Our View: Glad reps working together for vets
Remember the old TV show “M.A.S.H.”? Then you know that military doctors have always gone where the action is. In times of conflict, advance treatment facilities are built close to the front so that soldiers can get what they need as quickly as possible. Too bad the same thinking doesn’t prevail for veterans.
The Veterans Affairs clinic that was supposed to be built in French Camp nearly a decade ago was once again lopped from the budget this year. That upset Republican Rep. Jeff Denham, an Air Force veteran, and Democrat Rep. Jerry McNerney, the father of an Army veteran.
Actually, they’re more than a little angry, crossing the aisle to jointly author a letter to the Senate asking that funding for the new VA clinic in French Camp be included in its bill. That’s a bold move. Maybe with help from Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer the money can be provided.
“Funding for French Camp is long overdue,” wrote Denham. “The project is shovel-ready and will eliminate a six-hour road trip many of our vets have to endure regularly” to get care.
Wrote McNerney, “Veterans in the San Joaquin Valley have been waiting for over 10 years for this project to get off the ground. Our veterans need this clinic now.”
Good to see them all working together to fund the 120-bed, $370 million project.
Good law comes to bad end
It was disheartening to hear from Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen that her bill to require all laws be available to the public for 72 hours before a vote died in the budget subcommittee. Technically, it was sent to the “suspense” file, but that means it’s dead. Olsen’s frustration came through in her press release, pointing out that the majority party’s calls for more transparency are “just talk.” She’s right. We see it time and again. Olsen and Democrat Adam Gray both wrote bills this year to make lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act more fair to those being sued. Those were shot down as well. All the talk about reform was, again, just talk. “This adds to the cynicism of Californians who feel shut out of their government,” said Olsen.
What’s in a name? Money
Olsen and Gray both voted against the bill to ban the word “Redskins” as a name for public school athletic teams. They don’t support the name, but worried that no money was attached to the bill to help school districts cover the costs of changing their identities. Schools such as Gustine in Merced County and Calaveras County have uniforms for at least a dozen sports and the marching band. There is stationery to reprint and signs to repaint. One estimate put the cost in six figures. Considering that all four state schools using that nickname are in the state’s poorest areas, we understand the compassion Gray and Olsen were showing for the districts.
We’re glad the bill passed. People have been calling attention to the racism inherent in that word for years. Anyone who didn’t see this change coming was facing the wrong direction. Time to turn around and see a less-insulting future.
All about roads
Think our highways could be better? So does Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres. Sunday, he’ll be the guest on the Maddy Report’s Valley Views radio show and podcast titled “Valley Highways: Show Me the Money!” Listen on Fresno station KMJ (580AM or 105.9FM) at 10 a.m., or go to website, www.maddyinstitute.com for the podcast. Cannella will talk about the lack of money for new projects and the need to protect money designated for roads from being spent elsewhere.
This story was originally published May 8, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Our View: Glad reps working together for vets."