Page 3 - Sanger Herald 1-10-19 E-edition

Random thoughts The school district will appoint a replacement for Masumoto ...
The committee at its Tuesday evening meeting agreed to spend $29,140 of Measure S money for a "Measure S Compliance Examination" by Harshwall & Company LLP CPAs.
Finance director Gary Watahira explained the "compliance examination" designation more clearly establishes what the commit- tee wants from an auditor, a look at whether Measure S money has been spent properly, not just whether or not it has been spent.
The earlier confusion over selecting an auditor and defining what should be in the audit was one of the many issues relating to Measure S that attracted the grand jury back to Sanger for the fourth time in fewer than 10 years.
I hope Miser is smiling and I hope the auditor, this time, delivers what the commit- tee is asking for.
Miser's chair on the dais is still empty.
Watahira told the committee that only two applications have been received from people who want to replace Miser on the committee.
•••
Waytogo to the city employees who keep
our parks remarkably clean.
My dog, Sadie, takes me for a walk most
mornings. We frequently visit Jenni Park and marvel and how quickly the falling leaves and debris from weekend picnics are picked up.
Sadie is not all that happy about the speed with which the leaves disappear. She likes to dance and play in the leaf piles.
We wonder whether the city staff hauls away more leaves than empty boxes of those little cigars the kids use to roll the blunts they smoke on the eastern area of the hill on the southsideofthepark.
•••
The school district is bound by law to use a
certain verbiage to announce its intention to
In my OPINION
Get ready to help bail out the public
sector's generous pension plan
SANGER HERALD 3A THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 EDITORIAL & OPINION
By Dick Sheppard
It's ironic that the Measure S Citizens Oversight Committee is finally going to get its long demanded compliance audit after the audit's most ada- mant and frustrated advo- cate, James Miser, resigned from the committee.
Dick Sheppard
replace a board member by appointment. Here's the official language:
"NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the
Board of Trustees of the Sanger Unified School District intends to appoint a board member to fill the vacancy in Trustee Area
4. Interested applicants must reside in Trustee Area 4, meet all requirements of law, and comply with the District’s submission requirements. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 18, 2019. Late applications will not be considered. Qualified applicants will be interviewed by the Board on January 24, 2019.
Please visit the District’s website for instructions on how to apply to serve on the school Board or call Susan Joneson at (559) 524-6521."
I frequently marvel at the formal sounding often baffling acronym filled jargon used by school districts.
What the notice means in English is
that the school district is going to appoint someone from its Area 4 to replace Marcy Masumoto who won a seat on the Fresno County Board of Education in the November election.
It's pretty much the same process used by the city last week to appoint Esmeralda Hurtado to replace sister Melissa Hurtado to the Council District 1 seat after Melissa was sworn in as a state senator.
Pretty much. But not quite.
The difference is the school district can only make a provisional appointment that doesn't take effect until voters in the Trustee Area have been given notice of the appoint- ment and a chance to file a petition to have an election instead of accepting the district's appointee.
That notice and petition potential is a school district, not a city requirement, according to county elections boss Brandi Orth and city attorney Hilda Cantu Montoy.
Esmeralda will be sworn in as a coun- cilmember at a special Wednesday council meeting on Jan. 23.
•••
Apparently not everybody was thrilled
because the city chose to make an appoint- menttoreplaceHurtadoinsteadofcalling for an election in District 1 to pick a replace- ment.
That's probably also going to be the case
with the school district's decision.
Both decisions were apparently made for
prety much the same reason - money.
It's expensive to hold a special election, up
to $22,000 for the city's District 1 election and maybe up to $70, 000 for the school district's Trustee Area 4 election.
"We [the School District] don't have a whole lot of discretionary money to spend and that $70,000 would buy two portable classrooms," said school board president Pete Filippi.
$22,000 to the city is probably pretty much what $70,000 is to the school district with a much larger area to cover and a much larger
budget.
Most of the school district's money is
in "designated" funds and while the school district honors those spending designations, the grand jury and the Measure S Citizens Oversight Committee have expressed skepti- cism about the city being that honorable.
•••
"No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up."
- Lily Tomlin
Comments, complaints and suggestions may be emailed to sangerherald@gmail.com or may be made by calling 875-2511
By Fred Hall
are truly wealthy with access to accountants and lawyers will voluntarily, subserviently
sit idly by and allow a bunch of bureaucrats to seize their money for some idiotic scheme which is designed only to keep bureaucrats in office.
