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OPINION
Mountain Views News Saturday, July 20, 2013
STUART Tolchin..........On LIFE
HAIL Hamilton My Turn
Mountain
Views
News
PUBLISHER/ EDITOR
Susan Henderson
CITY EDITOR
Dean Lee
EAST VALLEY EDITOR
Joan Schmidt
BUSINESS EDITOR
LaQuetta Shamblee
SENIOR COMMUNITY
EDITOR
Pat Birdsall
SALES
Patricia Colonello
626-355-2737
626-818-2698
WEBMASTER
John Aveny
CONTRIBUTORS
Chris Leclerc
Bob Eklund
Howard Hays
Paul Carpenter
Stuart Tolchin
Kim Clymer-Kelley
Christopher Nyerges
Peter Dills
Hail Hamilton
Rich Johnson
Chris Bertrand
Ron Carter
Rev. James Snyder
Bobby Eldridge
Mary Carney
Katie Hopkins
Deanne Davis
Despina Arouzman
Greg Wellborn
Dr. John Talevich
Ben Show
Sean Kayden
Jasmine Kelsey Williams
CAN WE KEEP
OUR EYES
CLOSED?
AMERICA IS NO LONGER THE FIRST
OR THE BEST
A couple of Sundays back my wife got a call from our daughter. It’s a regular
mother-daughter thing that’s been going on for years. She calls me too but not
nearly as often as mom, especially since she gave birth to her own daughter last
December. However, this is only a segue to a mistaken conclusion my daughter
shares with most Americans -- that America is the first and the best in just about
everything when compared to the rest of the world.
My wife had her phone on “speaker” so I could say hello. But before I could say a word my daughter
made a curious remark. My wife was telling her about our upcoming trip this month to Mexico to
save thousands of dollars on a bunch of dental work I need done before I retire next summer. My
daughter said, “Getting your teeth fixed in Mexico is like having heart surgery in China.”
Clearly my daughter shares a common misconception that American health care--including
dentistry -- is better than anywhere else in the world. This simply isn’t the case. For the purposes of
comparing medical costs and outcomes between countries the World Health Organization (WHO)
includes dentistry as a part of medical care because the serious diseases related to poor dental care.
According to the WHO, the United States spends a higher portion of it’s GDP on health care every
year than any other in the world. Yet, the U.S. ranks 37th out of 191 countries in the WHO’s ranking
of health care systems. It’s difficult to imagine any consumer spending that much more money on a
product only to be handed something that ranks 37th in quality.
According to the CIA World Factbook life expectancy at birth in the U.S. is 78.6, or 51st in the
world, below most developed nations and some developing nations. Monaco is 89.7. Jordan is 80.3.
With 72.4% Americans of European ancestry, life expectancy is well below the average life expectancy
for the European Union (EU). More importantly, with the exception of Mexico, Turkey and the
United States, all Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries
have achieved universal or near universal health coverage.
The U.S. also ranks close to the bottom compared to other industrialized countries on several
important health issues affecting mortality: low birth weight and infant mortality, injuries and
murder, teen pregnancy and STDs, HIV, and AIDS, deaths resulting from drug overdoses, obesity
and diabetes, heart disease, and lung cancer. Most involve life style choices. A few, such as low infant
birth weight and HIV, might be increased by improved health care.
My going to Mexico to get my teeth fixed is not that unusual. Commonly called “dental tourism”
it is, along with its counterpart “medical tourism,” increasingly attracting middle class Americans
seeking dental work abroad because it is too expensive here and not covered by insurance.
Since April I’ve been healing from the initial “screw” surgery for two implants that are to support a
bridge replacing four lower front teeth. I had thought my total bill was going to be $3,200. Now I find
out that doesn’t include the posts and crown bridge, which is another $3,200. The dentist then tells
me I need an additional implant to construct yet another bridge to span the gap where two molars
had once been. I was beginning to feel like San Francisco between the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.
And all this sparkling new white porcelain dental work would only cost me $11,000! I almost
choked on the temporary denture I’ve been wearing in place of my missing teeth.
My choices were suddenly very simple: either I go around the rest of my life without four lower front
teeth and a bunch of missing molars, looking like that toothless hillbilly in the movie “Deliverance,”
rob a bank with my wife like Bonnie and Clyde, or seek out much more reasonably priced dental
work in Mexico. It was a no-brainer. I chose Mexico!
One other thing. Another common misconception my daughter shares with most Americans is the
misconception that the U.S. middle class is first in the world. It isn’t... It is 27th... just behind Kuwait!
There’s a lot going on and
it’s very hard to make sense
of it all. Are we on the brink
of taking action against the
problems facing the world
and our particular country or
are we all about to throw in
the towel? Last week’s issue
of this newspaper which hit
the streets just before news of
George Zimmerman’s acquittal
contained passionate articles
focusing on the significance of
that trial. Today’s Los Angeles
Times (Monday, July 15, 2013))
refers to the not guilty verdict
freeing the admitted killer of
an unarmed Black teenager as
“a referendum on race and gun
laws across the nation.” All
right then, what does the Not
Guilty verdict tell us about the
state of our country?
