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Allow more flexibility
to attract teachers
Re: “Teacher shortage sends retirees back to school” (Page A1, Oct. 7).
I applaud California’s effort to tackle the teacher shortage by facilitating the return of retired educators through Senate Bill 765. However, it’s crucial to recognize that this initiative offers a temporary solution to a multifaceted issue. Encouraging retired teachers to reenter the workforce doesn’t address the root causes that drove them to retire — teachers are often overworked and burned out.
To truly address the teacher shortage and raise the quality of public education, we must incentivize more people to pursue teaching by enhancing working conditions and improving work flexibility to create a better work-life balance. One way to do so would be to create internship positions for new college graduates to expose them to teaching. Another way would be to create more part-time teaching positions, which offer flexibility and ease the workload of teachers.
Just as Uber attracted more drivers with increased flexibility, enhancing work options can alleviate the teacher shortage.
Isabella Bian
Palo Alto
Despite reports, theft
isn’t closing stores
Re: “‘Theft tax’ is costing families more than $500 per year” (Page A6, Oct. 5) and “DA should rethink support of Prop. 47” (Page A6, Oct. 12).
Reading the Mercury News, you would think California must be awash in shoplifting. Both Lydia Kou and Dolores Carr claim, without evidence, that rampant shoplifting has caused the closure of several businesses.
The truth is that while the shoplifting rate did jump in 2022 it is lower than any point in the decade before the pandemic, and no, Target did not close because of shoplifting. For context, anyone who has worked in retail knows that employee theft is far greater than shoplifting. Estimates are that the losses from employee theft are three times greater than the losses from shoplifting.
For the larger picture, I wonder how many corporate executives Dolores Carr incarcerated for wage theft when she was DA. Rather than crusading for more incarceration of the poor person who steals maybe we should be crusading for incarceration of all who steal.
Stephen Mills
Hollister
Constitution wasn’t
meant for corporations
Should corporations have constitutional rights? Most people think not, but conservative judges have ruled they should, despite the fact that the Constitution makes no mention of corporations.
As a result, courts have given precedence to corporate rights over legislation protecting our health and safety. For example, a law prohibiting tobacco advertising near schools has been set aside on the grounds that it violated a corporation’s right to free speech; and a requirement that dairy products give a warning if they contain carcinogenic ingredients was held invalid on the theory that corporations have a right “not to speak.”
A constitutional amendment has been proposed as House Joint Resolution 54 that would state clearly that constitutional rights belong to people and not artificial entities. It also overrules the Citizens United decision that opened the door to unlimited political spending. With 70 co-sponsors, including many local members, it deserves all of our support.
Brian Carr
San Jose
U.S. should not support
warring Mideast sides
No reasonable person can condone the Hamas killing of civilians in Israel. However it is important to look at why such an attack occurred.
Hamas must have known that Israel would respond with their vastly superior military force, which would cause massive suffering by the people of Gaza. It is reasonable to assume that Hamas concluded that the situation in Gaza was so terrible that there was no alternative. For this, Israel’s policies bear significant responsibility. Both sides have let possible solutions pass by over the years.
In my opinion, the United States should cease all support for both sides until they abandon their endless “peace process” and actually produce a reasonable, workable place for the Palestinians to live.
James Parissenti
Santa Clara
Combining cuisines
advances diversity
Re: “For the first time in 40 years, Panda Express puts dessert on the menu” (Oct. 5).
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article on the recent addition of desserts to the Panda Express menu, as featured on Oct. 5. This delightful fusion of Chinese and American culinary influences emphasizes the beauty of cultural exchange and culinary creativity. It’s heartening to witness how the flavors of one culture can inspire and enhance the offerings of another.
Fusion cuisine is indeed a captivating trend, blending the best of both worlds to create novel and enticing culinary experiences. Panda Express, renowned for its American-inspired Chinese dishes, is making a bold move by introducing desserts to their menu after four decades. This innovation not only caters to evolving tastes but also reflects the adaptability and openness of the culinary world.
Thank you for highlighting this delightful development. It encourages us to embrace diversity and celebrate the harmonious melding of flavors from different parts of the world.
Stanley Wan
Los Altos
Source: www.mercurynews.com