EDITORIAL
BY DHIREN SHAH
Hello Readers,
Hurricane Idalia is making havoc in Florida. It will impact mainly central Florida as projected. This will include from Tampa to Orlando. On Tuesday morning, winds were about 76 miles per hour, and in the afternoon, it reached 85 miles per hour. I hope that it does not harm people. Property can be restored, but human lives cannot, and injuries on the human body take a toll on the individuals and families.
Under the letter “I” there are many deadly or horrific storms. Recent ones include: Ian 2022, Ida 2021, Irama 2017, Ingrid 2013, Irene 2011, Igor 2010, Ike 2008, Ivan 2004, Isabel 2003, Isadore 2002, Iris 2001, Inez 1966 and Ione 1955. It’s just a coincidence, but the letter “I” has too much ego and “I” brings to us on our senses. Should the committee retire the letter I from their list of storm names?
There is a group named The Fist formed in 2022, a committee that applied for a complete recall of Mayor Ras J. Baraka and council members Michael J. Silva, East Ward Council Member, Dupre L. Kelly, West Ward Council Member, Louise Scott-Roundtree, Council Member at Large, Luis A. Quintana, Council Member at Large, C. Lawrence Crump, Council Member at Large, LaMonica McIver, Central Ward Council Member, Patrick O. Council, South Ward Council Member, Anibal Ramos Jr., North Ward Council Member, and Carlos M. Gonzalez, Council Member at Large.
A committee of about 5 people can start a recall process. However, to collect 25% of the signatures is very hard, when voter turnout in 2018 per Essex County Clerk website was 19.17% in 2018. On the Essex County Clerk website, the Newark municipal election results for 2022 were not shown. It is very hard to collect that many signatures. However, if people get together, everything is possible.
According to Yahoo News of Aug. 28, France’s education minister announced a ban on long robes in classrooms starting with the new school year, saying the garments worn mainly by Muslims are testing secularism in the nation’s schools. Critics say that abayas, worn by women, and khamis, the male garb, are no more than a fashion statement. They say the garments do not constitute an ostentatious sign of religion and should not be banned from classrooms under a 2004 law. For Gabriel Attal, the recently appointed education chief, the garments are “an infringement on secularism,” a foundational principle for France, and, in some cases, a bid to destabilize schools.
There can be arguments for both sides. Under our First amendment rights, students can wear any clothes as long as they are not vulgar or showmanship. At the same time, with the uniforms, all students look alike, and the rich mentality ego can be thrown out. However, some of the family members has to raise money to buy the uniforms, which might be a burden for some families. In these cases, the law left it on the states to decide in America. Personally, I like uniforms, but they should not be a burden to any family. If the family cannot afford it, the school must find out the way to help them without anyone knowing which students got help.
The Biden administration has started to negotiate 10 drug prices to sale. In India, every item to be sold must have a MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price), so the consumer cannot be ripped off. In the same way, at least in the drug industry, there should be a restriction for drug prices. Also, in my opinion, any services or drug prices should not be double than what Medicare or Medicaid pays, so non-insurer patients cannot be ripped off.
Have a wonderful week. I’ll talk to you next week.
