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4A Daily News – Thursday, September 27, 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. 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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 Every day's a holiday Commentary I walked into our local mega retailer this week and was aston- ished to find out it's already Christmas time. Wow, this year has just flown by. I had planned to watch foot- ball all weekend, but instead it looks like I'll be breaking out the ladder to begin hanging Christmas decorations. After all, who am I to argue with social convention and an Arkansas-based empire? If it's been decided that it's time to deck the halls then I'm going to go ahead and hang the holly. I can't be the only one on my street who's not in the spir- it. packing the red, white and blue ribbons that I used to celebrate the summer holidays of Memor- ial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. might as well just draw an X on the cal- endar and move on to Friday. Those of course, like any proud American, I hung up beginning on Feb. 15. But wait a minute, all this talk of Frosty the Snowman has me remembering I need to book a dinner reservation for New Year's Eve this week as well as RSVP to those high school graduation party invita- tions. But my problem is how am I going to mesh my blow-up Rudolph and dazzling light dis- play with the stuffed scarecrow and fake tombstones I've had out since late August? All this after I finally finished how will I ever have the time to just enjoy a normal day? A day like, let's say Sept. 27. This stuff is just adding up, There's nothing special about that day is there? If it happens to be your birth- day — happy birthday. As for the rest of us we're going to need a color scheme and an ani- mal to associate with it or we I think fushia and seafoam green are available. Since turkeys and rabbits are already taken let's go with a squirrel. While we're at it someone go ahead and reanimate Charles Schulz so he can draw a cartoon explaining the magic of Sept. 27 for us. Or maybe and I'm just thinking outside the box. friends. We shouldn't have to be reminded by a calendar to take some time out to think of our lost ones and appreci- ate what we have. Nevermind, silly idea, we only have 84 days left until the Apocalypse anyways. And the Mayans Rich Greene make everyday special. You know just enjoy each day What if we decided to just on its own. We don't have to give pre- sents, wear dumb sweaters or eat with decorated tablecloths to enjoy the love of our family and A recent letter to the editor mentioned concern over the black jerseys the RBHS varsity football team wore at our last home football game. Uniforms Editor: seys were purchased by the Spartan Boosters, and the author expressed displeasure with the lack of the traditional Spartan green and gold being represented on the jerseys. In fact, while the Booster The author stated that the jer- Club has been exceptionally supportive, the black jerseys were purchased with money generated by the student ath- letes via their own fundraising efforts. purchase the jerseys and the choice in color of the jerseys were determined by a vote among the players. It is also worth noting that in addition to the football team, we have other athletic teams who wear uniforms that do not include both the green and gold colors. Also, both the plan to clarify, and thanks to our com- munity for your ongoing support of our students. Patrick Gleason, principal, RBHS Thanks for the opportunity to Editor: I saw something the other day at a business parking lot that has upset me a little bit. A Cal-Fire truck pulled in and parked in the handicap space. Parking Your Turn gency vehicles can park wherever they want to but this was so obviously unnecessary that it caught my attention and that of another patron. Just because it's legal doesn't mean you should. There were plenty of other empty spaces available. I know what emer- There are reasons for those spaces, and that was the only one in the lot. Fred Boest, Red Bluff The pain-at-the-pump blame game With average gas prices approaching $4 nationally and already above that in California, American consumers are watch- ing their hard-earned dollars go down the gas tank. For President Obama, that's not great news because voters hate high gaso- line prices. survey conducted in March, when prices were about where they are now, 68 percent of Americans disapproved of Obama's handling of gas prices. Republicans have since pounced, arguing that gasoline prices have more than doubled under his leadership. Obama has responded that Republicans like bad economic news for political reasons and are happy when Americans pay more at the pump; other Democratic leaders, such as Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, say that blaming the president for gas prices is "baloney." According to a Reuters/Ipsos basic: They are determined mainly by the combined behav- ior of oil traders on markets such as the New York Mercantile Exchange. When oil traders believe that oil prices will rise, they buy oil futures in hopes of selling them later for a profit. Such buying increases oil prices and, eventually, the price of derivatives, such as gasoline and heating oil. prices have risen partly because traders increasingly believe that the U.S. economy will not face a double-dip recession. And, for now, Europe seems to be addressing its debt crisis, or at least decreasing the chances that major countries will default and banks will go under Lehman Bros.-style. That's making it less likely that Europe will drag down the global economy. The Iran nuclear crisis is also The good news is that oil But why have oil prices risen from about $36 a barrel in December 2008 to more than $90 now? And will they come down before the presidential election? To understand oil prices, you need to understand something in play. Oil traders figure that Iran may well stonewall the international community, lead- ing to an Israeli or U.S. attack on its nuclear sites and a conflict that will disrupt oil supplies. Of course, the Arab Spring and recent riots over an anti- Muslim video have also put the markets on edge, creating con- cern that such instability may cause oil delivery disruptions. And let's not forget the rela- tively weak dollar. As long as the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates low to bolster the economy, the dollar is not likely to rally. Because oil is traded mainly in dollars, that raises its price. Another factor is that oil prices were four to five times higher in the last decade than in the mid-1980s through the 1990s. That indicates possible higher speculation. In that type of market, traders buy oil futures to make a quick sale rather than to actually possess oil. Such speculation arguably has period- ically driven prices higher. Will oil prices come down before the election? Perhaps, but probably not by a lot. Politically, the wild card is Iran. A diplomatic or military resolution would lower oil prices. Saudi Arabia's extra oil capacity, which otherwise is being held in reserve to defray any loss of oil from Iran during a war, could also be freed for other potential crises, calming markets. But the chances of a Guest View Steve Yetiv resolution before Nov. 6 appear slim. For its part, oil speculation will probably continue unless significant curbs are placed on speculators, which may or may not work depending on how they are imple- mented. There have been no serious moves in that direction, despite the president's prod- ding. Economically, oil prices will surely drop if the U.S., Euro- pean and Chinese economies weaken, despite efforts to stim- ulate them, but that is unlikely to be very clear before the elec- tion. Nor are serious changes in the strength of the dollar very likely. So Obama may well be blamed for high gasoline prices, even though presidents have lit- tle control over them, contrary to what many think. Steve Yetiv is a professor of international studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and the author of "Crude Awakenings" and "The Petroleum Triangle." He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times 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. the next three months — Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. have been waiting 5,125 years for that. Even Walmart can't match that sales buildup. So in case I don't see you sometime in Rich Greene can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 109 or by email at rgreene@redbluffdailynews.co m.