The Press-Dispatch
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B-8 Opinion Wednesday, April 25, 2018 The Press-Dispatch baby. I'm sure some of my least-shoddy work from years past will be dredged up for display the next couple of weeks. If you're lucky, they'll print a cou- ple from when I had a cat and no kids... I feel like I was funnier back then. Maybe it was a side effect of the pet dander. When I get back, I'm sure to have some tales to tell about the weird throw-up my new ba- by did all over Jill, or the novel Jill plans to read once the epidural kicks in, or maybe I'll just write about how good the hospital food was. Much like a newborn baby, I'll let it be a mystery for now. Have a great week! Continued from page 7 COUNTDOWN Pursuit of the Cure by Star Parker Trump's important anti-poverty initiative It takes a lot of courage for a president to target al- most a quarter of the feder- al budget for reform in an election year. But this is exactly what President Trump is do- ing with his executive or- der, "Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Econom- ic Mobility." We're now spending more than $700 billion per year on low-income assis- tance, which is more than we are spending on our na- tional defense. And there are plenty of reasons to be- lieve this spending is inef- ficient, wasteful and coun- terproductive. Over the last half-cen- tury, some $22 trillion has been spent on anti-poverty programs and yet the per- centage of poor in this na- tion remains unchanged. And it is not only a matter of the percentage staying the same but also that the people and families who are born poor stay that way. The Better Way report produced by the House speaker's office in 2016 re- ported that 34 percent of those born and raised in the bottom fifth of the in- come scale remain there all their lives. The point has often been made that the great- est charitable gesture is teaching those in need to help themselves. This principle defines the president's reforms to our anti-poverty programs and spending. Let's make sure that every dollar spent goes to those truly in need and that those dollars are spent to maximize the like- lihood that the recipients will get on their feet and become independent, pro- ductive, income-earning citizens. The executive order di- rects federal agencies to review the some 80 feder- al anti-poverty programs, consolidate where there is redundancy and over- lap, and look to reform by applying the principles of hard work and self-suffi- ciency. Needless to say, the usu- al left-wing megaphones, those that can't tell the dif- ference between compas- sion and spending billions of other people's dollars, have wasted no time to go on attack. The headline from the Southern Poverty Law Cen- ter screams, "Trump's ex- ecutive order on work re- quirements punishes low- income people for being poor." Calling the executive or- der "heartless," the SPLC rejects the premise that there are those receiving benefits from these pro- grams who could work but don't. However, Robert Doar of the American Enterprise Institute reports that there are almost 20 million work- ing-age Americans receiv- ing benefits under Medic- aid and food stamps who don't work. The "Better Way" report notes that "44 percent of work-capable households using federal rental assis- tance report no annual in- come from wages." But it's not just about work requirements. Vital to this reform proj- ect is moving programs out of Washington's grasp and into the administrations at the state and local levels. Assistance programs need humanity and flexibility. This can only be done lo- cally. There's no way an ar- my of bureau- crats in Wash- ington can develop and implement programs for 50 million needy individ- uals that can properly rec- ognize what unique indi- viduals need to move out of poverty. Assistance programs need to promote and em- body those principles that go hand in hand with pros- perity — ownership, invest- ment, savings and personal freedom and responsibility. According to the Bet- ter Way report, almost 10 million Americans have no bank account and another 25 million have an account but get financial services outside of the banking sys- tem. When I was a young woman on welfare, I saw the destruction that oc- curs when assistance pro- grams penalize work, mar- riage and saving, as was the case with the Aid to Fami- lies with Depen- dent Children program. Sub- sequently, this was reformed and transformed with great suc- cess to the Tem- porary Assis- tance for Needy Families program. We can't go on spend- ing hundreds of billions of dollars of limited taxpay- er funds on programs that may have been conceived with sincerity and compas- sion but don't work. President Trump de- serves credit for exercis- ing the courage and vi- sion to move to fix what is broken in our anti-pover- ty programs. It is vital for the poor and vital for the nation. Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renew- al and Education. Contact her at www.urbancure.org. Court Report CRIMINAL Pike Circuit Court Trevor H. Krock charged with intim- idation, a level 6 felony. Robert L. Townley charged with count I intimidation, a level 6 felony, count II domestic battery and count III interference with the reporting of a crime. In re: search warrant. