The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1312729
D-6 Wednesday, November 25, 2020 The Press-Dispatch 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 Race for the Cure By Star Parker Points to Ponder By Rev. Ford Bond Optimistic about America I'm a conservative, and I guess I should be writing a column about my great distress resulting from this election. But I'm not going to write that column, because it's not what I feel. I'm actually quite upbeat and opti- mistic about the country that I love. With all my genuine, and legiti- mate, concerns about the chaos and violence that have ravaged many of our urban areas, about the strident rhetoric dominating our media, with its grossly distorted message about what is happening in America, when it came time to vote, American de- mocracy prevailed. Not only did Americans vote in turnout the nation has not seen in 120 years but it also happened peaceful- ly, as it must. Am I turning a blind eye to the real possibility of irregularities? No, I am not. We'll see what happens. But take a look at what the Chinese are doing in Hong Kong. Take a look at Venezuela. Dictatorships stamp out and smother people gasping for breaths of freedom. This is not happening in our great country. The rule of law will play out here. Maybe not to the liking of ma- ny, including me. But the fruits of any democracy are just as good as the people in it. And this is also what makes me op- timistic. As anyone who reads what I write knows, I see profoundly disturbing and threatening trends defining our national reality today. But, America is filled with tens upon tens of millions of wonderful people who are deeply committed to American principles and American freedom. I meet them all the time as I traverse the nation in my travels. They call me, and they write to me. Most are busy making ends meet and raising their families. They don't have time for political theory or his- tory books. They just have a feeling inside about what is true and right. I am talking about Americans of all ethnicities. They are speaking up, and many of the trends that began in 2016 continued into this election. I would remind readers that when Gallup asked Americans in Sep- tember whether they were "better off now" than they were four years ago, 55 percent said yes. When the same question was asked in Decem- ber 2012, under Barack Obama, 45 percent said yes. In October 2004, under George W. Bush, 47 percent said yes. In July 1992, under George H.W. Bush, 38 percent said yes. In July 1984, under Ronald Reagan, 44 percent said yes. The hairsplitting vote counts that turned the election in favor of Joe Biden cannot be seen in any way as a mandate. Even in my home state, the blue- as-can-be California, four ballot ini- tiatives pushing to the left were de- feated. Proposition 15, which would have raised property taxes on commercial and industrial property: NO Proposition 16, which would have restored racial preferences in gov- ernment hiring and contracting and in education: NO Proposition 21, which would have expanded government authority to impose rent control: NO Proposition 22, allowing app- based transportation companies (e.g., Uber) to employ drivers as in- dependent contractors: YES Republicans have picked up nine seats in the House of Representa- tives, putting them in close range to regain the House in 2022. Republicans appear in a solid po- sition to retain control of the Senate. All strong and bullish signs of un- derlying positive sentiment for Re- publicans. Perhaps most revealing, Ameri- cans vote with their feet. The top five states that showed net population decline due to out-migra- tion in the last full calendar year, 2019, were all Democratic strong- holds: California (-203,414), New York (-180,649), Illinois (-104,986), New Jersey (-48,946) and Massachu- setts (-30,274). For sure, the great burden lies on those who care about America re- maining a free nation. No action means that current trends toward more government, Continued on page 7 Continued on page 7 Continued on page 7 Every year we celebrate a very important holiday: Thanksgiving. It seems like everybody knows the his- tory of this celebration. Ever since I transplanted to North America, I have been ever so grateful to take a pause from the busy life of everyday activities, and take time to reflect on the many blessings we enjoy in this part of the world. Across the border in Canada, they celebrate Thanks- giving October 12 or sometime close to that day. This year, it seems like we will have a very different way of cele- brating this treasured gathering. I'm so disheartened, just like many others. Every family will now do a very different way of celebrating this important event because of restric- tions, social distancing, quarantine measures, etc. It used to we would hear over the news about millions of people who would travel by air, land and sea. Now, I hardly hear any mention of airports being super busy, or roads experiencing heavy traffic, or ocean cruises being full of passengers. I am fearful of the impact to the restau- rants, food industry, entertainment industry, etc this pandemic is doing. What a great disappointment. I cannot imagine the effects it will do to the economy if this trend contin- ues. Add to the mix the confusing state of our politics and I begin to wonder what these things will do to our spirit and well being. • • • On