Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 1-31-20

Editorial/Column
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
(USPS 202-140)
2207 21st Avenue, Tampa Florida 33605 • (813) 248-1921 Published Every Tuesday and Friday By
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHING Co., Member of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
S. KAY ANDREWS, PUBLISHER
C. BLYTHE ANDREWS III, PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER ALLISON WELLS-CLEBERT, CFO
GWEN HAYES, EDITOR
IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR
BETTY DAWKINS, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR HAROLD ADAMS, CIRCULATION MANAGER TOYNETTA COBB, PRODUCTION MANAGER LAVORA EDWARDS, CLASSIFIED MANAGER
Subscriptions-$44.00-6 Months Both Editions: $87.00-Per Year Both Editions.
Opinions expressed on editorial pages of this newspaper by Columnists or Guest Writers, do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Florida Sentinel Bulletin or the Publisher.
The Sun Sets At 8:24
I think it's safe to say that there's nothing colder, more unpredictable or more heartless than death. It does- n't care about our feelings. It doesn't operate on our sched- ule. And it gives less than a damn about the kind of pain it causes when it comes to
collect its bounty.
It can also be said that
death is also quite sadistic. It seems to find great pleasure in turning our worlds upside down when it swings through unexpectedly.
You can call on it 1,000 times while you're at your lowest point and it won't pay you the slightest bit of atten- tion. But, the minute you come out of your slump, begin enjoying success and start to believe that things couldn't possibly get any bet- ter, death tends to go out of its way to prove you right at the most inopportune mo- ment.
This, unfortunately, is what Kobe Bryant learned the hard way when he and his 13-year-old daughter, Gi- anna, were killed in a heli- copter crash last Sunday
morning. Just when Kobe was beginning to catch his stride during his post NBA career, death made the deci- sion to cut his journey dras- tically short.
While I'm sure it's impos- sible to look at someone's life and choose the perfect day for him or her to die, the fact that Kobe was snuffed out at this juncture comes off horri- bly wrong. I mean, this was a man who only recently wel- comed a new daughter into his family, a man who was in the process of teaching other young athletes how to achieve their dreams by in- corporating his "Mamba" mentality into their work ethic.
Surely death could have given Kobe an extension until he was able to finish his business here on Earth? A temporary reprieve of some sort.
But, like I mentioned ear- lier, this is the rudeness of the Reaper. It doesn't re- spond to RSVP's. It doesn't knock on the door before it begins to twist the knob; most of the time it doesn't
even have the decency to wait for you to put on your pants. It simply walks into your life unannounced. And when it does, regardless of what you thought you had planned, death makes sure that its itinerary takes prece-
dence.
Kobe's untimely demise
stands as a prime example of what could happen to any of us due to the fact that no one is promised tomorrow. His sudden exit is proof that it doesn't matter how much fame, fortune or prestige you may have accumulated on this planet, when your num- ber is called, it's 100% chance that your soul is going to an- swer.
To those of us still here, though, Kobe's tragedy should be a reminder that being able to wake up every morning to greet the people we love should never be taken for granted. This is mainly, because the sobering truth is, one day that simply won't be the case.
On a much lesser note, for those who read this column today looking for a Super Bowl pick, Kansas City is the way to go.
R.I.P to "The Bean."
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
You Need To Know
ecause media inundated us with news of the im-
peachment over the past six months, we missed priority coverage of how many Americans are endan- gered by the Donald Trump Administration’s trend in cutting, eliminating or revoking existing funding that affects the health and well-being of our citizens, our en- vironment, and other issues.
Huge and diverse groups of Americans endangered by these cuts and who should be alert and responding to this trend are as follows: persons who receive food stamps and whose children receive free breakfast and free lunch; persons receiving Social Security and SSI checks; senior citizens and low-income Americans who receive their health care through Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act; Americans seeking jobs or training; Americans seeking relief from racist/ reli- gious hate; persons seeking affordable housing; per- sons who use public libraries; persons who listen to public radio, and persons who receive funds for eco- nomic development in minority and distressed com- munities.
Other groups being affected are those who are seek- ing student loans, PELL grants, public service loan for- giveness or subsidized student loans; persons earning less than sixty thousand dollars a year, farmers who re- ceive federal crop subsidies because of natural disas- ters and /or a decline in prices of their crops; supporters for combating pollution and climate change; veterans who receive services through Veter- ans Affairs; persons with disabilities; persons who benefit from Social Services Block Grants; and persons living in public housing. There are many other pro- grams being impacted negatively by the Trump admin- istration cuts.
Cutting these programs and services will result in in- creased poverty, hunger, and untreated illnesses, in- come inequality (minority and the poor will be most affected), and a return to school disruption by hungry children. The shame of these budget cuts is that rich Americans and companies earning millions and bil- lions in profit without paying even one dollar in taxes will continue to prosper. An even greater shame will be that these groups fail to vote in the 2020 Presidential election. To which of these groups do you belong?
B
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2020