Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/86698
8A Daily News – Tuesday, October 9, 2012 Opinion Two cents worth on five propositions 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 Due to the continuing gridlock of our dysfunctional state legisla- ture it is a blessing that Californi- ans can put propositions on the ballot by petition signature gather- ing. In less than a month now you will be asked to weigh in on no fewer than ten such propositions – I will therefore offer my two cents worth a dime at a time in this and a subsequent positive point col- umn. For more thorough analysis refer to the 2012 voters guide available in print at the elections office or electronically at http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov. PROPOSITON 30: TEMPO- RARY TAXES TO FUND EDU- CATION AND GUARANTEED LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING - Increases taxes on earnings over $250,000 for seven years and sales taxes by 1/4 cent for four years, to fund schools and guarantee public safety realign- ment funding. This is one of two propositions to address the fiscal mess known as the California state budget by increasing revenue for schools and public safety pro- grams, although the future alloca- tion of funds will be left to the leg- islature. For this reason and because this proposition includes a highly regressive, although tem- porary, increase in state sales tax I think that Proposition 38 is a bet- ter fix that ensures adequate fund- ing for education and early child- hood programs. I say vote no on 30. state budget, sets rules for offset- ting new expenditures, and per- mits the Governor to make budget cuts in fiscal emergencies. I like this proposition because it puts more funding decisions in the hands of local government bodies that are more in touch with the specific needs of the citizens they serve. Having a two year planning horizon will lend more stability and certainty regarding future fis- cal obligations to improve plan- ning and accountability of tax expenditures. Allowing the Gov- ernor to unilaterally implement budget cuts in fiscal emergencies will ensure that the state spends no more than it has. I say vote yes on 31. PROPOSITION 31: STATE BUDGET - Establishes two-year PROPOSITON 32: POLITI- CAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY PAYROLL DEDUCTION - Pro- hibits unions, corporations, and government contractors from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes. This initiative is an over-zealous and unbalanced attempt to stymie free-speech and collective bargaining powers, par- ticularly since it is silent with respect to contributions to political action committees and their sub- sidiary organizations. It is unfair to working people and their unions and in any event will not reduce political contributions. I say vote no on 32. PROPOSITON 33: AUTO INSURANCE PRICES - Changes current law to allow insurance companies to set prices based on whether the driver previously car- PENALTY - Repeals the death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment without possibility of parole. For moral, fiscal, and judicial prudence reasons I vigor- ously support this proposition. The facts are: putting people to death is immoral except in cases of self defense, death penalties are shown to have no crime deterrence effect, and execution requires exorbitant legal expense for con- stitutionally necessary appeals. Lets align ourselves with most of the world with quick, certain, and effective assurance that murderers will die in prison without the pos- sibility of parole. I say vote yes on ried auto insurance with any insur- ance company. Passage will stimulate competi- tive insurance pricing but also allows increased cost for drivers without history of continuous coverage. While this pre- sents a hurdle for folks that presently have no insurance, this hurdle will diminish with time and will allow all insured drivers to change carriers without penalty. While I think there should be an exemption for drivers that stopped driving alto- gether for a period of time, their number is quite small, while the savings to all other dri- vers can be quite significant. I say vote yes of 33. PROPOSITON 34: DEATH 34. Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point their work. This proposition is a draconian effort to legislate moral- ity that weakens the focus of sex offender registration. I say vote no on 35. PROPOSITION 35: HUMAN TRAF- FICKING – Increases human trafficking sen- tences/fines and requires convicted traf- fickers to register as sex offenders. With our over-burdened prisons and criminal justice system this is no time to stiffen sentences for what are most-often victimless crimes. Most prostitutes these days operate without pimps on the internet, and their drivers/body- guards offer them pro- tection from abuse rather than compel I'm sure some believe that these opinions aren't worth the paper they are printed on – but such is the weight some place upon the considered thoughts of others. For the rest of you next week I'll offer another dime's worth of positive points on the remaining propositions. Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He makes his home in Los Molinos, where he can be reached at living-green@att.net. