Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 3-12-20 E-edition

Thursday, March 12, 2020 | 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 Affordable housing is
sadly lacking in California
With new COVID-19 news, don't panic — just continue to take care
Rick Curiel — Sanger Editor Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
It's probably an understatement to say that the “Golden State” is showing some wear and tear, basically owing to neglect and wrong-headed legis- lation which some may have felt as well-intentioned but nonetheless has been catastrophic. A deficit of afford- able housing for the citizenry is not one of those situations which is visited on the public accidentally.
For the most part, the global COVID-19 (coronavirus) that has crept into the United States and California has remained free from our little corner of the world, for the most part. That have been reports of one case in Madera and Fresno County through this past week- end.
That all changed — to an extent — on March 10. That's when a KMPH Fox 26 news re- port stated the Fresno County Department of Health revealed that a Parlier Unified Schools student was identified as re- cently traveling to an area of risk for the virus. That doesn't mean the student has the virus. In fact, the health department decided that the student is "an extremely low risk" according to the news report.
But the blowback was im- mediate. Parlier Unified an- nounced that Parlier High School would close for the rest of this week as a precaution. Principal George Alvarado said in a letter to parents that staff will "perform a thorough and deep cleaning of all surprises in all rooms and buildings at Parlier High School to further ensure the health and safety of all students." At the same time,
Alvarado said in the letter that there are no students or staff who have been diagnosed with the virus.
Still, the closure of an area high school has meant that a risk, no matter how slight, has become real enough to take pre- cautions. Which is something that should have been practiced by all of us as soon as the first case came into the country.
These precautions aren't really drastic — just practical and obvious. Wash your hands, at this time more often than usual. Shared items such as door handles, table tops, elec- tronic devices and even seem- ingly innocuous items like pens and pencils (are we still using them?) can carry bacteria. But this is just as true during influ- enza season.
Then, there's the simple practice (and important cour- tesy) of covering your mouth when you cough or coughing/ sneezing into your elbow. Those are habits we should never stray from in the first place.
Our regional hospitals, as ex- pected, are proactive in provid- ing information and advice to limit the risk of infection from COVIDF-19, the flu or other contagious illnesses. Simply re-
member these basic practices: • Wash your
hands often
with soap and
water for at
least 20 sec-
onds. If soap
and water is not
available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Get a flu shot (for every- one 6 months or older).
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands when possible.
With the exception of the neurotic binge buying of toilet paper, bottled water anti-bacte- rial wipes by many people, the whole thought of coronavirus in California has been somewhat a laughing matter and subject of sarcastic social media memes. And while it's true that a sense of panic is an overreaction, it's still wise to keep things in per- spective and remain vigilant.
Jon Earnest is Reedley edi- tor for The Times.
Fred Hall
California home values have risen by 2.5 percent over the past year and are predicted to go up by 4.2 percent in 2020. The median list price per square foot is $315; the median price of homes currently listed for sale in California is $533,500 while the median price of homes which sold is $517,400. If you're thinking that perhaps all those homeless people should just rent a home, you might want to think again. The median rental price in this state is $2,775.
You're probably already aware of the mandated appli- cation of solar energy to each new home built, but I seri- ously doubt that you've heard about a nasty little piece of legislation passed in 2013 by Darrell Steinberg, now mayor of Sacramento. This is one of those nutty things passed which was supposed to deal with climate change. Sources say SB 743, otherwise known as CEQUA, may add up to $40,000 to the price of any newly constructed home. Yes, that's on top of the solar panels which also have been required by the same gang in Sacramento. Good to have good friends in high places, huh?
Perhaps the worst thing about this entire mess is, that if you're fortunate enough to be able to afford the real estate, your problems are only beginning. You will find that you will have to connect your home to the most expensive utilities in the nation. Long-standing protections against property taxes being raised to un- supportable levels are now under assault by politicians who constantly seek avenues to gather an ever-increas- ing share of the individual income.
The common thread that runs through this entire mess leads right through the Capitol in Sacramento. We, the voters, continue to elect people to govern, I would argue, the richest and most desirable state for residency in this country and they pass bills and enact inane tax measures to serve their own personal beliefs and not that of their constituency. Perhaps we should worry less about “saving the planet” and more about the well-being of the people who live and work here in the Golden State. It's not our job to support the social experimentations of an out-of-control government.
Times like this always remind me of an old-time car- toonist named Walt Kelly who drew a regular cartoon panel which appeared in newspapers, coast-to-coast. The little character was named Pogo Possum and he lived in the Okefenokee swamp. Pogo's punchline was always “we have met the enemy and he is us.” It often reminds me of the dilemma we face today.
Problems often are exacerbated by ignoring said problems and hoping they will go away, which seems to have been raised to a competitive state in California.
We have infrastructure designed for and water sup- plies for 20 million in a state with 40 million residents. Despite numerous water bonds passed in recent years, we can see little or no effort to address this as a people problem.
We are overcrowded with a real need for more af- fordable housing and, even if those homes were reason- ably priced, where will the water be obtained? I don't believe Gavin and the gang in Sacramento can blame this one on Trump! Come to think of it, Our Attorney General hasn't sued the President and the United States in several days.
Let's begin this examination of our
situation via an analysis of the underlying events which led to housing being unaffordable. According to Zillow market research, the median home value in California is $561,325. Obviously, that number is skewed by places like San Francisco and Calabasas but it nonetheless is indicative of an affordability problem.
QUOTE
“The denun- ciation of the young is a nec- essary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists in the circulation of their blood.”
— Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Afterthoughts (1931) "Age and Death"
Jon Earnest
The scars of mental illness are not always self-inflicted
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
News travels fast, especial- ly in a small town like Dinuba. I heard of the tragic offi- cer-involved shooting that took the life of a Dinuba woman on Tuesday as most people my age did – through social me- dia. Quickly, word began to circulate on what happened and who was involved. By 5 o’clock I received news as to
who the victim was.
I went to school with Jen-
nifer Taylor. She was a grade behind me and I remember her well. Unfortunately, most of the memories I had of her in high school were not good.
Now, I’m not saying she wasn’t a good person. I didn’t know her well enough to say one way or the other. But what I do remember was how she was teased all throughout high school.
Children can be so rude, and yes, high school students can very much act like chil- dren – and even worse, chil- dren without empathy.
She was called names, in-
sulted and ridiculed. It never stopped, as the students, many I knew well, were relentless in their cruelty.
As the years passed I re- called seeing her from time to time at a fast food restaurant in Dinuba where she worked and couldn’t help but wonder how all those years of being bullied affected her as she en- tered adulthood. A few years back, while looking through the Dinuba police log, I came across her name under a case regarding a mental illness epi- sode and I was afraid I got my answer.
I came to find that, along with suffering from substance abuse, as many in her situation do, she also suffered through a bout with cancer — something she was able to overcome.
But the scars of her mental illness ran too deep. Tuesday, it sank to its lowest depth.
And yet, I couldn’t help but wonder how things might have been had she not suf- fered needlessly throughout
her formative
years. Sure,
there could
have been oth-
er underlying
issues besides
teenage bul-
lying, but the Rick Curiel picture painted in my mind is that of a cruel generation with complete disregard for the pain inflicted or the long-term effects.
Please people, I beg of you, be kind to one another and teach your children to respect all human life. Encourage your children to lift each other up and not put others down, for the scars we do not see are of- ten the ones that need the most care.
My prayers and condolenc- es go out to the Taylor fam- ily. May Jennifer receive the peace and respect she may not have received while here on Earth.
Rick Curiel is Sanger editor for The Times.