Letters for May 25, 2017

‘An important discussion’

Re “Homeless care” (Healthlines, by Evan Tuchinsky, May 18):

Evan Tuchinsky’s article on the new bill (Assembly Bill 74) introduced to extend housing support for chronically homeless on Medi-Cal is an important discussion around cost-effective governance.

The direct savings for Medi-Cal alone by housing those with physical and developmental disabilities is so significant, the argument around big government and the rise of socialism seems an expensive luxury for those ideologues who want government out of social services.

As a taxpayer, my priority would be to house them, take back the rivers, parks, and downtown sleeping spots—clean up my city, and save money in the process. The conservatives who want to refuse this safety net for our most vulnerable need to come up with a better argument for dealing with it besides criminalization and individual or church charity. The problem is too big and affects all of us.

By supplying rental assistance to the homeless who receive significant public health care, we save in emergency room costs, police resources, and significantly improve our economic engine. The phenomenal advocacy groups (and hospitals) around here can ensure it’s only our long-term locals who benefit.

Christine Boyle

Chico

Singer says thanks

Re “Can’t keep quiet” (Scene, by Ken Smith, May 23):

As a member of Doin’ It Justice Community Chorus, I would like to thank Ken Smith for taking the time to write about the chorus. We appreciate how he captured the collaborative structure of the group. At the time of his visit, our Performance Team was meeting and that collaborative nature was in full action.

We each bring a talent, expertise or interest that enriches us as a whole. What was missing from the article was the talent Warren Haskell brings and the dynamic relationship we all cherish with such a gifted musician. Singers need to have an ability to match notes, hold a key and carry their part in relation to the other parts. We all have that (most of the time, anyway), but only some of us read music and excel as singers. Still, he unifies us.

It is fortunate for us that Warren appreciates using his talents within a democratic structure, which as usual makes the whole greater than the parts. We look forward to this coming year, our 10th year, of singing together.

Kathy Faith

Chico

It’s the media’s fault

Re “The bear in the room” (Editorial, May 18):

Don’t you realize that what is going on is a complete usurping of our political process by the liberal media, the Democratic party and by all of you who are willing to throw my vote, your parents’ votes, our military’s votes as well as over half of America’s votes in the garbage by mounting violence, fake stories and misinformation against our duly elected president?

Yes, you. You who lifts his/her head up from Teen Mom and the Keeping Up With the Kardashians long enough to read erroneous posts by your liberal friends on Facebook, so you can then attest to their truthfulness yourself and spread the same leftist propaganda on your own page to prove your “coolness” and “acceptance” of others, in between the times you are spreading your hateful vitriol to all those who do not agree with you politically.

Libs, they invented this new thing called elections and voting! Why aren’t you all calling for the heads of Hillary and her group for subverting Bernie’s election? This is proven interference in our election process, not wild speculation! But you are all fine with that. So, do what you do, but see yourselves as what you are—subversives to democracy!

Garry Cooper

Durham

Will you please tell us why the U.S. should be so afraid of Russia? I trust you’re sincere and don’t have an agenda to perpetuate the western major media and Washington, D.C., (and their investors’) narrative. Read the histories of Russia’s involvement in Georgia and Crimea (our excuses for NATO locking in Russia’s western border with nuclear capacity weapons). You’ll find U.S. handprints and provocations all over those “crime scenes.”

Why isn’t the United States working for peace—anywhere, anytime? This is really what should be investigated.

Linda Furr

Chico

Trump, a retrospective

With much talk about the “president’s” first 100 days, let’s take a look at some of the “accomplishments” of the Bumbler-in-Chief and his Republican minions:

• Coal companies can now dump waste materials in streams and rivers. Didn’t create any jobs, but it did enhance coal companies’ bottom lines.

• Mentally ill people can now freely buy guns. Doesn’t make the American people safer, but generated a lot of enthusiasm by the NRA and the gun manufacturers.

• Fuel-efficiency standards have been rolled back even though manufacturers already spent millions preparing their factories for a policy they supported. Keep paying dearly at the pump, people, it makes the fossil-fuel industry very happy.

• Carbon-emissions standards from existing power plants have been rolled back so far you could choke on this policy. Polar bears hate it, Koch brothers love it.

• One step closer to the misguided attempt to take away 24 million Americans’ health care, for adults and children alike. Most major medical organizations oppose this ill-advised action. So who benefits? Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, investors and the richest of the rich would receive $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade.

This is just the beginning, so 2018 can’t come too soon.

Roger S. Beadle

Chico

‘One-sided slam’

Re “Keep to the core mission” (Guest comment, by Patrick Newman, May 18):

I know what the Jesus Center does for the needy. A lot. I have never heard of Patrick’s organization nor what it does to improve the lives of the homeless. This article seems like a one-sided slam against the Jesus Center, and I expected better from you!

Tom Short

Chico

‘Marxist disinformation’

Re “The Orion” (Second & Flume, by Melissa Daugherty, May 18):

This week’s column sidestepped the hottest issue on campus with a small paragraph. I’m referring to the op-ed column in The Orion about false rape statistics on campus. This “triggered” a Marxist ad hominem blitz against the writer of the piece. Nowhere in the many letters to The Orion did I see college students reporting their research regarding the matter—instead I saw only haters.

