11-29-18 Letters and Commentary

There’s only one you What’s your value? How can you truly know your worth? I recently read about a nickel that sold for over $7,000! It was a 1942 “s”. It again sold for a (much higher) unknown price. What makes that nickel so valuable? It’s uniqueness. There were only a few 1942 “s” nickels minted, and none were actually minted in San Francisco. The value of that nickel is whatever someone is willing to pay. On the opposite end of the value chart would be currencies without intrinsic value. Printed over and over again, for example, every dollar without real value (like gold) as its basis, devalues every other dollar in existence. That’s called inflation. So that’s a comparison of high value and low value. Then there’s “priceless”. That’s when value is unassignable, the value being so high it is outside our experience. Some huge precious stones, like some diamonds, are labeled “priceless”. Now how about you? How many of you are there? Agreed. One. That’s pretty unique! No one is like you. No one sees the world like you do, from your eyes and with your unique perspective. No one can relate to the world like you can from your unique experience. And no one can love God like you can from your unique heart. Maybe that’s why God made you. You have a uniqueness that others cannot see or understand. But God both sees and understands who you are and why you are. And John 3:16 says He loves you. There’s the key. God loves you, therefore you have value. Christ died for you, paying for your forgiveness and eternal life with His own blood; therefore you are priceless – of inestimable value. Don’t believe anyone who devalues you. Their opinion does not matter at all. God values you enough to trade His Son’s blood for your life. His opinion does matter. You are worth much.

Seasonal work can empower you Soon after school begins in the fall, many businesses begin advertising for seasonal workers. It’s a good way for people to make some extra income during the busy holiday season or ease back into working. The diversity of jobs appeals to many people. Each year, companies also hire for seasonal work-from-home positions. These jobs include: customer service, sales, tech support, call center representatives, healthcare support, order taking/review, and more. Seasonal positions may help bridge employment gaps on your resume. They show proven experience and that you are ready, willing, and able to succeed. They also can help you to develop new or strengthen existing skills through training. If you receive Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), special rules make it possible for people to work and still receive monthly payments. If you want to try working again, seasonal work may help you ease back into the work force. Read Working While Disabled at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10095.pdf or visit our Ticket to Work website at https://choosework.ssa.gov for more information. You can also get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. But if you’re younger than full retirement age and earn more than certain amounts, your benefits will be reduced, although not dollar for dollar. Your benefits may increase when you reach full retirement age. You can read more about working while retired at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html. Getting back to work can empower you in a number of ways. Social Security is here for you throughout your life’s journey — at each step of your working life and beyond. Vonda VanTil is the Public Affairs Specialist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525 or via email at vonda.vantil@ssa.gov.

EVER THANKFUL… I trust your Thanksgiving holiday was as wonderful as ours. Anne and my house on Riverside Drive was always the center of family events, birthdays, weddings, holidays, vacations and any gathering of family in this area, it was the party HQ. With moving to a smaller place next door to our daughter Amy’s house on Red Arrow, it was a natural move to make her and Bill Loshbough’s place the center of family action. So, 19 of us, including the Marchenkos of St. Louis… Gillian, Sergei, Lanie, Zoya, Polly and Evie, and cousin Joan Lewis from Kalamazoo and our hosts, Amy, Billy, Willy and Brook with their two babes, William and Jaxon, Ben, and Karli and Tyler, gathered around the giant table for our traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Let it be said, there is no finer meal than turkey and all the fixings with family and friends side by side.

THANKS FOR THOSE THAT SERVE… Friday after Thanksgiving, I pulled over for an ambulance taking someone to the hospital. As I always do, I offered a hopeful thought that the person in the ambulance would fare well. I also think of the sacrifices all our emergency responders, police, fire, military, medical staff, store keepers, gas station attendants, restaurant staff and etc. all make so the rest of us can enjoy holiday time with family and friends. Boy, two days later, Sunday morning I had to call 911 to get help for Anne. A friend brought her home from church because she sitting in her car, unable to drive. Within a short while first responders, police, ambulance and our next-door neighbor were all in the front room to see to Anne. Not long after we were in the good hands at the emergency room at Lakeland, Watervliet Hospital. Soon blood was drawn, x-rays taken and the decision was made to admit her to the hospital. That meant another ambulance ride to Lakeland in St. Joe and by supper time she was tucked in her bed, all hooked up to monitors and such. The prognosis is that by the time we go to press she will be home recovering from the virus that knocked her down. I can’t say it, write it, think it enough… we in the Tri-Cities are so fortunate for having such quality health care so close at hand. There are few small rural communities such as ours that are so much blessed by the wonderful folks that care for us in our hour of need.

THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE… I woke up Monday morning a little after 4. I lay in bed for a few moments, listening to nothing. I noticed the total absence of sound, there was no swish of cars on Red Arrow, no nearby dogs barking, no squirrels chattering in the trees. There was no clatter of the ice-maker or the fridge defrosting. Even the furnace was silent. With Anne in the hospital, the only breath I heard was my own. Once my eyesight caught up with my hearing, I noticed the room had a soft blue glow. It was a heavy snowfall diffusing the outside yard lights. The flakes also muffled all the sounds. What the snowfall did as well was block the TV satellite signal; fortunately, CoSY 103.7 Radio was on the air and I could get the weather and news I crave each morning with my coffee. Incidentally as much as I ranted against Compost (Comcast) cable TV, I’ll return as a customer as soon as my contract with satellite TV expires. I’m watching my Michigan news reports on my iPhone as Dish delivers no Michigan stations to this area. I’m also not a fan of the frequent weather-related interruptions of service. Nor am I a fan of their TV commercials touting Dish services and accessibility: I always add at the end… “weather permitting”.

Corrections

 In the November 22, 2018 issue of Tri-City Record, an error was made in reporting Bainbridge Township General Election Day activities on Page 8. The headline stated the turnout to be the best ever which is incorrect. It was a high turnout which the township is pleased about. The article also implied a problem with the tabulator could have been caused by a computer used on election day. That is not the case. There was an issue with a computer which had to be rebooted and caused a delay. The article further stated tabulation was done by hand to verify the tabulator count. The tabulator count was verified but not by a hand count. Tri-City Record is sorry for any confusion or inconvenience this reporting may have caused.

 In addition, in the November 22, 2018 issue of Tri-City Record, an error was made on Page 9; a wrong photo was printed for the Hartford High School Students of the Week for Nov. 12-16. See Page 9 this week for the correct photo. Tri-City Record is sorry for any confusion this error may have caused.

Options for a dog park in Coloma Township

Dear Editor,

I’ve been reading about the struggles that have faced the young Girl Scout who wants to establish a dog park in Coloma Township.  Rather than having to raise thousands of dollars for the right kind of fencing and then still face a lawsuit from the adjoining property owners, I’d like to suggest a few alternatives for an exercise park for our local dogs.

Coloma Schools have several nicely fenced in areas that are only used for a few months of the year.  We could have the dogs use the baseball and softball fields in the fall and winter, and the football field in the spring and summer. Both these have ample parking and the ball fields even have dugouts for use by the humans when it’s raining! Hagar Township is going to let one of their ball fields be used in this manner already.

If that option isn’t feasible, perhaps Berrien County could be approached. They are very good at turning unused County property into public parks, i.e., Galien River, Love Creek, and Watervliet Paper Mill property.  The County has a lovely piece of already fenced in property on Angling Road which is sitting empty that would make a great exercise yard for dogs.  I can picture it now, “The Paul Bailey Memorial County Dog Park”.

Bob Wooley, Coloma

Trump and his Republican enablers are threats to our democracy

Editor,

Despite the epidemic of Republican voter-suppression schemes, participation in the 2018 election was the highest it has been for any midterm in more than a century.

Democrats won back control of the House of Representatives, along with many governorships and state legislative seats. The main reason for this increased turnout and for Democratic successes seems clear – the majority of Americans are sick and tired of Donald Trump and his Congressional Republican enablers.

With Democrats now in control of the House of Representatives, Congress can begin to carry out its constitutional duty to provide responsible oversight over the executive branch, something that Republicans in Congress have refused to do.

The vast majority of these Republicans have failed to condemn Trump’s constant stream of self-serving lies, his attacks on women and racial and religious minorities, his support for white nationalists and neo-Nazis, his unconstitutional acceptance of financial emoluments (bribes) from foreign governments, his efforts to deprive millions of Americans of affordable health care and coverage for pre-existing conditions, his persistent undermining of clean air and clean water protections, his constant attempts  to obstruct Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in our 2016 election, his verbal attacks on our country’s closest and most reliable allies, and his fawning admiration for vicious dictators, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.

