Page 4 - Reedley Expodent 12-21-17 e-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, December 21, 2017 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
Jon Earnest — Editor
Chris Aguirre — Sports Editor Felicia Cousart Matlosz — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
The joyous thrall that falls across the world each Christmas season is best epitomized by the glow that emanates from two beautiful sources; one of those being the colorful aura from all the exceptionally beautiful elec- trically lit displays of lights. As lovely as that can be in eliciting joy from children or the elderly, it finishes a distant second com- pared with the anticipation of a visit from Santa when that child exists mainly on exaggerated hope. Such is the beautiful world of a child!
There is nothing comparative to a laugh that can best be stated as akin to the water of a warm spring afternoon gently tumbling and polishing the river rock. Ev- eryone knows that sound of a de- lighted child but is hard-pressed to definitively describe those warm, happy sounds.
This seemed to be an appro- priate time to mention the deep- ly held hopes and joy that are stretched to the limits each and every day just to keep so many local families fed and sheltered. The California economy is so deeply bifurcated that, under current circumstances, we have such a wide and varied disper- sal of capital that one county here in the Golden State can be one of the wealthiest in terms of consumer spendable income. Fifty miles away—in another county—one may find economic deprivation.
That’s a formula for disas- ter. Cost of living standards are established by those of higher income and a way of living is forced upon the less fortunate who will never have a real op- portunity to compete in such an unbalanced economic structure.
The reality is far different in many parts of The United States and throughout the rest of the world. California is being touted by her governor and state politi- cians as having one of the largest economies in the world but, ac- cording to WalletHub, the polling organization, there is a far dif- ferent situation when examined closely. It seems that the seventh neediest city in America is Fres- no, followed closely by number eight, Los Angeles.
I didn’t have the pleasure of growing up here in California, but many of my rela- tives did experience the joy of being a
A year after his death, the word death best describes Fidel Castro’s legacy
not, fact.
Cass Rodriguez Reedley
Fred Hall
Editor’s note: This is a shorter ver- sion of this article first appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
By Paul Kengor
Guest columnist
Last month — Nov. 25, to be pre- cise — marked the first anniversary of the death of Fidel Castro, our hemi- sphere’s worst dictator for a half centu- ry. When we remember Castro’s death, we should remember him for just that: death.
Expressing the depths of Fidel’s destruction is impossible in a short article. But among the corpses under his despotism were the thousands who perished while trying to escape his island-prison by swimming nearly 100 miles to American shores.
A testimony to that desperation was recently provided to my students at Grove City College by a Cuban citi- zen, who I must leave nameless. In describing her citizens’ surreal lives under totalitarian communism, she noted that only recently have Cubans been allowed to visit their beautiful beaches, and even then only under strict surveillance. That’s a stunning thought for a country literally sur- rounded by beaches. And yet, Cubans are banned from their beaches because their government fears they’ll dash into the deep water and start paddling profusely for freedom — swimming all the way for Florida.
Imagine that. Try to conceive the utter despair. Try to wrap your mind around the cruelty of a government not even letting its suffering citizens escape—a regime so repressive that it will not dare avert its gaze for a mo- ment lest its people attempt the physi- cally unimaginable in the agonizing hopes of dashing from this Marxist police state.
We already know that Cuba is a bizarre island without boats. Look at satellite images of Cuba. No boats! There’s also no fishing industry, and people don’t have the luxury of eating
fish. (They largely eat chicken, pork, rice, beans.) Why no boats? Who no fishermen? Because fishermen bolt the first chance they get — just like swimmers.
For the record, how many people have attempted the swim since Castro took over in 1959? It’s difficult to say. In 1999, the Harvard University Press classic, “The Black Book of Commu- nism,” estimated that some 100,000 Cubans had risked the treacherous journey. Of those, perhaps as many as 30,000 to 40,000 died from drowning. As those in the sea bob for breath, the government on occasion has employed the resources of the state to sink them, dropping large bags of sand at them from helicopters hovering above.
Yes, actually dropping sandbags.
