Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 6-6-19 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, June 6, 2019 Editorial & Opinions
Serving “The World’s Fruit Basket” since 1891
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION
Show me a man (or woman) who never has made a mistake and I’ll be able to show you a person who has never made a decision of any kind or tried anything new!
Jon Earnest — Editor / Sports Juanita Adame — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.”
Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) “The Fifth Elephant”
Mid Valley Times will give readers expanded east county news offerings
This should be long resolved by the time
you read this piece, but I would like to make a
brief comment on the recent Fresno Grizzlies
flap over erroneously showing a picture of
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during a Memorial
Day salute at the ballpark in Fresno. Appar-
ently, the unfortunate event arose when a Griz-
zlies employee downloaded a tribute to Ronald
Reagan from the internet and, after watching
a portion of the video, assumed the entire piece had no problems. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
In this current politically-charged period it appears that simple human error cannot be forgotten, even after an appropriate mea culpa by team officials. Apparently, for a couple of corporate team sponsors an apology was not enough and they immediately suspend- ed their sponsorship. I have to wonder aloud if they or any of their people have ever made mistake. Snap decisions, more often than not, tend to bite one in the backside.
They will tell you that their decision was based on the implica- tion of racism.
We believe that it was strictly for political considerations and had nothing to do with the high dudgeon they profess at a simple mistake by a young man or woman. We are not in a position to pro- vide financial support to this baseball team which is a treasure to this Valley, but they sure as hell have our personal, spiritual and emotional support. Go Grizzlies, you’re bigger than petty complaints from small-minded individuals! The good news out of all of this is that the Grizzlies drew the biggest crowd of the season on May 31. That is a pretty good statement that the fans have spoken!
At this point, we have to make a segue from the small, basically insignificant local event to one playing out on the national stage which has far greater implications.
During recent years, we have been witnesses to an American justice system that is being stood on its head and subverted so badly by its practitioners that we find it difficult to understand the ratio- nale. It essentially has been corrupted by people who would use it for their own political ends.
In Chicago, one man goes to jail for filing a false police report while another — who just happens to be a connected Hollywood actor — doesn’t even get a slap on the wrist. In another case, this one in Washington with national implications, Robert Mueller stands up and says the was unable to prove the president innocent, and Congress and the media go wild. He must be impeached.
The very core of that statement is a direct affront to American jurisprudence.
One is assumed innocent and any form of law enforcement must, in a court of law, prove them guilty. We don’t know where this ap- proach came from but recently it has routinely been used recently. Initially, it was established by Democrats in Congress when Judge Brett Cavanaugh was asked to prove himself innocent of spurious claims. They were joined by a couple of Republicans.
One of those specious claims which Democrats accepted so unquestioningly was made by an attorney now facing more than 400 years in prison for other false allegations as well as theft and extortion. How’s that for a reliable source? That just happens to be the same guy whom CNN thought would be a great candidate for president on the Democratic ticket!
How really difficult is it for even the dumbest among us to real- ize, that it appears to be there are only about 50 Democrats in the House of Representatives plus at least one Republican (Justin Amash) fromMichiganwhoarebell-bentonimpeachment? Howhardisitto understand that one is innocent until proven guilty? Having to prove one’s innocence is akin to being forced to prove a negative which is virtually impossible. Lies, innuendo and hearsay make a formidable case against anything remotely approaching reality. Sad to say, those lies and innuendos are coming from professionals in the media and the body politic who once were held in high esteem. Not so much today!
The so-called Deep State obviously does exist and continues to look upon the people of this great country as the “smelly Walmart crowd” and the great unwashed. It’s my firm belief that the current Justice Department, led by Bill Barr, is on the verge of making the po- litical elite in this country realize that they have underestimated the voters. That silent majority rose up in 2016 and sent a strong message to those reprobates. We believe they will continue the purge in 2020!
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
Letters from readers
The word officially is out. The Mid Valley Times will publish its inaugural issue in less than a month.
As Fred Hall, our publisher, stated on Page A1, the Times will be a comprehensive news source combining the resources of The Exponent, The Dinuba Sentinel and The Sanger Herald. The merger of Mid Valley Publishing’s three weekly papers will feature front page stories from each city’s staff along with news and sports cover- age from each city.
It’s a natural move, given that the communities share many traits, not the least of which is family and friends who have deep connections with two or perhaps all three cit- ies. Reedley and Dinuba are a hand- ful of miles apart, and Sanger is a nearby neighbor and athletic rival. Personally, I have worked both here and in Sanger, and have es- tablished many work connections and friendships in the two cities and visit Dinuba often.
There are those who may think combining the papers will take away a direct hometown touch. It won’t. All three offices remain open for business as usual, and our Exponent staff remains at our G Street office.
You, the reader, will be receiv- ing more with your print and digital subscriptions. There will be added stories and commentary from our “sister” cities, with coverage that often will take a regional scope in addition to hometown.
An exciting addition is the new-
ly-designed website that’s meant to be more user friendly and offer the convenience of a paywall. This al- lows customers to use credit cards and other electronic forms of pay- ment, an issue some customers have brought up in the past.
The end result is more news, advertising, classified ads, le- gal notices, obituaries and crime logs. The plan is for you to be kept abreast of news in Dinuba and Sanger as well as here in Reedley. When possible, we’ll even try to cover stories of interest in Parlier and Orange Cove.
As always, we welcome story ideas and community news submis- sions, either copy of photo. And we welcome your feedback. Email me at jon@midvalleypublishing.com with questions or comments.
We’re looking forward to the coming days and the opportunity to bring more to our readers begin- ning Thursday, July 4.
