Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 9-2-21 E-edition

Thursday, September 2, 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
In my OPINION Time nears for Newsom's
ultimate report card
With the recent discovery of hun-
dreds of absentee ballots in a car in
the Los Angeles area, this is a re-
minder to make sure you vote to help
offset some of the shenanigans which
are always associated with California
elections. The “loose” guidelines for
casting a vote have become stuff of
legends and ballot harvesting has only
exacerbated the situation. Ballot har-
vesting is illegal in most states — ours certainly being a questionable exception.
Only 12 days remain until state voters will be given the opportunity to deliver the ultimate report card to Gavin Newsom on his performance — or lack thereof — as Cali- fornia's governor. Sept. 14, 2021 is the scheduled recall election of Gov. Newsom, whose failures are essentially legend and on full display for all tax-paying residents. His incompetence has touched almost all of us.
Quality of life here in the Golden State simply has gone to hell, with out-of control crime and the gover- nor continuing to release thousands more convicts to the streets of our neighborhood. The threshold of felony charges has been raised and district attorneys routine- ly dismiss or lower charges. We are witnessing nation- leading homelessness, roads and highways replete with potholes (even with ever-increasing gasoline taxes), the country's highest utility costs, the country's highest tax rate, criminals being routinely released, billions of dol- lars in EDD fraud, as well as waste and malfeasance everywhere one looks.
Mom and pop shops are being forced to shutter their doors during the pandemic while the “big box” stores were allowed to go “business as usual” and prosper. Govern- ment issued mandates — of questionable Constitutional muster — were arbitrarily instituted, which stripped citi- zens of many of their Constitutional rights. Bureaucrats did as they pleased and, more often than not, sent their children to private schools to avoid their own mandate for remote learning. It can pretty well summed up by the statement; Rules and regulations for thee, but not for me!
Our magnificent forests are burning to the ground while the state collects “environmental” fees which do nothing beyond sustaining the funding of governmental bureaucracies.
Big money donors and special interest groups — in- cluding public unions seem to predictably control ev- erything that happens in Sacramento. Just follow the money! One should expect no less after almost 40 years of one party control of a state's government. Now, it's almost as if the teachers unions are in charge of our educational system, or what passes for one.
Do you want to know how the Chief Executive Officer of the state of California deals with this sort of adversity and his own shortcomings? He and the Democrats are so fearful of doing anything that resembles governing until the recall that they have postponed everything until after Sept. 14.
Rather than deal with the facts on the ground, New- som has elected to punt on the following problems, in- cluding a hearing on the disastrously poor operation at theEmploymentDevelopmentDepartment. Theyseem unable to get the money to those who deserve it. while $31 billion was spent fraudulently. The governor says he'll update all us after the recall.
Any attempts to enforce water restrictions have con- veniently been postponed until the end of September. Mask mandates and other restrictions, which slow-walk the re-opening of California, are coming but they'll begin aftertherecall. AhearingtodiscussNewsom'smishan- dling of the fire season likewise has been postponed. We all would like to know why the budget for Cal Fire has been cut by $150 million. Newsom has put off answering that one until after the recall. We deserve a helluva lot better governance! Vote yes!
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
School athletics, activities feeling the effects of COVID, air quality
Fred Hall — Publisher
Jon Earnest — Editor
Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“I'm not concerned about all hell breaking loose, but that a PART of hell will break loose... it'll be much harder to detect.”
— George Carlin (1937-2008)
Fred Hall
It's been good fortune that athletics have returned this fall for the region's high schools. But regulations and require- ments to be able to play al- ready have greatly affected just two weeks into the prep football season.
In week one, Immanuel can- celed its season-opening game with Roosevelt High after its roster of available players shrunk below 20. In week two, Sanger High lost its scheduled opponent in Fresno High be- cause of contact tracing (Roo- sevelt, as it turned out, filled in as the opponent on Aug. 27). Then earlier this week, the Apaches themselves canceled the scheduled Thursday, Sept. 2, non-league game at Clovis East High. While not directly saying that COVID-19 con- tact tracing restriction were the cause of the cancellation,
a statement from the school hinted as much.
