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Paying workers only
way to ensure services
Re: “Pay pendulum swings too far toward workers” (Page A6, Sept. 14).
It is true that there is constant tension between institutions that would prefer to minimize the costs associated with the labor required to fulfill their mission. But to deny the fundamental value and needs of the labor that is required to ensure their sustainability in every economic climate is extremely flawed.
Nothing in government services can be accomplished without skilled labor. None of the desired outcomes we expect from tax-paid services is achievable without the quantity and quality of staffing determined by experts on behalf of taxpayers. Parks and Recreation don’t exist without the labor to create and maintain them.
So this idea that our taxes can be put to better use than paying the necessary qualified staff living wages is beyond my understanding or the realities of good governance. We need to stop this misinformation now.
Delorme MckeeStovall
San Jose
Police watchdog gives
in to power’s sway
Re: “Police watchdog says drunken public spat propelled retirement” (Page A1, Sept. 15).
The whole incident of Shivaun Nurre leaving the Office of the Independent Police Auditor has been badly handled, by the press and Nurre.
The initial indication was she was leaving because the committee really had no power, and their recommendations go unheeded. Now we find out it was due to her unfortunate behavior at the Greek Festival.
Do the police need oversight? Absolutely they do. The police union does a disservice to their rank and file when they defend bad cops. However, it appears we now need to watch the watchdogs. To quote Frank Herbert, “Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely, absolute power attracts the corruptible.”
Peter Aiello
San Jose
Economics show
that music is basic
So, business travel is down but big events like the Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran concerts have helped local hotels survive. Performing arts programs have been cut across the state for years in favor of teaching “the basics.”
Maybe music is basic after all.
Vivian Euzent
Sunnyvale
World is saying
to pick your dystopia
Many of those concerned about the trajectory of current political discourse frequently cite dystopian novels like “1984” and “Brave New World” as harbingers of a not-too-distant future. I believe they’re only getting this half right.
There are other dimensions of danger threatening our global stability. These include climate disasters increasing in both frequency and intensity; brazen lawlessness and blatant disregard for civil discourse; obscene wealth and income inequality that would make Marie Antoinette envious; drug use and abuse on an epic scale; and disregard, bordering on criminality, for the disadvantaged, dispossessed and underrepresented minorities of the world.
May I suggest a more appropriate and more current fictional predictor of our future/present? How about “Mad Max” and its successors? Just look at Haiti, or perhaps our own Congress, for examples of the kind of behavior only imagined by the likes of Mel Gibson.
Eugene Ely
San Jose
Encourage Congress
to lead on TB fight
On Sept. 22, the United Nations will hold a high-level meeting in New York City about ending the world’s greatest killer in history, tuberculosis.
We were making great progress in ending TB until COVID hit, causing the diversion of resources away from TB. The U.N. meeting is a chance to get back on track to end TB once and for all. The United States can show strong leadership by passing the End TB Now Act, H.R. 1776, which is now ready for a vote in both the House and the Senate.
Thanks to Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Ro Khanna and Eric Swalwell for co-sponsoring the bill. We can help by asking Reps. Anna Eshoo and Kevin Mullin also to co-sponsor the End TB Now Act.
John Tupper
San Jose
Biden must not
negotiate with Iran
A few days ago, President Biden gave $6 billion to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iranian Americans urge President Biden to stand by the Iranian people in their struggle for democracy.
We believe a democratic Iran is good for the United States and the world. A democratic Iran will contribute to peace and security in the Middle East and the world and will help the American economy by providing millions of dollars of investment opportunities for American companies.
We are asking the Biden administration to enforce the existing sanctions on Iran, to pressure the European allies to put IRGC (the Revolutionary Guards who have been responsible for terrorist acts in Iran and the region) on the terrorist list and to support regime change in Iran in concrete ways.
If Biden continues negotiating with the brutal government of Iran, he should not expect a vote from us in 2024.
Rebecca DesPrez
San Jose
Source: www.mercurynews.com