Page 4 - Dinuba Sentinel 10-4-18 E-edition

Opinion
A4 | Thursday, October 4, 2018
In My Opinion
Kavanaugh asco yet another O sign of deep divisions
ver the past couple of weeks supposed to be rich this nation has undergone and Democrats
a political nightmare which were working class
Fred Hall - Publisher Rick Curiel - Editor
accomplished nothing more than attempt to destroy the lives of a brilliant man, who is the epitome of what a man should be, and his lovely young family. He was academically first in his high school graduating class, first among his graduating class in college and first among his peers in law school.
The most damning thing coming out of this was that this division
of country and destruction of reputations was done by a political party in the pursuit of a really
seedy agenda. Brett Kavanaugh
has a reputation of being a strict constructionist of the Constitution and Democrats wanted none of that! They insisted on the need of another Justice of the ilk of Ginsburg, Kagan, Breyer or Sotomayor who see the Constitution as “fluid” and adaptable to political needs. The law should never be a malleable thing which can bent at will for a political philosophy.
Accusations which appeared
in the 13th hour—actually being brought forward after the initial Senate hearings had closed—dealt with claims which placed the proof of innocence on the accused. That articulation, coming from Democrats on the Senate Judicial Committee is completely counter to any semblance of American jurisprudence. How would our democracy survive if simple accusations were considered proof of guilt?
My parents were hard core Democrats who grew up and came of age during the great depression that gripped the country during
the 1930’s. They absolutely adored Franklin D. Roosevelt, the last President to serve three terms
and blamed Herbert Hoover, his predecessor. Hoover, who made many economic miscalculations, was serving during the ‘crash of 1929.’
Owing to the large numbers involved in the stock market involving stocks which were bought on margin, the losses were deep and painful but not necessarily the fault of President Hoover. But, as Harry Truman, a remarkable Democrat said, “The buck stops here.”
Roosevelt installed a number of government programs which were aimed at propping up a terrible— almost nonexistent—economy. The President openly admitted that he feared that many of his quasi-welfare programs were destined to become
a narcotic but drastic measures were needed for millions of starving Americans. This would be a small taste of controlled socialism and a new experience for this country.
My mother and father were classic examples of what was termed, at
the time, ‘yellow dog Democrats.’ It was never intended as a derogatory term but rather a way of saying
that the individuals would vote
for a yellow dog before they would vote fort a Republican. This
recent phenomenon is particularly pronounced with a group which we identify as snowflakes who were non- existent back in the day. No one took umbrage at such pronouncements. Today, they do! Republicans were
Fred Hall
folks, a differential which has been turned on its head in today’s America. Hollywood, the media and the elite now control the Democrat Party.
When I attended high school
and college there didn’t seem to be any teachers or professors who felt compelled to spew their prejudice to a class of students who were there to learn and prepare themselves for the real world. The fact is that I never remember politics being discussed in the classroom except in the context of history. Yes, they still taught history back then. As soon as I was old enough, I cast my first ballot as a grown-up for John F. Kennedy.
Mom and Dad would have been proud!
Fast forward just a few years and everything has changed. Viet Nam,
it would seem, was the beginning of
a change in the values of America. That would also have been the era when so many having the college experience became so steeped in a misguided socialistic leaning learning experience.
Guest Column
That seemed to be the beginning T of the liberal spore being spread
far and wide. Many of youngsters
graduating college became teachers
that way?
his summer, the White House proposed selling off the United States Postal Service to private corporations.
and professors. Thusly the wrong- headed idea of socialism contained to gain traction and the proliferation became exponential.
The leading edge of the Democrat party of today identifies itself as socialist democrat, often with hubris. Truth be told, socialism has been an abject failure wherever it has been tried. The treasuries of once rich countries are soon decimated and the next political leader on the scene is usually a dictator.
This current hearing by the Senate Judicial Committee has essentially become a seek-and-destroy mission using dirty tricks and obfuscation
to delay the confirmation of this Supreme Court judge. The man is extremely qualified and has already gone through six (now seven) FBI investigations.