Trump presents a clear and present danger to our country and our world. Congressional Republicans have increased that danger by refusing to oppose Trump’s destructive behavior.

In order for our democracy to survive, we the people need to demand that all of our representatives, Republicans as well as Democrats, carry out their constitutional duty to provide appropriate checks and balances on this incompetent, impulsive, self-serving and very dangerous president.

Larry Feldman, Lakeside

4 big ways states can benefit economically from legalized marijuana

Marijuana’s legalization continues to spread across the U.S. In the midterm elections, Michigan became the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana use. Voters in Missouri and Utah passed initiatives to approve medical marijuana, growing that list to 33 states.

Popularity of the drug for medicinal and recreational use – and its positive economic impact on some states where marijuana is legal – could lead to more states legalizing it. A recent Pew Research Center survey shows 62 percent of Americans think marijuana should be legalized, with 74 percent of millennials in favor, along with 63 percent of Gen Xers and 54 percent of baby boomers. State tax revenues related to both recreational and medicinal marijuana sales in Colorado totaled nearly $250 million last year. Some projections see California collecting over $1 billion annually.

“The walls are coming down,” says Daniel Ameduri (www.futuremoneytrends.com), co-founder of the Future Money Trends newsletter. “Legalized cannabis is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy, attracting investors and state governments.

“The landscape is changing because policy follows sentiment, and it’s a great economic growth opportunity for states on several levels.”

Ameduri explains four key ways cannabis legalization can benefit states:

 Create Jobs. Nurseries and dispensaries, as evidenced in the cannabis-legal states, create many employment opportunities. In California, over 80,000 jobs came about – producing a $3.5 billion increase in labor income – due to legalized marijuana sales, according to a study by ICF International. Colorado, which saw an estimated $2.4 billion worth of cannabis-related economic activity in 2015, has over 40,000 occupational licenses connected to the cannabis industry. “Just for starters, you need people to farm, distribute, and sell products,” Ameduri says. “Then you have a whole host of industries doing support work for the cannabis-related companies.”

 Boost tax revenues. Along with the big haul state governments can make are the ways that new state money could be invested in education and business development. “The potential of tax revenues is the carrot dangled before the states,” Ameduri says. “With so many states in a pinch or running in the red, why would you not legalize it?”

 Save law enforcement costs. Making marijuana legal means many fewer court cases and incarcerations, Ameduri points out. “States that legalize marijuana would be adding millions to their coffers and subtracting millions from their wasted expenses,” he says. “They are likely to lower their law enforcement costs substantially, right off the top by removing it from the list of controlled substances.”

 Help address social ills. Another offshoot of boosted tax revenues from cannabis sales: Colorado put some of the money into a fund to help create housing programs for the homeless and to address the state’s opioid epidemic.

“More people spoke at the midterms about marijuana, and the momentum for more legalization is strong,” Ameduri says. “More states are seeing it makes a lot of sense as a new component of the economic engine.”

Daniel Ameduri is co-founder of the Future Money Trends newsletter, an authority for financial freedom and economic research in commodities, cryptocurrencies, personal finance and income ideas. A self-made multi-millionaire, Ameduri also has a YouTube channel, VisionVictory, which has received 10 million video views. He’s also been featured in The Wall Street Journal and ABC World News.

Red Cross: Urgent need for blood and platelet donations now; give by Dec. 19 to receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card in thanks

The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood and platelet donors to give now to ensure blood is available for medical treatments and emergencies during the holiday season.

Blood and platelet donations often decline during the holidays. Regular donors are busy with holiday activities, and travel and severe winter weather may cause blood drive cancellations. Yet donations remain critical for patients like 4-year-old boy who is in the midst of intense chemotherapy treatments for leukemia. He has received a number of transfusions since his diagnosis in June and will likely need more.

Donors are urged to give now to ensure that families like Wyatt’s don’t have to worry about the availability of blood this winter. In thanks for helping meet the urgent need around the holidays, all those who come to donate blood and platelets through Dec. 19, 2018, will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email. (Restrictions apply; see amazon.com/gc-legal. More information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Together.)

Make an appointment to donate blood or platelets by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Another way to help keep the blood supply strong is to host a Red Cross blood drive this winter. To learn more about hosting a blood drive and to sign up, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive.