Fresno Bee letters: Bravery of Ukraine’s president, Tower Theatre purchase, and more

Calling all leaders, time to step up

Have we lost our leaders?

In watching Ukraine’s President Zelensky courageously lead his country against a Goliath of a bully, I wonder where our leaders are today.

The 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence in 1776 — who pledged everything they had, including their lives, fortunes and honor to have a chance to establish a free, new nation.

President Lincoln holding together a shattered America — during a terrible Civil War.

President Kennedy steadfastly challenging another nation that was establishing a nuclear missle base 90 miles from our shoreline.

A quote from John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address on January 20th, 1961:

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

It takes courage to do what is right.

Where are our leaders of today?

Have we lost them forever?

I hope not.

Taxpayer support and Tower Theatre

The recent letter from Clovis Republican (Diane) Pearce omits the fact that Clovis Unified uses taxpayer money to fund not one but two performance venues — the Mercedes Edwards Theater and the Shagoian Theater. No question that public money is needed to support the arts.

The self-proclaimed church which has been operating in the Tower Theater is violating Fresno zoning restrictions. A church which teaches intolerance does not belong in a diverse neighborhood like the Tower.

Pearce should refrain from posting condescending and inaccurate statements about her neighbors in Fresno.

Making our politics more responsive

We will soon vote in our primary election. Our perfect system at work.It is actually a monopliocracy. It’s not democratic and it’s certainly not perfect.

This system exists to give the two major parties a monopoly on obtaining political power. That is far from ideal. European coutnries have shown that having many parties actually strengthens democracy, since more voices can be heard and leading parties have to make compromises to govern. Are the Ds and Rs scared of competition?

Many genral elections are now contested by candidates from the same party. Top-two results disenfranchise anyone that holds dissenting views. Declining percentages for major party membership should show that many voters are unhappy with this lack of choice. What can be done?

First, back any movement to abolish the jungle primary and replace it with the old party system.

Second, show your displeasure by voting for non-major party candidates. There is a group called the Left Unity Slate which is running. They know they cannot win under ths system — they do this because they want to make the system more responsive to the people. Please support these candidates.

Global warming? Not to worry

If global warming is self-limiting, we won’t need to take any action combat it. The Earth’s climate system may be like a giant thermostat — when it gets too hot, it turns the heat off. Recent headlines suggest this may be the case.

“COP26: A Failure For The Planet And The World’s Poor”

“Climate change will result in thousands of new viruses spread among animal species, jumping from animals to humans”

“COVID-19 slashed global economic output by $8 trillion”

“Heat Wave Scorches India’s Wheat Crop”

Global oil consumption dropped around 15% due to the pandemic. Crop failures and multiple future pandemics will reverse population growth. Economic collapse will crush the dreams of Third World peoples who aspired to the lavish fossil fuel-based lifestyle we Americans take for granted.

So how is this “self-limiting”? Simple: Oil consumption tracks with prosperity. If civilization approaches the cliff, oil burning will plummet. CO2 levels, the root cause of these climate disasters, will drop too. Voila — relief from the heat! All we have to do to ensure this future is ignore the climate crisis.

Then again, we could choose to fight as if civilization depended on it. Just in case.

Facing up to LGBTQ health inequities

Health inequalities have affected the community of LGBTQ for decades. Members who identify as LBGTQ face different forms of discrimination, leading to health disparities (CDC, 2019). Health care disparities in the LGBT community arise from several factors, including those related to health-care coverage, policies and lack of culturally competent care, which promote stigma, degradation and inequities in LGBTQ community (Daniel & Butkus, 2015).

Actions such as supporting the Senate Bill 923, which focuses and addresses this issue on discrimination and help ensure that gender-affirming services are provided for all regardless of the individuals sexual status (California State Senate, 2014).

The passage of SB 923 is crucial as well as collaborating with local and state stakeholders, including committees to provide inclusive care to the entire population (Daniel & Butkus, 2015).

Bullard High race incident shocking

“A prank!” Who’s kidding whom?

Recently a Bullard High School student’s picture on social media showed him with a towel over his face and a towel, in the shape of a hood, over his head, allegedly being a “ninja warrior.” I do not know how a ninja warrior would dress, but I do know what a Ku Klux Klansman would wear. He was dressed as a Klansman; the message was obvious!

On April 22, 1922, my mother’s family’s Basque neighbors were attacked by the KKK, being suspected bootleggers. Dressed in white robes, with white, tall, conical hats, they brutally beat the men and forced the women to disrobe. My grandfather called the police, and took my mother and five other children to hide in a vineyard. A local traffic cop came, killed a Klansman and shot two.

I found this picture offensive. For some, it might have elicited memories of family members being targeted by the KKK or similar.

I hope FUSD’s and Bullard’s administrations treat this as shocking, deserving serious consequences, nothing short of expulsion. Only then will these students learn what they did was wrong, racially insensitive, demonstrating their ignorance of history.

Small business retirement plans

At the height of the pandemic, I had to focus on the urgent resources needed to keep my business afloat. As a small business owner, I had limited resources to navigate ever-changing markets and manage benefit options like retirement for my employees.

Despite these challenges, having a financial planner background, I always understood the importance of supporting a program like CalSavers. This is why I’m excited to support the expansion of the CalSavers Retirement Savings Trust Act.

Micro-businesses like mine don’t have access to a designated human resources department that can spend long hours digging into the weeds of retirement options and keeping up with the administrative burdens of traditional retirement savings programs. This expansion will remove an inequity for the state’s smallest employers so that I can access a no-fee, easy-to-use tool that will aid in my employee recruitment.

Because I’m such a small business, I really do think of my employees as family. I always want to treat them well, and I know that part of that is to help them retire with dignity. I hope that the entire California Assembly passes this legislation and quickly sends it to the governor’s desk.

This story was originally published May 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno Bee letters: Bravery of Ukraine’s president, Tower Theatre purchase, and more."