Reviewing last week’s
Mountain Views News Articles,
political conservative Greg
Welborn begins by declaring
that the American criminal
justice system is becoming
highly politicized through
the efforts of the Obama
Administration. Let me begin
here. It may be news to Mr.
Welborn, but I can attest to the
undisputed fact that during
my 45 years as an attorney,
the American Criminal Justice
System has always been
politicized. By this I mean
that a journey into almost any
Criminal Courtroom in Los
Angeles County will reveal
a room filled with people of
color. A huge percentage of
Defendants, depending on
the neighborhood, are young
African-American or Hispanic
males.
Are people of color
genetically determined to be
law breakers? Of course this
question is nonsense. If you
are a Caucasian and you do
not know responsible non-
Caucasian people, you might
well question your own values
and way of life. Are you living
within a bubble that confirms
your life experience to some
mythical view of the world?
Let’s face it; our wonderful little
secret mountain town which
is probably 95% Caucasian
allows for a life experience that
is definitely different from the
experience of most residents of
Los Angeles County. Take a ride
sometime on the Metro Train
from here to Long Beach and
you will experience something
like a World Tour of different
peoples and Communities. It’s
an experience very different
from simply hanging out in
Sierra Madre.
My point is that even if you
have chosen to live here in Sierra
Madre because of its isolated
and homogeneous nature and
even if the only people you
know are people very similar to
yourself, this should not blind
you to the undisputable fact
that wonderful people come
in all colors, sexes, and ages.
Really, this is an important
point—white does not mean
right. There is another equally
salient point; being non-White
in America, even today’s
America, automatically places
one in category of potential
suspects. In criminal court
parlance, just driving your car
may put you into the category
of Driving While Black.
Let me give you another
example. Some years ago I
had walked to lunch with a
colleague, a distinguished
African American Attorney
some years older than myself.
We were a little late getting
back to Court and I suggested
we take a short cut and jog
back through an alley. My
lunch companion shook his
head and said “Black Man
can’t run through no alleys”.
I thought he was kidding,
but when he wouldn’t run I
realized it was no joke; and
I realized something else.
Notwithstanding education,
achievement, and wealth; color
still made a difference in every
moment of one’s life.
Returning to a consideration
of Mr. Welborn’s article, he
maintains that race should have
no place in the administration
of criminal justice and that
“the racial politicization of the
judicial process jeopardizes
all our freedoms and strikes at
the core of all the principles
we hold dear.” I’m afraid that
just the opposite is true. The
continued administration of
criminal justice as method
of keeping the Blacks, the
Browns, the young (-especially
the young males) and the
poor in line is a despicable
but continuing process. It
creates criminals and impacts
upon futures. Criminal Justice
should not simply be a method
of protecting the wealthy and
secure (while ignoring their
crimes) and singling out for
punishment only those already
most vulnerable in the society.
I want to conclude by
referring to Susan Henderson’s
response to Mr. Welborn,
which appeared in last week’s
paper. She voices the concern
of any parent, especially the
parent of teen-age male of
color. “Is America now (still)
a place where someone can
take a life simply because they
have a gun and want to?” The
problems resulting from the
continued existence of racism
in America, along with the
insane proliferation of gun
possession, together constitute
a threat to all the principles
we hold dear. AND one
cannot close our eyes to these
facts - even in safe, friendly,
homogeneous Sierra Madre.
Mountain Views News
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a newspaper of General
Circulation for the County
of Los Angeles in Court
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is published every Saturday
at 55 W. Sierra Madre
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Madre, California, 91024.
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Views News and may
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expressed by the writers
printed in this paper do
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OUT TO PASTOR
A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder
APPLE FRITTER: The Fruit Of My Choice
Our country,
so it
seems,
runs on
choice.
The more
choices we have the better we like
it.
Most people in America pride
themselves on the ability to make
their own choices.
"Freedom of Choice," is the cry
you hear all around our country
these days. Yet, most people do
not have the freedom of choice
they think they have. Somebody
is influencing the choices they
make without them realizing they
are being influenced.
That is called marketing.
The Gracious Mistress of the
Parsonage and I were watching
television the other night, trying
to watch a favorite TV program.
Finally, from an end of the room
that was not my end, came an exasperated
sigh. I tried to ignore it,
but you know how that works.
The exasperation seemed to accelerate
and I knew that if I did
not acknowledge it in some way,
well, I think you know what
would happen.
It was in the middle of some commercials
and so I turned to her
and said, "What's got you in such
pain tonight?" At her age I did not
know if there was some medical
something or other going on.
"These commercials," she moaned
so painfully, "I can't stand all
these commercials!"
I must say I was a little bummed
out about all the commercials
myself. I think every one-hour
program is devoted to 30 minutes
of commercials. Most of those
commercials are for things I have
no interest in. Or, they are played
at a very inappropriate time.
