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Taxpayers deserve
further BART study
Re: “Common sense says build BART to downtown San Jose” (Page A12, July 16).
Former San Jose Mayor Gonzales’ op-ed opines on bringing BART to downtown regardless of the devastating effect on local business. According to him, we have done all the studies necessary before launching this 19th-century debacle. Perhaps he should take a close look at the results of past local government issues from his years as mayor and compare them to BART and VTA.
Two memorable missteps come to mind: 1) Garbage Gate (secret negotiations that continue to cost every household dearly today); 2)The City Hall Rotunda debacle — a totally useless meeting facility that stands as a tribute to poor architectural design, lost space that we continue to pay for.
Compare these to BART and VTA whose management structures have caused one to be on the fast track to bankruptcy and the other to be hailed as one of the worst transportation agencies in the country. Yes, the taxpayers deserve the studies former Mayor Tom McEnery proposes.
Rich Crowley
Vice president, Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility
San Jose
Danger is the point
in sideshows
Re: “Let’s take sideshows from streets to Coliseum” (Page A12, July 16).
Debra Shulman, Sunday, suggests we allow “safe place” sideshows at the Oakland Coliseum. She is evidently unaware that danger is the whole idea, not a possibility.
We had guns fired 50 feet from our home in Willow Glen. The rubber stench is gagging, polluting the air and water, beyond the incessant horrendous screeching. People hang out the car window as modern-day bullfighters might. Spectators see how close they can get to drifting cars. Some have died.
Take all that away, and they’re on the street by default.
Robert Wahler
San Jose
Forget carbon capture
and ditch fossil fuels
Re: “Emissions project at power plant seen as game-changer” (Page B3, July 18).
While it is always encouraging to see California leaders attempting to achieve our state’s climate goals, their recent dalliance with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is downright foolish. CCS does nothing more than provide a lifeline to the oil and gas industry to maintain its status quo of climate pollution and environmental degradation.
Carbon capture is a prohibitively expensive process dependent on unrealized and unproven technology. Further, the deployment of carbon capture operations near population centers and vulnerable communities poses significant dangers. The transportation and storage of captured carbon can lead to leaks, accidents and explosions, releasing toxic substances into the surrounding environment. This can result in severe health risks disproportionately affecting already vulnerable communities.
The only legitimate way to protect our climate from the assault of fossil fuels is to stop drilling and fracking for fossil fuels in the first place.
Chirag Bhakta
San Francisco
Delay election until
documents case is over
In the 2024 election, a national security risk candidate may be on the presidential ballot. This should clang all bells and raise all red flags in America. Have we actually come to this? Has our pride of country totally evaporated?
This will not be an election, but rather a national security disaster in the making. The presidential oath includes protecting the country and the Constitution. Inaction is not an option in the face of a “clear and present danger.”
President Biden must delay the 2024 presidential election until the classified document case is decided. We should not accept any candidate from any party who is indicted for national security violations. To do otherwise would say America has lost its mind.
Allen Price
Montara
Addicts must accept
some responsibility
Re: “Forcing people with addiction into treatment won’t work” (Page A6, July 11).
I agree with the headline on Dr. Jack Pollack and Dr. Rachel Sussman’s op-ed, but in their article, they use the term “substance-use disorder.” What is that? Doesn’t every human being suffer from this once they are exposed to addictive drugs?
I know that I would be addicted to any drug, as I look at my empty Cheetos bag. Alcohol and food are just two substance use disorders, but to put a disorder label on drug addiction implies that Tim, the subject in the article, had a predisposed genetic makeup for drugs. We all do. What Tim suffers from is “poor decision disorder.”
The evidence is clear that drugs, cigarettes, etc. are addicting, and those who choose to use them know, or should know, that tightrope they are about to walk. I believe drug substance-use disorder is just a way to cover up a lack of personal responsibility.
John Worthing
Atherton
Source: www.mercurynews.com