Letters for May 17, 2012

Confederacy of Dunces

Re “Herger’s hot seat” (Newslines, by Ken Smith, May 10):

Last year I retired as a professor of political science in Louisiana and my wife and I moved to Paradise. Having spent some 20-plus years watching the carnival that passes for politics in the Bayou State, I was looking forward to a serious discussion of public policy in the upcoming California elections.

After reading the summary of the “debate” by District 1 candidates for U.S. Congress in the Chico City Council chambers, I can only conclude that California Republicans (at least the candidates at the “debate") have joined the Confederacy of Dunces.

Qualifications for this club include but are not limited to a patronizing and essentially meaningless patriotism, a general lack of understanding of the nature and purpose of both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, a dismissal of science on the grounds that it is “un-Godly” in some sense, and a total lack of understanding of what the American government can legitimately do to “provide for the general welfare.”

The only candidate who made any sense was Jim Reed. Mr. Reed is a Democrat. I am a registered Republican. I will vote for Mr. Reed.

Alex Aichinger
Paradise

Ixnay on A

We are less than a month away from the June 5 primary, and one of the most controversial issues on the ballot in Butte County is Measure A. The initiative would limit where and how much medical cannabis can be grown in Butte County.

Our county would be better served if our supervisors could find the wisdom to quit throwing money down the war-on-drugs rathole. I want more music programs, more library hours, improvement of the general welfare. This is not what we get when we traipse down the path of prohibition.

I encourage our supervisors to spend some time drafting a letter to send upstream recommending the complete legalization of cannabis. This is the only way out of the box canyon, Tonto. The utopian dream of a drug-free world has had enough time and money devoted to it. The results are in; prohibition is not the path. That would mean NO on A.

Jay Bergstrom
Forest Ranch

Value of a vote

Re “Schindelbeck misleads” (Letters, by Karen Laslo, May 10) and “Hot under the collar” (Newslines, by Tom Gascoyne, May 3):

It’s good to see that Karen still gets off on reading her name in the paper and being extra good at being a “progressive liberal-machine-generated mouthpiece.” After reading her so-called facts, she obviously flunked her civics class all nine years of her high school career. As for Tom, he’s the best boot-lickin’ sleight-of-hand journalist this side of the Sacramento River. He can shoot those truthful facts dead with both eyes closed while his brain is in neutral.

For those who want the truth, budgets are approved by the City Council. It was Scott Gruendl who signed the MOU to boost the police and fire-protection employees’ salaries and pensions that have now caused the serious city deficits. The fire chief reacted to having his department’s budget being cut by the council who caused the mess in the first place, and Toby reminded your readership that the community doesn’t need a $60,000 a year, with benefits, arts director who, like Karen says, does nothing! That money should go to the Fire Department. Ah, but what’s a vote worth these days, $60,000?

Rick Clements
Chico

Bob’s the man

Re “Religious eviction?” (Newslines, by Vic Cantu, May 3):

Brother Bob Taylor was one of the first black men I met when I arrived in Chico. I was invited to his house. It was a gathering of interesting people, and I felt very welcome. Brother Bob is a very quiet man, intellectually strong, and has a quiet presence.

People ask me why I don’t get so involved with the cultural scene in Chico. Perhaps I don’t want to be evicted from my home because a landlord perceives me as a strange artist. Great place to live part-time, but I prefer San Francisco and my studio there. Why do I continue to live here? It is quite simple—economics.

Jerry Harris
San Francisco/Chico

Say it ain’t so

Doug LaMalfa and Sam Aanestad, both congressional candidates, took California taxpayers for a free ride—literally.

Dave Palmer, watchdog at noethics.net, investigated a perk giving legislators a state-subsidized vehicle upon request. Taxpayers pick up 90 percent of the monthly bill.

According to Palmer, “Shortly after assuming office in Dec. 2002, Doug LaMalfa was of the opinion that he was entitled to hose the public by ordering a 2003 Mustang Mach 1 at a cost to the public of $28,957. … From 2003 through 2008, it cost the taxpayers of California $65,584 to provide Doug LaMalfa with a “muscle car” to allegedly serve the best interests of his constituents.”

Aanestad has a similar horror story. Sam purchased a 2003 Ford Expedition for $45,393.91 and Chrysler 300M in 2007 for $43,780.70.

