OPINION Sunday, May 29, 201 I www.lakecityreporter.com OUR OPINION Take time for those that gave their lives The Memorial Day holiday that labeling contradiction should cause Americans to stop and think, to reflect on why anyone would call a day meant to honor the dead a holiday. Picnics and parties are fine, but let's not lose sight of what Memorial Day is. It should be a time of reflection, of who we are and how we got here. This observance dates back to the end of the Civil War, when it was known as Decoration Day, derived from the practice of people visiting and decorating the graves of soldiers. An estimated 620,000 men lost their lives in the Civil War, as well as an unknown number of civilians. Decoration Day was first observed nationwide on May 30, 1868 the date chosen because no famous battle had been fought at that time. The name was officially changed to Memorial Day in 1882. At first, it was meant only to remember those who gave their lives in the Civil War. After the First World War, it was expanded to include all soldiers who died serving America. Serving America. The ultimate sacrifice a person can make for their country is to give their life. Countless lives have been given for that very reason, so that others could be saved. Remembering those who died is why we have our flags displayed on this date, putting them at half staff until noon, then raising them to full staff. But knowing why we have . this day of honor is equally important The National Moment of Remembrance will be at 3 p.m. Monday, a chance to remember those who have fallen for us. Give them their due. Remember why they died, so that their sacrifice was not in vain. Lake City Reporter Serving Columbia County Since 1874 The Lake City Reporter is pub- lished with pride for residents of Columbia and surrounding counties by Community Newspapers Inc. We believe strong newspapers build strong communities -"Newspapers , get things done!" 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BY E-MAIL: news@lakecityreporter.com Tea Party remains movement in search of a leader T he question on the table today is wheth- er revolutionary Tea Party sentiments that unseated 25 percent of the Democrats in Congress in 2010 have now vanished into a whimper. Supporters of the current administration would have us believe that this is the case. And at first glance, it seems they may have a point If it is the case, then in all likelihood, we have a second term of President Barack Obama to look forward to. The latest "proof' of the fizzling of the Tea Party is' the special election just held in New York's 26th district in which a Democrat captured a congressional seat held by Republicans since 1970. Yes, the same seat held by legendary Republican tax cutter and reformer Jack Kemp. , The Republican proposal to reform Medicare was a key issue in the campaign, so Democrats are interpreting this as a generic Republican, and Tea Party, repudiation. A Gallup poll of just a few weeks ago reported that 47 percent now have a negative view of the Tea Party, the highest negative reported since Gallup began tracking the movement And, along with this, President Obama's approval ratings have now pushed again over 50 percent, ten points higher than his unfavorable ratings. Fox commentator and Tea Party icon Glenn Beck, who attracted hundreds of thousands to the National Mall Star Parker parker@urbancure.org in Washington last summer with his "Restoring Honor" rally, will soon 1le packing his bags and leaving Fox. Is it all over? Certainly not. But nothing remains the same and the Tea Party movement is in a different place today with new needs. Republicans have a tough job. They must convey to the American people that we cannot continue our entitlements programs as they are and still remain a free country. This is what lies at the heart of Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan's plan to change Medicare. We either find ways to deliver the same services more efficiently by turning to ownership and markets, which is basically what Ryan is doing, or we resolve to not change, to continue as we are, and finance the massive deficits caused by entitlement spending with taxes. Entitlements consumed less than five percent of our economy and took less than a quarter of tax revenue in 1970. Today they consume 10 percent of our economy and take more than half our tax revenue. In another 25 years they will consume 20 percent of our economy and take all our tax revenue. On the path we are on, by mid-century, government at all levels will be taking more than half oti economy. We will be a different nation. The Republican challenge here is certainly a short run advantage to Democrats. It is much easier to grow government than to reduce it It is much easier to spend money than to conserve. It is much easier for politicians to give things to their constituents than to deny things. I recall an anecdote conveyed by a teacher during the 2008 presidential campaign about an.election his students held in their class. A little boy who was running stood before his classmates and shared his ideas and vision. The little girl running against him told her classmates that whoever voted for her would get ice cream. Needless to say who won. The Tea Party is not dead. It is at a different stage. It now needs a national leader who can embody its sentiments to preserve America as a free nation and crystallize these sentiments into a practical, believable, and inspiring