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Fair corporate taxescould bail out cities
Re: “Leaders may seek tax hike approval” (Page A1, Oct. 1).
Just like every other city in California, Oakland desperately needs new revenue sources. California cities don’t even have enough money to fund the bare minimum of public services, with essential services like BART shutting down frequently.
This is a problem that has gone back decades, ever since 1978, when Proposition 13 passed, and has since robbed hundreds of billions of dollars from our communities. Because Proposition 13 has severely capped property tax levels, other taxes have needed to be raised to pick up the slack. Sales tax rates in Oakland are nearly maxed out, and sales taxes are regressive and harm our most disadvantaged community members the most.
If we were able to tax the corporations that are stealing billions of dollars from us every year, Oakland would be able to fund every public service we need and more.
Rhys HedgesSan Francisco
U.S. must preserveGeneva Conventions
Re: “Cities eyed for military drills” (Page A1, Oct. 1).
Americans should recoil in horror at Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s expressed skepticism of adhering to the Geneva Conventions and their rules of engagement.
These are not abstract foreign mandates. The United States helped write them after World War II, ratified them and wove them into the very fabric of our military doctrine. They are a proud expression of our belief that even in war, humanity must not be abandoned.
To discard them now would be a betrayal, not only of our history but of the moral law that has guided Christian just war teaching for centuries: protect civilians, treat prisoners humanely and resist the savagery that war so easily unleashes.
Hegseth’s vision reduces morality to expediency, turning our soldiers into instruments of cruelty rather than guardians of justice. To follow him down that path would not be strength but surrender to barbarism itself.
Tom DebleyWalnut Creek
Hegseth’s vision isof American Reich
Re: “Cities eyed for military drills” (Page A1, Oct. 1).
Pete Hegseth’s recent speech to America’s top military brass was chilling.
He stated that the military would “untie the hands of our war fighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country.” He encouraged aggressive tactics, an approach intended to restore what Hegseth described as the “warrior ethos” and a more aggressive, risk-taking mindset. He hinted that current rules of conduct in war should be ignored, and winning at any cost is the only objective.
More and more, Donald Trump and his cronies appear to be installing an American Reich. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Robert ThomasCastro Valley
GOP should examine itsrole in political violence
It’s absolutely stunning that Donald Trump and the Republican Party are saying that political violence is because of leftist policies.
Let’s remember that the GOP and the NRA virtually assured that every household would be armed to the teeth. The GOP has fought to keep guns available to anyone, regardless of mental disease or age. They refuse to have a national gun registry for all enforcement agencies in the country. They won’t prevent ghost guns from being made or 3D printing technology from making parts.
It might be time for the GOP to take a hard look in the mirror and try to be honest about their role in gun use. Recall that the GOP is making education more difficult, and we know that the inability to communicate is a real cause for violence.
Stuart ShicoffMartinez
Trump, cronies eulogizeAmerican values
Re: “Trump, others eulogize activist” (Page A1, Sept. 22).
Charlie Kirk was praised for his beliefs, says the article about the political conservative’s memorial service. Yet he believed that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a mistake and that the man who brutally attacked Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, should be bailed out. And he accused Jews of financing anti-white initiatives and nonwhite immigrants.
What has become of American values?
Karen Lee CohenWalnut Creek