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Assembly will look and
find zip on gas prices
Re. “Assembly to probe high gas prices” (Page A1, June 21):
In the spirit of Johnny Carson’s Carnac, I will now predict the outcome of the latest Assembly effort:
Oil companies will be found not to be colluding on prices and there will be no indication of anti-competitive activities or price-fixing.
Once again, the best and the brightest will walk away scratching their heads or, worse, with knowledge of how the system is structured that they can’t or won’t explain to consumers. I think their narrow inquiries miss the big picture.
My belief is that high prices are built into the system, like maintenance and change-over schedules, production choices or downstream costs that are not related to the narrowly framed definition of what’s under the control of producers.
Nobody is to blame because maintenance and change-overs have to happen. That they constrain supply is an unfortunate but unavoidable side effect.
Chris Brown
Oakland
Article misses the point
of recall elections
Retired Judge Eugene M. Hyman’s commentary of June 21 (“Why ouster of San Francisco DA Boudin is troubling,” Page A8), that the ouster of DA Boudin is troubling, misses the point of recalls.
Hyman implied that people “joyfully” pursued a recall and attempted to overturn a legitimate election. No one was joyful that a recall became necessary. Everyone would have preferred that Boudin would have acted differently as DA and set a tone that was more responsive to the citizens of San Francisco.
To suggest that a recall is an effort to overturn a legitimate election misstates and unnecessarily mischaracterizes the purpose of a recall election. A public official that refuses to do the will of the people should not be allowed to remain in office. Should voters have to resign themselves to suffering with a public official that refuses to respond to their needs, but rather follows his own personal agenda? No.
Douglas Abbott
Union City
War shows numbered
days of fossil fuel
The war in Ukraine underscores the already dire need to eliminate humanity’s fossil fuel consumption. According to RMI, over 60% of U.S. homes still use fossil fuels as their heat source despite the healthier, cheaper and more efficient alternative – heat pumps.
Virginia’s mild winters allow for heat pumps to deliver up to 5 units of heat energy per unit of electricity consumed, saving you money over time. However, a major barrier to installing a heat pump is the upfront cost. Fortunately, the proposed congressional ZEHA and HEATR bills would alleviate prohibitive upfront costs by providing up to $14,000 in rebates and increasing the production of these machines.
If you value efficient heating, clean air and water, and a more stable climate but find the upfront cost alarming, consider calling your senators and congressperson to support these bills.
Kevin Cianfarini
Richmond
Permissive drug policy
has dire consequences
In 2020 Oregon voters approved a first-in-the-nation measure decriminalizing possession of small amounts of hard drugs, including fentanyl. Those found in possession face only the equivalent of a traffic ticket, and suffer no penalty if they call a drug helpline.
Now that data is available for the full year of 2021, the predictable results are becoming known. Only a handful of people called the helpline, but drug overdose deaths were 656, a 39% increase over 2020. In Portland, Oregon’s largest city, there were 90 murders in 2021, a record high. The Sheriff notes there has been a sharp rise in homicides tied to gang turf wars, as well as in property crimes.
More evidence that well-intentioned but naïve voters do more harm than good.
Mike Heller
Walnut Creek
Assault weapons don’t
belong in civilian hands
I am a veteran of the Korean War, 1953. I was in the infantry and the rifle assigned to me was the BAR, forerunner to the assault weapon.
The Browning Automatic Rifle was designed to kill as many of the enemy as possible in the shortest period of time. The assault weapon should be outlawed. The Second Amendment should be reviewed and changed to make it current; we now have military, police and National Guard.
The Second Amendment should state the weapons one possesses are for hunting game and competition, and all should be registered.
Alfred Bruzzone
Richmond
Source: www.mercurynews.com