Letters for February 13, 2020

About that protest

Re “Political theater” (Newslines, by Ashiah Scharaga, Feb. 6):

Hate, hate, hate. What a group of compassionate people. Not. The syringe program keeps the drug user alive and offers more chances of stopping an overdose.

I have never seen such hateful creatures so united. The United States is a S-hole country because of the lack of love, compassion, peace, kindness and caring for others.

The people of these United States bask in selfishness, greed, evil, indifference and hate. And, the corporate media is another avenue that propagates these same sentiments. Let’s see what “they” are going to do when their turns come.

Sonia Noemi Cross

Paradise

During the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, rush-hour drivers found themselves in a Main Street melee of blaring truck horns, exhaust, blocked lanes and intersections, and shouting “protesters.”

I’m an 87-year-old relying on a cane on an errand of care for a family member who is recovering from surgery at Enloe Medical Center 10 blocks away. Surely the event had to do with Trump’s acquittal or his State of the Union speech. It could easily have devolved into a catastrophe that would put Chico on the map again for disastrous events.

I learned from our local newspaper this was engineered by the campaign to retain the criminalization of the impoverished and unsheltered people of Chico. Stranger yet, I see no awareness anywhere of the extreme danger. All for the sake of removing the last vestiges of human and humane rights of the weakest members of our community.

Mary Nelson

Chico

Hysteria on both sides

Re “Under the spell of dangerous propaganda” (Guest comment, by Jim Elfers, Feb. 6):

If Fox News and Rush Limbaugh have infected their viewers with Trumpism, Rachel Maddow has turned once-sane Democrats into hysterically anti-Russia Trump-hating zombies.

When the Democrats chose to blame Hillary’s loss on the Russians, Maddow’s voice was the loudest drum roll of anti-Russia and impeachment hysteria. This hysteria heavily promoted since the moment of Trump’s election, in all establishment media, has caused as much damage as Trump’s presidency.

A year ago I subscribed to The New York Times, curious to see the role America’s “paper of record” played in influencing its many readers. I was shocked at its propagandistic style in reporting political and world news.

Like other establishment media, including Maddow, it rarely lies. It most often omits inconvenient facts, or context that doesn’t advance the establishment’s chosen narrative. The selection of focus, subject and word choice contribute to the propagandistic style.

There are plenty of facts and context that discredit the belief that Russia’s minuscule social media posting related at all to Hillary’s loss. And there are facts and context that discredit the righteousness of the attempted coup of the impeachment circus.

Reporting constrained by predetermined narratives makes for a brainwashed citizenry.

Lucy Cooke

Chico

Ballot chatter

If the Measure A parcel tax passes, CARD will take on more debt costing us $2 million a year to service. What a waste of money!

Indexed to the CPI, the tax goes up every year, so we don’t know how much we will be paying for it in 10 years. Even without a return to high inflation (and there’s no guarantee of that), the compounding effect over time will be significant. Those on fixed incomes such as seniors and others whose incomes do not keep pace with inflation will be especially hurt. And the tax is regressive: those in hovels pay the same as those in mansions.

Money that should have been spent for park maintenance, new facilities and programs has been spent on unrealistic and unsustainable pension and other employee benefits. These benefits have also resulted in unsustainable unfunded liabilities.

A new tax and more debt will only postpone the problem a few election cycles when more taxes and fees will be demanded. The answer is to reform the unsustainable liabilities, but the special interests will not tolerate this, which is why they have raised more than $60,000 to pass the tax.

For more information on Measure A, go to chicotaxes.home.blog.

Dave Howell

Chico

It is not the responsibility of today’s voters to decide what is best for future generations, which is why I am voting no on Measure A. It is not because I do not like parks and recreational facilities; I do. However, this proposition has no end date. It lasts forever. That’s wrong. We should not give CARD a never-ending source of taxpayer money without the opportunity to re-evaluate how well they are using the $3 million they will receive every year if the measure passes.

Plus, the amount of money they get from taxpayers will increase every single year—forever. Vote no on Measure A. Tell CARD to put in a sunset clause, which would give future Chico voters the opportunity to decide whether they want to continue to fund CARD based on the situation with parks and recreation at that time.

