Letters for April 15, 2010

Cynical baby boomer

Re “My generation” by Jaime O’Neill (SN&R Feature, April 8):

I like [O’Neill’s] essay, but I need to disagree about [his] conclusion. I’m a byproduct of [his] generation, and the changes that have been wrought by that generation have made a huge impact in my daily life. It’s a shame he has let cynicism taint his writing.

Every law, war, protest, lawsuit, discovery, politician and business of that generation has made the United States and the world a better place to live (even the bad ones, in their own way). While we look at disagreeable news on the front page all the time, for every negative story you see, there are millions of events that go undocumented and unnoticed by everyone just because the events went right and nothing bad happened. Just look at your community events page in your local paper.

Evan Sarina
Davis

Cold War spy rock

Re “My generation” by Jaime O’Neill (SN&R Feature, April 8):

I enjoyed Mr. O’Neill’s observations on his most pivotal and volatile generation. May I suggest to loosen up the logjam of rock-era history, which always seems to hit that golden impasse with “Jimi, Jim and Janis,” not to mention the Dead, circa ’bout 1967, that the readers visit Dave McGowan’s work on Laurel Canyon via the Center for an Informed America on the Web.

John Lennon stated in his last Playboy magazine interview, offhandedly, that “there are also many intelligence agents lurking around show biz,” or something to that effect. To be “upper-middle class” in the late ’40s through the ’70s often meant making soul compromises with elite “cold warriors,” which is the cloud I grew up under at that time. Mr. McGowan has helped me understand about this, and should likewise help other boomers get past our faulty corporate rock origin myths, and then some.

name withheld by request
Sacramento

Go green—getrid of stuff

Re “Life without stuff” by Todd Walton (SN&R Essay, April 8):

There’s a big move afoot these days to trim down the amount of “stuff” we Americans have been acquiring in our ever-increasing consumer buying frenzy. If it’s not gadgets, it’s collectibles or memorabilia or something, because it seems that we’re just not OK unless we have enough “stuff.”

But it’s never enough. Remember that old bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins”?

Well, we’re all going to die at some point, but our “stuff” will live on. It will be in landfills and storage units (a very fast-growing economic sector, as we outstrip our ability to house our “stuff” in our houses). Our “stuff”—especially the plastic “stuff”—will be around long after we’ve become fertilizer.

It seems to me that there are plenty of cultures out there who get along just fine with much less in the way of “stuff.” I’d like to see more about how we can live without all the folderol and concentrate on other people and the planet.

This was the “greenest,” most “sustainable” piece I’ve seen in some time. Bravo, Mr. Walton.

Harry McMann
Sacramento

Whack Munger!

Re “Whack-an-asshat” by Kel Munger (SN&R Cut&Paste, April 8):

Who thought it would be a good idea to let Kel Munger call religious people who don’t agree with her no-rules attitude toward marriage and the family names? Or even to let her write this tripe? And when did it become all right to call people names in the paper? Is “asshat” even a real word? My spell-check says it isn’t.

Don Hargrave
via e-mail

County’s travesty

Re “Mind games” by Amy Yannello (SN&R Frontlines, March 25):

This is a travesty for our county. The loss of jobs in the [regional support teams] is one thing, but reducing the services to the mentally ill is another. And this article does not touch on the decisions that the county voted on last year, which cuts jobs and provided rises to a vast majority of upper-management workers.

When times are tough for all, it would seem that the trained social workers would understand best that we need to give a bit so others can survive. Yet this decision shows a lack of compassion to our fellow humans and “business as usual” in our government.

Brett Jones
Sacramento

What’s the plan?

Re “Mind games” by Amy Yannello (SN&R Frontlines, March 25):

I am and have been working within the RSTs that have provided mental-health care for adults for many years. I have seen the relentless decimation of services for the past year for adult mental health. I am saddened and devastated for myself and our clients that the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors plan to leave adult mental-health care at the RST level out of next year’s budget.

The closure of crisis units that have left me working with one hand tied behind my back when parents and caregivers are in need of emergency care. I have been a witness to the emergency-room staff frantically asking if a client “really needs” help at their facility. I have been on the receiving end of the psychiatric facilities that are constantly indicating they have “no beds” when our clients are suicidal with a plan, means and intent. In addition, clients and caregivers bring the clients to our offices that are psychotic with nowhere to go for help.

What does the County Board of Supervisors want the providers of care to tell the remaining clients? The Effort was supposed to be the miracle one-stop shop? I don’t think so. Ask the clients that are trying to return to our agency because they were not seen or are still waiting to be seen.

What about the clients who are supposed to have received their medication from their primary-care physicians? That did not work, because the doctors we coordinate services with are not comfortable providing psychotropic medication to this population.

What plan is in place for the third of the clients that [had their services] closed last year and could not find new services? What plan is in place for the clients that will have their services closed this year?

How many suicides? How many homicides? How many crimes, how many victims, before you realize what we do saves lives and provides quality care for those who do not have a voice?

Cynthia Lopez
Sacramento

L.A. babies

Re “Somebody’s got to be a killjoy” (SN&R Letters, March 25):

To the dude from Los Angeles: I, like an old soul, will make this sound easy.

We love L.A. up here in Sacramento. We must love you so much; we give you a lot of our water. You should be writing about how much you love us. Better yet, pat your self on the back for taking the time and energy to comment on a fine paper nurtured in this fine city.

Don’t worry, we will still allow you to suck on our proverbial teat. Remember, Big Momma is way up north and is fine and happy and ready when you are all grown up and ready for a visit. OK, Pumpkin?

Jeremy Munoz
Sacramento

That’s SN&R—never gauche

Re “Advertisements” (SN&R, April 1):

I need to commend your paper for the editorial choice you’ve obviously made not to mix marijuana and massage ads on the same page. Such a thing would be gauche.

Peter Rodman
Sacramento