Gilbert Sun News: Opinion - April 2016

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April 2016

Opinion

Maricopa County helps connect residents with jobs

BY DENNY BARNEY

Calling all employers and job seekers! As you know, the job hunt can be a full-time job by itself. Maricopa County residents looking for a job or career change can get help at no cost just by coming to one of our career centers.

ARIZONA@WORK: Maricopa County (formerly Maricopa Workforce Connections) aims to provide services, without cost, to job seekers and employers. According to the state’s website, there are 52,576 available job openings and 17,284 resumes posted. ARIZONA@WORK is one of many great services Maricopa County offers, through our human services department, to connect employers and job seekers.

While Arizona unemployment rates have decreased, there are still too many people out of work. With local jobs being a cornerstone of our economic recovery, it’s critical that we do everything we can to help get people back to work, back in school, or retrained so they can start a new career of their choice.

The more people who are working the better it is for the County and all of our residents.

While statewide, ARIZONA@WORK has a location in the East Valley at 735 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 134, in Gilbert and can be reached at (602) 372-9700.

At the career center, job seekers can

meet with guidance counselors to find jobs that fit their skill sets, meet with coaches to help with their resumes, attend general and industry specific job fairs to meet and network directly with valley employers, as well as access other supportive services like transportation assistance and federal grant funds for training programs.

Additionally, a free public computer lab is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, allowing access to highspeed Internet to aid in job searches.

Our centers also help military veterans connect to the many services available to them. We owe veterans a lot for their service. Sadly, too many come home and have a hard time transitioning to civilian life. It is our duty to help them and make sure they have the tools to be successful in getting education, finding work, and returning to their lives.

The Genesis Youth Program specifically helps out-of-school or outof-work youth ages 16-24 in furthering their education or finding employment.

Enrolled youth participate in a year-round program where they receive tools to become successful, productive citizens. The program offers more focused assistance to help with any additional life challenges that may be barriers between them and education or employment. In our district, the Genesis Youth Hub is at the Tempe Escalante Center located at

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2150 E. Orange St. They can be reached at (480) 350-5824 or (480) 350-5825.

Maricopa County is also committed to serving those with employment barriers such as justice involvement, limited work experience and those needing to improve basic work skills.

If you’re a business owner, Maricopa County serves employers by connecting them with the trained, skilled workers they need to grow their businesses and thrive in the 21st century. They offer customized recruitment services, training, labor market insight and employee development programs.

Maricopa County plays an integral role by partnering with federal, state and local governments all striving to

serve the citizens of Maricopa County.

With so many people set to retire in the not too distant future, it has never been more important to ensure that we have employees with the skills employers need the most. If you’ve ever thought about changing careers, now is a perfect time to reach out to one of our centers to get started.

For more information, visit www.

ArizonaAtWork.com/Maricopa.

America. Eighty-three percent of the children on the BBBSAZ waiting list are minority males.

Studies show that pairing adult males with young boys leads to a stronger bond, uniting the individuals

and allowing them to relate to genderspecific challenges. It is for that very reason that we implore all males in the Phoenix-metro area to step up, help to shape a young man’s life and become a mentor today.

Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Big Brothers Big Sisters committed to recruiting male mentors

BY LAURA CAPELLO, CEO & PRESIDENT OF BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL ARIZONA LAURA PASTOR, PHOENIX COUNCILWOMAN KATE GALLEGO, PHOENIX COUNCILWOMAN

The U.S. Education Department reports that 19 percent of high school students didn’t graduate in 20122013. Alarmingly, Arizona is above the national average with 25 percent of adolescents not graduating. Reports show children who spend time with a mentor are less likely to engage in risky behavior and 52 percent less likely to skip school. In hopes of raising awareness about the essential benefits of mentorship, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona (BBBSAZ) and My Brother’s Keeper Phoenix have joined together and forged a yearlong

commitment to recruit 300 new male mentors.

BBBSAZ matches underage children, who are referred to as “Littles,” with adult role models or “Bigs.”

The My Brother’s Keeper Initiative came to Phoenix when Mayor Greg Stanton accepted President Obama’s call to empower young men of color from the classroom to the workplace.

Two of us, Councilwomen Laura Pastor and Kate Gallego, have the privilege of chairing the implementation.

There are more than 300 “Littles” waiting for a mentor in the Phoenixmetro area. Seventy percent are young boys, but only three out of every 10 volunteer inquiries are from men, according to Big Brothers Big Sisters of

Opinion

www.GilbertSunNews.com Oftentimes, young men enter our organizations afraid, lost and in need of encouragement. But in a matter of months and just a few consistent hours spent with a male mentor, their dispositions change for the better and they begin to hope again, aspire for more and see beyond their current circumstances.