Jann Reed

Chico

I met Tod Kimmelshue in the 1990s when he joined the team raising funds to build the Torres Community Shelter. He was effective in galvanizing support from across the community from a variety of broad-based constituency groups. I recall a conversation I had with Tod where he shared his belief that the depth of a community’s concern for each other is measured by how we serve those most in need of compassion. Twenty-five years later, I recall how touched I was by Tod’s sentiment and his commitment to all of the people who call Chico home.

As a former member of the City Council, from 2006-2014, the most robust conversations and thoughtful decisions took place when the council was made up of people from diverse backgrounds. I welcomed being challenged by my peers and appreciated hearing my council colleagues’ perspectives as we worked together to achieve the best possible outcomes for the community. I believe Tod will bring a similar style to the dais as a member of the Butte County Board of Supervisors.

Tod is well-respected across the political spectrum in Butte County, and I believe he’ll contribute a valuable voice and bold leadership to the Board of Supervisors.

Mary Flynn

Chico

At the recent League of Women Voters debate for county Board of Supervisors, candidates were asked their opinion on the Schools and Communities First initiative, proposed for the November 2020 ballot. Sue Hilderbrand supported while Tod Kimmelshue opposed.

The Schools and Communities First Initiative corrects a major defect in the 1978 Prop. 13, which allows sellers of large commercial properties to create complex schemes of partial ownerships for the express purpose of avoiding paying the true market value of a property. The School and Communities First Initiative does not make it harder for your granny to stay in her home. It does require CVS, Chevron and Bank of America to pay their fair share of property taxes. This initiative requires that large commercial and industrial real properties be taxed based on current market value. All residential and agricultural properties, plus small businesses worth under $3 million, are exempted.

Tod Kimmelshue has stated that he would protect the defective Prop. 13, while Sue Hilderbrand’s support is joined by community, labor, housing, health, small business and faith-based organizations. For more information, go to schoolsandcommunitiesfirst.org.

Vote for Sue Hilderbrand for county Board of Supervisors, District 4.

Norma Wilcox

Chico

The crisis facing Democrats this year is choosing a presidential candidate who has the experience, temperament and leadership qualities needed to attract huge numbers of votes across regions and from among competing political philosophies.

The successful nominee will need to have strong presence of mind and a level of forcefulness that can deflect and neutralize the bombardment of insult and abuse that surely will be forthcoming from the current occupant of the White House. I believe the only Democratic candidate capable of meeting this test is Michael Bloomberg.

With the failure of the impeachment process, and the shameful lack of any challenge to Trump from within his own party, it is left up to Democrats to restore respectability to the office of the president and to redeem our nation’s reputation on the world stage. Now is not the time to quibble over ideological purity or promote over-reaching agendas.

We’ll have plenty of time for that once the crisis has passed. In the meantime, let’s put up the biggest tent we can; big enough for all American voters who have had enough, and who yearn to restore decency, intelligence, maturity and common sense to the highest office in the land. I believe that Mike Bloomberg is the one person who can make that happen.

Carl R. Ochsner

Chico

Thanks, advocates

Re “Care vs. incarceration” (Healthlines, by Ashiah Scharaga, Feb. 6):

Many thanks to my friend Lisa Currier and her allies for their relentless pursuit of Laura’s Law in Butte County. It’s time for the Butte County Board of Supervisors to support this vital public health and safety program, and for Behavioral Health to implement it. Lisa’s son and so many other families in mental health crisis are crying out for dignity and hope. The time to stop their tears is now.

Bill Mash

Chico

Behind on imbibing

Re “Bubbles and claws” (Chow, by Alastair Bland, Feb. 6):

After reading last week’s most excellent hard seltzer piece, I pulled out my Texas Instruments device and did the math concerning last year’s national output of the same. Shocking! One more curve that I’m way behind. Must be good stuff. Lots of cans to turn in.

Chris Durniak

Chico

‘Long live the king’

I witnessed the closest thing to one of Hitler’s Nuremberg rallies in Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

His majesty took credit for the good things that have happened in our country and blamed his predecessor for the bad events. His narrative consisted of a string of lies and half-truths carefully formulated to appeal to his base and his sycophantic acolytes.

