Page 4 — Thursday, January 6, 2022 — The Hastings Banner
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Keep USA strong
for the future
When are Americans, corporate
America and the American government
going to stop looking the other way while
China chips away at our independence?
Our country relies on China for every-
thing from personal health products to the
computer chips used in everything from
home security systems to our vehicles.
We are making China – or at least the
top officials of China – very wealthy and
yet we let China walk all over us.
Take COVID-19, for example. Why
hasn’t our government made it clear that
the reason for our two-year COVID pan-
demic – called by some the worst national
health epidemic since the Spanish flu
virus of 1918 – is China?
Why not place that responsibility direct-
ly where it belongs?
Now, with the newly discovered
Omicron variant, Americans will have
gone through at least three unique varia-
tions of the infection.
The result, as we all know, has been
difficult for our communities. Schools
were forced to close and turn to long-dis-
tance teaching. Churches had to discontin-
ue traditional services.
Many churches turned to Facebook and
YouTube to livestream their Sunday ser-
vices from a sanctuary occupied by only
the officiant, organist and a handful of
necessary technical experts.
All across our country, numerous busi-
nesses were forced to close and workers lost
their jobs and income. Community events
were canceled, and travel was restricted.
Our nation and citizens suffered great
emotional and financial loss.
Still, there has not been even a sugges-
tion that the Chinese government be held
accountable and asked to provide financial
support to those who were harmed by the
worldwide problem that originated in a lab
in Wuhan, China, or was somehow spread
from bats there to a cluster of patients.
But, even if COVID is not a concern,
consider the numerous challenges we now
must face as a result of relocating a major-
ity of American’s manufacturing to China.
The crisis caused by that situation
should be obvious in the current sup-
ply-chain problems we are experiencing.
We wouldn’t have had to worry about
getting Christmas gifts our family – toys
for the kids, appliances for Mom and a
new computer for Dad – if we were still
manufacturing those products here at
home and not in a cheap labor nation
across the sea.
Even many of our medications, both
over-the-counter and prescription – are
now manufactured in China.
As a heart patient taking many different
pills every day, I worry what I’ll do if we
get into some conflict with China and
those medications are no longer available.
(And I can’t help but wonder how we can
be confident that those medications won’t
be tampered with if our economic rela-
tionship with China takes a nosedive.)
We have come to expect that our wash-
ing machines, freezers, ranges, and other
once American-made appliances will
come from China because they can be
made there more cheaply. The prices may
be lower, but we are told to expect that
these appliances will only last about 10
years. I have a GE refrigerator-freezer in
my basement made in the USA that is at
least 30 years old and still doing its job.
A friend recently shared her concern
about how much of what is sold in our
stores is made in the China.
She suggested I check everything from
pillows to sofas to grocery items to see if
it is marked “Made in China.”
She then suggested I also look for
“Made in the USA” products and see how
little more I would have to pay to keep my
dollars here in America.
I also know that many of our famous
buildings, such as the General Motors
building in midtown Manhattan, and once
American–owned businesses – including,
ironically, the General Electric Appliance
Division – are now actually majority owned
by Chinese companies and investors.
Is China winning a silent war with
America and are we paying the price?
Will we wake up one day and discover
we live in the United States, but those
states have become a branch of another
nation – the United States of China?
I understand why so many think they
can’t do anything as individuals to stop
what’s happening. But that isn’t so.
The American consumer has the power
to vote with their feet.
Meanwhile, the leaders of our major
corporations, government agencies and
retail chains should be able to see where
this China mentality is taking us.
They need to take action: Bring manu-
facturing back, stop borrowing money
from China and place a high priority on
tapping the economic resources we have
here at home.
Let’s keep American strong for our chil-
dren and their children.
This guest editorial is by Peter Wagner,
publisher of the N’West Iowa Review.
Know Your Legislators:
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Subscription Rates: $52 per year in Barry County
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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
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Michigan Legislature
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Democrat, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Mich. 48909.
