Voters get in last digs about election

Prop. 30: A 'socioeconomic wedgie'

Proposition 30 is Gov. Moonbeam's socioeconomic wedgie, just for us! It goes something like this: If you vote no on 30, we take money from schools! If you vote for 38 instead, we still take money from schools, by virtue of Proposition 30's trigger. If you vote for both 30 and 38, but 38 gets more votes, yup, money from schools! If 30 wins, they only promise to not inflict a three-week furlough on schools. (We've lost a week already.)

The problem is that the Sacto-schemers are spending our money, not theirs. And with the tax base leaving the state, taking their tax dollars with them, the Sacto- schemers are holding the budget knife to our children's collective throat: We either will allow it, or our children will be destroyed by the impending ignorance and subsequent crime. Cops and fire get hosed, too.

Well, I teach and I must vote for it because any more cuts in pay means I lose my house. Nice, eh?

CLAY THOMAS

Modesto

Tell statehouse looters to stay within budget

I hope that both tax propositions are voted down. The taxpayers of this state should tell the looters in Sacramento to live within a budget, just like the rest of us. I am not an ATM open 24-7 dispensing cash for the looters in Sacramento to steal or waste.

This state is going bankrupt, whether you line the pockets of these moronic representatives with more of your tax dollars or not. So why not just say "no" and keep your hard-earned money to spend as you see fit. Stop pouring more and more money down the throats of dysfunctional, selfish and untrustworthy politicians. How many times are the voters in this state going to fall for this nonsense? Life will go on just fine if you take care of yourself and force Sacramento to do the same.

LIZ CARLSON

Atwater

Sick of Big Ag

As a farmer and licensed pest control adviser, I'm disgusted with the confusion tactics that big pesticide, seed and food companies are spending $40 million-plus on through the No on 37 campaign. Monsanto et al. have been controlling university and private research for nearly two decades. Independent researchers are not given licenses to use these companies' patented products to perform true feeding studies. The GMO companies won't show you real data proving these foods are safe because the research either hasn't been done and-or negative results have been buried.

I wish they would have spent this $40 million-plus on food safety and environmental studies. We can farm well without crops that are lab-created mixtures of unrelated organisms that would never cross in nature. Don't let the companies that change their box designs for sports stars or cartoon characters or trendy health claims scare you into thinking that adding a simple line to the ingredients area on their labels within the 18-month time frame will add much, if any, to the price of your food. You have the right to know what's in your food. Yes on Proposition 37.

CINDY LASHBROOK

Livingston

Re-elect Denham: He understands the valley

As a longtime resident of the valley, I understand what drives the local economy. We have long been, and long will be, a community centered around agriulture. That's why I support Jeff Denham for the 10th Congressional District. I know Jeff and he is a man with deep roots in the valley. He has an almond farm here, raised his family here and represented us in the state Senate and now in Congress. Jeff has authored legislation to increase water storage in wet years, and has worked across the aisle with elected Democratic officials in the valley to put forward legislation that would bring more water to our increasing dry land.

Denham understands the valley. He understands what we need to thrive, and he is committed to working across the aisle to get things done.

RAM SAINI

Turlock

Chevron donates $2.5M against Democrats

Why does Chevron donate $2.5 million to the House Republican super PAC, pouring money against Jose Hernandez? Could the fracking planned for the Monterey shale in San Benito, Fresno and Monterey counties have anything to do with it? Or drilling off the Santa Barbara coast? Or is just keeping their tax breaks while they take in millions the only reason?

Hernandez for honesty in Congress.

LEILANI YOUNG

Modesto

What Denham taught me about gas prices

During early October, California hit an all-time high average gasoline price of $4.61 per gallon (over $5 in some areas of the state). We have been paying prices at around 70 cents per gallon above the national average. Refinery shutdowns reduce supply when they occur, as do state-mandated environmental pollution-reduction seasonal blend switchovers. In each case, prices spike higher at the pump, as well as for distributors and station owners at the wholesale level.

