St. Raymond H.S. for Boys Class of 2019
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 48 AY 31-JUNE 6, 2019 BTR
Action
Association
On Saturday morning,
May 18, St. Raymond High
School for Boys held their
56th Commencement Exercises.
The Class of 2019,
consisting of 135 graduates,
gathered together at the
Msgr. Tierney Auditorium to
receive their diplomas with
their families and friends excitedly
looking on.
The ceremony began
with an opening prayer lead
by Fr. James Cruz ’82, pastor
of St. Raymond Parish.
Jason Williams, class of
2019 salutatorian, followed
with a speech that spoke
directly to his fellow classmates.
“We’ve all had our
ups and downs over these
past four years and, collectively,
we have become
much more than classmates;
we’ve become family.” Williams
stated, “We have all
become a part of the Raven
traditions and bled blue and
orange, representing the
school and its mission in the
classroom, on the field or
hardwood, and even in the
recesses of our own hearts.”
Jason went on to give his
fellow classmates one vital
piece of advice. “Whatever
you choose to do in life, surround
yourself with positive
people who motivate you to
be your best selves,” Jason
stated. He will attend Manhattan
College in the fall on
a Presidential Scholarship
with the intent of studying
Electrical Engineering.
During the ceremony,
St. Raymond High School
for Boys awarded medals to
those who achieved top honors
in each subject as well as
special awards to students
who exemplifi ed good citizenship,
character, leadership
and service.
Class valedictorian Abraham
Castillo followed with
an address to his classmates,
noting a similar theme as
that of his salutatorian counterpart,
a sense of family – or
more specifi cally, brothers.
“I am reminded of a word I
have used a lot throughout
my entire high school career
– friends. However, as both
I and all of you have grown
and developed, I have come
to realize that, in reality, you
are not my friends at all –
you are my brothers. I could
not think of a better group
of young, strong, intelligent,
determined, and successful
men to call my brothers,”
Castillo stated. Abraham
will attend Fairfi eld University
in the fall on a full fouryear
scholarship with the
intent of studying Electrical
Engineering.
Commencement was concluded
with a fi nal send off
from principal Judith Carew.
Carew’s speech to the Class
of 2019 reminded them to always
continue to put God
fi rst. “It has been our goal
over these past years to enable
you to hear, not what others
want you to be, but what
God is calling you to be,”
Carew said. She continued
with sharing one last challenge
with them – to go into
the world fearless and confi -
dent with the intention to always
do what is right. “I assure
you today, that you are
exactly what the world needs
– good, decent, respectful,
goal-oriented young men. Be
assured that the world needs
your courage to share with
it, not only your intellect but
the goodness and generosity
that is in your hearts,” stated
Carew.
The Class of 2019 have
earned more than $1.8 million
in scholarships and grants
and have been accepted to
some of the top colleges and
universities in the country
like Brown University, Fairfi
eld University, Morehouse
College and Manhattan College
just to name a few.
And only as fi tting as it
would be, the Class of 2019
ended their commencement
with the very same words as
they started their fi rst day
four years ago; “Remembering
always that we are in the
holy presence of God, St. John
Baptiste de La Salle, pray for
us … St. Raymond Nonnatus,
pray for us ... Live Jesus in
our hearts … forever.”
(L-r) St. Raymond High School for Boys 2019 valedictorian Abraham Castillo
and salutatorian Jason Williams.
Photo courtesy of St. Raymond High School for Boys
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
Many Progressive politicians,
Leftist academicians
and pundits, both in the U.S.
and abroad, have advocated
for a ‘Universal Basic Income’.
The concept involves providing
regular, unconditional
cash payments to everyone,
regardless of need or status.
Some see this as a way of alleviating
poverty and the stress
of earning a suffi cient sum
to survive. Others view it as
backdoor approach to replace
capitalism with a communiststyle
system.
As in most socialist ideas,
there is, of course, a logic gap.
Someone has to pay the overwhelming
costs UBI would entail.
Many individuals, freed
from the need to actually earn
a living, would be less inclined
to work and pay taxes. Those
that did work would be burdened
with higher tax rates,
providing a further disincentive
to engage in employment
or engage in business. Where,
then, would the funds come
from?
A British study on UBI was
recently completed by Public
Services International, a
global trade union federation
representing 20 million working
women and men who deliver
public services in 154
countries. It is important to
note that the study was not
the work of conservatives or
business leaders—it was completed
by a union federation
of 669 public services, trade
unions representing 20 million
workers. PSI represents
workers in social services,
health care, municipal services,
central government and
public utilities.
The study examined fourteen
examples, selected because
they have been referred
to as examples of UBI and/or
cited as ‘evidence’ of how UBI
can work in practice. They
include past, present and
prospective trials in poorer,
middle-income and richer
countries:
• In poorer countries:
completed trials in Madya
Pradesh, India and Zomba,
Malawi; current scheme in
Kenya.
• In middle-income country:
three current schemes in
Brazil
• In richer countries: completed
trials in in Manitoba,
Canada and New Jersey USA;
current schemes in Alaska,
USA, Finland and the Netherlands;
prospective trials in
Switzerland, California USA
and Scotland.
The study reports that UBI
would not work. The costs are
prohibitive, and would essentially
wreck a national economy.
The average cost of UBI
would be in the range of 20 to
30 percent of a nation’s Gross
Domestic Product.
Among the issues with
UBI, PSI found, from a union
perspective, that:
• UBI can entrench low pay
and precarious work. It will
not improve workers’ pay and
conditions, or their bargaining
power.
• The sums don’t add up: an
affordable UBI is inadequate
and an adequate UBI is unaffordable.
• The trade-offs are unacceptable:
paying for it by abolishing
other forms of social
protection would exacerbate
inequalities; it would make
those without work poorer and
would benefi t the very rich.
• It is not a route to effective
welfare reform: it would create
a powerful new tax engine
to pull along a tiny cart.
• It is a lazy utopian remedy
that fails to address issues
of class, economic ownership
and the productive capacity of
the economy.
The study concludes that
“There is no evidence that any
version of UBI can be affordable,
inclusive, suffi cient and
sustainable at the same time.
There is no evidence that UBI
will help to increase the bargaining
power of workers and
trade unions or solve problems
of low pay and precarious
work…Rapidly changing
labour markets, inadequate
welfare systems, poverty, inequality
and powerlessness
are complex problems that
call for complex changes on
many levels: there is no ‘silver
bullet’ of the kind that UBI
is often claimed to be…The
campaign for UBI threatens
to divert political energies –
as well as funds – from more
important causes…the money
needed to pay for an adequate
UBI scheme would be better
spent on reforming social protection
systems, and building
more and better quality public
services.”