Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 7-19-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, July 19, 2018 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 Jodie Reyna — Panorama Editor (interim) Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It’s being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don’t.”
Anatole France (1844-1924)
“Today we mourn the passing of a be- loved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knew for sure how old he was, since his birth re- cords were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered for having cultivated such valuable lessons as know- ing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn’t always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound fi- nancial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable strategies (adults and not children are in charge).
First responders have stepped it up during a difficult summer in Valley
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-inten- tioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly stu- dent only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in dis- ciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abor- tion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as churches became busi- nesses and criminals received better treatment than their vic- tims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; by his wife, Discretion; by his daughter, Responsibil- ity; and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his five stepbrothers; I Know My Rights; I Want It Now; Someone Else is to Blame; I’m a Victim: and Pay me for Doing Nothing.”
The preceding is something for which I wish I could take credit, but cannot. The only source of attribution is that it re- portedly appeared in The London Times. It’s difficult to believe any such conservative thought could have come from England with prevailing liberal thought which is applied to everything in that country.
In California we continue to vote to allow the state to take even more of the money for which we work so hard or we elect people to represent us who vote to tax us more anyway. Com- mon Sense?
Our elected officials push measures which will help empty our jails but place the criminals on the street among us. Things that were once crimes have been declared non-crimes and our officials proudly point out that crime is down. That which was once a felony is now a simple misdemeanor. No wonder we get results like this when we allow government to make the rules and keep score.
The new wave of socialist democrat thinking which so per- meates California politics and the newest iteration of Democrat party thinking is filled with happy thoughts and wishful think- ing but is sorely short on good old fashioned common sense. It’s as if an entire segment of our population has lost touch with reality. There is a criminal element among us and no amount of outreach is going to mellow them — they belong in jail! No California family should ever be put at risk because of attempts to socially engineer the populace.
One can rest assured the primary reason for Sacramento to want fewer of these miscreants jailed is because the state saves money for other pet projects by turning them loose. The cost of supporting this criminal element is transferred from the politi- cians to the citizens of the state who must endure the violent acts perpetrated by this “special class” of California outlaws. Common Sense?
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
Integrity-gate: measuring the value of integrity
Fred Hall
Joe Garza, Reedley’s chief of po- lice, said it’s been quite some time since the city has seen a tragedy in- volving a child the magnitude of the July 9 death of a Reedley mother and her children.
“In my memory, this is the first time in a long time,” Garza said. “We had the death of baby Ella [VanLeeu- wen] several years ago. We found a newborn baby [about 15 years ago] in a dumpster. Things like this are not new, but they very rarely happen.
“Having kids as victims is really a rarity. It’s something you just would rather never see.”
The tragedy of the circumstances in the deaths — the mother drowning the children and then hanging herself — is undeniably traumatizing and heartbreaking for family and friends. But it also takes an emotional toll on emergency personnel.
“I know our officers and first re- sponders all are impacted by this,” Garza said. “It wouldn’t impact us if we weren’t normal. But we’re normal, we’re human. This affects you signifi- cantly.”
Garza said he was proud of his of- ficers and detectives because of their demeanor and steadfastness in an un- usual tragedy.
“They dealt with the situation as professionals and the investigation. They knew they had to do a tough job,” he said.
Garza said the department on Ju- ly 12 participated in what he called a “stress debriefing.” He said officers and other workers met and talked about the situation.
“That’s important, because while the majority of the community will move forward our officers literally wonder when it’s going to happen again,” he said. “We can’t prepare our-
selves for it. We can talk about it, get ourselves mentally ready to know this could happen. But you cannot prepare yourself to see something like that.
“That’s one of the challenges for first responders. We are parents, we have kids. Some have kids that age and it hits them even harder because they can start relating. I’m sure most of our folks went home and hugged our kids. I know I did.”
•••
Diana Dominguez, a Reedley
High School teacher, reacted simi- larly when she discovered details of the deaths. “When I heard the news, I thought about my baby right away,” she said. “I just hugged him and held him close.”
The incident was especially pain- ful to Dominguez because of her long family friendship to the mother, 32-year-old Vera Lucia Diaz Nunez. Dominguez’s husband also is a long- time friend to Diaz Nunez’s husband, who also is the children’s father. That family recently moved to Reedley from Mexico.
Dominguez has established a Go- FundMe page with a goal of raising $10,000 to transport Diaz Nunez and the children back to Mexico. You can donate by going online to the page at gofundme.com/funeral-expenses-far- fan-family. As of July 17, $3,753 had been raised.
