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Newsom contradicts
himself on Prop. 50
Proposition 50, Gov. Newsom’s current gerrymander proposal, is deeply schizophrenic in that, on the one hand, it urges our nation to adopt “fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting commissions” but, on the other hand, it replaces the congressional district maps, which were drawn by our own state’s independent commission, with maps drawn by the partisan politicians in Sacramento. In other words, Newsom is telling America: “Do as I say, not as I do. We in California will not practice what we preach.”
In addition, Newsom’s proposed district maps, which resemble Rorschach Tests, are delusional because they ignore the reality that the Democrats already hold 43 (82%) of our state’s 52 seats in Congress. In Texas, the Republicans hold only 25 (65%) of that state’s 38 seats in Congress. Rather than engaging in these partisan shenanigans, our governor should focus on our state’s chronic homelessness, crime, wildfire, deficit and education problems.
John Haggerty
Santa Clara
Democrats’ Prop. 50
a case of tit for tat
Re: “Prop. 50 threatens equal representation” (Page A6, Sept. 3).
Phillip Griego cites statistics that suggest that Proposition 50 denies Republican voters in California representation. Here are some countering statistics.
Texas voters do not register by party. According to the Texas Independent Voter Project, nearly 47% of Texas voters vote for the Democratic candidate when they participate in a partisan primary.
Texas currently has 37 congressional seats. Of those, Republicans hold 25, and they would like to increase that to 30. This means they want to increase the seats from 68% to 81%.
Democrats need to bring a gun to this fight, and Proposition 50 is that gun.
Tom Farrell
Santa Clara
Speeders are taking
over local scenic roads
I’m a bicyclist and enjoy riding our beautiful local roads, such as Highway 9, Skyline Boulevard, Kings Canyon Road and Highway 84 to La Honda.
Unfortunately, since the pandemic, the speeds on these roads seem to have gone up considerably. On any given day, groups of local drivers and motorcyclists like to race up the roads at speeds over 60 mph, often coming close to cyclists and creating dangerous situations. I recently had to veer off the road to avoid getting hit. We’ve just had another deadly accident on Skyline, and I wonder how many more bodies we need until the highway patrol takes this problem seriously?
As a cop, you could get your monthly quota in a matter of hours just by parking on any of these roads for a few hours.
Anne Valta
Santa Clara
Declining birth rate is
a gift to crowded planet
Re: “Look to cultural norms for way to fix baby bust” (Page A6, Sept. 4).
Yet another article raising false alarms over the slowdown in population growth. But as the human population has swelled, life has been getting noticeably more expensive, more difficult and less pleasant.
Despite warnings of dire consequences, the public understands better than op-ed authors that population decline is needed, especially given humanity’s massive environmental challenges.
The current economic argument is that more people mean more output and more growth, which is de facto better. But perpetual growth, on a finite Earth, is an illusion.
Today, contrarian economists are demonstrating that a declining population doesn’t mean economic disaster. Emerging evidence shows it can lead to better public welfare and a happier society over time. Imagine having an easier time finding jobs, increasing wages, enjoying more space, less economic pressure and an easing of global environmental challenges.
We need to encourage this welcome transition, given the immense pressures humanity is placing on society and the planet’s resources.
Tina Peak
Palo Alto
Real climate of fear is
in Gaza, not on campus
Re: “College leaders, Dems created climate of fear” (Page A6, Sept. 2).
Three university presidents were called to testify about Jewish students facing discrimination on their campuses. Being academics, they sought to provide thoughtful and nuanced answers. Instead, they faced an inquisition by an extremely partisan committee and Elise Stefanik, who was cosplaying for an audience of one man. It was nothing but a ploy by this administration to intimidate and subjugate universities and intellectuals.
While Jewish students may feel uncomfortable at times, I doubt that any of them had their student dorm buildings reduced to rubble by bunker-busting bombs or lived their entire lives under brutal military occupation or were indiscriminately shot dead while waiting in line at the school cafeteria.
If those Jewish students really want to understand and experience fear and discrimination, they should try living in Gaza as a Palestinian.
Jerry Gudeman
Santa Clara