12-14-2017 Letters and Commentary

Rosie the Riveter: Working women’s icon

 “Rosie the Riveter” is an American icon representing women working in factories during World War II. These women learned new jobs and filled in for the men who were away at war. They produced much of the armaments and ammunition to supply the war effort.

They also paid FICA on their wages, contributing to the Social Security program. These “Rosies” embodied the “can-do” spirit immortalized in a poster by J. Howard Miller. Both the image and the spirit live on today.

If you asked Rosie about Social Security, she would use her rivet gun to drive home the value of Social Security for women. More Rosies work today, and nearly 60 percent of people receiving benefits are women. Women tend to live longer than men, so Social Security’s inflation-adjusted benefits help protect women. You can outlive your savings and investments, but Social Security is for life. Women provide their own basic level of protection when they work and pay taxes into the Social Security system. Women who have been married and had low earnings or who didn’t work may be covered through their spouses’ work.

Today’s Rosie will turn her “can-do” spirit to learning more about Social Security and what role it will play in her financial plan for the future. She focuses on our pamphlet called “What Every Woman Should Know” available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10127.html for a game plan.

She rolls up her sleeves and sets up her my Social Security account (www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount) to review her earnings and estimates. If she finds an incorrect posting, she’ll locate her W-2 form and quickly contact Social Security to correct it because she understands these are the earnings used to figure her benefits.

She dives into understanding benefits at our planner pages at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners. She examines how marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, work, and other issues might affect her benefits. She studies our fact sheet “When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits” at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/ to help her decide when it’s time.  And when the time is right, she will file for retirement benefits online at www.socialsecurity.gov/retire. Whether it was keeping the war effort production lines humming or discovering what is available to her from Social Security, Rosie symbolizes the motto: “We Can Do It.” Rosie and millions like her rely on the financial protection provided by Social Security in assembling their own financial futures.

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.

Keep in touch with Christmas

 I was reminded again, as I listened to a radio program about special Christmas memories, that profound sadness accompanies the Christmas holidays for many people. I can understand that. Losses of loved ones around that season would naturally taint the celebrations. As can the loneliness of realizing anew the sad reality of people missing that have been so much a part of our lives in the past. Christmas can be very hard.

We should be sensitive to that among those we know who may be suffering. Perhaps we can offer some loving context in sharing our Christmases with the sad and lonely. Joining us in family dinners, especially if children are present, can brighten otherwise dreary days. “Adopting” a grandparent, a time out for some special local holiday entertainment can help someone to see past their sorrow and to embrace a future that has expanded horizons.

We expect immature children (or immature adults) to identify their most memorable Christmas as the time they got some sort of “stuff,” a big screen TV for their bedroom, a drone, or some latest game. While marketers love that mentality, any thinking or feeling person sees beyond that fluff. Christmas, in the original “imanuael” – “God-with-us” form always has been about relationships. About God’s relationship with us and it is about our resulting relationships with each other. The real “stuff” of Christmas is, of course, John 3:16, which many know by heart: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The bottom line is God’s love and His gift. We can keep in touch with Christmas by sharing that love in the name of Jesus, finding someone who needs some love this season and including them in our lives.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR NEWS and photos with the readers of the Tri-City Record, is a frequent refrain on these pages. While the Record has numerous reporters (stringers) and a great network of contacts for newsgathering, the fact is the best network are you and your fellow Record readers.

I get the best new ideas from our regular readers that keep in touch via letters & cards, phone calls, emails and personal contact. I always enjoy the conversations I have when folks drop in to pay their subscription or just chat.

A reader stopped in a few weeks ago with the photo of him and others working on a church roof in the 1960s.

We chatted and discovered a mutual interest in old cars and local history.  On parting, he promised to bring by more photos. When I replied, “great” he added, “I have thousands.”

Don’t bring them all, I protested.

I get a few Christmas family update letters that I always enjoy. Most folks are way too busy to keep up any regular correspondence, but a “newsletter” at the holidays is a great way to share news and to keep informed.

I have a Facebook account and look at it at least a couple times a day. I am always surprised at much of the information that folks put on a public website. The sad truth is 90% is not fit for publication and easily 50% is not fit to share with your mom or your kids.

A bit of it I have used as a story idea or a community calendar item. Most times I’m nervous about picking up information that folks have not expressly intended for publication in the Record. That’s why I’m always asking folks to please share.

The Record is not the only media seeking news from its constituency. Just as I was composing this, there was a blurb on the radio from COSY DJ Spencer Rivers asking the same thing.

BAYER CHRISTMAS PARTY… Continuing a tradition started at my parent’s house in the 1960s, nearly 90 family members attended the annual Christmas Party this past weekend at the Linden VFW Hall near Flint.

Of Mom and Dad Bayer’s original 13 children, four have joined them in heaven; the surviving nine were in attendance Saturday.

Adding to the joy, were at least half dozen toddlers all great-great-grandkids of Chris and Margaret Bayer.

Thanks to all for making the event so special.

Abortion pill reversal comes to Michigan

Dear Editor,

In October we learned of an amazing story in Lowell, a small town outside of Grand Rapids. The small pregnancy center there, Alpha Family Center, successfully saved a life by reversing an RU-486 medical abortion.

It’s the first time we are aware of this relatively new procedure being used in Michigan. Abortion pill reversal is being pioneered by two doctors, Dr. George Delgado of California, and Dr. Matthew Harrison of North Carolina.

Both doctors independently had the same idea. RU-486 abortions work by starving a pregnant woman of progesterone. Natural progesterone is commonly used as a treatment for high-risk pregnancies. Both doctors theorized that they could offset the progesterone loss with a common treatment used for other pregnancies, thus saving the life of the child.

The doctors formed an organization called Abortion Pill Reversal, and together have been studying this off-label use of an FDA-approved treatment. So far they claim to have a success rate of more than 50 percent in saving the child’s life, as long the woman hasn’t taken the second pill of the two-pill medical abortion regimen. They are currently conducting a formal study, and hope to report a success rate between 60 and 70 percent.

Abortion supporters are intensely dismissive of research into abortion pill reversal; its existence threatens their narratives about the nature of abortion. Those who claim the mantle of choice and women’s autonomy should not try to deny women information about this new procedure. Many women find themselves in situations where they instantly regret taking the abortion pill.

The young mother in this story is a perfect example. She said when she expressed reservations about the abortion to the abortion clinic staff, they told her there were no refunds for her appointment, and instead of giving her counseling quickly ushered her into the exam room.

The abortion clinic used the appointment fee as a tool to pressure this woman, and rushed in order to shut down her thought process. Prolife groups have heard many stories from women who were cajoled into taking the abortion pill despite reservations. For abortion clinics, women who leave represent lost revenue.

Today this mother’s child is still in the womb, alive and kicking. Mom and the staff at Alpha Family Center that sprang into action are eagerly waiting to meet the child face to face.

For more information about abortion pill reversals, visit the website www.abortionpillreversal.com.

Chris Gast

Right to Life of Michigan

HUD reports homelessness in Michigan declines in 2017

 Homelessness declined in Michigan according to the latest national estimate by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  While overall homelessness slightly increased nationally, HUD’s 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress found the follow regarding homelessness across Michigan:

In Michigan, local communities reported 9,051 persons experienced homelessness on a single night in 2017, a decrease of 2.9 percent since last year and 30.7 percent decrease since 2010. Homelessness among families with children declined 2.6 percent across the state since 2016 and declined by nearly 40 percent since 2010. Meanwhile, local communities in Michigan report the number of persons experiencing long-term chronic homelessness has decreased 1.4% since 2016 and by 61.4% since 2010; the number of homeless veterans declined by 19.8 percent.

“In many high-cost areas of our country, especially along the West Coast, the severe shortage of affordable housing is manifesting itself on our streets,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson.  “With rents rising faster than incomes, we need to bring everybody to the table to produce more affordable housing and ease the pressure that is forcing too many of our neighbors into our shelters and onto our streets.  This is not a federal problem—it’s everybody’s problem.”

“All individuals deserve to have a safe and decent place to call home,” said Deputy Regional Administrator James A. Cunningham. “While we have made significant strides in reducing the number of individuals experiencing homelessness, we must remain committed to implementing strategies that make it a rare, brief and non-recurring event.”

HUD’s national estimate is based upon data reported by approximately 3,000 cities and counties across the nation.  Every year on a single night in January, planning agencies called ‘Continuums of Care” and tens of thousands of volunteers seek to identify the number of individuals and families living in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs and in unsheltered settings.  These one-night ‘snapshot’ counts, as well as full-year counts and data from other sources (U.S. Housing Survey, Department of Education), are crucial in understanding the scope of homelessness and measuring progress toward reducing it.

Advocates set the record straight on Asian carp threat to Great Lakes, deliver more than 10,000 letters to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

 Advocates recently set the record straight about the clear and present danger Asian carp pose to the Great Lakes ecosystem and regional economy. Environmental and conservation groups, representing hundreds of thousands of residents of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River regions, delivered a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers demanding additional protections against Asian carp. And, the groups delivered more than 10,000 letters from concerned residents around the country to the Corps, urging swift action to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.