As we consider the tens of thou- sands who’ve drowned, compare it to another glaring number: zero. That’s the total number of Americans who have attempted the swim to Cuba, in- cluding all those merry liberals raving about the wondrous “free” education and healthcare awaiting humanity in the Castro collectivist utopia.
Bill Bennett, Ronald Reagan’s sec- retary of education, speaks of “the gates test.” To wit: when a nation opens its gates, in which direction does hu- manity flow? Well, when the United States leaves its borders unchecked, the refugees stream in. In the com- munist world, the apparatchiks had to build a wall in Berlin to keep the cap- tives contained. In Cuba, they can’t even visit their beaches. I imagine the communists in Cuba would earnestly have followed the example of their old comrades in East Germany and built a wall around the beaches — if they could afford it.
Aside from those who drowned, how many others died under Fidel Castro?
Those numbers likewise run into
the thousands. There were the more traditional Marxist methods: bullet to the head, deprivation, succumbing to inhumane prison conditions. The numbers vary, but the range of dead from those means is typically between 10,000 and 20,000, whether victims of long-term imprisonment or outright execution by bullets.
Fidel’s onetime executioner-in- chief, Che Guevara, today an icon to profoundly ignorant college students who sport the cruel psychopath on their t-shirts, is estimated to have overseen as many as 2,000 executions (some of which he personally performed) dur- ing the brief period he ran Fidel’s ex- ecution pit at the La Cabana concentra- tion camp. Beyond Che’s “bloodthirsty” (he charmingly used that word to de- scribe himself in a letter to his wife) achievement, many more Cubans were liquidated by other state assassins. In all, most credible estimates place the total dead somewhere between 15,000 to 18,000. That’s a lot of people for a ti- ny island. And again, it doesn’t include those who drowned while attempting an incredible swim.
The late professor R. J. Rummel, an expert on the sordid subject of death by government, estimates that from 1959-1987 alone, the grand total of cadavers produced by Fidel ranged from 35,000 to as high as 141,000. How’s that for a resume? Actually, for a communist leader, it’s pretty typical.
As we pause to remember Fidel Castro just past the one-year anniver- sary of his demise, let us remember him for what he achieved the most: tyranny, repression, and death.
Paul Kengor is professor of political science and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City (Pa.) College. His latest book (April 2017) is “A Pope and a Presi- dent: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century.”
Jon Earnest’s column will return next week.
QUOTE
“Committee — a group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group decide that nothing can be done.”
— Fred Allen (1894-1956)
neighbor to many of you who were locally grown. My experi- ence has been limited to about 25 years when my family members were graciously welcomed into the beautiful Central Valley.
Unfortunately, the number one subject starter at most fam- ily Christmas gatherings will be the consideration and need for significant moisture, which will be first required if this rich Val- ley fulfills its promises of abun- dance for those who toil in her soils. Every single year a virtual handful of family farms shoulder the load of helping feed the ever increasing numbers of families.
I’ve never been called a go- to person when anyone was seek- ing career guidance or other in- formation. Frankly, when I was first made aware of the fact that there was a reality television show which was entitled “Iyanla” about a life coach, I had no idea there was a job opening for a life coach. My advice this Christ- mas, and every ensuing holiday. would be to simplify your life while reaching out to others with needs and offer them help when possible. That’s a can’t fail for- mula.
Spend as much time as pos- sible with the generations that comprise your own family and reach out to older friends and neighbors with a small act of kindness. A kind word, thought ordeedcangoalongwayto brighten someone else’s dark- ness and costs nothing beyond the kindness with which it is de- livered. Merry Christmas and the happiest of new years to each and everyone of you!
Now, that should not be the opinion of only one man.
Here’s what your Medicare costs will be in 2018
Letters from readers
By Greg Dill
Guest columnist
How much will your Medicare cost in the com- ing year? The numbers just came out, so let’s go over them.
We’ll start with the Medicare Part B premium. Part B covers doctor servic- es, outpatient hospital ser- vices, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items.
The standard monthly premium for people with Part B will be $134 for 2018, the same amount as in 2017.