Add to our regional problems the national environmental regulatory restrictions placed on exploration and production, and we have a man-made economic disaster. Of further consequence is the severe adverse effect on the ability of distributors and stations to maintain strong profit margins and for middle-class consumers to make ends meet.

I would like to thank Congressman Jeff Denham, from whom I learned much of this information at his meet-and-greet recently at the Vineyard 76 Station in Salida. Let's re-elect a representative that can and will work with federal and state officials to remove governmental roadblocks that impede competitive lower pricing.

CURTIS HINDS

Ceres

Some veterans that Denham has ignored

Open letter to Congressman Jeff Denham: You filed a lawsuit against your opponent, Jose Hernandez, to prevent him from using the term astronaut even though he rode the rocket to the International Space Station. Why?

You now file a suit, claiming a mailer lied about your support for veterans. I challenge that idea of you supporting veterans. I am a retired U.S. Postal Service letter carrier and a disabled Vietnam veteran. When I ask for your support for a bill to help keep the postal service viable and to support the 25 percent of the employees that are veterans you ignored that request.

So, Mr. Denham, put your money where your mouth is and co-sponsor the bill. And tell the public what you plan to do with their money when you privatize the postal service. After all, that surplus of money you and your cronies have your eye on ($55 billion to $75 billion in the CSRS fund that is over funded, plus the prefunded account that is killing the USPS at about $50 billion) is not taxpayer money. It belongs to the people who have bought the services that the USPS offer. The USPS has not been on the taxpayer rolls since 1972. We are self-sufficient, or we were until Congress got involved.

WALT BUTLER

Ceres

Mobley for 21st Assembly District

I attended the Modesto Junior College Jack Mobley and Adam Gray forum. I witnessed a cocky, arrogant and pandering politician — Gray. He has already been in Sacramento too long. He needs to be sent out into the real world and find a job.

Mobley is the best man for the job.

BARBARA RIIS-CHRISTENSEN

Atwater

Gray knows far more about area, issues

I make it a point to closely follow each election and the candidates as I take my vote seriously. In the race for the Assembly district that represents Ceres, I am convinced that Adam Gray is the best choice. His opponent has yet to prove to me that he is articulate, well educated on the issues or concerned about my community.

On the other hand, Gray has spent a great deal of time in Ceres and has met with the residents. When I had a chance to meet him, he was eager to speak with me and learn about issues that I care about.

NIMI DHALIWAL

Ceres

Firefighters are just another interest group

Did you know firefighters only work about 10 days each month and only spend about 10 percent of their time actually going to fires? Why then do firefighters to meddle in local elections? They want to protect their outrageous pensions.

Firefighters can retire as early as age 50 with a mind- boggling 90 percent pension and 2 percent annual increases. Voters in San Jose and San Diego overwhelmingly moved to reduce those pensions because their cities can't afford them. But firefighters, like those in Turlock, continue to play on voters' emotions by using the over-romanticized and over- "hero-ized" image of firefighters we get from movies and television. We need to ignore the hype and recognize that firefighters have become very expensive paramedics and are just another special interest group trying to keep their nest feathered. If they were truly interested in public safety they would agree to reduce those unreal pensions so we can hire back the police officers and firefighters that had to be laid off. If you want to protect the fiscal strength of your community then find out who the firefighters are backing and vote for the other guys.

GEORGE KING

Turlock

Many more problems with Madueño

I find it interesting that The Bee's endorsement of Virginia Madueño for Riverbank mayor listed several concerns about her performance and only one concern about her challenger, Richard O'Brien. She has led this town into financial demise, helped a major businesses move 200-plus jobs to Modesto and began a survey to seek a possible seat on the county Board of Supervisors. When our community's international festival failed to materialize, we suddenly had a Mexican Independence Day event with Virginia's campaign signs front and center. Does anyone but me wonder who provided the last-minute funding for that event? Typically, all council members are invited to a community event. The only one at this one was Virginia. Very interesting.

She says that she is for business. I am in business and I don't see it. Loyal? No. Conflict of interest? Yes. Self-serving? Absolutely!