Thegreatestproblemwithanywelfare state is predictably this; anything which is acquired too easily is often taken too lightly orforgranted. Thehardworkrequiredby onecitizeninprovidingabenefit—it'sactu- ally a freebie because it certainly isn't an entitlement—oftenelicitsonlyashrugby therecipient. Thereshouldbenodoubtwhy California—which, along with New York
and Massachusetts—has become the very epitomeofwelfarestates. HereinCalifornia we're now talking about providing healthcare foranyoneintheworldwhocangethere!
By becoming a welfare state, we have become the ultimate magnet which draws far too many immigrants who have little inter- estinbecomingAmericancitizens. Their main criteria is the “milk and honey” being extracted from patriotic workers who believe in what this country stands for, who are being extorted for this politically motivated undertaking. Take a look at several members of this newly elected Congress who have no interestinAmericanculture. They,instead, showed up for work wearing the costumes of theirnativecountry. Itlookedmorelikethe UnitedNationsorthe barroomscenefrom theStarWarsmovie. Whoareyougoing
to respect; some foreign nation and their culture or the American people who elected you? Atleastactasifyouareoneofus.
The uncontrolled flow of immigration must be stemmed—immediately and by any meansnecessary. Theentirescreeningpro- cess must be refined and greatest attention to those who contribute and are not be a burden tosociety—assimilate! Showusyouwantto beanAmerican. Wallshaveworkedevery- wherethey'vebeentriedinthepast. Anyone whotellsyouotherwiseislying.
We've entered an era in America which glows brightly with promise for all of its citi- zensbutisonthecuspofbeingthreatened by the growing hatred and rage which is beingfannedbyourmedia. Norationalact oraccomplishmentwaseverrecordedwhile beingperpetratedintheguidanceofanger. Frankly, I don't understand how members of our media and professional politics can be so irrationally steeped in hatred for one man. Givecreditwherecreditisdue. Thisman— Donald Trump—has accomplished more dur- ing a two year period than the last several Presidents and he has done so while dragging a litany of haters along with him kicking and screaming. That'snosmallaccomplishment!
But, as always, that's only one man's opin- ion.
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.
Were you aware that
there are now roughly
22,000,000 (22 million)
people who are working forthegovernment? Thats
about double the number
of Americans employed in
manufacturing. This seems
tobeexcellent bitofinfor-
mation for one to have when they are faced withtheupcomingtaxseason. Howtrou- blingisittoknowthereareabouthalfofus working in a constructive endeavor as there are in our success-impeding bureaucracy?
Doesanyonereadingthiswanttomakea guess which state employs the greatest num- berofbureaucrats? ThatwouldbeCalifornia with almost a million—883,404—to be exact. Reasonably one would expect that would represent a thoroughly solid block of almost amillionDemocratvotersandaboutamil- lion souls with whom we are taxed for their generallylargesalaries. Governmentwork- ers, as a general rule, are compensated well above the average private sector worker.
Add the burden of supporting—yes, you are their sole means of support because the governmentproducesnothing—thatmany people to the huge number of people who receivewelfarebenefits—someofwhomare notevencitizensofthiscountryandyoureal- izetheextentoftheproblem. DonaldTrump and his administration, by creating a stronger economy, has managed to reduce the over- whelmingnumberscreatedunderBarack Obama but it still is a huge capital outlay.
We must begin to stem the steady slide of Americaintoawelfarestate.
I know it's difficult to do when one is forced to pay so much money to support our governmentbutperhapsonecanfindsome solaceinthefactthatTrumpwassuccessful inloweringtaxesontheprivatesectorasone ofhisfirstactsinoffice. Democrats—asa whole, politically—just seem to want ever more taxes to support their continued ”give- away”programs. Theycontinuetopushfree health care for everyone including illegals, freecollegetuitionandaguaranteedincome forlife. Wecan'tafforditbuttheydon'tgive adamn! Onceagainyouwillbeexpectedto step up and span the void.
Bailing out the public sector pension plans will be your next “hit.”
AlexandriaOcasio-CortezofNewYorkhas proposed a tax of 70 percent on the “wealthy” and Brad Sherman of California has already filed articles of impeachment against the President for firing someone he should have fired immediately and was completely enti- tledtodo. Thesurestcureforthatsortof thinking would be for us, the voters, to stop electingignorantpeople. Itdoesn'trequirea lot of deep thinking to realize what a 70 per- cent tax rate would do to this economy and our jobs which support the entire mess that is government. Thisoverwhelmingenvyofthe successful is detrimental.
Does anyone truly believe that people who
Fred Hall
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