Phone (517) 373-3400; 517-335-7858 (Constituent Services).
State Representative Julie Calley, Republican, 87th District (All of Barry County),
Michigan House of Representatives, N-1191 House Office Building, Lansing, MI
- Phone (517) 373-0842. e-mail: [email protected]
State Senator Dr. John Bizon, Republican, 19th District State Senate, Phone 517-
373-2426 or toll-free, 855-347-8019. Email: [email protected]; U.S.
mail: Sen. Dr. John Bizon, P.O. Box 30036, Lansing MI 48909.
U.S. House of Representatives
Peter Meijer, Republican, 3rd District (All of Barry County), 1508 Longworth House
Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515-2203, phone (202) 225-3831, fax (202) 225-
- District office: 110 Michigan Street NW, Suite 460, Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503,
phone (616) 451-8383.
U.S. Senate
Debbie Stabenow, Democrat, 702 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
20510, phone (202) 224-4822.
Gary Peters, Democrat, 2 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510-
2202, phone (248) 799-0850. District office: Gerald R. Ford Federal Building, Room
720, 110 Michigan Street NW, Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503-2313, phone (616) 233-
9150.
President’s comment line: 1-202-456-1111. Capitol Information line for Congress
and the Senate: 1-202-224-3121.
Raising the roof
at Harvest Pointe
Work is progressing on the $
million Harvest Pointe housing proj-
ect next to Thornapple Manor,
Administrator Don Haney said. About
half of the new 50 units in the assist-
ed living project are already spoken
for, Haney said, and they haven't
even begun to seek residents. The
complex will help address some of
the critical housing issues for senior
living in Barry County for senior liv-
ing, Haney said. Harvest Pointe will
offer one-bedroom suites and studio
units, dining services, a spa, on-site
laundry, walking paths, transportation
availability, hair/barber salon, activi-
ties, housekeeping, mail service and
on-call nursing. More information at
269- 945-1326.
Chamber recharge
Banner Dec. 20, 1971
Happy over results – The 1972 Hastings
Area Chamber of Commerce membership
drive resulted in 40 new members, Manager
Bob Johnson (third from left) announced at
the windup meeting Friday at the Hotel
Hastings. The amount pledged was $23,586,
exceeding the $23,000 goal. The drive was
organized as a “football theme” following the
pro league structure. Here, Lynn Brown
(right) from City Bank, the “league commis-
sioner,” presents a certificate of meritorious
service to Bob Blough for his team’s winning
effort in the campaign. Larry Kornstadt (left),
from National Bank, served as league statis-
tician. “I’m very excited about this year’s
drive results,” Johnson said. Blough’s team
alone raised $2,316 by renewing 10 mem-
berships and obtaining seven new members.
Since Sarah Geukes was 9 years old, she
has missed just one county fair. And that
was only because of extenuating circum-
stances: Her son was born that same week.
Geukes grew up on a farm in Woodland,
where her parents were closely involved
with the fair. Her father, Ron Dingerson, an
agricultural lender, served as the vice pres-
ident of the board. Her mother, Julie
Dingerson, a nurse, volunteered as a 4-H
club leader.
As a kid, Geukes showed sheep, pigs and
steers, and every year, her sole summer job
included “raising the animals and getting
ready for the fair and working in the barn.”
She collected enough money from selling
the animals to pay for a large portion of her
first year at Hope College. She even met a
boy at the fair, a boy named Jeff Geukes,
whom she would later marry.
After aging out of the showmanship
competitions, Geukes continued attending
the fair and, for about the last eight years,
she has served as a 4-H leader. Her husband
is the lamb superintendent. She lives on a
farm in Middleville, where her family of
four has raised lambs and pigs. Even her
kids, Jack and Emma, have carried on the
fair tradition, with Emma participating in
competitions across the area, traveling as
far as Ohio.
“It’s in our DNA,” Geukes said of the
county fair.
But Geukes, 46, doesn’t spend all day
thinking about the fair. She has a full-time
job. She is the principal at Hastings Middle
School – and an award-winning one.
