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Delay in Google Village
was utterly predictable
Re: “Google rethinks timeline for village” (Page A1, Feb. 14).
The recent spate of articles and Letters to the Editor in your paper relating to delays and resizing Google Village reminds me of a letter I sent to Gary Richards, Mr. Roadshow, where I wrote back on Aug. 8, 2020, “I’ll add the Google Village to the list of things that won’t happen during my lifetime: BART coming to downtown San Jose, Diridon Station transforming to Grand Central of the West and California’s high-speed rail.”
I’m now going to rename these projects Google Mirage, Cart to San Jose, and California High-Speed Derailed.
M. R. Pamidi
San Jose
Sunnyvale lagging lights
are a long-time issue
Re: “Sunnyvale traffic lights are a big problem” (Page A6, Feb. 17).
I’ve lived in Sunnyvale for over 40 years, and I agree 100% with Brian Turner’s assessment that Sunnyvale has some of the worst traffic lights.
The lights at Mary Avenue and the railroad tracks have been screwed up not for years but decades. You can’t cross Mathilda Avenue without waiting for a long time, and that includes the weekends.
I’ve sent complaints over the years and nothing, I repeat, nothing ever happens.
Bret Mecchi
Sunnyvale
State’s gas price problem
is rooted in Sacramento
Re: “PG&E bills are shocking for customers amid state’s soaring natural gas prices” (Page A1, Feb. 27).
As everyone now knows our PG&E electric and natural gas bills are way higher than the rest of the country.
The excellent article in The Mercury News gives the reasons why: too little storage, only one gas pipeline.
Since our electricity comes from gas-powered electric utilities, our electric bills are far higher, too.
Our gasoline has been way over $1.50 a gallon higher than the national average for many years due to our too-high state gas tax, etc.
Despite our very wet year, we will soon be in danger of running out of water, because our elected leaders have not built more water storage.
The fault for all these problems lies with our 70% Democrat Legislature and our current and past governors.
The large amount of your money you pay for these necessities is money you will not have in your retirement savings.
Vote carefully.
Brian McCormick
San Jose
COVID death rate could
rise without vigilance
The current death rate for COVID is similar to death rates for influenza/pneumonia
The article “State’s COVID deaths top 100K” (Page A1, Feb. 24) emphasizes how deadly COVID has been over the last three years. However, the current COVID death rate of 150 deaths per week, if it remains stable, would correspond to 7,800 deaths per year. This current projected rate is dramatically less than the 33,000-average annual COVID deaths over the last three years. Also, 7,800 deaths per year are similar to the 6,917 deaths due to influenza/pneumonia in California in 2018 and also similar to, although somewhat larger than, the 6,192 mean annual deaths due to influenza/pneumonia in California over the 2015-2020 period, as reported at the CDC’s Influenza/Pneumonia Mortality by State website.
The much higher earlier COVID death rates are warnings of what could be if we are not vigilant.
Leslie Foster
San Jose
Big government is
worse than Big Tech
“It’s well past time for the U.S. to pull in the reins of Big Tech” (Page A6, Feb. 21) by Jane Hoffman should substitute “Big Government” for “Big Tech” in its title.
Hoffman’s idea of fair taxation amounts to a punitive tax on the rich. Far more important than tech incursion into marketing are the problems of scamming. It will take a public-private partnership to increase security. Based on past history, government regulation is ill-suited for the problems, generally making matters worse. Government policy has already resulted in tech markets and employment migrating overseas. The semiconductor industry, especially, has been crying for help for decades to try and get relief from unfair subsidies and market closures.
The article concludes by saying that Big Tech is here to stay. That’s only until government regulation kills it.
Fred Gutmann
Cupertino
People’s vote on
marriage rights ignored
Re: “California must safeguard equal marriage rights” (Page A8, Feb. 19).
Your call for the people of our state to reverse their decision in 2008 to recognize only complementary-sex (not same-sex) marriages when they voted for Proposition 8 to amend our state Constitution unduly downplays the people’s wisdom and their right to self-government.
Their decision valuably served our society’s vital interest in encouraging complementary-sex couples to avoid costly, irresponsible, natural procreation (a risk to which same-sex couples are not vulnerable). It also advanced the uniquely important interests all children have in obtaining the optimal benefits of being raised by both their natural mother and their natural father.
Your editorial focuses on some subsequent court decisions. Yet, it is “we, the people,” not the courts, who did “ordain and establish” our federal and state constitutions. Without these constitutions, the courts would not even exist. Accordingly, the courts should always respect the thoughtful wisdom of our people.
John Haggerty
Santa Clara
Source: www.mercurynews.com