Page 3 - Sanger Herald 9-20-18 E-edition

Random thoughts Our 'doers of deeds' are under the microscope ...
"Our employees have been waiting since November 2013 for their votes to be counted. After a historic struggle, they achieved that right today, in spite of the efforts by the UFW and the millions of taxpayer dollars spent by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to deny them that right.
"The final vote count was 1,098 'No Union,' and 197 for the UFW. The employees over- whelmingly rejected the UFW as their bargain- ing representative – by a 5 to 1 margin – in spite of the ALRB’s last-minute, election day refusal to count approximately 640 ballots challenged by the UFW."
Mr. Hall and I applaud the state supreme court for telling UFW's government puppet, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to count the votes.
We applaud Gerawan and the Gerawan em- ployees for continuing the fight for so many years - and finally winning the battle against bureaucratic oppression.
You can read the rest of Dan Gerawan's comments on page 6A.
•••
It doesn't seem like there are as many politi-
cal lawn signs as usual for this year's municipal and school board election.
So far, for Sanger, it's been a very low key, very civil election season. In fact, the local can- didates I've talked with at Farmers' Markets and other events, are even saying nice things about each other. There's been none of the de- monization that has blighted state races.
Even though it may not always be apparent, I am a great admirer of the brave souls, the doers of deeds, who run for public office in Sanger.
Sanger is a small town with a lot going on. There are many opportunities in the public service arena to make mistakes and there are many vocal critics to point out those mistakes.
I admire and respect those who are willing - as the city attorney once said - to put them- selves under a microscope when they volun- teer for public service by walking into the po- litical arena.
Sanger's councilmembers have day jobs. They don't get paid much for all the hours they devote to charting a course for a growing city or listening and responding - usually more good naturedly than I would - to critics like me.
Small town councilmembers are amateurs at creating a policy that charts a course for a growing city, approving municipal ordinances and budgets, making appropriations - and deal- ing with almost constant criticism no matter how hard they try or how well intentioned they
In my OPINION
If the President is such a failure why is Obama
trying to take credit for his accomplishments?
SANGER HERALD 3A THURSDAY, September 20, 2018 EDITORIAL & OPINION
By Dick Sheppard
Editor's Note:
Publisher Fred Hall and
I wrote our columns before the votes were counted, before justice was finally served.
Here's what Dan Gerawan had to say after the vote count on Tuesday:
Dick Sheppard
are.
That's why they hire professionals - a city
manager and a city attorney - to guide them. In my opinion, critics should hold profes- sionals to a higher standard than amateurs. Cut
amateurs some slack - but not professionals. Pros are hired because amateurs have con- fidence the pros have enough knowledge, skill and experience to keep amateurs on course and out of trouble and certainly enough expe-
rience to stay out of trouble themselves.
We should, in my opinion, expect and put up with an occasional slip from a willing and enthusiastic amateur - but not from a well sea-
soned professional.
I generally admire and respect our city
councilmembers even though I don't always understand or agree with everything they do.
For instance, I can't understand: the blind support most of them continue to show for a professional city manager who acts like their boss instead of their employee; or 2. the arro- gant, condescending and insulting, in my opin- ion, response they approved to a grand jury report.
As my mama used to say, "Bless their hearts, they mean well, they just don't know no better." In a speech titled "Man in the Arena” presi- dent Theodore Roosevelt expressed, better than I am able, how I feel about amateurs like our councilmembers who have the guts to step into the public service arena - and put up with
critics like me.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiant- ly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know nei- ther victory nor defeat."
President Roosevelt also said, "It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things.”
I generally agree with President Roosevelt - but, in my opinion, the critic's "secondary im- portance” counts for a lot - especially when it comes from a grand jury - because the feed- back should help get the "doers of deeds” back on course when the professional they depend on has taken them off road.
Many times, because the critic's face is not "marred by dust and sweat and blood,” he can be more objective than someone who is so busy killing alligators he forgets his primary mis- sion was to drain the swamp.
So, I also salute the grand jury and other
critics who are putting our public servants - our doers of deeds - under the microscope.
It could be a good balance if our doers of deeds would just pay attention once in awhile.
•••
The Sanger Woman's Club sponsored
candidate forum from 1-3 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the club house, 1602 7th St., will give you an opportunity to put the candidates under your own microscope.
"Most of our local candidates have com- mitted to being there," said club president Jeanne Adams. Mid Valley Publishing's Juanita Adame will be the moderator.
•••
Gotta confess I didn't really understand
the Star Wars characters Darth Vader and the stormtroopers being included in the
"Galaxy of Heroes" themed Street Faire and Farmers' Market last Saturday.
I thought they were the bad guys.
This week's theme is easier to under- stand,"TacoThrowdown!" Checkitoutthis Saturday from 5-9 p.m. in downtown Sanger.
