The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1257677
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, June 10, 2020 B-1 OPINION Submit Letters to the Editor: Letters must be signed and received by noon on Mondays. Email: editor@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg I'm always intrigued by the Eng- lish language. Halfway around the world, the American educational system became the model for our education back home. So for 17 years and sometimes beyond, Eng- lish was meticulously ingrained in- to our learning, like in kindergar- ten, elementary, high school, un- dergraduate, post graduate and doctoral levels. However once we're in our own homes and com- munity after school, we spoke our own native languages. In effect, I became fluently bilingual. Some- times I find it weird to flip back and forth effortlessly from English to Tagalog (our native tongue) and question myself how could our brains do that. But it is fascinat- ing and intriguing most times. We tried to teach our kids and grand- kids some Filipino words but we just can't seem to be successful in imparting this legacy. So it seems like there's no hope for that. Any- way, let's leave it at that and learn some origin of words or expres- sions I happen to come across an article a friend sent me. So let's go over some of them. • Why do ships and aircraft use "MayDay" as they call for help? Answer: Because this comes from the French word m'aidez- meaning help me and is pronounced approx- imately "MayDay." Sil- ly me I thought it's an Australian expression for " MayDie" when you hear them say it. • Why are zero score in ten- nis called "Love?" Answer: In France where tennis is popular, the round zero on the scoreboard looked like and egg and was called "Toeuf" which is French for "The egg." When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans naturally mispronounced it "Love." • Why do Xs at the end of a letter signify kisses? Answer: Because in the middle ages when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using X. Kissing the X rep- resented an oath to fulfill obliga- tions specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually be- came synonymous. • Why is shift- ing responsibili- ty to someone else called "passing the buck?" Answer: Be- cause in card games, it was once custom- ary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to in- dicate whose turn it is to deal. If a player did not want to assume the responsibility of deal- ing, he would "pass the buck" to the next player. • Why do people click their glasses before drinking a toast? Answer: Because in earlier times, it used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink is safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of a host. Both men would then drink it simultane- My Point of View By Dr. H. K. Fenol, Jr., M.D. Origin of words and expressions Minority View By Walter E. Williams Some facts worth knowing Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 Imagine that you are an unborn spirit in heaven. God condemns you to a life of poverty but will permit you to choose the country in which you will spend your life. Which country would you choose? I would choose the United States of America. A recent study by Just Facts, an excellent source of factual infor- mation, shows that after account- ing for income, charity and non- cash welfare benefits such as sub- sidized health care, housing, food stamps and other assistance pro- grams, "the poorest 20 % of Amer- icans consume more goods and services than the national averag- es for all people in the world's most affluent countries." This includes the majority of countries that are members of Organization for Eco- nomic Co-operation and Devel- opment, including its European members. The Just Facts study concludes that if the U.S. "poor" were a nation, then it would be one of the world's richest. As early as 2010, 43% of all poor households owned their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bed- room house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage and a porch or pa- tio. Eighty percent of poor house- holds have air conditioning. The typical poor American has more living space than the average non- poor individual liv- ing in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other cities through- out Europe. Ninety- seven percent of poor households have one or more color televi- sions — half of which are connected to cable, satellite or a streaming service. Some 82 % of poor families have one or more smartphones. Eighty-nine per- cent own microwave ovens and more than a third have an auto- matic dishwasher. Most poor fam- ilies have a car or truck and 43% own two or more vehicles. Most surveys on U.S. poverty are deeply flawed because poor households greatly underreport both their income and noncash benefits such as health care ben- efits provided by Medicaid, free clinics and the Children's Health Insurance Program, nourishment provided by food stamps, school lunches, school breakfasts, soup kitchens, food pantries, the Wom- en, Infants & Children Program and homeless shelters. We hear and read stories such as "Real Wage Growth Is Actually Falling" and "Since 2000 Wage Growth Has Bare- ly Grown." But we should not believe it. Ask yourself, "What is the total compensation that I receive from my employer? " If you in- cluded only your mon- ey wages, you would be off the mark anywhere be- tween 30 % and 38 % . Total employ- ee