Benito Mussolini would have been impressed by this speech almost heralding a second coming in this great nation. The economy is rolling along thanks in part to our military spending enriching the monarch’s oligarch friends. Business is booming at the Trump Hotel and life is good for the elite few. The fulsome nature of the monarch was never more apparent than when he awarded a special medal to one of his loyal vassals, Baron von Limbaugh, for exposing the true dark nature of our non-Caucasian immigrant residents.

The only sign of distress was when Princess Pelosi tore up a copy of the speech. Having been acquitted of wrongdoing, the monarch will have his justice when, with the people’s mandate, he is unfettered from conventional restraints and allowed to teach the wayward Princess a lesson she will not forget. Long live the king.

Roland Lamarine

Chico

Mourning this America

My Republican friends tell me they played nice when we elected a black Muslim for president and they didn’t impeach him. Now the Democrats prosecute “God’s chosen one” and all we offer is the choice between an old woman teacher, a young gay man, or an old male democratic-socialist, all white (some descriptions cleaned up from their colloquial).

That may be some diversity, but it surely isn’t their vision for their America! The America that has renewed the attack on abortion; rolled back environmental protections (not regulations), so our children inevitably will have to make more radical changes; gutted Obamacare; caged children; said our combat-wounded soldiers just “had headaches.” Meanwhile, this America pardoned war criminals, applauded Presidential Medalist Rush Limbaugh, and sat rapt at the most disgraceful farcical “State of the Union” and “Acquittal Celebration” in history. This is an America that won’t regulate guns or even pass the Equal Rights Amendment all in service of their religion.

Their fear that our world is changing without them, and being fed the failed theory of separation to survive, instead of inclusion, is driving us off a cliff. Guess we’ll “get over it” one way or another.

Rich Meyers

Oroville

Disheartened by editorial

Re “Prohibition not the answer” (Editorial, Jan. 9):

I was disheartened to read the editorial last month in opposition to restricting the sale of flavored tobacco products in Chico. Roughly a third of high school students are vaping! We know that in the last decade e-cigarette use among youth has risen from 1.5 percent to 27.5 percent, with the overwhelming majority choosing flavored products.

In dramatic contrast, the latest research shows only 3 percent of adults regularly using e-cigarettes. And vaping is not the only issue—fruity or minty cigarillos and chewing tobacco are both popular with youth. Ordinances restricting the sale of flavored tobacco products are not intended to limit or control adult use of tobacco products. Efforts to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco in Chico are aimed solely at protecting local children from becoming another generation addicted to nicotine.

Oroville recently took a bold step forward by eliminating the sale of flavored tobacco. I would encourage readers to consider the long-term impacts of these products to our children.

Marissa Maxey

Chico

On Jan. 21, the Oroville City Council unanimously passed a policy to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products. This will be added to the tobacco retail license that is required for all tobacco retailers by the city of Oroville. It becomes effective on Feb. 21, and will include all flavored tobacco products without exemptions.

This policy ensures that Oroville’s youth will have a higher level of protection from exposure to flavored tobacco products and a resulting deadly addiction to nicotine than youth from surrounding areas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 4 high school student vapes a flavored product. This increase in youth tobacco use rates is due to the proliferation of flavored tobacco products on the market which kids find especially enticing.

Oroville’s new policy will protect current and future generations of youth. Let’s hope neighboring jurisdictions will have the same foresight and leadership shown by Oroville’s elected leaders.

For those who need assistance in quitting the use of any tobacco products, visit the California Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-NO-BUTTS or nobutts.org for free help.

Elise Duarte

Chico

Rude in Chico

Weapons of thought. The other night I drove into Chico to hear some music. I was rolling down Main Street slowly, looking for a parking place. Someone pulled up behind me, about 2 inches from my rear bumper, flashing his high beams and honking his horn. I stopped. Next, he pulled up beside me. I rolled down my passenger window and said to the driver, “Hi there, how’s your evening going?” He was speechless for a moment, then he says he’s just trying to get through town at more than 2 miles per hour. I said, “Well, I’m just looking for a parking space, how about you?” He looks at me for a moment somewhat speechless and then starts cursing and calling me names as he drove off.

As I watched a few very old episodes of The Twilight Zone there was an episode that prompted me to reflect on our shared humanity, or lack of it. Is this what we have become, just pawns for each other to yell at?

George Gold

Willows