Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 6-21-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, June 21, 2018 Editorial & Opinions
Serving “The World’s Fruit Basket” since 1891
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
Jon Earnest — Editor
Chris Aguirre — Sports Editor Felicia Cousart Matlosz — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”
Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
It seems that now would be the appropri- ate time for a discussion about the disparity between what politicians tell us when they are running for office and how twisted that thought process can become once we have decided to elect them to represent us in Sacramento or Washington, D.C.
We can begin right here at home in Cali- fornia with the prevailing insanity of early release of prisoners to avoid overcrowding of jails.
Caldwell confident Reedley College continues its educational excellence
Fred Hall
The safety of every person would be impacted by allowing these miscreants to wander around freely on our streets and neighborhoods where they ply their trade of mayhem. The safety and well-being of every Californian should be the primary concern of every elected official — not having extra money for some other insipid giveaway program aimed at supporting their re-election cause.
We’re told that life-giving water will eventually be rationed to 50 gallons per day per individual per a mandate issued by our radical governor. How does that wash — no pun intended — with the millions who live here illegally and receive special attention by our govern- ment? The more people who live in California, the greater the need for water.
While we’re on the same subject, since we’re a major supplier of food and dairy products for the world trade, perhaps it would help if less of the water from wet years would be retained by new or enlarged dams and dedicated to agriculture instead of silly environmental issues like trying to restore rivers that are long gone. It seems to completely defy common sense to allow such a spectacular amount of water to flow unrestricted and unused into the ocean which, according to environmentalists, is experiencing rising levels.
From where would the money come to build more water stor- age? Perhaps, since that was the original intention, it could come from the numerous water bonds which we have passed or realizing that the High-Speed Rail project is becoming a “black hole” for tax- payer money and never will be finished. Even if it were to be com- pleted, there is no empirical evidence that the economics of such an endeavor will ever pencil out. Taxpayers would have to underwrite operational costs of high-speed rail forever!
Already experiencing the highest per capita taxes in the country, our politicians are now advocating that we provide health care for illegals and have advanced the notion of everyone’s health insurance being state (taxpayer) paid. Sacramento says that illegals will only cost another $1 billion.
With about one million California government employees, we’re already overwhelmed with the status quo and told that we are essen- tially going to have to make up the shortfall to fund the exorbitant pensions for those overpaid state employees. How the hell are we going to be able to do that?
Our politicians didn’t miss a beat with the mindless approval of the use of recreational marijuana. We were told that everything would now be controlled, but the pols fell in love with the idea of having one more thing to tax. We suspect that their greed in going after a new source of revenue will only result in bolstering the black market because that product will be cheaper and heaven knows it is certainly available on almost every street corner. Why does it appear that politics always breeds greed?
Considering the fact that cutting the state into three separate parts will appear on the November ballot, perhaps that might not be such a bad idea Judging from recent events, it appears that the largest dose of common sense can be attributable to that geographic part which would be designated “Southern California.” Much of the Central Valley falls within those confines. Perhaps with the mindless drivel coming from our most populous areas this is an idea whose time has come.
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
Once she’s settled in as the execu- tive director of the Wyoming Com- munity College Commission, Sandra Caldwell said she plans to return to the Central Valley for three particu- lar events.
When the [Reedley College] Event Center for Fine and Performing Arts has its open house or ribbon cutting,” she said. “I’m going to come back for the ribbon cutting at Oakhurst [Com- munity College Center] for our new permanent facility there, and I’m go- ing to come back to the open house when Madera [Community College Center] achieves its initial accredita- tion.”
That’s what Caldwell told staff em- ployees and administrators during a June 13 informal gathering next to the front entrance of the college’s admin- istration building. It was a farewell meeting with the departing president, who officially is on the job through Sunday, July 1, but only has one more visit to town before then.
In her message to staff, Caldwell said she didn’t think her three planned visits would be too far in the future. “You need to know, your administra- tive team – the vice presidents — are incredible,” she said. One of those vice presidents, Donna Berry, has been appointed interim Reedley College president by trustees with the State Center Community College District. She’ll take over for Caldwell effective Monday, July 2.
“Donna knows what needs to hap- pen,” Caldwell said of Berry, the col- lege’s VP for administrative services. “She knows how competent everyone is here and she’s very committed to that.” Caldwell later said that Berry
along with Dale Van Dam (vice presi- dent of instruction), Renee Craig-Mar- ius (vice president of student servic- es) and Claudia Habib (vice president of Oakhurst and Madera Community College centers) all have been “incred- ible advisers, a great team.” She said the trio work as a team to make sure the college’s focus is on the students first and foremost.
“We’ve talked about that it’s not about what I want, it’s about what’s right and best for the students and to act accordingly,” she said. “Do what’s right for Reedley. And [they] will say the same thing.”
Caldwell already has made two trips to Wyoming since the end of the spring semester in May. She attended her first commission meeting, then met with all the commission staff including the superintendent of in- struction. She returned to the Central Valley in time to attend the June 12 SCCCD trustees meeting in Fresno, where Berry was officially appointed as interim president. With a laugh, Berry said that Caldwell “knows how to vacation.”