It never fails if we are having our
supper while watching television
there are 79 commercials for diarrhea.
Is this really a major problem
in our country today?
Getting back to my wife and the
commercials, I responded as
cheerfully as I could, "Well, my
dear, somebody has to pay for our
television viewing privilege."
I felt a cold yet burning stare in
my direction.
"Can't they run those lousy commercials
when I'm not watching
TV?"
Someone once said that silence
is Golden and right then I cultivated
a golden moment.
Commercials are a way in which
manufacturing companies influence
our choices. Every product
has 100 different companies marketing
the same product. I have
not done too much research but
the little I have done I discovered
that the same company makes the
same product but sells it under a
different name.
There are two categories of products.
There is the name brand,
which cost a fortune. Then there
is the generic brand, which is only
a fraction of what the name brand
cost. It is the same product, made
by the same company, but advertised
by difference venues.
This is where choice comes in.
Some people choose the high-
priced product because they
think it is better.
Some of us choose the low-price
product because we know better.
One night as we were watching
television, it seemed most of the
commercials had to do with dieting
of some kind. There were
high calorie diets, low-carb diets
and diet that really did not make
sense to me.
Watching all of those dieting
commercials, I did not see one
that I would die for.
Every one of those commercials
assumes everybody watching
wants to lose 297 pounds. Personally,
I have lost the same 5 pounds
for over 30 years. I lose 5 pounds
and then by golly, three weeks later
I find those 5 pounds, at least
they recognize me.
Anybody can lose weight; it is all
a matter of choice. Personally, I do
not plan to lose any sleep because
I cannot lose weight. I think it is
going to be rather funny if when
we go to heaven everybody is
fat. Wouldn't that be something?
We plummet ourselves almost to
death trying to lose weight and
get to heaven and everybody is
fat.
It all boils down to choice. It all
boils down to the fact that most
people think they are making
their own choices.
Those of us who are on the husband
side of the marital equation
know we do not make our own
choices. Our choices are made for
us by our "better half." Why do
you think we get married?
My wife is a great one for fruit
and vegetables. Every day of our
life is fruit and vegetables. To mix
things up a little bit one day it will
be vegetables and fruit.
She prepares the fruit and then
invites me to make a choice. I am
sure she did not see all of this in
any television commercial; at least
I hope she hasn't. She is proud of
the display of fruit choices she has
for me.
She is also concerned about my
diet. Much more than I am. I do
not think my diet is so important
that both of us should be concerned
about it. If she chooses to
be concerned about my diet, that
is her choice.
I choose to be a little more cavalier
when it comes to dieting.
Actually, and do not tell her I said
this, but my fruit of choice is the
humble Apple fritter. It has everything
my heart desires and a few
things my body desires, too.
I like with David said, "Delight
thyself also in the LORD; and he
shall give thee the desires of thine
heart" (Psalms 37:4 KJV).
It is all a matter of choice, that is,
making the right choice.
Letter To The Editor:
Dear Mountain Views News: THANK YOU
I am a 13 year old, I am a purple belt and I help teach the younger
students as a junior instructor. Thank you for writing an article
March 23 about G3 Academy, it really helped with the publicity
for the studio.
Your article made my teachers happy, because we were getting
noticed in Sierra Madre. Because of this Sierra Madre is getting
stronger and safer because people are learning life skills.
Sincerely,
James Taylorson, Junior instructor
Dear Editor - please forward: NOT MY MONEY
Mr. President, as you eloquently stated in the aftermath of the
Zimmerman trial, “we are a nation of laws”. As a veteran that
served and fought for the preservation of our way of life, I am
distressed that we have failed as a nation on the most critical of
issues.
No state law can supersede federal regulations. Our Constitution
guarantees our "inalienable rights". That is the right to life - Trayvonn
Martin's is DEAD; Liberty - Trayvon's liberty was grossly
infringed upon, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It doesn't guarantee
our happiness, just the ability to pursue it, and Trayvon’s was
taken away.
The right to defend yourself with deadly force should never infringe
on our most basic protections. It doesn't matter if this
incident was race related, nor the specifics of the ensuing altercation.
An American is dead, killed through a series of horrific
and avoidable circumstances. A stand-your-ground gun culture
like the one in Florida is a slick promotion of vigilantism, since
it is not necessary that the person standing their ground be receiving
any actual physical threat. Perception of threat is the only
requirement.
I do not want the federal government to bring additional charges
against Zimmerman. After all, proving civil rights violations may
be next to impossible. Instead, I urge every politician in Washington
to challenge the merits and legality of Florida's law, and if
Florida continues to have such rules on its books, we withdraw
all federal money from the state. After all, we threatened money
restrictions to states that would not lower their speed limits to 55
in the 80’s, so why not use that same tactic now?
I do not want one dime of my federal tax dollars going to state-
sponsored vigilantes.
Fred Thomas, Sierra Madre
Mountain Views News
Mission Statement
The traditions
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the concerns of
our readers are
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top priorities. We
support a prosperous
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informed citizens.
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our natural resources.
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