Mountain View News Saturday, April 18, 2026 
1111OPINIONOPINION Mountain View News Saturday, April 18, 2026 
1111OPINIONOPINION 
STUART TOLCHIN PUT THE LIGHTS ON 


AWARENESS AND RECLAMATION 

There are things I have lost, and I know that I have lost forever. There 
are other things though that I still hope to find again and reclaim. Let’s 
start with some of those things that have been forever lost. You know, 
my hair, my mobility, my teeth, my senses of smell and taste. Of course, 
many of my old and treasured friends are gone and in the process of 
going. I know I am fortunate to have reached the age of eighty-two 
which I will reach hopefully on the twenty-sixth of this month. 

I will happily accept all birthday wishes on that date but remind myself that this one day 
of the year is also the birthdate of an immigrant to our Country, Mrs. Melania Trump. 
Despite the losses most of which could be expected and accepted, it is the losses associated 
with Mrs. Trump and her husband, whose name I do not choose to mention, that I did not 
expect and still refuse to accept. 

I am speaking now of a loss of certainty. For my entire life I have felt certain of being 
proud to be an American. Yes, there have been some difficult times and some seemingly 
unacceptable realizations. Entering College at UCLA in 1961 I was at least surprised to 
note that other than football players and famous athletes there were very few persons of 
color attending the College. Still, I was amazed that sitting right in front of me in myPhysics 10 class were the gold and silver medalist winners of the Decathlon at the 1960 
Olympics held in Rome, Italy. Perhaps you remember their names. Rafer Johnson and 

C.K. Yang, a Taiwanese Olympian who also attended college at UCLA. 
There at UCLA, together with these world-famous men sitting in class probably also not 
understanding much physics. Really, that lack of understanding did not surprise me. I 
was the first person in my family to even graduate High School. What did I care about 
physics and math anyway? What difference does any of that stuff make? Yes, I had a lot 
to learn then and am still learning every day as the Artemis voyage has resulted in the 
presentation of all kinds of scientific advancements gained from the discoveries connected 
with the quest for space. I am talking about MRI’s and CT scans. Examinations involved 
in keeping me alive today. 

Okay back to 1960 - perhaps I was too unaware to notice what was right in front of me. In 
1965, after two years at UC Berkeley, I entered UCLA Law School. Now I was sensitized 
enough to notice there were no females and no persons of color in any of my classes. I 
noticed and was aware enough to be appalled, and I sought out a work-study job creating 
a program related to bringing High School students from minority areas to college. As a 
lawyer, thirty years later, a female Judge called me up to the Bench and said, “Mr. Tolchin. I 
am glad to have this opportunity to thank you for changing my brother’s life.” Those were 
her exact words. I didn’t know what she was talking about and said, “Who’s your brother?” 
“He’s the mayor,” she said. Who knew, as far as I knew, he was just one of the kids who had 
a shorter name than the mayor. Today he’s one of the potential Democratic candidates for 
Governor. Life goes on. 

Yes, life goes on and today at the Law School, there is a female Dean, and I believe the 
majority of the Law students are female. My point is that changes have occurred but for 
many, many years there were disparities and discriminations and overall unfairness that 
had always been a part of this Country. For people like those who had the foresight to be 
born of the right gender, of the right color, and at the right time this country has provided 
a workable easy road to a very satisfying life. Like many Sierra Madreans I could not 
afford my house today or even pay the rent. Yes, I have always been certain that I was 
pleased, even proud to be an American and very proud of the work as an Immigration 
Attorney that my daughter practices every one of her hard-working days.
I want to reclaim my hope and certainty in believing the world continues to change There 
should be a recognition of all the progress that has taken place and the awareness that 
progress will continue. Don’t despair and don’t be overwhelmed by the current negativity. 
Good things have always been done and now we all must do what we must. Believe we 
will find a way. Happy Birthday to us all and prepare to see a more humane world on the 
birthdays to come. 


HOWARD Hays As I See It 

“The simple act of paying attention can take you a

long way.” – Keanu Reeves 

You might not have been paying attention to the president’s recent 

announcement of a transformative healthcare plan. Beginning next 

year, health agencies will be consolidated into a single Universal 

Health Service – providing access to those without employer-provid


ed insurance. In a phased roll-out, emergency care and continuityof-
treatment will be available early in 2027. Radiotherapy, imaging and lab tests will 
be added later in the year. Coverage for prescriptions and hospitalization will begin in 
2028. “The goal is that when we leave the government, any . . . man or woman can go 
to any health institution for treatment for any ailment and be received”. The announcement 
came from Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, describing what will be accomplished 
before the end of her term in 2030. 

With last year’s “Big Beautiful Bill”, 20 million Americans will see their premiums hiked, 
with 15 million losing coverage altogether. President Trump says the federal government 
shouldn’t be in the Medicare/Medicaid business anyway, and should instead be 
spending that money on wars (not to mention $5 trillion over ten years on tax cuts, primarily 
for those who don’t need them). Former insurance executive Wendell Potter sees 
President Sheinbaum’s decree as “another example of countries around the world lapping 
the US when it comes to healthcare policy.” While Sheinbaum rolls out a healthcare 
plan, Trump jumps from one self-made mess to another – unable to pay attention 
to anything for very long. 

It’s been three months since the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. 
Trump outlined a $100 billion program for the country’s oil industry, and private firms 
are ready to invest. But whatever contracts are drawn up to partner private firms with 
the state oil company, they’d have to meet guidelines set by the U.S., with cash running 
through a U.S.-controlled account. Trump made clear he’d be the one to “run the 
country”. 