An extensive comment period ended on Dec. 8 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Brandon Road Lock & Dam Study, which examined additional Asian carp protection measures to be installed at the facility. The Brandon Road Lock & Dam, located on the Illinois River near Joliet, IL, is a logical choke point in the waterways connecting the Mississippi River Basin to the Great Lakes and a critical location for implementing additional Asian carp control measures to slow the movement of the invasive fish into the lakes.

The discovery this summer of a live, adult Asian carp within nine miles of Lake Michigan in the Chicago waterways should have been a wake-up call for the region. This silver carp was found past the electric barriers that are the last line of defense against Asian carp’s advance toward the Lakes. Unfortunately, the news was met with a tepid response by the federal government and a flat-out misinformation campaign by shipping industry opponents and State of Illinois officials. At a hearing hosted by the Corps in New Orleans, LA early in December, shipping industry representatives opposed additional efforts to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp.

To set the record straight, Great Lakes advocates rebutted four common industry myths in a joint comment letter delivered to the U.S. Army Corps.

Myth – The construction and ongoing operation of additional Asian carp control measures at the Brandon Road Lock & Dam will dramatically slow down shipping on the Illinois River and harm industry in the Midwest.

Fact – Changes to the Brandon Road lock will not cut long-term barge traffic in half, as industry representatives claim. Slow downs are common during construction and general maintenance, but the Corps’ analysis clearly shows that users would be able to adjust during construction and then resume their normal route, rather than modifying routes long-term.

Myth – The Asian carp population hasn’t moved in 26 years so there’s no need to worry about them reaching Lake Michigan.

Fact – The invasive carp detection front has continued to advance since 2009. Multiple sampling events in 2015 found invasive carp eggs, larval fish, and juveniles much farther upstream than ever observed before. These data indicate the invasive carp population on the Illinois River system is active and advancing.

Myth – The Asian carp found nine miles from Lake Michigan on June 23, 2017 isn’t really a big deal and could have come from anywhere.

Fact – The chemistry of the fish’s earstones (otoliths) are consistent with prior residency in the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers below the electric barrier. This finding is alarming and further stresses the urgent need for preventative action.

Myth – Asian carp really aren’t that big of a threat to the Great Lakes, particularly when compared to the impact it could have on jobs.

Fact – Asian carp would cause irreparable harm to the Great Lakes. Introduction of Asian carp would jeopardize the region’s $7 billion/year fishing industry, $16 billion/year recreational boating industry, and hunting, fishing and wildlife observation opportunities that generate approximately $18 billion/year.

The implementation of control measures at Brandon Road Lock & Dam will represent another step in the fight against the upstream movement of Asian carp. However, the need remains for a two-way solution that also addresses invasive species moving from the Great Lakes into the Mississippi River basin.

“Further delay on implementing additional Asian carp prevention measures at Brandon Road is unacceptable. The Corps and other government agencies must listen to more than just the wishes of the shipping industry. Instead, the Corps must follow the recommendations of researchers as well as listen to the residents of the Great Lakes region who care deeply about keeping Asian carp out of the lakes,” said Alliance for the Great Lakes Vice President for Policy Molly Flanagan.

“We hope the Army Corps will act on the science, facts, and concerns of people around the Great Lakes and urgently get to work on the Brandon Road project and long-term solutions to keep Asian carp and other invaders out of Lake Michigan,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “Our Great Lakes and our rivers are not the private property of barge companies; they are priceless public resources facing serious threats that demand urgent responses.”

“Over the past several years, federal investments to restore the Great Lakes have been producing results in communities across the region. But those gains can be undermined if Asian carp invade the Lakes,” said Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “The millions of people in the eight-state region who depend on the lakes for their drinking water, jobs, and way of life, are counting on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to bolster defenses against Asian carp now to maintain progress in restoring the lakes, as we work towards a permanent, long-term solution. To do that, the Army Corps needs to complete the Brandon Road study as soon as possible.”

“The health of our rivers, as well as the Great Lakes and the thousands of jobs they support, should not be held hostage to a navigation industry that does not pay its own way, an industry that can’t stay afloat without massive public subsidies,” said Robert Hirschfeld of Prairie Rivers Network. “Rather, we should be implementing the strongest two-way solutions to protect these public waters for the benefit of the public that pays for them.”

“The public remains concerned about the damage Asian carp can do. Other states remain concerned. But Illinois and the barge industry continue to drag their feet. Meanwhile, the fish keep swimming. This project needs to move forward before we start seeing invasive fish flying out of the Lake around Oak Street Beach,” said Meleah Geertsma a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).