Page 4 - Dinuba Sentinel 4-26-18 E-edition

Opinion
A4 | Thursday, April 26, 2018
Fred Hall - Publisher
In My Opinion
When all else fails, rOeturn to common sense
ne has to realize that denial. Through
the so-called deep state their childish actions is feeling empowered if they have managed,
not omnipotent when the Justice Department and F.B.I. feel they can, with impunity, literally thumb their nose at Congress and fail to comply with a request to produce requested documents. It grows even worse when one pauses to consider the length
of time the agencies have failed to comply. These are records, I might add, that rightfully deserve transparent openness for public scrutiny and rightfully belong to the American people. They should never be the stuff of tell-all books by people who are sworn to protect the nation's secrets.
Our Congress represents, or should, the will of all Americans, especially since we are the ones who elected them to represent us. Granted even they do not always act in a manner which is indicative of the mandate which they are provided. How often have you noticed that they promise one thing while a candidate and deliver quite another once they get back to the “swamp” that is Washington, D.C.? With this current crop in Washington, a good house cleaning would serve Americans well.
Undoubtedly our Forefathers would be spinning in their graves were they aware of just how bad politicians
and the bureaucracy have become
in their dominance of the political discourse. These people who are so deeply embedded in the clandestine, backroom dealings of our Capital cities—that would certainly include Sacramento as well as Washington— are literally making a mockery of the entire democratic process. They feel completely comfortable in acting and doing as they damned well please!
A good place to make a start toward installing a “fix” would be an honest discussion with the “loyal opposition” and make sure they understand
that the Democratic party and their candidate, Hillary Clinton, lost the election. For roughly a year and
a half they have been in complete
Guest Column
No, the census shouldn’t Wask about citizenship
Fred Hall
at least with some success, to impede the President's agenda. We do have a tax cut in place and with Mr. Trump's legislative and regulatory
actions we are witnesses of success in our economic sector. It's time to act like an adult and realize that Donald Trump won the electoral college which is the way we elect our President here in The United States.
We know that Hillary won California, so with the attitude of most of California's elected officials it's completely possible that she could be named President of California. With all the goofy stuff that the Governor, the legislature and the Attorney General are pulling it would certainly be a nice fit with their agenda. Sadly for that group, there remains a substantial number of common sense people who call the Golden State home and completely disagree with biased liberal thought. We're doing our best to stop them from completely overrunning us!
It seems to us to be a rather small request that bureaucrats honor subpoenas and formal requests from those to whom they are mandated to report; elected politicians and their bureaucratic minions should be aware that even though they are in power, there is no provision in our system that was implemented to allow them to abuse that power. I would remind them that as sure as we're talking here that a day of reckoning is coming— The United States of America has withstood all kinds of challenges— many of them much stronger than this current crop of dunderheads. When all else fails, return to common sense.
But, that's only one man's opinion.
Fred Hall is the publisher of the Sentinel.
Guest Column
LFife comes at you fast, plan ahead
or some 45 years, it’s been my good fortune to to spend time during your physical team up with Susan DeMarco — my cohort, exams to tell you about, discuss, and companion, and co-conspirator in all things assist you — free of charge — with
progressive and fun. But life comes at you fast... often including an abrupt end to life.
Sadly, after a blood clot had slammed into her brain, DeMarco’s life ended on April first — yes, April Fools’ Day.
The only good thing about it is that she departed on her own terms. She’d previously signed end-of-life legal documents directing hospital staff to remove all the tubes and equipment keeping her alive and switch to palliative care, allowing her to die naturally and pain free.
In lieu of flowers, she would simply hope that others would be prompted by her passing to consider controlling their own end time. She was able to die as she wished only because she’d signed three legal documents to enforce her wishes: Durable Power of Attorney, Declaration of Guardian, and Advanced Directive to Physicians.
As legalistic as all of that sounds, it’s not complicated to get and fill out standard forms for all three. Indeed, a recent Medicare provision pays your own doctor
Jim Hightower
“Advance Care Planning.” Also, most hospitals now hand out the documents for free.
Oh, one more thing I learned assisting DeMarco with her exit is that it’s not enough to have signed the end-of-life documents — you also
Letters to the editor
need someone who knows where they are when the time comes. Hospital officials cannot take your word that the documents exist.
As EMS tended to her, I was frantically searching for her documents in the unmarked piles of stuff around her bedroom. I could hear her saying, “Come on, Hightower, time to go!” But, luckily, they were found, and because of that, she was able to depart as she wished.
And so can we, if we plan ahead.