Berry didn’t hide her praise for her former boss. “Dr. Caldwell truly has been a builder, and she really has done a lot. That’s one of her traits is saying ‘it’s not a destination, it’s a journey.’ She really has taken us to great heights.”
Ron Nishinaka doesn’t mince words in describing Caldwell’s legacy with the college. The SCCCD trustee member – who was an instructor for 37 years at Reedley College — said the college has enjoyed its greatest five years of success under Caldwell’s leadership.
“Her work in elevating us to be
the number two
community college
in the state – and
all the other work
she’s done for us
— is a big reason
for that,’ Nishinaka
said. “We’re very
sorry to see her
leave.” Jon Earnest
Caldwell will be
a tough act to follow, but Berry and Reedley College administration ap- pears ready to hit the ground running.
•••
With summer arriving and school
on hiatus, we’re getting an opportuni- ty to catch up on some achievements from local school teams and organi- zations. You’ll see in this week’s issue that we’re giving an update on the Reedley High School sports medicine program and the Reedley Middle Col- lege High School FFA soil and land evaluation judging team.
The RHS sports medicine team had a fourth place finish in a small schools division in national competi- tion. That May competition came on the heels of a third place Western regionals finish in Southern Califor- nia in late March. The FFA squad at RMCHS, meanwhile, was named best in the state in that soil and land evaluation discipline, which qualifies the team for nationals competition in October.
We’ll do an update on Immanuel High School’s state champion trap shooting team in a future issue. The squad finished first in the California finals on June 2.
Congratulations to all local teams.
Somehow, the politicos feel that by emp-
tying our prisons earlier and sending fewer criminals to jail that the state budget would be the winner — and they would be right, but at what cost? They think only of the money that is “saved” for their discretionary spending. Little consideration is afforded for the harm and chaos criminals create for average everyday citizens.
Know your Medicare rights and protections
By Greg Dill
Guest columnist
As a person with Medi- care, do you have any rights and protections? You cer- tainly do!
You have rights whether you’re enrolled in Original Medicare — in which you can choose any doctor or hospital that accepts Medi- care – or Medicare Advan- tage, in which you get care within a network of health care providers.
Your rights guarantee that you get the health ser- vices the law says you can get, protect you against unethical practices, and ensure the privacy of your personal and medical infor- mation. You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times, and to be protected from discrimination.
You also have the right to get information in a way you understand from Medi- care, your health care pro- viders, and, under certain circumstances, Medicare contractors. This includes information about what Medicare covers, what it
pays, how much you have to pay, and how to file a com- plaint or appeal.
Moreover, you’re en- titled to learn about your treatment choices in clear language that you can un- derstand, and to participate in treatment decisions.
One very important right is to get Medicare- covered emergency care when and where you need it — anywhere in the United States.
If you have Medicare Advantage, your plan ma- terials describe how to get emergency care. You don’t need permission from your primary-care doctor (the doctor you see first for health problems) before you get emergency care.
If you’re admitted to the hospital, you, a family member, or your primary- care doctor should contact your plan as soon as possi- ble. You’ll have to pay your regular share of the cost, or a co-payment, for emergen- cy care. Then your plan will pay its share.
If your plan doesn’t pay its share, you have the right
to appeal.
In fact, whenever a
claim is filed for your care, you’ll get a notice from Medicare or your Medicare Advantage plan letting you know what will and won’t be covered.
If you disagree with the decision, you have the right to appeal.
You don’t need a lawyer to appeal in most cases, and filing an appeal is free. You won’t be penalized in any way for challenging a decision by Medicare or your health or prescription drug plan.
For more information on appeals, you can read our booklet “Medicare Ap- peals,” at medicare.gov/ Pubs/pdf/11525.pdf. Or you can call us toll free at 1-800-MEDICARE.
If you’re concerned about the quality of the care you received, you have the right to file a complaint.
If you have Original Medicare, call your Benefi- ciary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO). Visit Medicare.gov/contacts or call 1-800-MEDICARE to
get your BFCC-QIO’s phone number.
If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, or other Medicare health plan, call the BFCC- QIO, your plan, or both.
If you have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and have a complaint about your care, call the ESRD Network for your state. ESRD is permanent kid- ney failure that requires a regular course of dialysis or a kidney transplant. To get the phone number for your local ESRD Network, visit Medicare.gov/contacts, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
For more details, read our booklet, “Medicare Rights and Protections,” at medicare.gov/Pubs/ pdf/11534-Medicare-Rights- and-Protections.pdf?
Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medi- care questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227).
Letters Policy
THE REEDLEY EXPONENT 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 300 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed (jon@midvalleypublishing.com), submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
Have an opinion? Want to share it?
Weigh in. Let your voice be heard.
Send us your letter to the editor for publication on this page and on our website.
jon@midvalleypublishing.com