Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 1-14-21 E-edition

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 Upcoming four years is
worthy of a witty quote
Now's the opportunity to throw your support behind Tom Flores
Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
Thursday, January 14, 2021 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Perhaps one of the most entertain- ing light reads anyone can do these days is the collective quotes of one John Kennedy. This Kennedy is not a member of the famous — or infamous — Kennedy political clan. Actually, most of you know him better as Loui- siana Sen. John Kennedy, who has a delightful Southern drawl with which he delivers his witty proclamations.
It's been a bone of con- tention for Sanger residents, Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Ve- gas Raiders fans — a combi- nation of both, for that matter — and many pro football fans as to why hometown Sanger native Tom Flores isn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After all, he's one of the se- lect few who coached an NFL team to multiple Super Bowl titles and he's also a pionee in the fact he's the first La- tino head coach of an NFL franchise. He's also a win- ner, having collected a Super Bowl ring as a player, assis- tant coach and head coach.
Once again, Flores was re- cently announced as a finalist for the 2021 class of induct- ees, after painfully falling short with Hall of Fame vot- ers his previous two finalist nominations. It's perhaps his final opportunity to make the football shrine in Canton, Ohio. That's why we all have to be delightfully surprised when a beer company — Mol- son Coors — last week threw its weight into a publicity and sales promotion that will give a little extra nudge for "The Iceman" and his Hall push.
First off, Flores is get- ting his face on to a limited- edition can, pictured along- side the "iconic" Coors Light mountains. It's a win-win for Tom, who added in the news release from the company that Coors Light has been his longtime beer of choice.
But here's the best part, at least for all you Flores and Raiders fans above the age of 21. Now through Sat- urday, Feb. 6 (when the Hall of Fame votes will be an- nounced), you can visit the company's website at "Co- orsLight.com/Iceman" to sign a petition of support for Flores' candidacy. According to the website, "Coors Light has vowed to display the list of petitioners onto a mobile billboard in Canton, Ohio on the day of the vote." Officials said that once on the website, you also can claim a Coors Light six pack in the form of a rebate if you so choose.
It certainly was cool to see the ads play while watch- ing the NFL playoffs this past weekend. To see Flores sprawled out in a lounge chair and shrugging after the voice-over states "“Meet
football legend
Tom Flores,
AKA ‘The Ice-
man,' AKA the
first Latino quarterback
and head coach
ever, AKA
four-time champ, AKA, why isn’t he in The Hall yet?” Af- terwards, he pops the top off his custom-designed beer can as the web address is shown.
Sure, it's not an official vote to help put Sanger's and the Valley's favorite Raider into the Hall, but it's a chance to give those with the power an opportunity to see his pop- ularity. We'll know by Feb. 6 if the publicity push was suc- cessful.
Go online, cast your vote and perhaps even support Tom with a cold one. I'm sure those treasured cans certain- ly will be collector's items in this part of Raider Nation.
Best of luck, Coach!
Jon Earnest is news and sports editor for The Times.
Fred Hall
QUOTE
“In our civiliza- tion, and under our republican form of govern- ment, intelli- gence is so highly honored that it is rewarded by ex- emption from the cares of office.”
— Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), The Devil's Dictionary
Jon Earnest
Given the results of the last presidential general elec- tion which saw America “cast” a record number of bal- lots — many of which were suspect and controversial — for a man whose cognitive abilities are seriously in doubt by almost everyone; and now the election of two senators from Georgia via a similarly clouded pricess amounts to a government takeover. Neither one of these men possesses a resume that would indicate they are capable of serving. We believe it's an appropriate time for a Kennedy quote.
Kennedy recently stated that “There really isn't any- thing to worry about over the next four years unless you are a taxpayer, parent, gun owner, policeman, per- son of faith or an unborn baby.” Especially now that all three branches of the government are in the hands of a Democratic Party which has moved so far left that your grandparents would not recognize them. This is a long way from John F. Kennedy, who famously averred that a rising tide lefts all boats. That, combined with his desire to cut taxes, is a foreign concept to today's college-educated Democrat.
This current bunch is hell-bent on destroying capital- ism and getting as many Americans on the “public dole” as possible. They view government dependent voters as theirs...much as they did the Black vote all these years.