compensation includes mandat- ed employer expenses such as So- cial Security and Medicare. Other employee benefits include retire- ment and health care benefits as well as life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insur- ance, vacation leave, tuition reim- bursement and bonuses. There is incentive for people to want more of their compensation in a non- cash form simply because of the different tax treatment. The bot- tom line is that prior to the govern- ment shutdown of our economy in the wake of the coronavirus pan- demic, Americans were becoming richer and richer. The question be- Race for the Cure By Star Parker Points to Ponder by Rev. Ford Bond Help me understand Most Americans regardless of color have recoiled in disgust and horror to the video of George Floyd being pinned by a Minneap- olis police officer who had his knee on his neck. With the suspect in custody and subdued, there seems to be no justification of that tactic. For the most part, law enforce- ment officers are consciences peo- ple who are asked to do a job that is almost impossible to do. The citizenry demands law and order, while at the same time insist polic- ing be done with kid gloves. Police tactics have evolved over the last 70 years. Watch the 1950s police show Badge 714 [Dragnet] or Highway Patrol. The proce- dures that were used then are not taught to law enforcement today. Fast-forward 15 years to the late 1960s and watch Adam 12 and [the new] Dragnet. Now the police shows contain reading sus- pects his/her right, having proba- ble cause, obtaining a search war- rant, and using reasonable force. For example, one episode of Adam 12 saw Officers Pete Mal- loy and Jim Reed capture a snip- er on a rooftop [Season 2 Epi- sode 14 SWAT]. When asked by a news reporter why he did not just shoot him, Officer Reed replied, "it wasn't necessary." Officer Malloy more than once on Adam 12 explained the police are there "to protect and serve; to protect the life and property of the citizens, and to protect the rights of the accused to ensure due pro- cess is protected." For those who lived through the 1960s, protect- ing the rights of the accused was a hard pill to swallow for the body public. However, America did, and we are a better people. A guiding principle that has been drilled into our moral and social consciousness for the last 50 years is "equal protection un- der that law." I can understand the trauma of the Floyd family, the cit- izens of Minneapolis, and all peo- ples who see his death as an out- rage. Black Lives Matter as do all lives. I cannot understand the rioting. I had classes in Sociology dealing with Social Problems, Ethnicity, and Mass Movements. Few Ameri- cans are apologist to prejudice and discrimination. As I pondered my own attitudes about race relations, I readily admit I can only under- stand them from my experience. I was working my way through college when I saw my first inci- dent of racism and it was ugly. Clarence [my supervisor], did not like Blacks and Jehovah Witness- es, and Rod was both. One day he lit into Rod in a tirade about his lack of ability as a human being. In a rage, Clarence screamed at Rod "if he could, he would make him raise the American flag out- side our building every morning" [Jehovah Witnesses generally do not display flags]. Thirty years later, I still remem- ber that incident and how repulsive it was. It was even more repulsive because Clarence was a Christian. I did not see Clarence displaying "Love they neighbor as thyself." Rod was not Clarence's neighbor because of the color of his skin and his religion. I saw the "Parable of the Good Samaritan" acted out in real time before my eyes. Clar- ence was the highway bandit ver- bally assaulting a fellow man and threatening to leave him for dead, while also being the inconsiderate priests. Therefore, I need help. I understand the protests and the demand for justice and racial sensitivity; however, why is the ri- oting excused by some of our il- lustrious politicians? I understand how a spontaneous riot occurs and baser elements of society use the inflamed passions are a pretext for lawlessness. I get it. The apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Rome that lawlessness produces more lawlessness. How can we as a nation survive? The apostle John also wrote, "sin is law- lessness, and lawlessness is sin." From a Christian viewpoint, all levels of brutality whether it is at the hands of a government offi- cial or an "ordinary" citizen, are wrong. Nevertheless, help me under- How can half of Americans be- tween 18 and 29 favor socialism over capitalism? Because they do not know the first thing about cap- italism, the economic system that has made them the most prosper- ous and privileged young people in the world. Many young people accept ev- ery myth about capitalism. Cap- italism, they say, favors only the rich, never the poor. Capitalism is responsible for every econom- ic disaster of the last 100 years, from the Great Depression to the Great Recession. Capitalism is rac- ist, misogynistic, dismissive of cli- mate change. Capitalism, they de- clare, is the apotheosis of all that is wrong with America. But these myths don't stand up to scrutiny. MYTH: CAPITALISM IS ONLY FOR THE RICH They are right about one thing: the rich are becoming richer. There are now nearly 19 million millionaires in America, two-fifths of all the millionaires in the world. We have 621 billionaires, one- fourth