Palmer says, “From 2003 through 2008 the taxpayers were hosed to the tune of $165,286 to provide ol’ Sam with luxury rides of his choosing. This comes out to a yearly average of $27,048 a year.”

Please, gentlemen, say it ain’t so.

Donna Caldwell
Cottonwood

No, no, RayRay

RayRay Gallery has lost Dylan Telleson as one of its directors. He’s already missed!

Last month the gallery launched the annual “Real Erotic Art” show, under new directors and location, with no press coverage. It failed miserably to allow many art patrons the chance to view some good erotica, since the show was up for a mere two nights. (Shows normally run one month.)

Upon my trying to deliver my work for submission, I found the door wide open, assuming there was art work there unattended. I returned later to find the door locked, with notes from artists as to what was up. Red flag!? Ya think!? Finally an hour passed and I received a call informing me that someone was there to receive art.

The night of the opening I discovered the title of my work was missing a word. I immediately inked it in. Works were to be done in 2012. I saw a piece that was executed in 2008. Hmm! Viewers were charged $10 to attend each night. Ker-ching!

What happened to free viewing?! If they rent space from a comedy club, they might just end up the laughing stock of Chico. Lessons learned.

Esteban Ismael Duran
Chico

Militarized America

Re “Safeway at it again” (The Greenhouse, by Christine G.K. LaPado, May 10):

There are many ways to measure how militarized (privileging everything military as though it was normal behavior) U.S. society is; camo clothes, Bush/Obama/ Seal Team military dolls, “khaki elections” (i.e., a bias for candidates with military “experience"), Star Wars-shaped soup noodles, requiring military recruiters be given access to high school student records, etc.

Christine LaPado’s report on Safeway’s privileging only veterans, Boy/Girl Scouts to solicit funds in front of their stores only adds to the list. As a general (Eagle Scout) in the paramilitary, homophobic Boy Scouts, and committed to equal treatment for all, I object. Fortunately, there are shopping alternatives.

Beau Grosscup
Cohasset

Editor’s note: In fairness, we note that the decision to give the boot to the kids from Rose Scott School was one assistant manager’s, and the Mangrove Safeway’s manager has since apologized and invited the school back to the store.

Who needs music?

Re “When the music ends” (From This Corner, by Robert Speer, May 10):

I must take issue with all this whining about the loss of music curriculum in the schools. Your editor’s bewailing our implied status as “civilized” couldn’t be more laughable. After all, who says civilization requires music, or any other form of art, in order to be “civilized"?

I presume that your readers have long since awoken to the fact that we are primarily a war-and-conflict-based civilization whose great achievement is the suppression and/or assimilation of lesser, weaker civilizations.

What practical purpose does music curriculum serve, anyway? To ensure that the moderately creative, moderately capable will wind up in dead-end jobs with no health benefits for lack of practical job skills in an ever more competitive job market? Big brass drums, coronets and trombones? What use do we have for these things? Think about it: We only need one fat lady to sing.

Randy Abbott
Chico

Eat veggies, lose weight

The number of Americans considered obese is expected to rise from the current 34 percent to 42 percent by the year 2030, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease and other obesity-related ailments account for countless premature deaths and as much as 18 percent of the $2.6 trillion national cost of medical care.

The leading causes of obesity are consumption of fat-laden meat and dairy products and lack of exercise. This is particularly critical during childhood years, when lifestyle habits become lifelong addictions.

A five-year Oxford University study of 22,000 people, published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2006, found that those on a vegetarian or vegan diet gained the least weight. A review of 87 studies in Nutrition Reviews concluded that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.

The time has come to replace meat and dairy products in our diet with wholesome grains, vegetables and fruits and to undertake a regular exercise program. Parents should insist on healthy school lunch choices and set a good example at their own dinner table.

Debra Spate
Chico

Corrections

In last week’s Newslines report, “Big ‘ifs’ in Biggs,” author Robert Speer, having misread an email chain, mistakenly attributed the authorship of an email message quoted in the story to Tammie Loftin, president of the Biggs Unified Teachers Association. Christianne Langford, a teacher in the district, wrote the email message.

Also, Christine G.K. LaPado’s report in her column, The Greenhouse, on the Mangrove Safeway’s refusal—or, rather, it’s assistant manager’s refusal—to allow children from the Rose Scott School to sell raffle tickets there, gave the wrong name for the store that did allow them to do so: It was Hello Beautiful, not Woman Beautiful.

The errors have been corrected online.—ed.