the other hand, I try to ratio- nalize and console myself and others whom I speak to, who share the same sentiments that perhaps human- ity needs to take a pause, because our journey of life is happening at a breakneck speed. It seems our prior- ities have gotten out of hand. Just think of this. Commerce has reached a nonstop hum of 24/7. Sports have displaced spiritual activ- ities (especially on Sundays). Family schedules are packed with back-to- back appointments. Many have be- come sleep deprived. There seemed to be little time to spend quiet moments for reflection and meditation. Instead, we turned to medication. Now, it seems we have more time to read, go for walks in nature trails, get rid of stuff we have kept and hoarded, thinking we needed them for the future. We now have more time to connect with long-lost family, friends, former school mates, and we have more time to de- velop new sincere friend- ships. • • • Let us be grateful, then, for things we sometimes take for granted, for we are blessed in this part of the world and truly enjoy many comforts of life other people only dream of. I came across this prayer on a church bulletin. I think it is worth sharing. A NOVEMBER PRAYER God of light, winter is taking it's turn over the seasons; flowers are drying up, greens are turning into browns, darkness is gradually over- powering the light. I also feel a win- ter creeping into my heart. God of My Point of View By H. K. Fenol, Jr., M.D. Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. Heritage Viewpoint By David Ditch Help workers, but keep bailouts grounded Continued on page 7 Continued on page 7 Minority View By Walter E. Williams Correct diagnostics needed Coming of Advent The season of Advent is upon us, and millions of Christians will be drawn to the words of Isaiah, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Coun- selor, Mighty God, Everlasting Fa- ther, and Prince of Peace. Of the in- crease of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to or- der it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever." Our English word "Advent" is de- rived from the Latin word adventus, which means "the coming or arrival." It is a spiritual time for those who em- brace Jesus as the Messiah! Advent brings joy, and many observe the cus- toms of centuries past. It is a time for Christian families to find quiet moments lighting candles in the Ad- vent wreath and children counting the days until Christmas. Many Churches conduct "Hang- ing of the Green" services that bring the congregants together who with much delight wrap the Sanctuary in the glory of Advent. Advent, as a time of celebrating the birth of the Messiah, can be traced to the fifth century [circa AD 480] with celebrations occurring in Spain and France; however, little is known as to how the Church as a whole cel- ebrated Christ's birth until around the 13th century when it became cus- tomary to observe the five weeks be- fore Christmas. Those outside of the Church may ask. "Why do we do this and what does it mean? " The season of Ad- vent is a time when the Church pre- pares for celebrating the coming of the Messiah as prophesized by Isa- iah. The faithful expected Him to come. We prepare our hearts and make room for Him. As we gather for the "Hanging of the Green," we share and connect with other Chris- tians who throughout the ages re- joiced in Christ's coming. We deco- rate the Church with the symbols of hope, peace, joy and love. We do this to tell the story and to proclaim "God is with us! " The symbol of the simple circle of evergreen branches that are woven into the Advent Wreath testifies to the continuation of life without end. The four candles encircle the Christ candle to signify God's Son as the light of the world. The four candles represent the four weeks in Advent with the hope, joy, peace, and love shown to us by the Father through Christ. When we light the Christ Candle on Christmas Eve, its bright- ness adds to the light from the oth- ers, and we experience Jesus as the Light of the World. Decorating with evergreen branch- es comes to us from the peasants of the Middle Ages who believed that preparations should be made for the coming of Jesus. On the first Sunday of Advent, each family would gath- er evergreens and place them near the hearth in their home. We con- tinue that tradition by hanging the green in our Congregational Home, the sanctuary. The evergreen re- minds us of God's eternal relation- ship with us. The poinsettia, or "Flower of the Holy Night," is the most popular Ad- vent flower. It was discovered grow- ing wild in Mexico and was devel- oped into the type of flower used to- day. The star-shaped center of the bloom reminds us of the star that shone on that first Christmas. Possibly the best known Christ- mas decorating tradition is the crèche, known as scene of the Na- tivity at Bethlehem. The crèche is the cradle where the Christ child was laid. The other items consist of a sta- ble filled with animals; shepherds, angels, along with Mary and Joseph watched in wonder as visitors came searching for the Christ. We set this scene before us during the Advent season as a reminder of God's gift to us. To finish off the decorating of the Sanctuary, we place the angel on the top of our evergreen tree. It was the Angel who heralded the coming of the Christ who was to be named Em- manuel – God with