Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 8:1:19 E-edition

Thursday, August 1, 2019 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
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 Conditions are far from
golden in 'Golden State'
How the mighty have fallen! It gives one a strange feeling to sit down and begin to write that which is best considered a requiem for a title holder, literally a giant among its peers, which has fallen on hard times essentially via self-destructive misadventures and so- cial experimentation.
Random thoughts about water, Jesus and grand juries
Rick Curiel — Dinuba Editor Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Sanger Editor
QUOTE
“Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.”
— Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Little more than a half-century ago,
California was considered the Golden
State; the land of opportunity; the place to be and where everyone wanted to come live the good life. Contrast that bright, optimistic outlook with that which has become real- ity today on the streets of our cities. We're the number one state in the union in terms of poverty and homelessness.
We have witnessed a return of hordes of rats and diseases from the middle ages that were once consid- ered to have been eradicated. Urination and defecation in public spaces is swept into the gutters and flows di- rectly into our oceans. The fecal content of the water on our beaches is considered dangerous for human contact — and yet our governor goes to South America to study their homelessness and poverty problem!
“The Golden State” is currently experiencing a mass exodus, primarily by the middle class, because the cost of living seems to be growing exponentially. Average working individuals can no longer afford to live here! The cost of housing is out of reach of most people, and yet, every time our legislation passes a new law or re- quirement it adds to that cost. Utility costs are the high- est in the nation and yet Sacramento is moving forward with their all electric movement to eliminate competi- tion from natural gas. How much do you expect it will cost a resident to change all the gas appliances in their home over to electricity?
I spoke recently with someone who had recently re- turned from a trip to Texas where the price of gasoline is about $1.25 per gallon cheaper than here in California. Yet, the voters of our state were recently conned into approving another gas tax increase with no real guide- lines as to how it must be spent. My bet is much of that increase will find its way into the pockets of the gang at High Speed Rail who are currently blowing through astronomical amounts of money.
Think it can't get any worse? Think again! All these pie-in-the-sky giveaways currently being proposed by our governor and his rubber stamp Democratic legisla- ture have to paid for by someone and that someone is us. Health care for everyone, including illegal immigrants, will blow holes in an already extravagant state budget. Add in escalating educational costs for an increasing number of English as Second Language students and burgeoning welfare rolls, and one gets some sense of just where it all is headed. There are no free lunches!
Ultimately, someone has to pick up the tab and the gang that operates out of Sacramento is making sure that it is us.
We can only hope and pray for a changing face on pol- itics in California, but, in lieu or such a phenomenon but all indications of such a future are somewhat sketchy. There must be a dynamic change in voter profile, but the following study lends little promise to such an oc- currence.
We continue to hear that the path from poverty to the middle class and upward is the receipt of a good educa- tion. Yet, according to the most recent survey conducted by the WalletHub Group which identified the top 10 cities in the United States in terms of education as well as the bottom 10, it paints an ugly truth about the Central Valley. Six of the worst educated towns are right here in the Val- ley. Those include Fresno, Stockton, Salinas, Modesto, Ba- kersfield and Visalia. Others in that group include McAl- len and Brownsville in South Texas. Go figure!
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
Fred Hall
By Dick Sheppard
Did you know that Sanger has a problem with clean, af- fordable drinking water?
Me neither.
Last week TV talking heads all over the state — some of the heads almost as well-coifed as the governor’s — read press releases lauding the governor for coming all the way to Sanger to sign his clean and affordable drinking water bill. That, along with a press release from state Sen. Melissa Hurtado’s office that said, “Growing up in the City of Sanger, I, along with my family and friends, encoun- tered firsthand the challeng- es of limited availability to clean and affordable drinking water,” created a very wrong impression of Sanger and its drinking water situation.
To set the record straight, Sanger has had clean, afford- able drinking water since way before the senator was born and the governor did not sign anything in Sanger. That cer- emonial photo op took place in a small, dusty, unincorporated area called “Tombstone.” (No, I don't know why it's called Tombstone.)
