Letters for September 21, 2017

About immigration reform

Re “Panic, confusion” (Newslines, by Kevin Fuller, Sept. 14):

Congress has six months to come up with a new Immigration Reform and Control Act.

We cannot deport all illegal immigrants, so I propose that we make the availability of residency as long as they have no criminal records and are a productive part of society.

Illegal immigrants will not be eligible for U.S. citizenship without re-entering the United States legally, with the exceptions of Dreamers, who must have entered the country prior to the age of 18; must register as a Dreamer to be eligible for residency or citizenship; must graduate from high school or complete the GED; and have no criminal record.

Anyone who immigrates illegally into the United States after a stated date and the passing of this immigration modification law will not qualify under any conditions and must be deported immediately.

However, you must deal with the employers of illegal immigrants. The penalty of hiring them must be so severe that no one in their right mind would consider doing so.

If caught employing illegal immigrants, one should be fined in the amount of one year’s salary per illegal immigrant at prevailing wages and benefits regardless of how long the illegal immigrant has been employed.

Immigration laws must be enforced to protect our country.

Michael Reilley

Chico

Questions for the city

Re “Greener acres” (Greenways, by Howard Hardee) and “Temporary relief” (Downstroke, Sept. 14):

Comanche Creek Greenway booster Janet Ellner has no legal authority to ask homeless “campers” to “move along.” She should stop.

Consider this language from a city employee, in describing Comanche Creek gentrification: “… when an area becomes nice and usable, the homeless population goes elsewhere.” Making “nice and usable” synonymous with homeless exclusion is hate speech.

The CN&R’s coverage of the Internal Affairs Committee meeting on the subject of public restrooms is not complete. I was present at the meeting and I informed the committee that restrooms at City Plaza are being locked daily at 7 p.m., not 9 p.m., as stated by city staff.

AG Security guards, who lock the restrooms two hours early, told me they take orders from the Chico Police Department. Since this two-hour difference is very significant for people on the streets, I’d like to know: Was Mr. Gustafson lying when he said he didn’t know restrooms were locked at 7? If Mr. Gustafson was not lying, then is the Chico Police Department simply restricting restroom hours, without the knowledge of Public Works? And why would Chico PD want to further limit restroom access for the homeless? Mayor Morgan? Chief O’Brien?

Patrick Newman

Chico

Vaccine confusion

Re “Skirting the needle” (Healthlines, by Evan Tuchinsky, Ana B. Ibarra and Barbara Feder Ostrov, Sept. 14):

It is a very difficult decision whether to vaccinate or not. With all the new information coming to light, I feel it should be the parents’ right to make this decision. The child should not be penalized by not being allowed to enter a public school. If the vaccines are so effective, the vaccinated children should not be at risk. One really does not know what is true with all the information and misinformation being presented.

Caladonya Millwalkee

Chico

Editor’s note: Those who believe that vaccinated children won’t be affected by unvaccinated children surrounding them should research “herd immunity.”

Beat cop needed

For you folks who don’t remember or were not living here in Chico in the old days, here is a little tidbit for you. I believe it was in the early 1980s that the Chico Police Department had a dedicated officer assigned to Bidwell Park. The department had at its disposal a mountain bike, a motorcycle and a four-wheel-drive vehicle for transportation.

Chico’s population was probably about 50,000 people at that time, and it was a much safer place and still had some magic in it. Why was that option not pursued? Chico PD: Put a beat cop back in the park, please!

Steve Kasprzyk

Chico

The trouble with Trump

The most chilling lesson of the Trump presidency: It shows what a smarter, equally corrupt leader could accomplish.

Americans have secretly nurtured a superiority complex since World War II, flattering ourselves we’d never be deceived by Hitler. But as foolish and stupid, as utterly lacking in self-control and discipline as he is, Trump bamboozled enough Americans to become our president. For Hitler, the Reichstag fire and then the Enabling Act and Weimar Article 43 were sufficient to assert absolute control and run democracy into the dirt.

Trump cannot manage his ego long enough to tweet selectively. He has thin skin and the debating skills of a 5-year-old. His insecurities are so overwhelming, he picks fights with the powerful he should cultivate. He misapprehends obstruction law so completely, he idiotically steps squarely in the cow pie just pointed out to him.

His only real talent is, savant-like, channeling the rage of a disaffected portion of our populace. He has shown no capacity whatsoever for governing, much less exercising real control. What if someone with similar skills—not so rare, if one is willing to be cynical, dishonest—and the same utter lack of conscience but better discipline, and real intelligence, emerges?

Norman B. Beecher

Chico

I would like to begin by saying that Donald (may I call him Igor?) Trump is fulfilling one of his campaign promises. He is, in fact, creating jobs. Everyone close to him, including his family members, is lawyering up and creating numerous jobs in the legal profession. But I’m sure there’s nothing to this. Pretty expensive, though, and I’m wondering how they’re going to pay, what, a thousand dollars an hour. Oh, I know where you can buy a cool hat.

Ed Pitman

Chico

Tit for tat

Re “Tiresome” (Letters, by Ray Estes, Sept 14):

Ray Estes is having a really hard time with Lucy Cooke’s speaking truth to power. Unfortunately, Ray linked Lucy Cooke to Steve Bannon and Rush Limbaugh, which opens the DNC to far more criticism than Lucy could deliver in the 200 words allotted.

Unindicted criminals of war are linked to the DNC campaign chest. The Republican “neocon” fathers of the Iraq War (and subsequent regime change disasters), U.S. “exceptionalism” and “winning through chaos” were very clear about supporting Hillary in November 2016.

Yes, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, Robert Kagan and William Kristoll III (and the millions of pro-war, anti-Russia dollars they represent in Washington, D.C.) did all they could to keep their neoconservative ideology in power via Hillary Clinton, who had served them well as secretary of state under Obama.

Bottom line: This country desperately needs more than two major political parties. The two we have are owned by the same big money, and what that big money buys is corrupting the integrity of our country.

Linda Furr

Chico