EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 8, 2015 Page 5 One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion Worser and Worser New Law Bans Sale of Confederate Image Discussing the Confederate Flag is not an easy thing to do. Supporters of the right to fly the symbol of the Confederacy argue that it is a part of their history and it should not be forced into seclusion. Opponents to the flag view the Confederate colors as a symbol of a racist state that enslaved black people and which even after the Civil War made sure that former slaves remained second class citizens. The problem is that both arguments are correct and finding a balance between the two extremes is almost impossible. Why the topic of the Confederate Flag? Well, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law last year that bans the sale and display of items with the flag in all state agencies. This new law was introduced by Assemblyman Isadore Hall. The Assemblyman from Compton introduced the piece of legislation because his mother saw a Confederate replica at the gift shop in the Capitol. What makes a ban such as this complicated is that a woman like the Assemblyman’s mother has every right to be offended by this image. As an African-American, as a black woman, her experience and the emotions evoked from seeing a Confederate Flag is something that I can never understand. The fear, pain, anger, resentment or other negative feelings that a Confederate Flag stirs up in African-Americans can not and should not be overlooked: we should not ignore it nor should we question these emotions. However, there is a danger with eliminating the image of the Confederate Flag from the American consciousness. The way our nation has developed; from the American Revolution, to the Civil War, to Reconstruction in the South, the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s and everything that is to come, the Confederate Flag has been and will continue to be a part of American history. As such, we cannot and should not ignore this controversial symbol. Hiding the Confederate Flag to a big extent deprives us of the full story that is our nation’s history. That is disservice to us all. These words aren’t meant to indicate that the Confederate Flag should fly high in all 50 state capitols. Yet, we should not ban it from state agencies. We can take an example from Germany, who instead of destroying every concentration camp after World War II, preserved the horrific sites that represent one of the darkest eras in human history for future generations to learn of the evils that are created through hate. Southern States have a tougher battle as its residents are more closely tied in to the history of the flag, on both ends of the spectrum. Millions of Southerners died defending their homeland and flag during the Civil War; millions of Americans were oppressed and deprived of life and liberty under the same flag, so the mission to find a balance is far from accomplished. However, the Confederate Flag does not represent California, nor does the State represent this historic symbol. To ban the presence of the flag in state agencies can be dangerous. Keeping the Confederate Flag out of sight respects the emotions caused by the violent history that African-Americans suffered under those colors. However, hiding our past is a disservice to future generations who have to know every aspect of our nation’s past, no matter how ugly of a past we have. • “Thanks to the Obama policies, the national debt exploded from $10.6 trillion to over $18 trillion.” Best of the Best Winners 2014 Congratulations 2014 Winners! Breakfast - Wendy’s Lunch - Good Stuff Dinner - Second City Bistro Happy Hour/Night Spot - Rock & Brews Pizza - Valentino’s Italian - Deluca’s Trattoria Chinese - Canton Low Mexican - La Paz/BeachMex Japanese - Bad Sushi Sandwich Shop - Subway Dessert/Sweet Treats - Cold Stone Coffee House - Blue Butterfly Chiropractor - Etzler Chiropractic Gym - Four Star Physical Therapy - Davis and DeRosa Health Center/Wellness - Tag Physical Therapy Barber Shop - Marcy’s Nail Salon - Princess Nails and Spa Beauty Salon - Eriss Salon Jewelry Store - The Jewelry Source Clothing Store - D’arte Computer Store - BiPro Computers Hotel - Embassy Suites Realtor-Female - Lynn O’Neill Realtor-Male - Bill Ruane Insurance Agent - Tom Brundidge-State Farm Bank - Wells Fargo Specialty Retail - Natural Simplicity Dentist - Robert E. Murphy, DDS Mortuary - Douglas Optometrist - El Segundo Eye Care Pharmacy - Walgreen’s Veterinarian - El Segundo Animal Hospital Pet Groomer/Sitter - Doggie Doolittle’s Auto Repair - Bob’s Mobile Construction - Mularz Construction Electrician - Wise Electric Flooring - Kirk’s Flooring Handyman - Bill’s Maintenance Plumber - Mattucci Plumbing Painting - Rick’s Painting The arrogance of Liberals always amazes me because whenever they see or create an issue, they believe they can create a universal policy cure-all that can override free markets. More often than not, however, their solutions create new and bigger issues in an ever growing spiral. Today, as we experience the largest gap in history between the top 10% of income earners, and the remaining 90%, two questions beg to be asked: “How did the rich get richer?” And “How did the rest of us get poorer?” How did the rich get richer: Thanks to the Obama policies, the national debt exploded from $10.6 trillion to over $18 trillion. If interest rates on that debt had remained at traditional levels, the annual interest on that debt would have devastated the country’s annual budget. Therefore, the Administration and Federal Reserve conspired to hold interest rates at close to zero. Since banks were directed to lend more money, but not risk bad loans, they loaned only to publicly traded companies and high net worth individuals. By being able to borrow at nearly “free money” levels, companies became more profitable, and investors who were able to borrow at close to no cost, invested into those profitable companies. Voila! We have the explosion of the stock market, and wealthy individuals seeing gains of 25% or more annually. So the rich get richer due to government interest rate manipulation. How did the rest of us get poorer: Obamacare requires companies to pay for healthcare for families and employees who work more than 30 hours per week, so many labor intensive employers reduced work weeks to under 30 hours. The upshot is that existing employees learn less, while we see a growth in new jobs, predominately as part time or entry-level workers. Monthly statistics bear out falling median incomes even as the number of jobs grow. Obama’s second attack on the majority of us is his energy policy. Energy Secretary Chu, in Obama’s first term laid out the objective of raising gas prices from the then level of $1.86 to $10 per gallon. Although Obama did not reach his objective, he did double the price of gas by reducing oil exploration in the Gulf and on federal lands, denying the building of the Keystone pipeline, adding tens of thousands of EPA regulations, and killing the coal industry. For each of us, then, the increased cost of gas confiscated our income. Moreover, it lowered our standard of living by raising the cost of everything made with petrochemicals (plastic), raised the cost of moving food and manufactured products to market, raised the cost of home heating, and increased air travel costs by increasing jet fuel costs. Thus, we became poorer. Having created a crisis of disproportionate income distribution, the arrogant Left will undoubtedly conjure new policies to fix the problem they created. And so it goes, spiraling policies on top of each crisis it creates, and fumbling the execution of each. Worser and Worser it goes. • Visit us online: www.heraldpublications.com
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