Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 5-20-21 E-edition

Thursday, May 20, 2021 | 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 These 'good intentions' are
leading to real trouble
Live commencement, graduations another hopeful sign of recovery
Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.”
— Nikola Tesla (1857-1943) Modern Mechanics and Inventions. July, 1934
It seems safe to say that there is far less common sense in the world today than there was a couple of hun- dred years ago. Recent decisions being made by those in governance have be- come so damaging that many Ameri- cans shrug their shoulders and say politicians can'r possibly be this dumb without trying. Many of us will turn a blind eye and chalk lit all up to “good intentions” by those in power.
This month marks a wel- come flashback to 2019, even if it's not quite the same.
Central California's orange tier status for COVID-19 cas- es — and the state's impend- ing "reopening" the middle of next month – means that more larger in-person events are taking place. In May and June, that traditionally means grad- uations, commencements and promotion ceremonies.
The first larger live gather- ing takes place this week, when Reedley College returns to in- person commencement cer- emonies. But unlike the tradi- tional large all-school outdoor gathering on the lawn south of the cafeteria, these smaller commencement events are spread out over four days and will culminate with diplomas and certificates of achieve- ment on stage inside the school cafeteria.
Two years worth of RC graduates are being honored, including the Class of 2020 that entirely lost its traditional cer- emony when the pandemic hit
and reached a peak in spring of last year. Now, those that are able to and in the area can make the walk with family and re- ceive their associate's degrees and certificates in person.
It's been a long time in com- ing, and it's great to see the graduates again be honored in the way they deserve.
•••
When Reedley High cap-
tured the outright North Yo- semite League football cham- pionship last month with a perfect 5-0 record, both the school and Times reported that it was the school's first outright league championship since 1973. But Stan Kanawyer, a longtime coach who formerly guided the Pirates and Imman- uel High, called in to say that the 2002 RHS squad ultimately finished as outright NYL cham- pions.
The Pirates emerged as outright champions when Edi- son High ultimately forfeited games against them and Sun- nyside High. The Pirates had beaten Sunnyside High that
year as well,
according to
Kanawyer. The
group of RHS
seniors in 2002
were a special
group of play-
ers, he said, as
they were the
last class to score two victories against rival Sanger High.
Kanawyer recently wrapped up a long teaching and coaching career when he retired from Golden West High School in Visalia. He had served as offensive coordina- tor for the Trailblazers under coach Paul Preheim from 2012 to 2020, when COVID side- tracked all high school sports. He used the Wing T offensive formation that had success at Reedley to build Golden West into a league and section Divi- sion IV playoff contender.
Props to the 2002 Pirates and their accomplishment. And enjoy retirement, Coach Kanawyer!
Jon Earnest is news-sports editor for The Times.
Jon Earnest
Fred Hall
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions” would seem to carry all the weight of something quoted from the Bible, but actually is an old English proverb. It's meaning really is clear, to quite explicit. These are those individuals among us who have the very best of intentions in their actions, but the consequences of their endeavors can be quite problematic.
Such was the case when the world was in the full throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses were ordered to close, resulting in millions of Americans sud- denly becoming unemployed. Our government decided to increase unemployment benefits at an artificially high supplemental rate, with the predictable result of a job market where people are reticent to return to work. Why would any American assume that attitude? The short answer is that with the government's assistance, they can make more money by staying home. One has only to look back at the days of Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s for a perfect example of how good intentions can go side- ways in a hurry.
President Johnson's reported goal was to wipe out poverty, which was hard to argue against without being branded as mean and cruel. Problem is, government has done nothing for the past half-century but throw money at the situation. We have more poverty now than 60 years ago.
With identifiable exceptions, many of these decisions were made by people who, for one reason or another, felt they were doing the right thing for those they rep- resent. Offsetting that benign position, there are hun- dreds of thousands of Washington swamp dwellers and wrong-headed politicians who only seek re-election and ever-increasing power and control. When it comes to the political class, theres nothing worst than small minds and big egos.
Sadly, this country has become so politicized and di- vided by the agenda of special interest groups such as the Democratic Party, their strong allies in the press, antifa and Black Lives Matter. Our opinion is that, for no other reason, this has become particularly grievous because it pits one group of voters against other Ameri- cans simply in an effort to gain political control. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would be prime examples.
It is quickly apparent that we are living during time that is going to provide a close-up view of just how dam- aging strictly partisanship on everything from the econ- omy to national security can be. Our president, showing all the signs of being cognitively challenged, appears to receive marching orders from someone else. The man ran no apparent campaign nor any real challenge, but was elected somehow anyway. The mainstream press did all of the active campaigning, while the Democrats kept Mr. Biden at home in Maryland for his own good.
His vice-president was so disliked by the voters that she was out of the presidential race before the primary elections had even begun. If the president were to va- cate the office for health reasons, we'd soon find that she is even farther left than he is.
Take a little time and count up the crises that have arisen since inauguration day. A welfare state — and that's what we have become — can never open its bor- ders. Therewouldbenomoreopportunetimetoreturn common sense to Washington than right now, before it's too late.
Kings Canyon Unified aims to address the mental health of students
But, that's only one man's opinion.
By Chinayera Hardman Black
Guest Columnist
Kings Canyon Unified School District (KCUSD) is comprised of 22 school sites that serve almost 10,000 stu- dents. These students repre- sent all walks of life and ex- periences. Understanding that youth can present with life stressors, Kings Canyon Uni- fied is committed to providing mental health services and sup- ports.
According to the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI), almost 17 percent of youth aged 6-17 years experi- ence a mental health disorder in the United States. This sug- gests that as many as 1,700 KCUSD students may be im- pacted. To that end, KCUSD’s emphasis on social emotional supports has grown consider- ably. There are now 12 psychol- ogists, 9 school social workers, and 6 licensed marriage and family therapists working in the schools. With this team of
professionals KCUSD offers students crisis intervention, suicide prevention programs, alternatives to suspension, at- tendance supports, pro-social skills, and counseling services.
“One of the greatest suc- cesses of these services is that both students and staff have grown more accustomed to conversations surrounding mental health.” said Mary Ann Carousso, KCUSD student ser- vices administrator. “Students have clinicians in and around campus that they can speak to about their concerns.”
Over this past year, COV- ID-19 certainly hasincreased
stress and uncertainty
among school
aged children.
As children re-
turn to school,
added social
emotional sup-
ports may be
needed for
some students.
During Mental Health Aware- ness Month, the Sierra Kings Health Care District encour- ages the community to main- tain conversations with our youth and seek services when needed.
If you know of a KCUSD student who might benefit from these services call your local school site for assistance. If you are interested in learn- ing more about mental health awareness you may reach out to the Sierra Kings Health Care District at www.skhcd.org.
Chinayera Hardman Black is Chief Executive Officer for the Sierra Kings Health Care District.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The Sierra Kings Health Care District is partnering with local agencies to highlight mental health resources available to the community. This is the third and final of three guest columns.
Chinayera Black Hardaman
Letters Policy
MID VALLEY TIMES 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 350 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed, submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
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