"Unfortunately, we had to cancel this Thursday's var- sity football game with Clovis East," the Aug. 31 text read. "Many schools throughout the Central Section and the state have had to persevere through similar circumstances and we are now among them. This is a reminder that we are all work- ing through this together and we are grateful for the games we have been able to play."
The California Interscho- lastic Federation and state- local health departments are making sure consistent testing is conducted, and that any in- stances of exposure to the vi- rus through contact tracing are taken serious and enforced. It's resulted in many cancellations and some reduced rosters. No school seems immune to it, and
it's good to see that pro-active steps are taken to prevent any possible out- breaks.
At the same
time, the Val-
ley's summer heat and the poor air quality from summer wildfires around the state have been factors in postponements, cancellation and even the early halt to a game. Orosi High ex- perienced the hard luck in the latter, when it's game against McLane was suspended and then halted with seven minutes remaining. It went down as a tough 21-18 loss for the Cardi- nals.
Jon Earnest is news-sports editor for The Times.
Jon Earnest
Just a cover up: a young girl's gang experience
By Karen Beltran
Guest columnist
Most little girls growing perhaps have a fantasy in their head of being a princess, doc- tor, and teacher. As for me, all I ever thought about was if I would make it alive to rest my head onto my pillow at night.
At the age of 7, I witnessed and experienced horrible hu- man acts when I became a vic- tim of rape. I was bullied from the very beginning of my first day of school, causing me to think that if I died I wouldn’t have to deal with anything I was going through.
The moment I was violated, it’s like the kid in me died. My happiness was stolen from me. Oh, how disgusted I was with my body. Long showers would not make me feel clean. I cried, asking God why I was born a girl and how come I couldn’t
have friends and a normal lov- ing family. My peace was cry- ing in the shower, letting the water hit my face as it blended with my tears.
Anger grew in me day by day until I reached a high peak and couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to create myself into a person I knew I wouldn’t even like. My brother was in a gang, and I quickly picked up his lin- go and the habits his homeboys (members of the gang) had. The gang life was the only life that seemed to show me respect and appreciation for my presence.
The baggy sweaters, over- sized shirts covered the pain I carried on my shoulders. The baggy pants with a belt hang- ing from the waist holding me grounded, giving me the con- fidence to walk from school back home. The blue and black sharpie that I always carried
with me to mark my moniker Chola (a young woman who associates with the gang sub- culture) and the pocket knife that made me feel safer and lighter for the homies to spark up their blunts.
Every night after laying my head on my pillow, I asked God to forgive me for the person I had become. I explained why I acted the way I did, and deep down, I wished I was playing with barbies and had a play- house. Not associating myself with those who claimed to be in a gang, but that was the only way I was appreciated and not picked on.
Karen Beltran, raised in Orange Cove, is co-founder of Youngsters for Change. She re- ceived an associate's degree in Criminal Justice from Reedley College and a bachelor's degree in criminology from Fresno State.
Bigger problems than a recall election
Please help! We are in a his- toric time of worldwide viral pandemic infection, San Joa- quin Valley historic period of drought, and State of California historic period of fires.
Why are Republican politi- cians (i.e. big business/money) blaming Gov. Gavin Newsom for all the worldwide prob- lems? Why are they allowed to spend our taxpayers' money ($276 million!) to recall Gov. Newson from the position he
earned by the votes from the previous election that put him in office?
They must be trying to bet- ter their own: money/profits, Republican reputations. They start with things like "If I'm elected governor there will be no need for mask requirement at schools and businesses." They neglect to add things like "I will replace your children and families if they die from mask-free exposure after ex- posure."
The best news we don't hear is what Gov. Newsom is doing
now: plans to speed viral inves- tigation, and support develop- ment of vaccines for all ages for COVID-19 and Delta infec- tion.
Plans to resolve our devas- tating life problems prior to the next election in 2022 would be an honest way to be heard. What we now hear is greed and theft. Only greed promotes lies and deception...not plans to save life and environment in this time of worldwide emer- gency!
Kathie Cornelsen Reedley
Letters from readers