•••
First responders came through in
a big way during two potentially di- sasters earlier this week. On July 16, police officers Anthony Walker and Daniel Ybarra arrived at the scene of a reported possible drowning at Reedley Beach. They saw a 61-year- old woman lying on the ground unre- sponsive and not breathing after being pulled from the water.
The officers
performed CPR on
the victim and she
began breathing
on her own. They
later talked to the
woman after she
was taken to a local
hospital. Kudos to
officers Walker and
Ybarra for their
quick action and effective lifesaving efforts.
The other incident happened on July 17, when a back building behind a house on 14th Street near down- town caught fire. Reedley firefighters quickly reached the scene and doused the flames, keeping the damage to the back building and adjoining fence. Arriving even before the fire engine was Chief Jerry Isaak, who was driv- ing near the neighborhood and spot- ted the smoke. He was helping subdue growing flames with an extinguisher before the “big hose” arrived.
It was encouraging to see nearby neighbors applauding the firefight- ers for their quick efforts that helped any embers or flames from moving to other structures.
•••
A word of warning: the hot weath-
er — and lousy air quality compound- ed by numerous wildfires throughout the state – continues for at least the next week. The long-range forecast calls for triple digit high temperatures for the next eight days, including 105 next Tuesday and Wednesday, July 24-25.
If you can, avoid outdoor activities and keep yourself in cool locations. If you don’t have one at home, cooling centers are at Sierra View Homes and Palm Village retirement communities.
Seriously, be cool.
Jon Earnest
By Gary Welton
Guest columnist
When I finished my graduate study and moved out of Buffalo, NY to take my first full-time profes- sional job at the University of Missouri, I called my telephone company to dis- continue my landline ser- vice. After being put on hold while the agent checked my account, I was shocked by the words I heard: “We are very sorry to lose your busi- ness. You have been a very good customer.”
In fact, all I had done was to pay my bills on time. There is nothing especially noble about meeting one’s basic financial obligations. Isn’t that just the expected normal course of action? Apparently the bar for in- tegrity is set very low. If you simply perform your basic obligations then you are a person of integrity.
I value the reputation I have continued to develop since my departure from Buffalo. The only time I was late with a payment hap-
pened following the birth of our first son. It was my fault. It wasn’t justifiable, though one can easily un- derstand how it happened.
I appreciate the trust that my church has placed upon me as I have served as the church treasurer for about 15 years. During that time I wrote several checks for amounts in excess of $100,000 when we were con- structing our new church building. While I have the trust of my church family, I have also built careful ac- countability structures into our processes, so that any impropriety would be quick- ly spotted by my assistants. To quote Ronald Reagan’s use of the Russian proverb, “Trust, but verify.”
The characteristic of in- tegrity was once considered a requirement for leader- ship. President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The su- preme quality for leader- ship is unquestionably in- tegrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no mat- ter whether it is on a section
gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”
What has happened? In 2016, I was faced with a voting choice between two major candidates. I was not convinced of the integrity of either person. The ongo- ing legal squabbles on both fronts continue to give me cause for concern.
My very first lesson about the role of being a church treasurer came from my dad, who also volunteered in that office for many years. I remem- ber well when he told me, “The first penny you steal from the church will be the most expensive penny you ever hold.” I suppose it is because of that lesson that I obsess over the pennies as well as the dollars. When I present the annual oral report every winter, I rest confident that the numbers add up correctly, that not even one cent is missing.
I used that same exact- ing standard when I handled my mother’s accounts, and was honored by the faith
and confidence of my sib- lings. When I reported the state of her finances at the time of her death, they thanked me for my integ- rity.
I cannot effect much change on the lack of integ- rity in Washington, but I can practice moral and ethical decisions as I live my life on a daily basis. Granted, I’ve made my share of mis- takes in life, and maintain my status only by the grace and mercy of God. May I continue to be a positive role model in my family, my church, my workplace, and my community, because in- tegrity does matter. It is the supreme quality for leader- ship.
Gary L. Welton is assis- tant dean for institutional assessment, professor of psychology at Grove City (Pa.) College, and a contrib- utor to The Center for Vision & Values. He is a recipient of a major research grant from the Templeton Founda- tion to investigate positive youth development.
Letters Policy
THE REEDLEY EXPONENT invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should
be 300 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed (jon@midvalleypublishing.com), submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
Have an opinion? Want to share it?
Weigh in. Let your voice be heard.
Send us your letter to the editor for publication on this page and on our website.
jon@midvalleypublishing.com