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State blackouts no excuse
to stop renewables quest
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters blames California’s commitment to clean energy for the recent rolling blackouts (“California’s relying on unreliable third-world electrical service,” Aug. 20), mischaracterizing our worthwhile efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as mere “political policies.” He makes a seemingly powerful case by criticizing the intermittency of solar and wind like a cynical backseat driver.
Walters conveniently ignores the well-established scientific fact that the increasingly extreme heat we are experiencing here in California is being caused by the steady buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If we simply ignore the climate change problem, it will continue to get worse. His unworkable solution is to bury our heads in the sand and just let the Earth continue to get hotter.
Serious people are doing everything they can to solve the intractable problems of climate change. California should continue to forge ahead with more renewable energy and work proactively to solve the problems associated with intermittency.
Doug Peterson
San Jose
SJUSD should follow
county lead on restraint
Restraint is inequitable. I refer to California Assembly Bill 2657, Article 5.2 Restraint and Seclusion noting Ed Code 49005. The (California) Legislature finds and declares the following: (f) “Students with disabilities and students of color, especially African American boys, are disproportionately subject to restraint and seclusion.” We know this practice goes beyond our school boundaries and is a national issue.
When the approval of the Black Lives Matter Resolution by the SJUSD board was up for consideration, I advised the district that as they accept this resolution, they should examine their own policies. If this resolution is in response to the rekindling of the Black Lives Matter movement following the fatality of George Floyd who was restrained while prone, Policy 5131.41 – Students – Use of Seclusion and Restraint should be revisited and the district should join the Santa Clara County Board of Education in banning prone restraint.
Kristen Brown
Candidate, Trustee Area 3, San Jose Unified School District
San Jose
401(k) saving plans offer
retirees too little security
In his letter published August 18 (“Only one way to stem state’s public pension debt” https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/18/letters-25/), Jerry Mungai touts the benefits of 401(k) tax-deferred saving plans as an alternative to pensions. The benefits of the 401(k) to the employer are obvious: The employer Pontius Pilates responsibility for the employee’s retirement while pocketing money that would otherwise go to pensions.
However, with a 401(k) there are no guarantees as with a pension, since a 401(k) plan puts the onus entirely on the employee — a worker who often has little understanding of investment principles or finance.
As workers sadly learned during the 2008-9 recession, the 401(k) can be an utter disaster in terms of financial security in old age.
It is notable that Mungai and others only tout 401(k)’s when Wall Street is on a roll. In bad economic times, there is never a peep from 401(k) boosters.
Kirch DeMartini
Saratoga
Rail project’s rewards
outweigh challenges
Dan Walters has taken another unfair potshot at California’s ambitious high-speed rail project (“North-South bullet train reflects California’s crisis of competence,” Aug. 18 ) and those doing the heavy lifting and the hard work to accomplish great things for our state.
Yes, high-speed rail has had its share of problems – and it’s naïve to think there won’t be more challenges in the future – but that’s the nature of any great endeavor of consequence we’ve undertaken together.
It turns out, high-speed rail is California’s largest green energy project and a rapidly growing source of jobs in our state, with about 1,000 construction workers on site every week during this time of economic distress.
Other developed nations have been able to deliver fast trains for their people and we can, too.
It is the big, tough, visionary, and transformative infrastructure projects like high-speed rail that will allow our state to continue to thrive.
Michael Lane
San Jose
Democratic convention
reinforced hope in America
Monday, for the first time in four years, I once again felt proud to be an American. The opening scenes of the Democratic National Convention brought back images of the America I love and tears to the eyes of this 78-year-old woman, daughter of a proud, lifelong postal employee.
Scenes of young people singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, of Americans of all races and ages reciting the Bill of Rights, reminding us that “All men are created equal,” and of Republicans stating that their vote is more important than their party affiliation, gave me hope.
But the reminder from Michelle Obama reinforced my hope. This will be the most important election in our lives – voting for the American values of unity, empathy, honesty, equality, for all, not just for Trump’s cronies. Vote as if your life depended on it – because it does!
Lorraine D’Ambruoso
San Jose
Senate report shows
how close Mueller came
Few people appreciate just how close Robert Mueller came to a provable criminal conspiracy charge. The Republican-led Senate report reiterates that the Trump campaign did cooperate with Russian Intelligence. The information that Paul Manafort supplied to the Russians was a roadmap showing how the Russians could best assist the Trump campaign. Without access to the people who did the actual hacking, Mueller could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Russians actually did use Manafort’s information. A criminal conspiracy charge would have resulted if that could have been proved.
The Russia investigation was not a hoax. There was ample evidence to support the US counter-intelligence investigation, irrespective of the “dossier”. The Trump campaign did “collude” with the Russians (actively sought their help and assisted them). The case for a provable criminal conspiracy does not exist. However proof of the non-criminal assertion of “collusion” (cooperation) definitely does exist.
Marshall Thomas
Santa Clara
Setting the record straight
An editorial appearing in Friday’s paper incorrectly characterized the ACLU’s position on Proposition 25. The ACLU is neutral on the ballot measure.