Venezuelans are still under the same dictatorship, with Maduro’s number two now in 
the top spot. The country’s opposition leader seemed fine with opening their oil industry 
to private investment, but not necessarily with turning it over to Trump – which 
effectively disqualified her. Venezuelans are anxious to see those investments made in 
their country, but approvals are needed, first – and the one who insisted he’d “run the 
country” has since shifted his attention elsewhere. 

Last October, a “ceasefire” was declared in Gaza - called a “ceasefire”, though 700 have 
since been killed by Israel with the loss of four of their own soldiers. Four months later,
Trump hosted a meeting of another entity he insists on being in control of - the Board 
of Peace. Out of that Board came yet another group – the National Committee for the 
Administration of Gaza (NCAG). The Board would like to get going on rebuildingGaza and the NCAG would love to get in and get to work, but they can’t because theydon’t have the money. And Trump is no longer paying attention. 

The cost of rebuilding Gaza, 80% of buildings destroyed over two years of Israeli bombardment, 
is estimated at $70 billion. The Board of Peace had committed $17 billion 
towards that amount. But so far, it’s raised less than a billion. The NCAG says it doesn’t 
have enough to even enter the area. Less than two weeks after hosting that meeting,
Trump’s attention went elsewhere – choosing to join Israel in attacking Iran. Those 
countries on the Board that had committed funds now find themselves with the more 
immediate concern of war in their own backyards – if not reaching across their borders 

– among more pressing priorities for their money. 
At the beginning of the year, Trump’s attention was on the protesters in Iran. He encouraged 
them, vowing that “help is on the way”. Whatever “help” he had in mind never 
arrived, and thousands were killed. In February he turned his attention to negotiations 
held in Oman – but instead of sending foreign affairs professionals, instead we got real 
estate developers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. And just as it seemed a deal still 
might be possible, Trump’s attention turned towards Israeli PM Netanyahu, urging that 
attack on Iran. 

It was declaring regime change, then it wasn’t. It was freeing the Iranian people, then 
threatening “a whole civilization will die”. It was declaring victory, then calling up tens 
of thousands more troops. It was responding to an imminent threat, then about what 
might happen years down the road. It was about Iran’s blockading the Strait of Hormuz, 
then the U.S. blockading the Strait of Hormuz. Eight years ago, Trump tore up an agreement 
that had Iran ending its nuclear weapons program and accepting international 
monitors to ensure compliance. Now we’re at war hoping Iran accepts just such an 
agreement. 

At the very time last-ditch negotiations in Islamabad were ending in failure, Trump was 
paying attention instead to the UFC fight he was attending in Miami. 

For a photo op last week, a 58-year-old grandmother delivered a DoorDash order to 
Trump at the White House; a publicity stunt for the new “no tax on tips” policy. But 
most were paying attention instead to the woman’s backstory: needing to make Door-
Dash deliveries to raise money for her husband’s cancer treatments. Trump should be 
paying attention to what President Sheinbaum is accomplishing in Mexico. 

RICH JOHNSON 


DUMBEST POLITICAL QUOTES OF ALL TIME 

“Facts are stupid things.” Ronald Reagan 

What President Reagan meant to say was “Facts are stubborn things.” You can’t really blame 
the president, or any public figure for that matter because they often speak publicly in front of 
millions of people. I might have only 5 readers read this and be really nervous for some reason 
or another. 

George W. Bush, not to be confused with George H. W. Bush (Dad) got his early education in the sticks of 
Midland Texas. Who can blame him when Junior blurted out, “Is our children learning?” and “childrens do 
learn”. 

George W. also created a new word when he said, “They misunderestimated me.” And before we leave his sturdyintellect, he said: “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about 
new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” 

V.P. Dan Quayle summed up his jobs responsibility when he uttered, “One word sums up probably theresponsibility of any vice president, and that one word is “to be prepared”. 
V.P. Dan went on to say: “I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future,” 
President Gerald Ford summed it up when he uttered: “Things are more like they are now than they have everbeen.” 
We don’t want the Democrats to feel left out in the conversation: 

Not that Democrats focus more on sex than Republicans, but Senator Ted Kennedy describing his fiancé said,
“She’s a wonderful, wonderful person, and we’re looking to a happy and wonderful night….err, ah, life.” 

No surprise that sometime a president may be in the middle of a speech and make a statement that is just 
factually wrong, sometimes stupid. President Obama once said on the campaign trail, “I’ve now been in 57 
states…I think I have one left to go.” Last check there were only 50 states. Oops. 

Senator John Kerry said in an interview regarding military sending, “I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before 
I voted against it.” 

Al Gore once said emphatically, “A zebra does not change its spots.” 

And in closing out the presidents, Richard Nixon made the definitive quote on the Law: “When the President 
does it, that means it’s not illegal.” He also said, “I would have made a good Pope.” 

Let’s take a look at some random other political pontificators. You can see in some of her quotes how HillaryClinton thinks: 

“We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” 
“God bless the America we are trying to create.” 

We must realize politicians are people too…barely lol. They deserve what they get as they voluntarily do thrust 
themselves into the public spotlight. Before a word is uttered half the audience already wishes they would go 
away. The other half…they’re still undecided. 

Enough on politics. Back to music. Mike, Steve and I (3 of the members of that hot local rock band JJ Jukebox) 
are performing an acoustic concert at Moffett’s Pot Pie Shoppe Saturday, April 25th. Moffetts is on Baldwin 
Avenue one block south of Duarte Road in the little shopping center on the southwest corner (Aldi’s and CVS 
are there. Moffetts is tucked away in the corner. Showtime is 6:00pm. Hope to see you there. 1409 South Baldwin. 
(626) 447-4670.
Hope to see you there. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com