us! Hallelujah! Finally, the hymns and carols are sung, and God is glorified through the name that was chosen and that name we sing! We read before the birth of the Christ child that Joseph With the long campaign season fi- nally over, Congress is returning for several weeks of legislative sessions between now and Jan. 2. It's rare for substantial legislation to pass during the so-called lame-duck period, but this year could be different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And one pro- posal that legislators are considering in earnest is airline bailouts. The federal government has spent trillions of dollars address- ing the health and economic conse- quences of COVID-19. Many of the programs and provisions passed during the spring have expired, and leaders from both parties have stat- ed that they intend to work on a new package. If Congress does decide to pass economic relief legislation, it shouldn't give special treatment to the airline industry. Rather, it should seek to make it easier for all indus- tries to resume their provision of goods and services, and for all work- ers to find jobs. The CARES Act, passed in March, was the largest relief package in America's history. Among its provi- sions was $25 billion in loans and $25 billion in grants to airlines, which ex- perienced a rough- ly 90 percent drop in passenger volume. With these funds came many strings attached that caused the airlines to lose even more money. In addition to pre- venting (or at least minimizing) layoffs for their heavily unionized workforce through Sept. 30, the federal govern- ment's move to require airlines to maintain excessive flight schedules resulted in empty flights and a huge waste of money. In contrast to the CARES Act's Paycheck Protection Program— which aimed to provide very short- term funding with minimal strings attached to help minimize unem- ployment and unnecessary busi- ness failures—the airline provisions were heavily bent on maintaining the jobs and salaries of unionized airline workers while imposing significant government micromanage- ment of airlines' operations. Over the last several months, there has been dis- cussion in Congress about whether to pass another round of airline bailouts. Both House Democrats and Senate Republicans have in- troduced legislation to fun- nel billions more to the in- dustry. Congress has done more than enough already—both in the amount of money it has spent and in the increased risks from higher debt and added future tax burdens it has imposed. While some industries—airlines included—have been hurt more than others, Congress should not use tax- payer dollars to pick winners and los- ers. A fter all, it's not just airlines, but also hotels, laundromats, live music, professional sports, and many other You present to a physician with se- vere abdominal pain. He examines you and concludes that your ingrown toenails are the cause of your abdom- inal distress. He prescribes that you soak your feet in warm water but that does not bring relief to your abdomi- nal pain. Then he suggests that you apply antibiotics to your feet. Still no relief. Then the physician sug- gests that you wear sandals instead of shoes. Still no relief. The point of this story is that your toenails can be treated until the cows come home, but if there is improper diagnosis, then you are still going to have your abdominal pain. The former superintendent of At- lanta Public Schools, Meria Carstar- phen, last year said, "White students are nearly 4.5 grade levels ahead of their black peers within Atlanta Pub- lic Schools." In San Francisco, 70 percent of white students are profi- cient in math; for black students, it is 12 percent — a gap of 58 percent. In Washington, D.C., 83 percent of white students scored proficient in reading, as did only 23 percent of black students — a gap of 60 percent. In Philadelphia, 47 percent of black stu- dents scored below basic in math and 42 percent scored below basic in read- ing. In Baltimore, 59 percent of black students scored be- low basic in math and 49 percent in reading. In Detroit, 73 percent of black students scored below basic in math and 56 percent in reading. "Below basic" is the score a stu- dent receives when he is unable to demonstrate even partial mastery of knowledge and grade level skills. How much can racism explain this? To do well in school, someone must make a kid do his homework, get a good night's rest, have breakfast and mind the teacher. If these basic family functions are not performed, it makes little difference how much money is put into education the re- sult will be disappointing. In 2019, the racial break- down of high school seniors who took the ACT college entrance exam and met its readiness benchmarks was 62 percent of Asians, 47 per- cent of whites, 23 percent of Hispanics and 11 percent of blacks. That helps explain a 2016 study by Georgetown University's Center on Ed- ucation and the Workforce "A fri- can Americans: College Majors and Earnings." It found that black col- lege students were highly concen- trated in lower-paying and less ac- ademically demanding majors like administrative services and social work. They are much less likely than other students to major in science, technology, engineering and math, even though blacks in these fields earned as much as 50 percent more than blacks who earned a bachelor's degree in art or psychology and so-