Letters for June 5, 2014

Lots of white folks

Re “Back to nature” (Cover feature, by Claire Hutkins Seda, May 29):

The first thought that struck me about the group photo in your article “Back to nature” was, “Wow, that’s a higher concentration of white people than the Republican National Convention!”

Kyle Bowen
Chico

‘A monstrous bureaucracy’

Re “Help for a veteran” (Newslines, by Tom Gascoyne, May 29):

Very touching story about the World War II veteran; they’re fading from view. The paperwork inundation is typical. I’m a Vietnam veteran and it took me 25 years to get my disability rating from the war. The Veteran Affairs is a monstrous bureaucracy whose main purpose is to perpetuate itself—veterans are simply an annoyance to the VA.

I’ve dealt with VA employees who actually resent veterans. When people get a government position, they retire on the job and then complain because they aren’t being paid enough. In the meantime, they cook the books, falsify medical records and pencil-whip veterans, as we’ve seen from the VA Phoenix scandal.

Well, as one wag noted, if you want to know what Obamacare is going to be like, look at VA medical care.

Mike Peters
Chico

Don’t blame the chief

Re “Alarms ignored” (Newslines, by Howard Hardee, May 29):

Sounds like Chico Police Chief Kirk Trostle is simply practicing good management of public safety—to select basic 911 rules over the self-serving rules of a private interest group, like the alarm industry.

Remember, police response to requests from alarm-monitoring firms is bending 911 rules. Alarm system users should blame their outdated alarm supplier, not the local police.

Lee Jones
La Quinta

Pointing out the irony

Re “He’s tired of it” (Letters, by Rick Clements, May 29):

Isn’t it ironic that Rick Clements calls President Obama a liar, yet he lied his ass off about Bob Muholland’s military service? Human behavior is morally ambiguous.

Roy Crabtree
Chico

Think of future generations

Re “Note to Nielsen” (Letters, by Richard Shult, May 15):

In support of Richard Shult’s comments to Sen. Jim Neilsen regarding the senator’s defense of fracking, I am reminded of the venerable wisdom of the Nation of the Iroquois. The Great Law of the Iroquois directs any leaders who are responsible for making decisions to think seven generations ahead and decide whether the decisions that are made today would benefit their children seven generations into the future.

Laura Loudermilk
Chico

‘Heretics and crackpots’

Re “Quit the denial” (Editorial, May 15):

The editor does a disservice to scientific investigation with a plea to “quit the denial.” There is no denial that climate changes. It always has. The argument is as to whether the change in climate is due to human or natural causes. This debate continues and is far from over.

Those of the editor’s persuasion have put themselves in the position of the medieval church content with an earth-centric planetary system. The church considered it “settled science” at the time. Dissenters were denigrated as heretics and crackpots.

There is no such thing as “settled science.” Just ask Galileo. The scientific method is dynamic and designed for intense interrogation. The editor demands silent compliance or suffer the specter of hell on earth. It sounds more like an edict from a high priest of the church of environmentalism.

I remain a sinner.

Bill Hooton
Red Bluff

Just say no

Members of the StoptheButteBan.com are Western States Petroleum Association, Independent Oil Producers Agency and the Independent Petroleum Association. These same businesses are lobbying to pass Senate Bill 2274, the fast-tracking and authorization to export liquid natural gas.

SB 2274 will allow the global sale of our natural gas, destroying our nation’s energy independence goals and increasing domestic prices by two or three times current costs. These greedy businesses think you are dumb enough to fall for their false title of Butte Citizens Against Higher Energy Costs.

Japan is currently paying $13.90 MBtu for natural gas, three times our domestic price. Can you afford to pay global energy prices? SB 2274 is good for greedy energy corporations and Wall Street, but it will harm U.S. consumers and manufacturers. Please tell Congress “no” to energy exports and selling off our energy independence and our children’s future energy reserves.

Dave Garcia
Oroville

Thanks, city manager

I don’t know Brian Nakamura, but I am sorry to see him leave and want to thank him for leaving our city in much better shape than he found it. How often can that be said?

Nakamura ignored the old-boy tradition, ignored assurances that the budget was just fine and dandy, and wasted no time in making a dramatic turnaround. It took him only days to accomplish what others couldn’t in 20 years. Unfortunately, once he leaves, we worry the city will slowly return to its previous state if those responsible haven’t learned the hard lesson to manage within our means.

He has 30 days left. That would be more than enough to place him at the county offices in Oroville to clean up the planning department, help the police and fire departments, finally improve our Chico public schools that continue to decline, and then in his spare time go to Washington to get the troops out of Afghanistan, and he would still have two weeks left to pack before having to get to Rancho Cordova!

Brian, while others only made excuses, you had the courage to make changes. Good luck to you.

Michael P. Proctor
Chico

Editor’s note: Brian Nakamura’s resignation is effective immediately. He is no longer city manager. For more on this, see pages 4, 5, 10 and 11.

Words from a graduate

How will the [junior high] class of 2014 influence the world? Well, we are the future of this generation. We will grow up, get jobs and start families someday. The students in this class have so much creativity to help them along the way. I can only hope we will use it to our advantage.

This class will influence the world. We will be here for each other and recognize our own worth. To the world, we are priceless. You can’t put a price on a person. Each personality here will better a company, help out someone in need. These young faces will bring a smile to someone’s face.

As we move on to high school, we also leave middle school. It’s odd if you think about it. We’re moving from middle ground to a higher ground where more opportunities await us. What we can hope for in these moments is that when we get those opportunities, we take them and pursue them to their full extent. Good luck to the graduating class of 2014!

Georgia Sackett
Chico

Questions before hiring

Crime may be up. Crime may go down. We may need more police officers. Before acting on this issue, however, other questions to answer include: What is a typical police officer per-capita ratio of other towns like Chico? Does a higher ratio necessarily result in safer streets? What is the proportion of the budget that police require in other towns like Chico? The answer to that question may include the information that we need to reduce the amount we pay our police even more than the tiny bit they have agreed to so far.

I was a licensed contractor in Chico. I continuously operated a business that won national awards, with many employees for 40 years. In 2008, I survived a 50 percent pay cut. Most people can live comfortably in Chico on about $35,000 a year.

Charles Withuhn
Chico