of all the billionaires glob- ally. They are rich because the Unit- ed States rewards the entrepreneur- ial spirit. American capitalism has also produced the larg- est and most afflu- ent middle class in the world, with a per capita GDP of more than $ 65,000. By contrast, Communist China's per capita GDP is an estimated $10,900, one-sixth of ours. But it is also true that the poor are getting richer. Measured by consumption, according to econ- omist Bruce Meyer of the Univer- sity of Notre Dame, the percent- age of the poor fell from 13 per- cent in 1980 to 2.9 percent in 2018, while the official poverty rate fell by only 1.2 percentage points to 12.3 percent. A major reason for the discrepancy is that the offi- cial poverty measure is based on cash income only, which fails to include all the resources avail- able to a family includ- ing tax credits and in- kind transfers. The re- ality is that the average "poor" American owns a car, enjoys air condi- tioning, has access to the Internet, and has at least one T V. The official poverty line for a family of four is $25,465. Capitalism benefits all, as seen by the lessening of historical ra- cial and gender disparities. From 2013-2018, the five metropolitan areas with the largest black pop- ulation—New York, Atlanta, Chi- cago, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.—saw black median house- hold income increase significant- ly from rates of 7 percent in Wash- ington, D.C., to 21 percent in At- lanta. In 2019, blacks maintained their lowest unemployment rate ever of 5.5 percent. The jobless Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 In 1992, I operated a small pub- lishing business in Los Angeles. It was destroyed as a result of riots that ensued after four police offi- cers were acquitted of charges of excessive violence in the beating of Rodney King. It changed my life. I focused my resolve to work in public policy to change destructive realities that were taking our distressed com- munities, and the whole nation, in what I saw as the wrong direction. That was almost 30 years ago. Yet it's still going on: chaos and de- struction, supposedly justified by racial injustice. Why? For the past week, I sat bun- kered at night in my Washington, D.C., apartment as the nation's capital was being transformed in- to a war zone. Domestic terrorists roamed the streets, destroying private proper- ty, wanting to destroy our nation, pretending to be rioting to save it. They defaced the Lincoln Memo- rial and the World War II Memo- rial, and torched St. John's Episco- pal Church, where presidents have prayed since 1816. President Donald Trump touched the heart of the issue in re- marks he made in the White House Rose Garden, saying: "America is founded on the rule of law. It is the foundation of our prosperity, our freedom and our very way of life." He then courageously ventured off the White House grounds, crossed Lafayette Square and stood in front of St. John's Church, holding up a Bible, and declaring the greatness of our nation and his resolve to keep it safe. I do not believe any president has presented himself outside in public in this fashion since Pres- ident Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. Yet, the left-wing media mocked Trump. No sane American — of any po- litical persuasion — is not appalled at the horrible death of George Floyd at the hands of a policeman. But the answer to flouting of the law by anyone demands that we re- commit ourselves to universal re- spect and execution of the law, not throw it in the trash. In an announcement from my organization, UrbanCURE, that called for a national "Pasto- ral Prayer for America," I note: "George Floyd did not die as a black man but as a human being, under the protection of American laws, and the mortal assault on him inflicted a deep wound on ev- ery American, not just American blacks. People who think it their duty now to express sympathy to black folk must learn how to rec- ognize that the grief is their own and not that of some 'other' look- ing for their generosity." Regarding allegations of racism, I say: "I don't agree that our nation is racist. That mantra is the poison that entrenches resentment and di- vision among us. The daily hunt for racism from top to bottom of our nation's institutions have institu- tionalized the perception of racism in the post-Civil Rights era." "They have systematically re- duced the fundamentals of citi- zenship to race, in the guise of di- versity and inclusion — and these illusive lies have sown increas- ing distrust and painful social dis- tance in conflict with our reality," I say. "Most Americans are cordial to their neighbors, work hand in hand across racial lines, and just want to be left alone." Why this chaos today, 30 years after Los Angeles was torn up and my business destroyed? I say it is because respect for the law and every human being comes only with humility, and that humil- ity comes only when we see that law rooted in God and every per- son created in His image. But too much of our nation's reality has been controlled arro- gance, not humility: arrogance that we don't need the God of our fathers and founders. Those on the left have convinced too many that our answers lie in politics, their secular humanism and moral rel- ativism. The result is the destruction of life and property that true law, ad- Heritage Viewpoint By Lee Edwards, Ph.D. The case for capitalism, part I The burden of race and rage