SCOTT PETTIT

Riverbank

U.S. needs businesspeople in government

The United States is the biggest business on Earth. If you owned stock in Ford Motor Co. or General Motors and you needed a new CEO, wouldn't you want a successful business person for that position?

We who live in the United States have stock in our country. In fact we own stock in our city, county and state. They say you can't run the country like a business. Why not? It's certainly not working the politicians' way! Look what's happening to our country! The worst condition since the Depression of the '30s.

As I see it, you can't solve the nation's problems by printing more money, borrowing from other countries or bailing out the banks. This is not like voting for a student body president. It's not a popularity contest. I don't know who you are going to vote for, but I would look for person who has had a successful business background. That is, if you can find one who is willing to run for that office — whether it be for the city, county, state or president of the United States.

DEAN RUSSELL

Modesto

Romney won't help economy

Mitt Romney good for the economy? Don't believe it. He clings to the erroneous belief that sharp government spending cuts will revitalize economic growth and create new private sector jobs. Data actually shows the opposite to be true: states that cut public spending saw on average 1 percent more unemployment, 2.1 percent less private employment, and 2.9 percent economic contraction. For every 10 percent cut in state spending, states also lost 1.6 percent of their private-sector jobs. States that resisted cuts or increased spending decreased unemployment 0.2 percent, increased private employment 1.4 percent and 0.5 percent increase in economic growth.

Romney says his tax breaks won't add to the deficit. Don't believe it. Over the 32-year deficit debacle (except for the last two Clinton years), tax breaks have not increased growth. Instead, tax those who sit on trillions of dollars of unproductive wealth and eliminate tax loopholes that benefit large, profitable corporations and Wall Street. Overwhelmingly the majority of Americans believe that deficit reduction must be about shared sacrifice, not the Republican savage cuts to desperately needed programs for the elderly, the sick, working families, the poor and our children, while not asking the wealthiest of us to contribute one penny.

STEVE HAY

Modesto

Election is about race

Thank you, John Sununu! Finally, someone had the courage to talk about the elephant in the room. This election is about race; it always has been. Barack Obama is lazy (Sununu); he's not a real American (Donald Trump); he's all shuck and jive (Sarah Palin); he's not one of us. Now the real choice is clear: The elephant is still in the room. How will you choose? Can we finally bury racism, once and for all? Can we vote for integrity or still cloak our prejudice in rhetoric? If you listen to your conscience, the choice is clear.

KAAREN OLIN

Modesto

If you hate America, vote for Obama

A vote for President Barack Obama means that you support the economic destruction of America. A vote for Obama means that you support lying in the worst way, especially when four Americans were killed in Libya. A vote for Obama means that you hate America as Obama does.

Why would any true American who loves our great country vote for a man who is doing his best to destroy it and our freedom? I do not understand why anyone would even consider voting this socialist into office again because it will be the beginning of the end of our great country. You must vote for Mitt Romney so we can save our great country.

CHERYL DADASOVICH

Manteca

Truth about Obamacare, Medicare

Some policy-makers, candidates and pundits claim that the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, cuts $700 billion from Medicare. These claims are simply untrue. The nonpartisan Medicare Advisory Payment Commission advised Congress for five consecutive years to pay Medicare Advantage plans at the same rate as traditional Medicare plans, because Medicare Advantage was costing the government about 14 percent more than traditional Medicare. The ACA now gets this done, saving at least $170 billion over the next decade.

And the Medicare Trust Fund is now expected to remain solvent for at least eight more years. The Medicare Trustees' report states that there is still a lot of work ahead; but the administrator wrote, "The Affordable Care Act is giving CMS the ability to do this work, with tools to lower costs, fight fraud, and change incentives."

The ACA is not relying on Medicare recipients to pay its way. There are many ACA provisions that generate revenues. Most importantly, the CBO predicts that the ACA will reduce deficits over the next decade, by slowing down the meteoric rise in health care spending. Nonpartisan reviews agree: Obamacare will promote a healthier America and a healthier economy.

KAY BARGMANN

Sonora

Additional letters regarding the election appear on www.modbee.com/opinions.

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