Being a mentor is easy, and contrary to popular belief, doesn’t take much time. A mentor only needs to devote a few hours a month to having fun with a young person. It can be as simple as sharing a quiet conversation over a warm meal or attending an actionpacked football game.

Additionally, mentorship is a prevention measure that helps deter a life of crime and financial burdens on taxpayers. According to a 2014 study by Justice Policy Institute, it costs Arizona taxpayers a staggering $106,098 a year to confine one young person in the juvenile court system. The long-term cost of confinement is even greater as

many of the juveniles will suffer longlasting negative effects on their mental health and self-esteem.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America found that children who have a mentor relationship are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs and 52 percent less likely to skip school. For the sake of our young men, we implore males, particularly males of color, to do more than just think about making a difference in 2016. But to instead, actually make a difference by signing up to be a mentor with one of the great mentoring organizations in the community.

Help get our young men on track.

Help our young men thrive. Help our young men have a prosperous future.

Three ways to Sound Off: leave a message at:

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News flash! If you are over 30 and notice the world you, your parents and grandparents lived through is being attacked by narrowminded, ignorant, thoughtless or evil people, you are right. But what are all of you doing to protect your children’s future from them?

Obama wants to control and limit families from having control of guns. He said if it just saves one life, it will be worth his action. When Obama or anyone tries to limit our use of guns to protect our family, just remind them of Germany and Hitler. Hitler had only 10 percent of the vote but he had 100 percent of the control of guns when he took control of Germany. In the ‘30s, guns in the hands of trained men and women will save lives. When Muslim psychiatrist Nidal Hasan shot and killed 13 people and wounded others in Fort Hood in 2009, our service personnel could not have guns. I’m certain that if they had guns, Hasan would have been killed before he shot

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SOUND OFF was transcribed from our Sound Off line during the past month. Sound Off is a monthly editorial feature of Gilbert Sun News. We encourage you to participate.

As long as it's not profane or libelous we will print it in our next issue. Calls are limited to one minute. Please leave your name only if you'd like it printed. Come on, get it off your chest!

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Learn more about the volunteer process and mentorship programs at www.bbbsaz.org/volunteer or www. phoenix.gov/mbk.

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anyone. The two Muslims who killed men and women in San Bernardino would have been killed if the men and women in that meeting had guns and there are many more examples of guns saving lives. Keep your guns and use them only for protection.

Students and parents are in a panic at a high school lockdown. Can people even begin to imagine how hard the refugees of countries at war are having it and sympathize with them and help them? Does it take this to realize the world is at war with itself? Help your neighbors. Help yourself.

Thank goodness classic, allAmerican country music is coming back. Back then, people knew how to stand up and sing, not to jump around and scream and think they were giving us entertainment.

Thank goodness for country music and all-American singing. see SOUND OFF page 62

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April 2016

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Over 40,000 children visited the once top-rated Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix every year. Most were brought by teachers or scout leaders to participate in structured earth science education programs. School buses arrived almost daily, and came from as far away as Yuma. Then, the Arizona Historical Society gained control of it in 2010. In early 2011, the AHS inexplicably locked the doors even as children were still scheduled for field trips. Every year since, the AHS has accepted and spent the full mineral museum budget, but has refused to operate the museum. Now, Senate Bill 1440 would reopen the museum and restore the K-12 education programs by transferring all mineral museum assets to a state agency willing and able to operate the mineral museum. The AHS is now using public funds to hire lobbyists to oppose the bill. The AHS has no plans for the building, but does not want to allow others to reopen the mineral museum for students and teachers.—Dick Zimmerman, Tempe It’s beginning to look like America is losing its backbone Christian strength when prayers aren’t allowed to be made in public court. The bad guys win by taking Christ out of Christmas and Easter, and prayer out of public meetings. Wake up, America!

Congratulations to Drew Alexander for writing the best article I have ever read on bereavement. This past August, my younger brother died unexpectedly.

This past Christmas, my mother died in her sleep without warning. Whenever you lose a loved one—spouse, parent or sibling—there’s no closure and no consoling. Time does seem to stand still. The shock and grief of losing a loved one forever is overwhelming.

When a close loved one dies, your heart never fully heals. Part of yourself dies with it.—Bill, Mesa What’s wrong with American voters today when the questionable are praised and the experienced are chased away. Wake up you stupid people! You’re getting rid of experienced people and putting the bad guys front and forward. You deserve what you get later.

To school board people: Have you seen enough errors on TV this week to learn that trade school training is at least as important as college diplomas? Oher than that,

Opinion everybody’s making more mistakes than we can keep track of. Keep laughing, you college educators. Learn how to pick up a hammer.