So I did some research and the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) reports that it is not 1 in 5 college women that is raped, rather it is that 1 in 5 women will be the victim of a rape or attempted rape over their entire lifetimes. Obviously, if 20 percent of college women were being raped, no woman would ever go to college.

The stats also indicate that women are safer on college campuses than in life in general.

Fragile young ladies away from home should not have to be the frightened victims of Marxist disinformation programs. The administration needs to clamp down on the Marxist activity on campus.

Mike Peters

Chico

Cop talk

It has been two months since Desmond Phillips was killed by two Chico police officers who fired 16 shots. Desmond’s father had called 911 for medical assistance and the police knew of Desmond’s mental health history, which included PTSD from being beaten by Sacramento police for being unresponsive in prayer.

After sitting on their hands, most Chico police are finally using body cameras. District Attorney Ramsey has ruled the killing of Desmond justified and washed his hands of the situation. Those officers are now back on the job and our community is less safe because of that. Those officers should be fired.

Our community deserves better training of the police, including implicit racial bias training, de-escalation and critical incident training. Our community deserves better mental health crisis response.

The City Council has been talking about arming our park rangers and using tax money to pay for private security guards downtown. Both those things will make our community less safe and less welcoming. As Councilman Randall Stone said at the last council meeting, police should not be doing the job of a social worker and it costs the city more money for them to do so.

Rain Scher

Chico

I think this may be a good time to start a discussion about licensing individual police officers. Now that good cameras are everywhere, we are beginning to see scenes of police misconduct and poor judgment. Most cops, I believe, are not those guys! But right now, while police are given great responsibility and capability in our communities, even the power to kill, they are not licensed.

Every profession, and even occupation, that involves potential hazard to the public requires that the individual be licensed, usually by the state they live in. It is a prerequisite to work, and ensures that professionals in that trade come up to the same state standard in upholding the law and conducting themselves professionally. All other professions and occupations that represent a potential hazard to the public are licensed. Let me list some of those: doctors, registered nurses, physical therapists, most medical lab workers, pharmacists, dentists, dental hygienists, massage therapists, social workers, lawyers, teachers K-12, paralegals, all car drivers, all big-rig drivers, all building contractors, civilian concealed weapon permit holders, pot smokers, fireworks professionals and demolition professionals, taxi drivers, all pilots, airplane, all pilots, nautical, pest control professionals … and many more.

David Cowan

Chico

Turn off your phones!

On a recent Friday evening, my husband and I went to the Blue Room Theatre to see the beautifully difficult play The Faith Healer. The story is about Frank, an itinerant faith healer who has the gift but can’t control it; his long-suffering wife/not wife, Grace; and his loyal and loving manager, Teddy.

The play, performed in four intense monologues, explores the slipperiness of reality and requires attentive intelligence from the audience and serious skills from the three actors. In other words, another exceptional Blue Room production.

The just over two-hour play was in the last moments of the fourth and final monologue, in which we get to hear Frank’s version about the terrible thing that happened to him, and I was anticipating and enjoying the dramatic conclusion, when someone’s cellphone went off. The timing couldn’t have been worse. The excellent Bill Johnson (Frank) had to pause in character, while the person slowly silenced their cell (I think they may have even checked to see who called/texted). It was excruciating and infuriating and I was grateful that it wasn’t my cell (or my husband’s).

This truly excellent play was almost ruined by that crummy cell.

Regina Simpson

Chico

At war with women

Seems unnecessary for Saudi Arabia to purchase billions in U.S. military hardware when the only people the kingdom is violently at war with are those from its own female citizenry.

Kenneth B. Keith

Los Molinos

‘Queens of Denial’

Re “On the defense, again” (Letters, by Lucy Cooke, May 18):

Bearing the responsibility for the nightmare Electoral College selection of Trump, I’m curious if Bernie supporters (Queens of Denial) are wishing they could turn the clock back to the time the since fired DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz allowed Bernie to run as a Democrat.

Speaking of denial, Bernie to this very day is insulted when asked if he is a Democrat. Bernie in the mind of his supporters may be Santa Claus, but he’ll assure you that he’s no Democrat. Rush Limbaugh implored his “ditto heads” to vote for Bernie to create mischief, shades of Ralph Nader and Ross Perot.

Oh, well, the way he’s obstructing justice, Trump won’t be around long. Wow, did we get “Burned.”

Ray Estes

Chico

On getting along

Re “Speaking of bikes” (Letters, by Charles Holzhauer, May 18):

Let the malcontents share each other’s snarkiness. What I offered was a prescription to a zone of socio-cyclonic bliss, cast in a positive light, in good cheer. Mr. Holzhauer mustn’t restate my points as refutation of same. I believe it was a plow-mule-driven buckboard ride to the county line that Mr. John Lyons offered Mr. Holzhauer. The only railroading in our three-way exchange was as to myself being the caboose in their head-on trainwreck. Can’t we all just get along?

Mike Preimesberger

Chico