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Bill in Congress needs
support to save lives
Re: “Ultimate donation” (Page B14, Nov. 9).
I urge California Sen. Alex Padilla to champion the bipartisan End Kidney Deaths Act (H.R. 2687). This bill represents a rare bipartisan and bicameral opportunity to save 100,000 lives and dramatically reduce taxpayer spending by $37 billion.
I donated a kidney to a stranger at some personal risk and expense. The EKDA is a 10-year pilot program for refundable tax credits that will produce more donations for those who have been waiting the longest.
Bipartisan co-authors have over 40 co-sponsors in the House and Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas will introduce the bill in the Senate if a Democratic senator joins him.
Senator Padilla is a leader on health care equity and has shown courage on tough issues with principled leadership. His co-sponsorship will ensure this bill will be bipartisan, fiscally responsible and morally urgent reform.
Please save lives, taxpayer dollars and show that bold, bipartisan action is still possible in Washington.
Jeff Byron
Los Altos
Anyone can become
an organ donor
Re: “Ultimate donation” (Page B15, Nov. 9).
Many thanks for your excellent article. I always wondered which organs and tissues were transplantable; now I know — lots.
As a result of your article, I became a donor. Please consider becoming one too. Anyone can become an organ donor regardless of age, ethnicity or medical history. We can save lives.
Cynthia Hanson
Saratoga
Organizers of canceled
concert can still do good
Re: “Live 105 cancels holiday rock show” (Page B1, Nov. 13).
I was really disappointed to learn that Not So Silent Night has been cancelled this year. Many people had already made plans, buying tickets, arranging travel, and setting aside time to attend. For those of us who organized our schedules around this event, the cancellation isn’t just disappointing, it’s frustrating.
I understand the challenges behind the decision, but the event was something people genuinely looked forward to, and local artists rely on it as well. Losing it affects both our plans and the excitement we were counting on.
I urge the organizers to consider rescheduling or offering a virtual option so that those who invested time and money don’t miss out entirely. Even a small adjustment could give fans a chance to experience the event and support the artists they were so eager to see.
Lily Frutos
San Jose
AI use must weigh
environmental harm
Re: “Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan shift bulk of philanthropy to science, focusing on AI and biology to curb disease” (Nov. 6).
The recent article on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s push to use artificial intelligence to fight disease caught my attention. It is inspiring to see AI used for medical breakthroughs, but we should also confront its hidden environmental costs.
Training large AI models consumes large amounts of electricity and water, releasing thousands of tons of carbon and warming the very planet we depend on for health. If the goal is to save lives, we must ensure that innovation does not harm the environment that sustains those lives.
People should urge tech leaders and lawmakers to make AI projects more sustainable. Protecting our health starts with protecting the planet.
Alexis Arevalo
Redwood City
Media must shine
brighter light on HSR
The California high-speed rail project was initially projected to cost $33 billion. Now, with mounting delays, its budget is projected to exceed $128 billion.
For context, California already has over a trillion dollars in pension expense deficits, as well as a $20 billion state budget deficit. The project is the largest public works expense in California’s history, and one of the largest in the United States, yet no real economic benefits can be expected (based on current timelines) until 2032, when the railways become operational.
The scale and implications of the project demand far more attention in the media than they currently get. I urge The Mercury News to consider the financial weight that the high-speed rail project carries, and to cover, scrutinize and obsess (rightfully so) about even the seemingly uninteresting, headline-unworthy details of this massive financial undertaking by the government of California.
Yury Kuzmenko
San Jose
Is Trump orchestrating
chaos for farmers?
“60 Minutes,” a CBS program, recently interviewed two Republican soybean farmers who lamented about possibly losing their family farms. They said their farms had been in family ownership since the late 1800s. They pointed out their problems were due to President Trump’s trade war with China.
To make their fears worse, it was noted that Trump promised a $40 billion bailout to Argentina (yes, Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, is a Trump friend).
But “it gets even better,” for China is now purchasing soybeans from Argentina.
Not mentioned in the program is the likelihood that Trump’s billionaire buddies are salivating with joy as they await the opportunity to purchase these family farms at rock bottom prices — just as soon as these family farms are foreclosed.
Could this be the reason the Trump administration is creating so much financial chaos in the country?
Larry Dorshkind
Redwood City