message and agenda. This is the kind of candidate Republicans must nominate for 2012. Business as usual won't cut it It's why I get excited thinking about a Michele Bachmann or a Sarah Palin carrying the Republican banner. * Star Parker is president of CURE, Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (www.urbancure.org) and author of three books. ANOTHER OPINION Fiddling while Medicare goes bankrupt Democrats scored a political victory last Tuesday by winning a spe- cial election in a Republican congressional bas- tion in upstate New York where Medicare was the main issue. They should enjoy it while they can because this momentary triumph will turn to ashes if they think they can win next year's national elections on the slogan that they did noth- ing to stop the soaring cost of. Medicare. Poll after poll shows that the American people are worried about the budget and the unsus- tainable national debt Medicare is the biggest contributor to the debt and the annual budget deficit. Doing nothing is not an option. But too many Americans like to have their cake and eat it, too. When proposed cuts affect the benefits they receive from 'entitlements like Medicare and Social Security, they balk. Don't touch my Medicare! In New York's 26th Congressional District race, Democrats suc- cessfully preyed on those fears by claiming the GOP's reform plan would victimize seniors. In fact, the plan authored by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., wouldn't affect seniors over 55 and would not take full effect until 2021. Claiming that it amounts to throwing Grandma off the train is sheer demagoguery. It's as phony as the notion of "death panels" leveled at President Obama's Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). Yet even without the hype, Rep. Ryan's plan is flawed and impractical. It changes a gov- ernment program into a limited voucher plan that would leave many future seniors short of adequate medical coverage. It shifts costs to seniors rath- er than controlling the costs. And it's based on a number of accounting gimmicks: Presumed "savings" are achieved by say- ing the government's contribu- tions to Medicare and Medicaid won't grow at a rate greater than inflation. That'll be the day. Healthcare costs grow at a rate several times greater than inflation. Any plan that doesn't take that into account is a fantasy. When the Democratic-controlled Senate forced a vote on the Ryan plan last week, it also went down to defeat, with the help of five GOP senators who know the plan won't work. From the Democratic point of view, this makes for great poli- tics but bad policy. Where's the party's response? What's the Democratic message We fiddled while Medicare went bankrupt? * Miami Herald Jose De La Isla joseisla3@yahoo.com How to stop dirty money and open arms The Mexican government has retained the services of legal help from abroad in a new initiative to stem gun running and money laundering from the United States. Reid Collins & Tsai LLP, an Austin, Texas, law firm, will serve as counsel to the Mexican Attorney General's office, reported Reforma, one of this city's leading -: newspapers, attributing CBS News and Associated Press sources in late April. A flushed out version of the same story by Bill Conroy in NarcoSphere. com, which reports on drug war intricacies, detailed from Department of Justice public records that Berg Associates of Miami, Florida, will provide. expertise on financial crimes.. The legal team is researching and investigating potential litigation. In particular, the firms are looking into how RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, can be used in the fight with the drug cartels, RICO extends criminal penalties and civil action against crime... organizations. Under RICO, people who participate in crime syndicates can be tried for crimes they . ordered, had others commit, or assisted in. The act closes loopholes that allowed someone who gave the orders but did not actually do' the criminal act to get away with it. Some criminals who act as:, accessories may have limited-, legal protection. Gun handlers and distributors may in some" cases not be held responsible for the crimes. However, there are enough issues about who is . an accessory, under what circumstances, and who is part of the syndicate in the first place that the small and big fish may get held responsible through both criminal and civil prosecution. Mexicans increasingly considered the drug-war policies as failing, after 40,000 murders many of " innocent civilians in the four years since President Felipe Calderon authorized the use of the military to help wage that "war.." Under U.S. pressure to "win" the war and domestic criticism that he picked the bloodiest way to do it, Calderon's party is flagging in popularity going into next year's presidential election. Even though, the Mexican economy has proven especially resilient after the 2009 world financial meltdown when exports suffered, insecurity is now eclipsing concerns about the economy. In the mix, criticism is growing about low responsiveness by elected officials. Here government is mostly looked to for every type of economic and social improvement Non-partisan public interest foundations, private initiatives and community organizations have been prominent but not necessarily influential. * Jos6 de la Isla, author of "The Rise of Hispanic Political Power" writes a weekly commentary for Hispanic Link News Service. 4A