Expect our borders to be flung wide open, the welfare locations of Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico becoming states, tens of millions of illegal aliens becoming citizens and an attempt to “pack” the Supreme Court. Last time that action on the court occurred was under the Demo- crat deity, Franklin Roosevelt.
As far as illegals go, Alexandra Ocasio-Ortez recently lamented that “we treat the illegals like second class citizens.” Well, Duh! They are not citizens at all. They broke this country's laws by coming here illegally in the first place. They cut in front of people trying to do it the right way, and we see no way anyone can defend that process as being fair. Joe Biden has already promised them citizenship. No wonder California has become one of the most welfare dependent states in America.
Either we are a nation of laws and borders, or we are not a nation at all. Frankly, over recent years the judicial system has eroded our legal system and set up a two tier system of enforcement. Back in 2016, we saw the Justice Department, the Internal Revenue System and the various “intelligence” agencies attempt to influence an election. I still haven't seen anyone in that caper pros- ecuted for their identifiable crimes. Most have wound up as on-air personalities at CNN or MSNBC.
If one has any doubt about that, just see how the law was enforced during last summer's burning, assault and looting. We were even told, at one point in New York with police cars being destroyed, that the blatant theft of a Gucci handbag was a form of reparations for racial discrimination which occurred more than a century ago.
Just a brief note on the demonstration that occurred last week at the House of Representatives in Washing- ton. There is no way to justify the destructive actions of the bad actors. However, the media almost lost their minds over it while completely trying to justify last sum- mer's riots, which is unacceptable. Frankly, I'm more than a little bit tired of hearing everything surrounding Donald Trump as “worse than Watergate.” Thank you CNN and Carl Bernstein!
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
Go see your doctor — but wear a mask!
By Kenneth E. Thorpe
Guest columnist
Millions of Americans have postponed lifesaving screen- ings and other preventative care due to COVID-19.
Doctors performed 67 per- cent fewer mammograms, con- ducted almost 72 percent fewer colonoscopies, and administered 22 percent fewer childhood vac- cines in March and April than in January and February 2020, before the pandemic began. And while the total number of doctor's visits and screenings rebounded somewhat this sum- mer and fall, they're still not back to pre-pandemic levels in many areas.
In early 2020, patients' fears of catching COVID-19 at doc- tor's offices and hospitals were understandable. But we've learned a lot since then.
Today, it's clear that fore- going care is usually coun- terproductive. It's incumbent upon politicians and the public health community to encourage and enable Americans to once again visit the doctor, so long as proper precautions are taken.
Diagnosing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions early can
make the difference between life and death. That's why the drop in screenings is so dis- concerting. Outpatient visits — like wellness checkups, CT scans, and ultrasound imaging — declined nearly 60 percent between mid-February and early April of this year.
Some Americans are so leery of Covid-19 that they're even forgoing emergency care, with fatal consequences. In March and April, the total num- ber of emergency room visits declined more than 40 percent compared to the same period last year.
Skipping doctor's visits al- so hurts patients who already know they're sick. A majority of doctors' appointments lead to either new prescriptions, prescription refills, or check- ins regarding a prescription.
When Americans don't go to the doctor, it's tougher to ensure they're getting the right medication at the right time. In April 2020, Americans' use of statins — which help treat and prevent heart disease — and diabetes medications dropped 8.1 percent and 6.6 percent year-over-year, respectively. This drop is concerning, be- cause drugs are some of our
most powerful tools to manage chronic disease.
Prescription nonadherence rates already fluctuated be- tween 40 and 50 percent for most chronic disease patient groups, even before the pan- demic. And nonadherence fre- quently leads to serious — and expensive — health complica- tions. In fact, it causes roughly 125,000 deaths annually and one in 10 hospitalizations, and swells U.S. healthcare spend- ing by nearly $300 billion a year.
Fortunately, it's not too late to soften the blow. Politicians and policy experts need to level with the public and explain that, yes, COVID-19 is dangerous -- but so are cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Politicians, in particular, can pursue reforms making it easier and cheaper for people to visit the doctor and take their medications.
It's time to send a clear mes- sage to patients — go back to the doctor, refill that prescrip- tion, and schedule that opera- tion. Just put on a mask first.
Kenneth E. Thorpe is a pro- fessor of health policy at Emory University and chairman of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.