If you haven’t watched daytime TV in a while, it’s all about personal gratification, if there is such a thing. It’s all about “feed me,” “dress me,” “fix me.” What has gone wrong with this country? No wonder the women want to get out of the house and work. Holy moly.

The anti-police honoring the Black Panthers by Beyonce during the Super Bowl was disgraceful. How was that allowed?

What is happening to our country?

Unbelievable. Twenty-one years later, some people still do not have any knowledge of the fact that leather shrinks after it’s been wet—especially by blood. How long is the general public going to be so ignorant [about the O.J. Simpson case]. The stupidity of some people in this country is unbelievable.

Now that the New Hampshire primary election is over, politicians on both sides of the aisle should be shaking in their boots. Americans are angry at what the government has done for us. It’s time for a change.

No one can say there isn’t a conspiracy about ruining the people of America when you turn on the TV and CSPAN shows you how to beat paying taxes. Isn’t that wonderful? Without taxes, we’d have no police, no fire, no free health services. We’d be a lot of dummies saving tax money.

You may be laughing about the election problems, but don’t knock Mr. Trump. He has acted like a fool, made silly noises and done what nobody else could do. He made people pay attention to the problems within the election. Thank you Mr. Trump for being a fool. We need more people like you that know how to bring people out to bring the right people to get to work.

My new neighbor asked me what the penalty is for driving while not talking on the cellphone.

I’m a retired senior who was in the workforce for 34 years or more actually, and I used the company car so I was trained on how to drive it safely and effectively as far as the use of gasoline, which

costs money. I have driven like an old lady my entire life. You do not go 50 miles per hour up to a red light, only to hit your brakes and cause a lot of disruption. It’s an ineffective use of gas.

Beware Mesa and Gilbert; don’t let the high risers ruin your town as they did Tempe by allowing ASU to sneak in the name of higher ed. Beware of those sneaky high risers. Vote against them whatever chance you get.

Why doesn’t Washington consider a commonsense issue, and return a retired justice to the bench until after the next election.

At least get a retired one to pick up where they left off. They know what it’s all about.

President Obama is claiming that it is his right to appoint a replacement for Scalia.

This president has trampled on this Constitution all this time he has been in office. When the Constitution suits what he wants to do, he supports it.

What a hypocrite.

Several thoughts.

With the [crane] accident in NYC, it is more than geometry.

It was stress from weather [wind] that in part brought the crane down.

It is the operator in part who sets up cranes but more the erector that oversees if not directly erects the crane. Great job if you consider $60 an hour and that was in Las Vegas.

The strangers on TV are called pundits. Talking heads to some. They are experts in politics and don’t run.

They are too smart for that. We need to elect good people by doing our homework on them. If they are running again, we need to look into their voting records. A vote for a pipeline and against solar is a hint that they are being “funded” by big oil.

Gun collectors/owners. The writer is right on with my feelings, too. Ban the sale of manufactured ammunition.

Let the gun owner load their own ammo. Nothing in the second amendment names “powder and shot or ammunition,” so conceivably it can be regulated.

To the writer about Hillary Clinton.

I don’t remember reading or seeing on TV, etc. that her hubby Bill has had his fly open. I don’t know what source you use. Please let me know.

Another election cycle is upon us.

And the best and brightest from both parties come out and almost beg us to elect them. They make promises that by and large can’t be kept or are

www.GilbertSunNews.com not truthful or half-truths. The size of a Navy or Army for instance is no measure of the ability of it. Social Security is self-funded and not part of the budget. It needs to stop being raided and funded since fewer are paying into it.

With the Zika virus running rampant in South America, surprised no one has said that Obama was born there and imported mosquitoes from Brazil. I don’t want to start any rumors.

Global warming is real. What extent man has in it is still arguable. But it is real. Scientists have confirmed it—not FOX News scientists. The ones who are on the ice or collecting core samples and looking at tree ring data.

Lastly vote, but not with your heart but with your head. Do all the research you can from various sources not just one. If they want to cut all funding to Planned Parenthood, fine. I will just increase my donations.

How dare the pope claim Donald Trump’s not a Christian because he wants to build a wall on the Mexican border to protect the United States. Why doesn’t the pope stick to church matters? By the way, the Vatican has a large wall around it.

Am I the only person in America who believes the Muslims have a plan to bankrupt America and our allies with the cost of security? Consider the hundreds of millions of dollars that we have spent on security since 9/11 on our airports alone. Germany is considering additional taxes to cover the cost of security in its country and we will have to increase our taxes or add to our national debt, which is already $17 trillion or $18 trillion. It is estimated that there are at least 10 million radical Muslims who will give their lives to destroy America and our allies and we have little or no defense against them. God save America.

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