I believe Sanger’s drinking water status was slandered probably because senator Hurtado was on vacation and not available to vet propagan- da coming out of Sacramento, even from her own office. So, someone just filled in a tem- plate that fit the governor’s photo op du jour.
No more vacations, senator.
How about a clean water taste test, Sanger water ver- sus whatever they're drinking these days in Sacramento?
•••
Speaking of vetting, which
means to make a prior exami- nation and critical appraisal of something before putting a stamp of approval on it, the Sanger Community Task Force (SCTF), in my opinion, could do a better job of it.
I have great respect for the task force, pastor Sam Estes who presides at its meetings and Cheryl Senn, the group's secretary.
However, a flyer promot- ing an “Interfaith Breakfast” emailed to SCTF members bothered me on many levels when I looked closely and saw it was advocating taking sides in a labor/management dispute.
The message at the bottom of the flyer is so pro union it appears intended to make us believe Jesus was a card carrying union member, "We will break bread together and learn more about how we can bring our communities into this holy work." The "holy work" it's talking about is sup- porting a union cause.
Really? I might have ex- pected something like that in the Bay Area, but not here in the Valley.
Estes's email response when I questioned the ap- propriateness of emailing the flyer without a disclaimer, "It has always been the purpose of the SCTF to work collabor- atively to make our commu- nity a better place. When peo- ple of faith work with people of good will we can and have helped a community to work better together. There are ma- ny different people that have attended and presented at the SCTF. Giving them a place to share what they are doing in
our commu- nity does not mean that we endorse their agenda."
I guess that
part about
not endorsing
“their agenda”
is supposed to be understood.
Maybe Estes's response wasakindofsortofadis- claimer. Maybe not.
Can't help wondering though what kind of vetting process would have taken place if the flyer had promot- ed a meeting of a pro manage- ment group of agnostics.
•••
The only thing Sanger’s four
grand jury investigations has accomplished, in my opinion, is to teach Sanger’s politicians and career bureaucrats not to wor- ry about criticism, even from a civil grand jury. Sanger's “con- cerned citizens” apparently have yet to learn that lesson. Action brings change. Criticism does not, no matter how emo- tionally satisfying it may be to vent at city council meetings.
The November 2020 elec- tion brings with it a unique op- portunity for change because three of the controversial city manager’s apparently stron- gest supporters will be on the ballot: mayor Frank Gonzalez; Esmeralda Hurtado, District 1; and mayor pro tem Daniel Martinez, District 3.
Concerned citizens might consider: 1. putting together a slate of candidates to oppose the incumbents; and 2. be- ing very careful what kind of change they wish for.
Sanger editor Dick Shep- pard can be contacted by email at sangerherald@gmail.com.
Dick Sheppard
Being safe on the river — it's up to you
For a second straight week- end, there was a scary report at Reedley Beach of a possible drowning involving children. Thankfully, no one was severely injured — and more important- ly, no one drowned.
These incidents have led some on social media to push for having a lifeguard posted at Reedley Beach, for decades a popular recreation spot for swimmers and picnickers. One or two even have suggested again closing the river. But there's not a need for any dras- tic measures, merely a need to show discipline and good judg- ment going out into the water.
Based on the two most re- cent reports of close calls on
the river, discipline and good judgment weren't on display. Number one, children should be closely monitored by the adults they have come with to the riv- er. In both instances, groups of children of a variety of ages — even under 5 years of age, were out past knee-high water.
As for hiring lifeguards, it's not a plausible solution. The actual wading and swimming area is relatively concentrated, and easily should be watched by adults paying attention to supervising their children or younger family members.
The other recent trend has been bringing alcohol into the park; an activity prohibited by the city. Check out the police log
on Page A3 and
A5, and you'll see
that 10 citations
were issued dur-
ing the weekend
— nine on Sun-
day alone — for
possessing alco-
hol on site. Past
instances of adult drownings on the river more often than not have had alcohol involved.
The bottom line is, treat the river like the ocean. Wading in deeper than waist-high level isn't the best idea unless you're an advanced swimmer. The idea merely is to cool off on hot summer days.
Jon Earnest is the Reedley editor for The Times.
Jon Earnest