Under the law, people with Part B pay 25 percent of the costs of running the program, with the govern- ment picking up 75 percent.
A statutory “hold harm- less” provision applies each year to about 70 percent of Part B enrollees. For these enrollees, any increase in Part B premiums must be lower than any cost-of-liv- ing increase in their Social Security benefits.
After several years of no or very small increases, Social Security benefits will increase by 2 percent in 2018 due to a cost-of-liv- ing adjustment. Therefore, some beneficiaries who were held harmless against Part B premium increases
in prior years will see a higher premium in 2018.
Part B enrollees held harmless in 2016 and 2017 will see an increase in their Part B premiums from the roughly $109, on average, they paid in 2017. An esti- mated 42 percent of Part B enrollees are subject to the hold harmless provision in 2018 but will pay the full premium of $134, because the increase in their Social Security benefit will be greater than or equal to an increase in their Part B pre- miums up to the full 2018 amount.
About 28 percent of Part B enrollees are subject to the hold harmless provi- sion in 2018 but will pay less than the full $134 premium. That’s because the increase in their Social Security ben- efit isn’t big enough to cov- er the full Part B premium increase.
The remaining 30 per- cent of Part B enrollees aren’t subject to the hold harmless provision and will pay the full $134 per month in 2018. This group includes beneficiaries who don’t re- ceive Social Security ben- efits; enroll in Part B for the first time in 2018; are directly billed for their Part B premium; are eligible for
both Medicare and Medic- aid and have their premi- ums paid by state Medicaid agencies; and pay higher premiums because their in- comes are higher.
Since 2007, beneficia- ries with higher incomes have paid higher Part B premiums. These higher premiums apply to about 5 percent of people with Part B.
For a chart showing premiums at higher in- come levels, go to: https:// www.cms.gov/Newsroom/ MediaReleaseDatabase/ Fact-sheets/2017-Fact-Sheet- items/2017-11-17.html
The annual deductible for Part B will be $183 in 2018, the same amount as in 2017.
Now let’s take a look at Medicare Part A, which covers inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing servic- es, and some home health services.
About 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries don’t pay any Part A pre- mium since they’ve worked for at least 40 quarters in Medicare-covered jobs.
The Part A deduct- ible that beneficiaries pay when admitted to the hos- pital in 2018 will be $1,340 per benefit period, a rise of
$24 from 2017. The Part A deductible covers beneficia- ries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare- covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period.
Beneficiaries must pay a coinsurance amount of $335 per day for the 61st through 90th day of a hos- pitalization (versus $329 in 2017) in a benefit period, and $670 per day for life- time reserve days ($658 in 2017).
For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, the daily coinsurance for days 21 through 100 of extended care services in a benefit period will be $167.50 in 2018 ($164.50 in 2017).
You can find an explana- tion of benefit periods (and lots of other valuable infor- mation) in the “Medicare & You” handbook, at https:// www.medicare.gov/medi- care-and-you/medicare-and- you.html
Happy holidays to you and your loved ones!
Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Ter- ritories. You can always get answers to your Medi- care questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227).
Rough time with a dead battery
Shop local? Shop Reedley? Re- cently, I parked right in front of [the] Napa Auto parts store and went across the street for a few minutes and came back to a dead battery. I popped up the hood and went in to the store. There was not one customer inside but me and two workers. Another was behind the counter, seated behind a desk.
I asked if they sold batteries and he said “yes.” I told him my car is right in front of your door with the hood up and asked if they could put a new one in for me. He said that they don’t install batteries and didn’t even offer to loan me a 3/16 tiny wrench so I
could install it. At 88 years old, I can still change a battery.
I called Michael’s Towing and said I had a dead battery and that I needed a tow truck. He asked if I needed a battery or jump start and said that they had batteries. I told him to bring a new battery. A few minutes later, he arrived with a new bat- tery and was a very likeable and friendly person. I believe his name was Andres. He put a little meter to the battery and said it was no good. He installed and checked the new one to make sure it was putting out enough amperage.
Fact or fiction? Believe it or
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