Letters for September 22, 2011

How to create jobs

Re “Obama drops other shoe” (Editorial, Sept. 15):

The Republican agenda for jobs is not working and has not worked. Time to do what your job description says you do: represent the American people, not just the richest American people.

President Obama has put forth a serious jobs plan, and Republicans should not stand in the way.

With 25 million Americans lacking adequate work, our country and our state need jobs now.

Nearly all of the proposals in the American Jobs Act have been approved by Republicans in the past—so there’s no reason for them not to pass the president’s bill, except to play politics with American jobs.

Tax cuts for the rich and corporations do nothing to create jobs. We can create these jobs by making the rich pay their fair share again.

John Hale
Paradise

Greed and selfishness are not the American way! Put education at the top of the list! Our children are the new gold on the planet! Fair taxation for all; we should all be paying our way. In the United States we have “the commons.” Share, share, share with all.

Congress, get together and start treating others as you would like to be treated! Love God with your whole heart, mind and soul with deep appreciation for the amazing gift he/she has given us: our planet and each other!

Susan Risso
Paradise

Who really caused 9/11?

Re “Comments on 9/11 stories” (Letters, Sept. 15):

Reading Bill Rowe’s letter in response to Tom Hayden’s article “An American blindness,” it is obvious he believes the official story about 9/11 and the attack by a “group of zealots.” The question is: Should we believe this story, told by politicians, military and intelligence agencies?

Especially since we know they lied about the following: Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction; a nuclear weapons program; Saddam being involved with bin Laden and al Qaeda in the plotting of 9/11; Saddam being capable of launching a chemical or biological attack in 45 minutes; “a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles”; mobile biological weapons labs; the rescue of Jessica Lynch, complete with propaganda video with the military shooting blanks; and, finally, the shameful lies about the death of Pat Tillman. And these are just a few of the lies we were told!

Marybeth Wuerthner’s letter, in response to the same article, asked why there was not “an investigative article on the mountains of scientific research and evidence that has come to light since the official story of 9/11 was released.” She went on to say that Richard Gage will speak at PAC 134, Ruth Rowland Taylor Lecture Hall, at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23 about the need for a new investigation.

Gage heads a group of more than 1,500 architects and engineers who say the official story on the collapses of the three WTC buildings are not possible under the laws of physics! Have we been lied to about this also?

Paul Ellcessor
Durham

It’s more than the pumps

Re “Where have all the salmon gone?” (Guest Comment, by Allen Harthorn, Sept. 15):

A major problem for juvenile salmon during their out-migration to the ocean is the array of predators waiting for them in Delta waters. Biologists have studied the striped bass and its appetite for salmon and determined that predation of salmon in the Delta is far greater than salmon salvaged at the pumps.

The UC Davis/Stockholm Environmental Institute also pointed to poor food supply in the ocean as a major factor in the dwindling numbers of salmon. Add to that the 14 tons of ammonia dumped every day into the Sacramento River leading to the Delta by the Sacramento Regional Sanitation District, and you get a more complete picture of the challenges faced by out-migrating salmon.

Mike Wade
California Farm Water Coalition
Sacramento

Lessons from history

Re “Democratic lies” (Letters, by Stepanie Taber, Sept. 8):

Stephanie Taber starts her letter with, “When will the lying stop?” and then neglects to mention a single lie, instead merely defending the Tea Party. I ask, “When will the Tea Party stop being such an easy target?”

She writes, “At least the Chico Tea Party is willing to listen to and back any person who runs based on our three principles of: 1) smaller government, 2) fiscal responsibility and 3) free markets.”

With a name like Tea Party, it is obvious they are living in the past—can you say 18th century? “Smaller government”—like when there were only 13 colonies and only the rich could vote and have slaves? “Fiscal responsibility”—like who is going to run on the fiscal irresponsibility platform? “Free markets”—like the robber barons of the 19th century?

If only the Tea Party would fade from our memory like all their lessons from history.

Roland McNutt
Chico

The high cost of ugly

Re “Hit by the ugly stick” (From This Corner, by Robert Speer, Aug. 25):

I was shocked to read Robert Speer’s column about an expansion of the freeway between the Highway 32 exit and the East First Avenue exit. He explained that CalTrans is planning to widen the lanes, knock out all the trees in the center and build a 14-foot sound wall on both sides obscuring the view of the park.

The present freeway landscaping design has won awards and for a reason. That particular stretch is beautiful. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to look like if this plan moves forward. It will be a big scar in the landscape of our “City of Trees.”

I am writing to say that if the City Council has any power to reverse this project, they should. What’s wrong with lowering the speed limit? Twenty-six million dollars for ugly doesn’t make sense.

Paula Busch
Chico

Terrorist threats in Chico

This has nothing to do with the lack of jobs in Chico. It is not about environmental issues. It is about the continuation of racism in Chico and Butte County.

A neighbor whom I do not know gave me terrorist threats. He had a knife. This person called me every racist name that I could imagine. I called the Chico police. Their response? “Do you have a knife?”

I was the victim. I called them, yet I was racially profiled. People don’t want to admit to racism in this town, but it is there. I called 911 again (Oh what a number, considering what it means in this country). No response.

Wake up, people. This is not your little laid-back town. Some say, “Why don’t you move?” Well, in this country a person should be allowed to live where they like. Just because I like Chico, and the 10 days of the month that I am here, does not mean that I should be subjected to terror.

I will not move. I am a citizen of the United States of America. I hope that Chief of Police Mike Maloney and District Attorney Mike Ramsey understand this.

Jerry Harris
San Francisco/Chico

A rocky road

Re “The road to reform” (Healthlines, by Jeff vonKaenel, Sept. 15):

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is going to “enforce the medical-loss ratio” here in California? About 80 percent is already what the industry wants. (Medicare pays 97 percent.)

One day after the passage of the Obama plan, Cigna simply transferred some administration costs over to the “medical loss” column so they could meet the law’s new guidelines. (See Wendell Potter, Deadly Spin.)

Claim denials and Wall Street-traded medical-loss ratios equal profits for shareholders. Bottom line: Profits are based on not delivering health care. Profits also stem from increased administration (marketing, advertising, CEO pay), which has gone up 3,000 percent since 1970.

The Obama plan is based on the failed Romney plan for Massachusetts, and similar failed for-profit plans in six other states. Howard Dean believes the mandate [to purchase insurance] is doomed, “whether it gets thrown out in court or thrown out in the legislature or just ignored.” Before it fails, we’ll need a single-payer plan similar to what all major industrialized nations provide their citizens.

Wall Street profits should not be based on sickness, death and denied claims. That’s not health care. We need full care for all for less cost. Go to californiaonecare.org to find out more.

Ed Schilling
Magalia