to assure a per- manent role for the citizens of Tehama County in the future of the recreation area. He did not, howev- er, agree with a supervisor that felt that if it did not gain "Recreation" or "Landscape Conservation Sys- tem" status, BLM would sell the land and deprive us of its use. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.