•••
While we’ve been blessed with
an abundant year of rain in the San Joaquin Valley and snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, there’s the unfor- tunate case of too much of a good thing. At least when it comes to handling the snowmelt in the moun- tains and heavy water runoff from Pine Flat Reservoir.
It all came to a head on June 4 when Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims issued an order prohibiting all recreational use (swimming, boating, kayaking, etc.) on the Kings River. Combined with earlier closures of the river in
Tulare and Kings
counties, it means
you can’t take
a cooling – no,
make that chill-
ing — dip into the
river or take out
a boat or similar
watercraft. Not
that you’d want to
when it comes to
swimming, as hypothermia is a real possibility even with this week’s hot temperatures.
Reedley Beach has been closed, and will continue so until floodwa- ters recede. Currently, the current has crept onto portions of the park- ing lot. For now, Cricket Hollow Park remains open to picnic and play — just don’t go in the water.
The last time the Kings River was closed because of high river flows and flooding was 2017. It didn’t reopen for recreational use until late July. Let’s hope that scene isn’t replayed this summer.
•••
Having watched another year of
graduations at Reedley High School and Immanuel High School (along with Reedley College), it’s good to see another group of young people take steps closer toward becoming productive members of our soci- ety. Your futures look bright, and congratulations on your academic accomplishments.
For graduates and current stu- dents, enjoy the summer and stay safe. Get yourselves recharged for more challenges and life experi- ence in the fall.
Fred Hall
Jon Earnest
Medicare assists seniors to use opioids safely
A special Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a special occasion for remembering those who gave their precious life for our country.
All servicemen and women take the same solemn oath to support and defend our Constitu- tion, and to obey a lawful order, even if that order places them in harm’s way. Honoring those who make the ultimate sacrifice can be observed by respecting our national flag every day.
This year, the veteran’s casket flags were not displayed at the
Reedley Cemetery due to potential damage by the predicted rain. The casket flags are made from cotton muslin fabric and are very fragile.
The success of this year’s observance is due to voluntary efforts of many persons. How- ever, special mention needs to be directed to Teen Challenge, Reed- ley High School band and Reed- ley High Navy Junior ROTC, and the special efforts of the Reedley District Cemetery staff to pre- pare the grounds for the event.
Anthony Jewell American Legion Post 35, Reedley
By Greg Dill
Guest columnist
If you get injured or have surgery, your doctor may prescribe opioids, a class of drugs used to treat pain.
Although opioids can be an important part of treat- ment, they carry serious risks of addiction, abuse, and overdose, especially if used continuously. This is true even for seniors and other people with Medicare coverage.
While illicit use is part of the opioid epidemic, prescription opioids pro- vided by physicians can also be a problem when not used carefully. Since Medi- care pays for a significant amount of prescription opi- oids, we strive to ensure ap- propriate stewardship of these medications that can provide a medical benefit but also pose risks.
That’s why Medicare has developed new policies for Medicare prescription drug (Part D) plans, doc- tors, and pharmacists to help you use opioids safely. Medicare is also using new drug-management pro-
grams to look for poten- tially high-risk opioid use.
The new policies aren’t “one size fits all.” Instead, they’re tailored for dif- ferent types of Medicare prescription opioid users. These policies don’t apply to people living in hospices or long-term care facilities, receiving palliative or end- of-life care, or being treat- ed for active cancer-related pain.
When a prescription is filled, Medicare drug plans perform additional safety checks and may send phar- macies an alert to monitor the safe use of opioids and certain other medications.
Safety checks may cov- er situations like:
• Possible unsafe amounts of opioids. The pharmacist or Medicare drug plan may need to more closely review a prescription with the prescribing doctor if a patient has one or more opioid prescriptions that total more than a certain amount.
• First prescription fills for opioids. These may be limited to a 7-day sup- ply or less for acute pain if a patient hasn’t recently taken opioids (like within
the past 60 days). This safety check applies only to new users of prescrip- tion opioids.
• Use of opioids with benzodiazepines. Benzo- diazepines are a class of drugs commonly used for anxiety and sleeplessness, which can be dangerous when taken in combina- tion.
If a prescription can’t be filled as written, the pharmacist will provide a notice explaining how the patient or doctor can con- tact the Medicare drug plan to ask for a coverage deter- mination (the first cover- age decision made by the Medicare drug plan). The patient or doctor also can ask the plan for an excep- tion to its rules before the patient goes to the pharma- cy, so they know whether or not the prescription will be covered.
If a beneficiary gets opioids from multiple doc- tors or pharmacies, the beneficiary may need to receive their medications from specific doctors or pharmacies to ensure ap- propriate care coordina- tion. The plan will send the
beneficiary a letter if it will limit their access to these medications under its drug management program. If so, the beneficiary and his or her doctor have the right to appeal.
Medicare’s new opioid policies encourage collabo- ration and care coordina- tion among Medicare Part D drug plans, pharmacies, prescribers, and patients in order to improve opioid management, prevent mis- use, and promote safer pre- scribing practices.
Medicare is committed to addressing the opioid cri- sis and helping our benefi- ciaries use prescription opi- oid pain medications safely. More information about safety checks and drug management programs is available on Medicare.gov at Medicare drug plan cov- erage rules.
Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Ne- vada, Hawaii, and the Pa- cific Territories. You can get answers to your Medicare questions by visiting www. Medicare.gov or calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227).
Letters Policy
THE REEDLEY EXPONENT invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should
be 300 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed (jon@midvalleypublishing.com), submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
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Weigh in. Let your voice be heard.
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jon@midvalleypublishing.com