LETTERS from Gazette Readers - November 2018
Dear Readers
There are times when the political climate gets so hot I want to stick my head in the sand and wait until it changes - which it always does. As I say to every person in stress -
Voting gets us into messes and voting can get us out of messes. We vote for Propositions, Measures, Bonds and PEOPLE. As mechanics and engineers will tell you, THINGS can be FIXED...people are another thing entirely. There are as many situations that can go wrong, and right, as there are people.
People can manipulate others’ perceptions of reality. One of the things we try to teach our children is to trust your intuition. When your gut says something different from what a person it telling you, trust your gut. If it feels wrong - it is wrong - for you.
We can get feelings about candidates for office that sway us one way or another. If we have fact-checked we feel more confident in trusting our feelings when marking that box on the ballot. That takes time but it’s an important part of voting. Check the facts. There are non-partisan websites to help.
When the outside world gets too frightening, I turn my face toward home. If we can maintain HOME in the midst of world turmoil, we have sanctuary that feels safe for us. Our home can ride the waves of world storms if we take care of it. Like riding through a crisis, the better we take care of ourselves, the stronger we are coming out of the crisis.
Voting at home is just as important as voting in the big elections. Who are these people who want to serve us. Do their agendas match our agendas? What can we do to make SURE what we want is accomplished?
Volunteer. Share your life with people who respect you and whom you respect them. Put time and energy into a common cause, not just your own cause and life. Find like-minded people & work together as a team.
AND, of course, support your local economy by supporting your neighbors in business. This is our home and it needs maintenance just like washing dishes and doing laundry. ~Vesta
Supreme Court Justice
Again I have to take issue with the October article by Christopher Kerosky.(Immigrant Stories, Oct. 2018) I grant his self-interest, being an immigration attorney.
Until the resignation of Justice Kennedy during the Supreme Court’s recess period, some decisions ended up 5 to 4 - he was considered the swing vote, going either way; that is what a judge is supposed to do, decide each case on its merits. The replacement because of Justice Scalia’s death, filled by President Trump with a constitutionist caused some resistance, but since the Democrats felt confident they would win in the November election, there was limited protest and even some Democratic senators voted for his confirmation.
But the Kavanaugh nomination, even though his record on the DC court proves his independent stance - he served also as a law clerk for Kennedy - the rage erupted - the circus began and the mob culture directed by Democratic senators, whose deportment should be deplored by everyone, was in full sway.
A mans’ reputation was besmirched and his family humiliated - their lives will never be the same, nor will ours. From now on, you are guilty until proven innocent. If the mob decides in advance, so be it.
As for the immigration question - the laws definitely need to be changed and unless we stop allowing more and more unskilled immigrants in, the more inequality we will have in our society. The news lately is that the labor market has millions of jobs in need of skilled workers, not those trying to get in. I feel badly for those who live in countries where life is harsh and their leaders brutal, but I also feel all of this animosity and lack of civil discourse between us will eventually make us as uninviting as the countries from which these people are fleeing.
Barbara Cuneo, Windsor
VIA FACEBOOK:
Duane DeWitt’s article was worth reading this month. It is interesting that as far as Santa Rosa City Council District elections go, that Southwest/Roseland and Southeast/Southpark have been combined into only ONE DISTRICT, District 1. So these TWO under-represented areas will get only one district seat on the council. And that seat will not even be decided until the 2020 election.
More from DeWitt, agree No on N & O. And vote for Pierce if you are in his district:
“Vote No, N & O, No. Vote No on all the measures and propositions except the County Parks measure. Vote YES on Measure M.
Also, vote out the incumbents and bring back Lee Pierce”
I agree with all of this!
Michael Hilber
VIA Website COMMENTS
Housing Bond Measure N (Business, Labor Groups Fail to Find Common Ground on Santa Rosa Housing Bond by Will Carruthers)
