OPINION

PRESIDENT Steve Strickbine VICE PRESIDENT Michael Hiatt ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer STAFF WRITER Kimberly Rivers CONTRIBUTORS Michael Cervin, David Michael Courtland, Ivor Davis, Emily Dodi, Alicia Doyle, Dane Edmondson, Chuck Graham, Chris Jay, Daphne Khalida Kilea, Karen Lindell, Paul Moomjean, Mike Nelson, Tim Pompey, Emily Savage, Kathy Jean Schultz, Alan Sculley, Kit Stolz, Mark Storer, Alex Wilson, Leslie A. Westbrook, Kateri Wozny GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Bret Hooper, Shannon Mead, Tonya Mildenberg SALES TEAM LEADER Warren Barrett ADVERTISING SALES Jon Cabreros, Barbara Kroon RECEPTION/LEGALS Tori Behar

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EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE 700 E. Main Street • Ventura, CA 93001 Fax 805.648.2245 The Ventura County Reporter is distributed every Thursday in Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Camarillo, Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. The Reporter is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. The Reporter may be distributed only by Reporter authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of the Reporter, take more than one copy of each Reporter issue. The Reporter is copyright ©2019 by Times Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means without permission in writing by the publisher. An adjudicated Newspaper of General Circulation (SP50329). Submissions of all kinds are welcomed. However, the publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. A stamped, self-addressed envelope must accompany all submissions expected to be returned. Subscriptions are $99/yr. Purple is the New Party Pause-a-tivity O ver a month into quarantine and lockdown, the country is on the verge of a real civil war. While states like California have relaxed requirements in the COVID-19 shutdown, allowing people to still go to the stores and pick up takeout food (mask included), states like Michigan have banned visiting neighbors, causing semi-peaceful demonstrations. Colorado has seen its citizens begin to protest. On top of all of that, Bernie Sanders has bowed out of the 2020 election, creating a vacuum of progressive leadership, leading the “Bernie Bros,” a group of dedicated young men with a more aggressive style of campaigning, to wonder if the revolution will ever happen. Yet all this restlessness is happening as the country is on pause. And through this, there are positive things that are happening in the worldwide reset, and this “pause-a-tivity” could be what we need to make changes for the better.

School shootings are down. Clean air is up. War is put on hold (kind of). And somehow Zoom and TikTok have created new ways to connect as we stay at home. While unemployment is at an all-time high, and some of us are still waiting for $1,200 checks and tax returns, there is a sense of quietness we’ve never felt before. This is a moment of self-reflection, both for individuals and our nation.

If there’s one thing the $4+ trillion stimulus package has taught us, it’s that America has figured out how to circulate money if needed. While socialism is not necessarily desired or practical in America, the expansion of current programs could be the saving grace we need if this pandemic hits again. A program like Medicare for All has now been revealed to be even more necessary than ever before. Had people been insured and felt the costs weren’t going to bankrupt them, more would have visited their doctor in January and February when we got hit. Bernie Sanders’ recent New York Times op-ed broke it down pretty simply, too.

“The absurdity and cruelty of our employer-based, private health insurance system should now be apparent to all. As tens of millions of Americans are losing their jobs and incomes as a result of the pandemic, many of them are also losing their health insurance,” Sanders wrote. “That is what happens when health care is seen as an employee benefit, not a guaranteed right. As we move forward beyond the pandemic, we need to pass legislation that finally guarantees health care to every man, woman and child — available to people employed or unemployed, at every age.”

The nagging question still sits out there, by Paul Moomjean paulmoomjean@yahoo.com though. How do we go forward, with May 1 being the next auditing of the country? There is a lot of arguing about reopening the country. Some say we aren’t ready because of potential spread. Some say we can’t afford to let people lose their jobs and businesses. Sadly, both can destroy the country. Ironically, both are right. Think of the country as if looking at a quarter. One side only sees George Washington and the other side only sees an eagle. Perspective is everything. And it’s causing otherwise rational people to say things beyond their common sense. Suddenly, the prolife Republicans look like the anti-life party. Conservative talk radio hosts and Fox News conservatives are screaming, “I’m willing to go to work and die for the economy!” No, you’re not. You just want people back to work for tax revenue and advertisement potential concerning your TV shows and radio programing.

Meanwhile Democrats are arguing “We need to stay inside until we have a vaccine!” If we wait that long, the economy will kill us before COVID-19 does.

The truth is, we have to stop seeing this as either/or and start looking at it from a place of neutrality. Maybe we cannot reopen everything, but what if we start by opening the rural states where social distancing is already geographically created? With masks and gloves and businesses taking precautions, opening a few other services could keep money flowing and safety as our top priority. And if you want to stay home, well, you always had that option.

Regardless, during this pause, we have to remain positive. Forget the economy or our health. Our very soul requires that. AD PROOF Client: Ventura Harbor Village Ad Executive: Warren Barrett (805) 648-2244 Please check this proof over carefully and indicate all corrections clearly. You will have a “1st Proof”, “2nd Proof”, and “Final Proof”. If we receive no proof after the 1st or 2nd Proofs, AD WILL RUN AS IS. If this proof meets your approval on the 1st proof, check off “FINAL PROOF (APPROVED)” box, date and sign at the bottom ISSUE: 4/16/20 NOTICE: PLEASE FAX THIS PROOF TO (805) 648-2245 ASAP