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
e’re all used to chaos in immigrants are Washington these days. hesitant to trust Amidst it all, there’s one that these policies
Make the impossible very possible
With lots of bad news we seem to be reading lately, it is time to make a change of attitude and behavior.
As by now you have heard that the Veterans from the Vietnam War suffered a major loss when "Low- Life Thieves" stole all our fundraising equipment at our storage bin located at Dinuba Memorial Hall Grounds.
My last letter to the editor stated that the Low Life's put us down but not out. The Veterans took to word of mouth and much thanks to Reedley Exponent and Dinuba Sentinel ads and letter to editor asking the public for help.
Well, the "Forces of Good" responded from Reedley, Dinuba and surrounding area. A couple of readers far away in another city that still remembers her life in Dinuba and this area when she lived here. They all send in small donations and large amounts to put us on track of buying all "new" equipment.
This be a lesson to people who are down and out. Seek help as well as help yourself to make the impossible very
possible.
Remembering our fallen brothers who left to serve in
the jungles of Vietnam as young 18 and 19 and some 20. Some just out of high school others were drafted. We left over 58,000 young teens on the battle field. Now 50 years later, those of us who returned have raised our families and give a big thanks to God for living in cities like Reedley and Dinuba and having wonderful Americans citizens like you as our brothers and sisters. Again thanks for giving, as we Veterans still have lots of good work to do for the community.
Come see our troops in full uniform at the Memorial Day Ceremony at Smith Mountain Cemetery. Then join us for a hot dog and hamburger right after the ceremony at Dinuba Memorial Hall. Our uniforms fit a bit tight and our flat 27-inch waists are gone, but our guys still love your handshake.
George Madrid US Navy Seabee Veteran Orosi
little protocol change that could mean the undoing of our democratic process: the Commerce Department’s decision to ask people whether they’re citizens in the upcoming 2020 census.
Where I live, in New York City, we have over 3 million people who were born outside the United States. Most people I know are either immigrants, or remember their parents or grandparents telling stories about entering the country. In this way, the Big Apple is
a microcosm of our vast and dynamic country.
Just how vast and dynamic? That’s determined every 10 years in a nationwide collection of data called the census.
The census is used in part to determine the allocation of federal funds for programs across the country. That includes things like Medicaid, the National School Lunch Program, Highway Planning and Construction, and Head Start.
The concern is that many immigrant families may be afraid to answer the census if it asks about citizenship. If that happens, it could threaten programs all Americans rely on.
For example, Head Start relies
on census data to determine how
many children are eligible for and
use the program. If the government scares immigrant families away
from the census, community-serving organizations that use federal Head Start dollars will get less money. We’ll end up with an underclass of people who are less able to participate in our society.
The census is also the basis for redistricting congressional seats every 10 years. If there’s an undercount in your region, it means you’ll get less representation in Congress.
Thus, it’s imperative the census accounts for everyone. Unfortunately, the current administration disagrees.
Since the 1880s, census data has been confidential, with the government forbidden to use any data collected against anyone. This was codified by Congress in 1954.
But under this White House, many
Morris Pearl
will continue to
be enforced. With ICE deporting immigrants with no criminal history and longstanding ties in the United States, they’re justified in their distrust. The citizenship question
only justifies this paranoia. These changes were ostensibly
undertaken to help enforce the Voting Rights Act, which the administration has refused to enforce in every other context.
The real motive is to discourage immigrant communities from participating in the census — and therefore give more weight to other, whiter areas. The areas that are “Great Again” — where everyone has the same skin color, and everyone speaks with the same accent.
Members of Congress, former census officials, civil rights organizations, business owners, and attorney generals have all voiced their opposition to including citizenship questions. They see the administration’s motivations for what they are — political.
One more seat in the House of Representatives for Utah and one
less for New Jersey can make a really big difference for a lot of people. A
lack of voter information on Hmong communities in Minnesota can make voting a struggle for tens of thousands of citizens.
We shouldn’t allow such maneuvering to compromise our democracy.
The jobs of the census is to count
how many people live in your area, and therefore how many resources it needs. It shouldn’t be concerned with how they got there or what their citizenship status is.
If we cannot do that well with the citizenship question in the surveys, then it should be removed.
Morris Pearl is chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and the former managing director of BlackRock, Inc. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
Join the discussion
The Dinuba Sentinel welcomes submissions of letters to the editor on topics of local relevance. Word limit is 350. Letters are considered once per month for each submitter.
Letters must include the author’s name, phone number and address for verification. Mail to 145 South L Street, Dinuba,
CA, 93618, or e-mail to editor@thedinubasentinel.com. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity. Libelous letters will not be printed.
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