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike Circuit Court Cameron J. Stafford charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II operating a vehicle with a schedule I or II controlled substance or its metabolite in the body. Roberto Lopez Soria charged with operating a motor vehicle without ev- er receiving a license. CIVIL Pike Circuit Court Rex Bennett sues Sharon Cannon and Citizens Insurance Company on complaint. Personal Finance Company sues Brian Wamser and Rebecca Wamser on complaint. Personal Finance Company sues Rick L. Shepard on complaint. OneMain Financial of Indiana sues Edra Cannon on complaint. Personal Finance company sues Kimberly Slunder and Steven Slunder on complaint. David J. Recker petitions for post conviction relief. Diana F. Dillon sues Billy J. Dillon for dissolution of marriage. SMALL CLAIMS Pike Circuit Court Medical and Professional Collection Services sues Jamie A. Ising on com- plaint. Medical and Professional Collection Services sues Nicky L. Miller on com- plaint. INFRACTIONS Joseph Bateman charged with speeding, 52 mph in a 30 zone. Dennis Brumfield charged with speeding, 59 mph in a 45 zone. Kale Burke charged with seatbelt violation. Philip Burris charged with speed- ing, 50 mph in a 30 zone. Trenton Byers charged with speed- ing, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Andrew Chumley charged with op- erating with expired plates. Donald Dawson charged with speed- ing, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Justin Lofton charged with speeding and driving while suspended. Rodrigo Moreno Pavon charged with no valid driver's license. Devan Ritchie charged with speed- ing, 50 mph in a 30 zone. Nathan Roberts charged with oper- ating a motor vehicle without financial responsibility. Zakareya Shalabi charged with fail- ure to register. Treva Snider charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. William Wilkins charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Emma Barnett charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Justin Black charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Victoria Black charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Yarinpil Enkhtugs charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Breanna Holloway charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Michael Ingram charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Anthony Key charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Steven Manlove charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Joanna Nowark charged with no val- id driver's license. Euder Ramos Reyes charged with speeding, 86 mph in a 70 zone and no valid driver's license. Samuel Schopmeyer charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Lindsey Schrager charged with speeding, 97 mph in a 70 zone. Teylor Smith charged with speed- ing, 51 mph in a 30 zone. Charity Stout charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Madisyn Yockey charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Alfred Wint charged with passing stopped school bus. Hunter Williams charged with speeding, 69 mph in a 55 zone. would be outcasts fleeing from the wrath of society. Within reaping and sowing, the faithful are as- sured that God interjects providence [guidance] in people's lives so that they might enjoy the harvest of a spiritual life. The psalmist wrote: "The steps of a good man are or- dered by the Lord: and he delights in his way. Job wrote in the midst of despair: "You gave me life and showed me kind- ness, and in your provi- dence watched over my spirit." Karma and comeuppance is a spiritual sickness. It is a type of revenge that the abused or bystander wishes or desires would befall up- on a tormenter. There is no place within the concept of karma for grace or mercy, as one's fate is fixed by pre- vious action[s]. Christ came to set the sinful free from the effects of sin, everlasting separa- tion from God, and the toll it has upon the soul. The faithful are admon- ished to yield to the Holy Spirt and be molded into a new likeness leaving the old nature of self-consumption behind. The spiritual man/wom- an is what is at stake in how we interact with each oth- er. Again the apostle Paul writes: "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." In other words, living a life of carnality and sin and expecting to inherit heav- en is akin to planting cockle burrs and expecting roses. Thankfully, karma though misapplied, does not reign among the faith- ful. The men/women of faith are encouraged to "lay hold of eternal life! " Read what Paul encour- ages those at the church at Philippi to focus upon as they lay hold of eternal life: "Finally, brethren, whatso- ever things are true, what- soever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are love- ly, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Choose faith and receive the grace of God through Christ Jesus, and leave kar- ma to the Hindus! Think about it! Continued from page 7 FAITH Continued from page 7 STEPS to 2000, presidents pro- posed about 1,200 rescis- sions, totaling more than $77 billion. Congress ap- proved 461 of them, which resulted in a savings of $25 billion. But there have been no requests for rescissions since 2000. President Clinton was the last one to even try. That needs to change. Yes, the amounts we're talking about aren't exact- ly huge. The most signif- icant budgetary savings occurred under Presi- dent Reagan: 1.3 percent. And that, of course, re- fers to cuts from discre- tionary spending — not the increasingly massive amount considered man- datory. So no, as