•••
Just heard that our hometown hero Tom
Flores will be at the Apache homecoming game on Sept. 28 to do the coin toss and to hang out with fans and the awesome Apaches.
•••
"We have met the enemy and he is us."
- Pogo
Comments, complaints and suggestions may be emailed to sangerherald@gmail.com or may be made by calling 875-2511.
See LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, page 6A
By Fred Hall
We have an absolute classical example of a political agenda warping the mandate for
a government entity right here in California. The Agricultural Labor Relations Board com- pletely politicized an exercise in democracy when workers at Gerawan Farming voted to oust a union that had been long missing in their responsibility to represent those work- ers. TheALRBsummarilyandunilaterally ruled that election to reject as illegitimate andrefusedtoevencountthevotes. Finally they have been told they must count those votes. Afterfiveyearsofobstinanceonthe Board's part, they have been told to remedy the situation by no less than the California State Supreme Court.
“Workers have the right to choose whether they wish to be represented by a union. NearlyfiveyearsaftertheGerawan Farming workers' votes were cast the ALRB has exhausted all of its appeal rights and must now do the right thing and have the votescounted. However,thisprocesshas taken too long and is evidence that the State of California has deliberately acted to dis- enfranchisefarmworkers. TheALRBhas strayed far afield from its original purpose— to guarantee justice for all agricultural work- ers—which requires immediate reform.”
Those are the words of Tom Nassif, President of Western Growers, reacting to the announcement of the California Supreme Court rejecting an ALRB appeal petition. Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers who grow fresh produce in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico.
The long-running mess created by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board generally typifies what happens when the government takes sides in an issue which they should behonestlyandfairlyadjudicating. When unelected bureaucrats place their thumbs
on the scales of justice to achieve a politi-
cal agenda the harm they create lasts long andrunsdeep. Governmentallyappointed agenciesandbureausmustalwaysbehon- est arbiters of the law as applicable to dis- agreements. It'spatentlyobviousthatwith bureaucrats, many feel they are above the law and their inane mandates, which can destroypeople,aretheultimateword. If they are unable to fairly interpret the law and enforce it bilaterally, they should and must be replaced. Nowwouldbeagoodtimetobegin that practice.
But,asalways,that'sonlyoneman'sopin- ion.
Justasanafterthought: Ifitweretrue, as so many claim, that our strength is in our diversity, why is there always a cry for unity when things get really tough?
In addition to the Sanger Herald, Publisher Fred Hall oversees two other Mid Valley Publishing newspapers - Reedley Exponent, and Dinuba Sentinel. He can be contacted by phone at (559) 638-2244 or by email at fred@ midvalleypublishing.com.
If Donald Trump is
such an abject failure as
President of the United
States, according to
Democrats, members of the
media and members of the Republican establishment,
why then is Barack Obama
trying to take credit for
much of what he is accomplishing?
Remember, when Obama came into office back 2009, everything wrong with the coun- trywasthefaultofGeorgeW.Bush. Sooner or later, common sense would tell us that
we must take the blame for our own actions when things don't go well.
It's always been something of a standard for former occupants of the Oval Office to not become involved in elections, but no one should be surprised at all by ex-President Obama dipping his feet in the political waters with his 'endorsement tour' of California recently. Whereelsewouldhebemoreat ease than a state which has become irretriev- ably Democrat during the last three decades? We are a state recognized for its resistance to anything and everything Trump says or does. It's also a state that has become a political train wreck, suiting Obama's skills superbly, with his having thoroughly divided the coun- try politically and racially during his tenure.
During that swing through the state, Obama repeatedly attacked a current, sit- ting President, thereby becoming the first to dosoinmyrecollection. Normallythemen who have occupied that office—particularly one who is so flawed —refrain from openly attackingtheirsuccessors. Butthen,that's exactly what one would expect from one ofthemostdivisiveindividualswhoever occupiedtheovaloffice. Talkaboutbeingun- presidential!
Sadly, everything has become so politi- cizedinthiscountrythatnothingescapesthe uglyreachofpoliticalposturing. President Trump, in a recent article appearing in The WashingtonPost,hasbeenidentifiedbythe writer as being “complicit” in the most recent hurricane because he withdrew from the ParisClimateAccords. Afterhisconfirma- tion hearings had concluded and prior to the vote on his confirmation, Brett Kavanaugh hasbeenaccusedof“somethingthathap- pened back in high school” by a source from—surprisingly--California. Itisso absent of merit that the FBI refused to even lookintotheallegation.
The tactic used against Judge Kavanaugh is not completely unprecedented, having previously been employed in the confirma- tion hearings of Judge Clarence Thomas when Anita Hill was suddenly brought forth in attempt to sabotage that nomination. Thankfully it failed back then and should fail now but it shows just how politicians are will- ing to stoop to impeach the reputation of a good man (or woman) if it fits their agenda.
Fred Hall
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