Geukes, a graduate of Lakewood High
School, was attending college when she
realized the profession she wanted to pursue
“I just knew I wanted to do something
that helped people,” she said.
Her interest in education blossomed
while at Hope, where she studied special
education and elementary education. She
solidified her career choice during a junior
year school trip to South Dakota. For a
month, Geukes worked in a middle school
special education classroom on a Native
American reservation.
After college, Geukes worked for
Hamilton Community Schools for about 20
years. She taught special education for four
years and second grade for 11 years. After
receiving her master’s in Early Childhood/
Early Childhood Special Education and
doctorate degree in Educational Specialist
in Leadership from Grand Valley State
University, Geukes spent five years split-
ting time between being a principal and a
teacher.
But Geukes lives in Middleville and it
took her 35 to 40 minutes “on good roads”
to get to work. Once her kids reached their
high school years, she decided to look for
jobs closer to home.
That’s when she took a job as the princi-
pal at Central Elementary in the Hastings
Area School System. And, this year, she
transitioned into a new role as the middle
school principal.
“As a principal, I can really impact stu-
dents by supporting the teachers and mak-
ing sure that they have what they need, and
barriers are out of the way so that they can
teach and students can learn,” she said.
Geukes has now logged four years in the
district. And one Friday morning, while
answering phones on the front desk at the
middle school, she received a text message
from the Michigan Elementary and Middle
School Principals Association Region 9
president, Dan Scoville.
“Hey, congratulations,” Scoville wrote.
“Guess why.”
Geukes asked why.
“Well, you’re the Region 9 Principal of
the Year,” he responded.
“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
Geukes thought. She didn’t even know she
had been nominated for the award. But she
was nominated – by Stephanie Wenger, a
teacher at Central Elementary.
“I was shocked. I mean, definitely hon-
ored,” she said. “But shocked.”
In December, Geukes drove up to
Traverse City with her family, where the
organization recognized her.
How does one wins a principal of the
year award?
When Geukes explains it, it sounds quite
simple: “Being present.”
But the way to accomplish that is some-
thing else: “You kind of have to, as a prin-
cipal, do whatever – they call it ‘duties as
assigned,’ ” she said. “Whatever comes up,
and it’s not even assigned, it’s whatever
the building needs from you, you have to
do it for your students and your staff. From
safety to health stuff to leading [profes-
sional development] – all of it.”
For this honor, for her role in the Hastings
Area School System and her longtime sup-
port of the Barry County Fair, Sarah Geukes
is this week’s Bright Light:
If I could go anywhere in the world...
I would say Hawaii. That’s the dream loca-
tion; I hope to get there maybe by the time
I’m 50.
When it’s quiet: Floating in the pool and
reading a good book.
What kind of books I read: My sum-
mer books are mostly like ones that I
don’t have to think too hard about, like
fiction. Not really like romance or any-
thing like that; I like mysteries or that
kind of stuff.
What motivates me: My kids and just
helping them to be the best of whoever they
are. Athletes or students or just people.
If I won the lottery: I would donate to
my favorite organizations that support
families here in Barry County: Barry
County Family Promise and then we have
Hand2Hand, which is a backpack program
we got started here in Hastings through
some local churches. And then I would
probably buy a vacation house up North
with the rest of the money.
If I could have any superpower, it
would be... I think it would be able to trans-
port yourself places, not have to commute
or you could be with family like in a second
and then be back. I think that would be my
thing.
Greatest thing about Barry County...
is just the people here. I mean, my husband
and I have chosen to stay here. I’ve lived in
Barry County every year except for when I
was in college. And then we both chose to
come back here and stay here in the com-
munity and that’s mostly because of the
people that are here.
Favorite memory of Barry County
Fair: Aw, so many. Probably, I don’t
know, I think because my husband was
from a different school and we’d ride
rides together with friends. I’d met friends
that he grew up with, his friends and it
was just a lot of fun. I looked forward to
fair every year.
Sarah Geukes
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