Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/99933
6A Daily News ��� Thursday, December 20, 2012 Opinion DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY 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 letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All 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 cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Wrong again Editor: The question remains: Will Don Polson ever get anything right? In his Dec. 18 column he stated Social Security is "currently about $150 billion short between income and payments." This is factually incorrect. In 2011 Social Security's total expenditures amounted to $736 billion. Total income was $805 billion and, in 2011, the combined Trust Funds actually grew by $69 billion. This information is noted on pages 2 and 6 of the 2012 Social Security Trustees Report, which can be found at SocialSecurity.gov. It appears Mr. Polson needs to take a look at his information sources. His factual accuracy is in real need of improvement. David Janott, Red Bluff Dog miracle Editor: Why I believe in My Lord and Santa Claus. My wife Joanne and I have a little black schnauzer dog named Whiskers. Whiskers is 11 years old and has always been our closest friend. When we return home from work, he is always at the door, tail wagging, jumping up and down. A dog does not care if you are old, young, rich or poor. They will always say I love you. We found a small Yorky dog for Whiskers friend. Recently, Whiskers developed diabetes, arthritis, and is blind. Joanne has to give him shots twice a day. He thinks those shots are a pain in the butt! Last Saturday, I went out to the garage and told him to come on. I was going to be in the garage just a few minutes. When I came out no Whiskers. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community 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 vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents 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 Joanne and I started to look for him about 3 p.m. on Saturday. We called as loud and as many times as we could. Hard to hold back the tears ��� driving up and down the road, no Whiskers. What is a little black blind dog doing now? He had never spent a night out by himself. He needs shit shot, needs lot of water, and the night is getting cold and windy. We left the outside lights on for him. Sunday morning Joanne, Cojo and I started walking up and down the neighborhood handing out lost dog notices. Our friend and neighbor Theresa was out walking her three dogs and was calling Whiskers too. Theresa came back around 3:30 p.m. and asked if she could put Whiskers on the church prayer chain. We said please do. She called Klove radio station in Redding. About 4:30 p.m. we decided to drive around the neighborhood again calling for Whiskers. No answer, no Whiskers. As we were getting out of our truck, a red pickup truck pulled in behind us. I thought it must be Santa, red truck. She, Adrienne Wagner, stepped out saying we found a little black dog. She showed me a telephone shot. Is this your little dog? It was. She said follow me over to Live Oak Road where we live. We were wondering how a little blind dog could go that far. Her daughter was holding Whiskers on a leash. We hugged, petted him and tears fell. Cojo ran up to Whiskers and licked his face. On the way home we wondered how Whiskers was found so soon after being put on the prayer chain. I guess God called his friend Santa Claus and said he needed his help to find a lit- tle lost dog down on earth. social security and medicare I���m really busy up here try- will be cut 25%. Will they also ing to get this whole world to cut their pay? Not likely. have great cheerful lives togethDo we need all those er. Czars? How much do they Santa wired God back saying make per year? What do they you and I have both been trying do? Does Congress address all to get this to happen. the waste Obama has Santa said, I spent on those asiYour checked my GPS. It nine green compasaid the dog is in a nies and when they field on Live Oak Road go broke, with our in Red Bluff. money, the CEOs get Santa said I have a huge bonuses when young cowgirl who lives in this they failed. When investment area has found your dog in their big shots get caught with their field. hand in the cookie jar, stealing Adrienne told us she checked our money, many times they the power poles in her area and get off without much punishbrought her to our driveway. ment at all. No accountability Ralph, Joanne, Cojo and anywhere. This has become a Whiskers want to thank every- push and shove society. one that helped to bring him They'll do anything to win for home. Thank you and have a their team, or get re-elected, very Merry Christmas and a etc. The job isn't an honorable Happy New Year. position anymore. P.S. Santa was listening to Some Congressmen are his radio in his shop, and tears saying they hope we do go began to run into his white bard. over the cliff, whatever conseGod contacted Santa and both quences that will have. I guess said why were children killed. we have to before those dumb Both agreed that they will need bells get serious and do the more time to make this a loving responsible thing. We have a world. spending problem. Quit spendSanta with a sad face said, ing. ���God what will I do with these The man who hung 20 toys that I have already our flag half-staff and upside packed in my sleight?��� down, I got the message. He's Ralph Ehorn, Red Bluff sick of all this crap going on in these United States. I am too. I love this country with all my heart, we're so fortunate, but it's going away by regulations, greed, thievery, Editor: and you can't get the truth What does it take for Wash- about anything. Bengahzi, ington to see the light? We're Fast and Furious, everything broke. Obama tells us to be is a cover up. Nobody will wise in spending our money, dare to tell the truth. They'll etc. Do they? They've bor- lose their job and all the perks rowed from every pot they can and benefits. get their greedy hands on and We had a chance to elect an then tell us, the money is run- honorable man and we blew ning out like it's our fault. I it. A decent, nice, moral, honjust heard on TV a threat that est man. Shame on us. if things don't turn around, Bernice Cressy, Cottonwood Turn Washington, see the light 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: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ��� Wally Herger (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) 2240454. Commentary Of our elaborate plans, the end These are likely my last words. Just hours to go now. I wasn���t buying into this whole Mayan apocalypse prediction until about a month ago when Twinkies were wiped from the planet. If Twinkies couldn���t survive until 2013 there���s no chance for humans either. I think the only things that will survive are mosquitoes. I hate mosquitoes. Every second brings us closer to the end now. It was a great 5,125-year run wasn���t it? It���s a shame it has to end now. To quote a British magazine article being circulated around the Internet, 2012 was the greatest year in the history of the world. ���Never has there been less hunger, less disease or more prosperity,��� it reads. It���s taken us awhile, but it appears we���ve finally figured out this whole civilization thing just as the experiment was ending. I hope the end comes tomorrow through some strange radiation blast that grants us all super hero powers for our final hours on Earth. I hope zombies are involved too or I���ve sure wasted a lot of time researching simulations of such a scenario. If the world does end tomorrow, was everything we did just a giant waste of time? Should we have not reached for the moon, created the Internet or learned to clone animals? Was putting emotion in the form of master works of print, art and music a colossal waste of energy? I���d like to think it all had a purpose, that it made these last thousands of years on the planet granted another 5,125 years, worthwhile. we could spend it If the reckoning building upon our doesn���t come tomorprevious accomplishrow, it won���t be the end ments and creating of doomsayers. new unimaginable There���s plenty of ones. talk, fueled by xenoWe could still phobia and ignorance, argue over how such that somehow our things will be world, our country is financed, as we rightabout to come crashing fully should, but we down. could stop having It���s camouflaged those arguments preunder the guise of polivent us from actually tics. Rich accomplishing anyEight years ago it thing. was coming from the That sounds like a other spectrum, with world worth living in. such beliefs that our I hope the mosquitoes enjoy own government caused the 9it. 11 tragedy to perpetrate wars. I hope if the world doesn���t Rich Greene can be end tomorrow, those of us in the middle of the two sides of loony reached at 527-2151, Ext. 109 by email at will finally demand our voices or rgreene@redbluffdailynews.c are heard. If by some miracle we���re om. Greene