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacra- mento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacra- mento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capi- tol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445- 2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S.REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herg- er (R), 2595 Ceanothus 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. It's a wild ride in the political world Commentary You can see "2016: Obama's America" tonight at 6 p.m. at the Tea Party meeting, Westside Grange. Last week's column left off on Monday; I did my best to let read- ers know what had gone on from the standpoint of a participant – me. The story picks up with a visit to the Republican headquarters (Frontier Village, #16 on the east side, open from 10 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m., volunteers willing/needed) by Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Elizabeth Emken. Reporter Rich Greene wrote a be beat. A poll by Pepperdine Uni- versity found Feinstein's support at 45.9 percent, Emken's support at 33.6 percent, with 20.6 saying they were "unsure." That translates to voters already knowing the 3-term incumbent, and only favoring her by less than 46 percent. She is beat- able! great news article on the visit; a local Action News (12/24) reporter/cameraman/interviewer got some footage of the candidate and attendees, who literally filled the room. Her pitch for election was well-recorded and is a solid case for replacing Senator "Doubt- fire," I mean Senator Feinstein, with someone who has the person- al, professional experience and motivation to tackle our massive federal debt and reform health care. After the repeal of Oba- maCare, President Romney and Republicans in Congress will need every wise hand and sharp mind to begin addressing the real chal- lenges of escalating costs and diminishing results. I asked her about the necessary reforms, after she concluded her formal remarks, and would recom- mend readers to visit Emken2012.com and click on the "Issues" drop down tab. There you'll see further links to Health Care, Jobs, Regulations, Debt, Water, Energy and Tax Reform. First, allow me to disabuse dis- couraged Republicans of the notion that Diane Feinstein can't Emken about health care reform, a subject she says she was "drafted" into upon realizing she had an autistic son. It's a moving personal story and it brought her to realize many things but that the first prior- ity was to rectify the harm that has been done to health care freedom, you could say, by voluminous tax rules that codified the current pref- erential treatment of employer-pro- vided health insurance. We must change it so that every As I said, I chatted with Ms. dollar, from the first to the last, is deductible from one's gross income. The current standard forces people to pay taxes on health care expenses that they incur, either personally or when they purchase their own insurance, until they reach a certain level. ObamaCare makes it worse by raising that level, resulting in a fur- ther tax penalty for those dealing with their own health care deci- sions. Government interference in limiting wages and benefits first brought about the preference for employer-provided insurance; the deleterious consequences must be remedied. On that basis, people should be free to shop for health insurance from any state, and for the terms they find most beneficial to their circumstances; that would include tax-free medical savings accounts (using the many thousands of dol- lars already spent to pre-pay for insured care) that could allow people to shop for competitively priced rou- tine care, and elective- but-necessary major surgery. Also, so-called "catastrophic care" poli- cies could be economical- ly purchased, not unlike auto insurance that pro- vides coverage for "cata- strophic" automotive events. surge in charitable giving, lessen- ing the burden on pub- lic resources. Other common sense solutions, that focus on personal freedom, per- sonal responsibility and eliminating biased tax rules, could all work to vastly reduce the over- head when an insurance company is involved in even the most routine of care. How much would an oil change or tune up cost if you only paid 20 percent and a "car maintenance insurance" company paid the rest? that I asked, she agreed that major portions of our deficit are driven by the fact that large portions of so- called "income support" payments – food stamps, Medicaid, disabili- ty, unemployment and EITC (tax credit) – go to people that could provide for themselves if urged to move in that direction. Many not- entirely-indigent citizens, if offered employment options that would relieve them of the need for hand- outs from the government (mean- ing other tax-paying citizens), would happily become self-suffi- cient, leaving our limited public resources for the truly needy. Lower tax burdens for all would result, as it has in the past, in a In response to another question Don Polson The way I see it who will make us proud serving as State Senator. My week ended with a Sunday evening fundraiser for Jim Nielsen at a supporter's ranch in Los Molinos, where I tasted some of the most tender, juicy, flavorful tri-tip to ever cross my tongue. Those cattle have a pretty sweet life chomping on Los Molinos pasture grass. I am grateful for their sacrifice. I take no small joy in rubbing elbows with my ideo- logical brothers and sis- ters, breaking bread and showing our financial support for someone Between Mitt Romney's "stel- lar" and dominating debate show- ing, and subsequent polling bumps, I find the Colorado profes- sors' prediction for Romney to win around 330 electoral votes increas- ingly believable. However, a Rom- ney win in all swing states but Ohio gives both him and Obama – 269. Oh boy. According to the White House 2013 Budget Historical Tables, Table 1.3, the total of Bush deficits, from '01 through '08, totaled about $2 trillion; Obama's deficits from '09 to '12 total over $5 trillion. Bush never signed a trillion-dollar- deficit 2009 budget; Obama did. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.