Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Police: Man tried to throw woman off balcony Central Point celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day Medford CERT team takes shape Medford School Board meeting deferred because of Ducks game Mt. Ashland gets $28,000 gift Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Police: Man tried to throw woman off balcony Medford CERT team takes shape Grants available to help Jackson County property owners reduce fire risk Emergency Services Three daylight burglaries reported in apparent east Medford spree Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Education Medford School Board meeting deferred because of Ducks game Medford bulks up student support for math, reading Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Environment OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock State News Suit targets 'auto-hold' video poker strategy 'Portlandia' takes a different path in season 5 Daughter of psychic pleads guilty in elaborate con Oregon may see hemp crop this spring under new rules Forest Service scraps $10 million PR campaign Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Jean Elenor Bowers Death Notices Edgar Frutchey III Shirley M. Lindstrom Walter (Jim) Dave Schraub Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories Panthers down Sheldon in SWC opener Panthers hold on for SWC win North, South sweep wrestling duals Rogues hire Church as new GM Ducks, Buckeyes offenses are branches in same 'spread' tree Varsity 541 College Sports Ducks, Buckeyes offenses are branches in same 'spread' tree A ‘miracle’ needed for injured Allen to play A late addition gives Ducks some depth The Lowe down Tinkle wants more inside-out balance Pro Sports Rogues hire Church as new GM Sharapova breezes in opener; Serena loses Pistons rally in final seconds to beat Spurs Golf begins with four events to follow Baseball welcomes four into Hall Community Sports Business Latest Stories Blog: One Frenchman's perspective on Feb. 7 attack Medford airport traffic flies to new heights After seven decades in Medford, Larson's will be emptied Saturday Patchwork of talents Irrigation system upgrade gets a forum Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate People In Business Transportation Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Charlie Hebdo tribute Letters to the Editor, Jan. 8 Dana Milbank: John Boehner swarmed by pests George Will: Climate change's instructive past Granlund cartoon: Terrorists vs. cartoonists Editorials Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust Our View: WISE project offers many benefits Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus Other Views: Oregon's GMO battle is far from over Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 8 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 7 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 4 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline Guest Opinion: Say yes to clean energy jobs, no to the LNG project Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Lifestyle Latest stories Blog: THREE-WORD THURSDAY: Steelhead. Playa. Weather. Community blog: Happy New Beer Year! 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Jan. 9-11) Lost in Suburbia: The bug stops here 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Food Community blog: Happy New Beer Year! Community blog: Scanty spuds stretch winter greens into salad Entertaining with a gift of treasure Food for Thought: Save time on weeknight meal prep Community blog: Farm share boosts resolve to eat more veggies Home and Garden 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate Home Help: Timeless or trendy? Achieve both in your home decor this year Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Health Community blog: Tale of the Tape Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Hiking Biking Faith Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Since You Asked: Sheriff's Office sells off foreclosed homes Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow Little Yaretzi is county's first baby of 2015 Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Songwriters Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker release 'Waiting for the Rain' Theater OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley Music 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Songwriters Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker release 'Waiting for the Rain' Community Events Art Presence showcases 'Naked Art' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dining Entertaining with a gift of treasure Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Police: Man tried to throw woman off balcony ... Medford School Board meeting deferred because of Ducks game ... Medford airport traffic flies to new heights ... Police: Man tried to throw woman off balcony ... Medford School Board meeting deferred because of Ducks game ... Medford airport traffic flies to new heights ... Matthew T. Mangino: Mario Cuomo's life was a blessing Comment By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now MailTribune.com By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now Posted Jan. 7, 2015 @ 7:33 am By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now Posted Jan. 7, 2015 @ 7:33 am » Social News During the summer of 1984, I was about to enter my senior year at Westminster College in rural western Pennsylvania. The region had long been a stronghold for labor-influenced liberalism. However, Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1981, and soon after, our congressman, Eugene Atkinson, switched from Democrat to Republican. The Democratic Party was a ship without a rudder. Then, on July 22, 1984, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo gave an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. Cuomo’s speech that night 30 years ago inspired me and I’m sure many young people around the country. Four years later, I would attend the 1988 Democratic National in Atlanta, Georgia, as a delegate. Gov. Cuomo was, like me, an Italian-American Roman Catholic. But he was more than that: He was a pious intellectual — a former athlete who became a tenacious campaigner. I have watched his convention speech more times than I care to admit, and I have read it many more times. Although a successful lawyer and an accomplished politician, he was not afraid to talk about helping the less fortunate. Unfortunately, the chasm between the haves and the have nots that Cuomo spoke about so passionately in 1984 has not changed much in the last 30 years. Cuomo died last week, but liberalism died a long time ago. In fact, liberalism as a political label no longer exists. If you’re a left-leaning politician you’re not a liberal, you’re a progressive. On that stuffy July evening in 1984, Cuomo told a hall full of dyed- in-the-wool Democrats that there was another part to President Reagan’s “Shining City on a Hill.” The part “where some people can’t pay their mortgages and most young people can’t afford one, where students can’t afford the education they need and the middle-class parents watch their dream they hold for their children evaporate.” Those concerns of 1984 are strikingly relevant today. The middle-class is shrinking; students are buried in debt; and America has yet to fully recover from a mortgage crisis. Tragically, this is not a Democrat /Republican issue or a conservative/progressive issue — it is a leadership issue. The last 30 years have been split almost evenly between Democrat and Republican leaders. Although Cuomo was often thought of as a presidential candidate, he never took that step. Cuomo was a bundle of contradictions. He was a devout Catholic but fought for a woman’s right to choose. He ardently opposed the death penalty, but noted he built more prison cells than any other New York governor in history. The thing that Cuomo had that few politicians display today is humility. He had moments of self-doubt. He said after deciding not to pursue the presidency, “I do desperately want to believe in something better than I am.” “If all there is is me in this society, then I've wasted an awful lot of time, because I'm not worth it,” columnist E.J. Dionne quoted Cuomo as saying. I met Cuomo in Youngstown, Ohio, in the spring of 2003. He was not a physically imposing figure, but his personality was bigger than life. He was still optimistic and idealistic. He spoke with passion, and was generous with his time after the event. His death came on the day his eldest son, Andrew Cuomo, delivered his inaugural address in Manhattan after being sworn in for his second term as governor of New York. President Barack Obama said that Cuomo was “an unflinching voice for tolerance, inclusiveness, fairness, dignity and opportunity.” Former President Bill Clinton summed up the impact of Cuomo’s life simply, yet eloquently, “His life was a blessing.” Matthew T. Mangino is of counsel with Luxenberg, Garbett, Kelly & George. His book, “The Executioner’s Toll, 2010,” was released by McFarland & Company. You can reach him at mattmangino.com and follow him on Twitter at @MatthewTMangino. By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now MailTribune.com By Matthew T. Mangino More Content Now Posted Jan. 7, 2015 @ 7:33 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501