Mr. Bogie points out, "rescissions will not fix the country's current fiscal mess. Re- scissions are not a signifi- cant deficit-reduction tool, nor are they meant to be." However, they are still an important first step to- ward what should be a top goal for Washington pol- icymakers: Getting their out-of-control spending problem under control. Just because the amount we can save through re- scissions is a relatively small one doesn't mean we shouldn't try. If noth- ing else, it sends a mes- sage that cuts need to be made. The least Congress could do is provide a pack- age of $13 billion in rescis- sions, which is just 1 per- cent of the total omnibus. We can't just throw up our hands because the task before us is so huge. Yes, the federal debt is higher than it's been at any time in the post-World War II era. The need to get spending under control is more important than ev- er. But if we can't claw back even a small amount through rescissions, does that mean we're just sup- posed to give up entirely? You have to start some- where. And a rescissions package is the place to do it. Ed Feulner is founder of The Heritage Foundation (heritage.org). JOURNEY WAGE Continued from page 7 Continued from page 7 Etta who were married for 52 years attended the wed- dings of our children, and we attended weddings of their children as well. To- gether we also celebrated anniversaries, holidays, birthdays, reunions of a wide circle of relatives who lived in different parts of the USA. We also participated in the farewells of relatives who left this world for the next journey of life. Dr. Montes loved his work as a physician and was given the honor of being a Fami- ly Physician of the Year for the City of St. Louis about 30 years ago. He was well known and respected in the field of Family Practice in the large area where he worked. He continued to work till he retired about a year ago at age 86. What an accomplish- ment. I rarely hear of pro- fessionals in the medical field who would work for 52 years which he did. So, Rose and I and our family were gifted with his friend- ship, his presence, his in- spiration, his deep faith, and love. We will miss him dearly. Our joy is knowing he is now enjoying the lov- ing embrace of our Creator forever. Our joy was also connect- ing and meeting with rela- tives and friends during his wake who otherwise we would have a slim chance to see or hear from. • • • Here's a story you might enjoy reading. A small boy and his grandfather were flying a kite on a hill. The kite soared into the sky. Then suddenly a cloud hid it from their sight. A fter a few minutes, the grandfather said to the boy, "Bobby, maybe some thief up in that cloud stole your kite! " The boy shook his head in disagreement. A few minutes later, the grandfather said again, " Bobby, maybe some thief up in that cloud stole your kite! " Again, the boy shook his head. The grandfather said, " But Bobby, how can you be sure that kite's still at the end of your string? " The boy replied, "Because I can feel something you can't feel. I can feel the kite tug at my string." I think this story illus- trates the story of our faith. Many times it seems we can't have enough con- fidence that our prayers or petitions are being heard, but we are able to experi- ence many things coming together that affirm they are being answered. Some- times, a clear answer hap- pens, sometimes the an- swer comes in a different pathway but we do know and feel it is the answer. Have a blessed week. My work took me through Seattle often during that pe- riod. In the months after Se- attle enacted a stout mini- mum wage increase, I no- ticed that several small fam- ily-owned restaurants had closed. Kiosks can't wash dishes and bus tables yet. But down the coast in Sil- icon Valley and elsewhere, clever engineers and coders were devising the technolo- gy that would save the res- taurant industry from unsus- tainable high wages. Good for them, good for the res- taurant owners, disastrous for young, inexperienced workers. The move to automation, once made, is irreversible. Consider the advantages to an owner: no payroll, no so- cial security contribution, no scheduling drama, no training, no slip-and-fall or back injuries, no embarrass- ing racial accusations, and no #MeToo claims of sexu- al harassment. The kiosk of- fers the employer peace of mind, not just financial ad- vantage. Of course, the remaining back-of-the-house workers can't be replaced by a ma- chine. Yet. The Democratic platform advocates increasing the current $7.25 federal mini- mum wage to $15 per hour. The majority of Congressio- nal Democrats have com- mitted to the $15 figure, but some have advocated an in- termediate $12 wage before transitioning to the higher wage. Rep. Keith Ellison and Sen. Bernie Sanders have introduced legislation to au- tomatically increase the fed- eral minimum wage from that $15, based on median national wage growth. El- lison's measure would also outlaw the practice of pay- ing tip employees less than the minimum wage. There are, lamentably, already ki- osks at restaurant tables, eliminating opportunities for single mothers and col- lege kids. Even President Donald Trump has said he favors an increase to $10 per hour. So the handwriting is on the wall. The fast food chain ex- ecutives aren't paranoid, just rational. They don't want to go broke. They don't want to get fired by stockholders. There will be a lot more ki- osks, and a lot fewer employ- ees.