- California Is An Example Of One-Party Rule
- Capitalism Has Made America Unaffordable
- Keep Bonds Out Of Hall
- Goodbye Bob Weir
- Who Will Stop Trump?
- Save The Downtown Trees
- Newsom Isn't Perfect, But…
CALIFORNIA IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE-PARTY RULE
Editor:
Columnist Jack Burger fears one-party rule, ignoring that he lives in a one-party-rule state, no dissent tolerated. The state Senate and Assembly are supermajorities, and all the elected government officials are Democrats. No governor has been Republican since 2003. Registered voters include 45% Democrats, 25% Republicans and 22% independents.
In addition, most newspapers in this state lean left, including The Press Democrat. These papers inevitably endorse Democratic candidates and publish letters about 90% negative against Republicans.
Many celebrities have railed against President Donald Trump and threatened to leave the country; it’s their choice. It’s sad that such hate can trigger that reaction. Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind if a few more left. Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real condition, according to some psychiatrists.
Republicans are happy warriors. We are positive, optimistic and patriotic. We support Trump’s America First agenda. His policies are for the good of our country and our citizens. I pity Democrats who seem so depressed; they just can’t stand that Trump has been so successful in delivering what he promised, despite maligning him and trying to thwart every policy he has initiated. Yes, feel free to leave if you wish. Many Californians have.
Sandy Metzger
Santa Rosa
CAPITALISM HAS MADE AMERICA UNAFFORDABLE
Editor:
The looting of the empire has always been a pursuit, and once again it is happening. We can ignore it, participate in it or protest and defy it. Our country was only great again from the late 1950s to the late 1980s, thanks to a strong middle class. Our society in that period of time has been called the most prosperous place to live ever. And if you are a property owner, that prosperity may still be alive. The point is Wall Street investment companies have made home ownership unattainable. The other point is capitalism has failed our children. The solutions are obvious and attainable — affordable housing, affordable health care, affordable groceries. Voters are driven by anger and fear. Let’s hope so!
Michael Burroughs
Santa Rosa
KEEP BONDS OUT OF HALL
Editor,
Regarding the recent column, “Baseball has always had a doping problem. So why is Barry Bonds still not in the Hall?”: It’s certainly true that Barry Bonds was only part of baseball’s doping scandal. But he and the others can’t claim the honest pride of achievement others have.
I support reserving the Baseball Hall of Fame for athletes who play fair.
Carol Denney
Berkeley
GOODBYE BOB WEIR
Editor,
"In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the grateful dead."
… The quote was on the first album, although Jerry Garcia had it obscured because he thought it was pretentious. Much later, I have seen Phil Lesh talking about rediscovering the quote.
This oft talked about quote does not exist in any translations I have ever seen it in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, nor the Tibetan Book of the Dead, as some have claimed. But the quote resurfaces during the Grateful Dead's 1978 trip to the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt.
… Tonight, I remember the quote yet again, as Bob meets up with those in the Grateful Dead who went before him: Jerry, Phil, Pigpen, Brent, Keith and Donna Jean.
Thank you, Bob Weir, for everything.
John Sakowicz
Ukiah
WHO WILL STOP TRUMP?
Editor,
This year is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I wonder what its main writer, Thomas Jefferson, would have thought of President Donald Trump’s recent invasion of Venezuela to seize its leader (however corrupt he is) without congressional approval.
As it happens, we may have an idea from a letter dated May 17, 1818, that Jefferson wrote to John Adams about the independence movement in South America: “Surely it is our duty to wish them (the South American states) independence and self-government, because they wish it themselves, and they have the right, and we none, to choose for themselves.”
Jefferson’s words resonate in the 21st century. But whether there are enough members of Congress today who believe in Jefferson’s words on independence and self-government to try to stop an imperialistic president from invading other countries with impunity and without authorization is, remarkably, an open question.
Bob Ryan
San Francisco
SAVE THE DOWNTOWN TREES
To the Editor:
To the Ukiah City Council and Staff:
At last month’s Public Workshop for the School Street Project, many of those attending supported the proposal for one-way traffic because they thought it would help save the existing Chinese Pistache trees by opening up more sidewalk space.
The staff answered many questions, but by the end of the meeting there were still concerns about mature trees being removed before needed.
Using one-way traffic to conserve the mature trees was proposed by the City of Ukiah staff during its community workshops last year.
Below is a slide from their presentation, which can be found on the City’s website at https://ghd.mysocialpinpoint.com/school-street-corridor-study/home/ (Workshop Two Presentation). Under “Option 3: Tree Replacement Program”, it states “Will allow younger trees to mature before older trees must be replaced.”
At the December workshop, City staff explained that underground utilities would be moved to the center of the street with feeder lines to businesses that would avoid the tree roots. But they then suggested that the existing trees needed to be removed anyway because the roots were damaging nearby historic buildings, even though another slide (below) suggested that the existing roots could be managed.
They also suggested that the trees, at 60, are nearing the end of their natural life cycle. But Chinese Pistache trees can live to be 150, and not a single existing tree has been identified as diseased or otherwise a danger to the public.
As of this writing, 2,974 people have signed an online petition to save the trees. (https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-removal-of-trees-on-school-street-ukiah)
The City’s tree management guidelines state that “Priority will be given to limiting removal, increasing forest canopy, and preserving appropriate vegetation and shade on city property and streets. … Tree preservation is arguably the single most important goal in maintaining the Urban Forest. A replacement tree requires decades of growth to achieve similar benefits of carbon sequestration, shade, habitat, and beauty. . . . For all these reasons and more, every tree should be treated as a precious resource with all efforts made to protect whenever possible.”
City Council and staff should commit themselves to evaluating each tree on School Street individually to determine if it can be saved.
Removal should be the last option, not the first.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. Please incorporate these tree protection measures in any proposal for funding.
Dennis O’Brien
Ukiah
NEWSOM ISN'T PERFECT, BUT…
Editor,
Regarding “Newsom’s contradictory State of the State speech doesn’t bode well for presidential run," Emily Hoeven did a good job of identifying inconsistencies in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approach to governance. He is not committed to defending his positions when they are wrong and often changes course, as we all should when faced with changing circumstances.
Newsom is a politician and duly subject to scrutiny. I support Hoeven doing that. Which brings me to context.
Considering the mayhem being thrust upon us by the Trump administration, Newsom is the most active defender of our democracy. So let us not be overtly critical because he is not perfect.
We must vote out those who enable the Trump regime and its attacks on the middle class. Unarmed citizens are being kidnapped and shot dead in the streets by a secret police force that answers only to an authoritarian regime that never admits mistakes are made, takes no responsibility, takes no action to investigate and demonizes victims while burying the truth.
That is context.
Mitchell Neto
Davenport (Santa Cruz County)
Time has proven that nobody will ever be able to replace Jerry Garcia — or Phil Lesh — and time will prove the same for Bob Weir.