Last week’s ambush of weak-kneed Jeff Flake by two Democrat activists who had been paid by George Soros is ugly evidence. Doubt it was staged? How about the convenient presence of a CNN television crew
at that exact moment at that exact spot? It’s almost like wolves or coyotes hunting livestock. They always manage to cut the weakest one out of the herd and that’s exactly what Democrats did with the Arizona Senator. This whole delay and besmirch tactic was planned and orchestrated.
I predict the FBI report will come back with no corroboration for
the allegations but the Democrats probably have another trick up their sleeve.
But, as always, that’s only one man’s opinion.
Fred Hall is publisher of the Dinuba Sentinel.
As a 22-year postal worker, I’ll be joining my coworkers, our families, and neighbors across the country on October 8, rallying in support of our public Postal Service. Our message to those who want to sell off our national treasure to the highest bidder: U.S. mail is not for sale.
Many may think that in the internet age, the Postal Service has outlived its usefulness, and that the decline of letter mail is the cause of the Postal Service’s financial troubles. But the Postal Service actually turns a profit on its deliveries.
The truth is that the USPS’s problems were largely created by Congress.
A bipartisan 2006 law, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, law mandated that the USPS pre-fund future retiree health benefits 75 years into the future. That means we have to fund retirement benefits for postal employees who haven’t even been born yet.
It’s a crushing burden that no other agency or company — public or private — is required to meet, or could even survive.
The mandate drained $5.5 billion a year out of Postal Service funds and accounts for more than 90 percent of its losses. In fact, if it weren’t for this manufactured pre- funding crisis, the USPS would have reported profits in four of the last five years — all without receiving a dime of taxpayer money.
While it’s true that the way people use the mail is changing, the Postal Service is still a vital part of the country’s infrastructure.
Package volumes have exploded with the e-commerce boom. Companies as large as Amazon and as small as a one-room Etsy vendor rely on the Postal Service. USPS delivers 30 percent of FedEx Ground packages and 40 percent of all of Amazon’s many shipments. Vitally, the USPS is at the heart of a $1.7 trillion mailing industry that
employs more than 7.5 million people. The people of this country love the
Postal Service. A recent Pew Survey showed 88 percent of Americans view the USPS favorably.
One reason for this success is our commitment to serve 157 million homes and businesses six — and sometimes
seven — days per week at affordable,
uniform prices. Our public Postal Service reaches everyone, everywhere, no matter one’s health, wealth, age, or race. We should never
lose sight that it’s veterans, seniors, and people in rural areas who rely most on the Postal Service for essential goods and life-saving medications.
What could the public expect if the Postal Service were sold to off to private interests? Higher prices, slower delivery, and an end to universal, uniform, and affordable service to every corner of the country.
And who would pay the price? All of us.
Postal services that have been privatized abroad provide a cautionary tale: In the UK, postage is up nearly 80 percent since 2007. The privatized Portuguese post has closed nearly a third of their post offices.
Our postal system is older than the country itself. It was a vital component of our country’s public good then. It still is today. And along the way, one fundamental fact has always been true: Our postal system has never belonged to any president, any political party, or any company. It’s belonged to the people of this country.
Postal workers are rallying to urge lawmakers to stop the selling off of the public postal service for private profit — and to remind everyone the Postal Service is yours. Keep it.
Julie Bates is a 22-year postal worker at the Des Moines, Iowa post office. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
It's your post o ce, why not keep it
Julie Bates
Letters to the editor
Emperor football players do well off the eld too
I’m not a big football fan, but recently I’ve become a big fan of the Dinuba High School football team. And it has nothing to do with their win-loss record.
It all started with a nice young man in a DHS Football t-shirt offering to pump my gas for me. The next time, it was a similarly clad young man offering to wash my windshield.
Then on several occasions, holding a door open for me, offering me their place in line. Super-polite, personable young men were popping up all over town! They were all on the football team. I know because I asked them.
Lest you think I’m some young cute thing these guys may be trying to impress, believe me when I say I am not. I’m rather frumpy and old-ish. Whatever is going on with the football team, they are turning out not only strong football players, but good men.
The coaches should be commended, and Dinuba should be proud of the fine young men on its football team.
Sincerely,
Laurel Deibert Dinuba
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