Letters: Don’t let dislike of Trump keep you from voting for Denham

Denham is getting it done for us

I understand how some people want to take a swing at Donald Trump. The problem is they feel that voting for Josh Harder over Jeff Denham is the way – effectively asking a pee-wee football player to play in the NFL.

Get ’er Done Denham is our water champion; Pee-Wee Harder is not. Harder couldn’t find time to attend our bipartisan water rally in Sacramento. I don’t think he knows where Sacramento is, much less our local issues. If you support Pee Wee Harder over Get ’er Done Denham you will have swung at Trump but you will ended up punching your neighbor.

I don’t want to pay for on-the-job training. I want water, better paying jobs and housing. Get ’er Done Denham is set to deliver; Pee-Wee Harder will just come back in two years boasting how he not only didn’t get anything done but couldn’t even find Washington.

Denham is everything we want in a modern California family – it’s why so many groups support him; he has their interests at heart. Harder is a young elitist and does not represent who we are. Vote Denham!

Tuning out Denham due to Trump

For several years I allowed representatives of Jeff Denham to speak to my high school classes and to ask for volunteers. After reviewing how the congressman says one thing and does another, all the while supporting a morally bankrupt president, I have stopped allowing this practice. Students are free to seek positions in his office on their own, but I won’t be party to supporting a “representative” who doesn’t demonstrate he has the best interests of our district in mind.

This on top of claiming to be a local farmer (he leases land to real farmers; his family lives in Virginia). What’s local about him, other than coming home for one town hall in 16-plus months? His volunteers should learn what he is really about.

Damrell: Fair, fresh, vibrant candidate

This November we have the opportunity to vote for a fresh and vibrant candidate – Frank Damrell for Stanislaus County Supervisor District 4. Frank has always put our community first. He has clearly continued his family’s legacy of commitment, integrity and fairness to all, with one simple goal in mind – contributing to the betterment of our community and all its citizens. Join me in voting for Frank in November.

Cutting driver breaks is unsafe

Jeff Denham continues to push his transportation amendment for the third time through Congress, having quietly added it to the FAA budget. If passed, it will cut back on the amount of required meal and rest breaks truck drivers are required to take throughout the country. Why would someone push a bill that changes California law and jeopardizes highway safety when he chairs that committee.

The answer lies in Denham’s latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. It shows nearly 20 percent of his biggest donors are tied to or associated with trucking and transportation. All these companies will save millions by no longer having to pay drivers for additional rest and meal breaks. Just one more example of how things are done in Washington and why there needs to be serious change.

We need a representative who looks out for the people instead of the big corporations and the Super PACs that finance their election. That person is Josh Harder.

Playing the ‘pro-life’ card

As the race for Congress tightens, Republicans play the “Pro Life” card claiming Josh Harder supports abortions through a full-term pregnancy. Denham and his fellow Republicans are not “pro life,” but rather “pro birth.” Once that baby is born, the baby and mother are on their own.

Denham has consistently voted down increases in the minimum wage, overtime pay for workers, family leave so that a mother can stay home and take care of her newborn. He’s voted consistently to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Where is his voice on affordable childcare?

The Republican Party gives itself the “Pro Life” label when it is anything but! My vote is with Harder!

Rejecting Harder based on abortion

Re “Harder’s abortion stance becomes an issue in campaign” (Page 1A, Sept. 19): This election just became more than just the economy, water and local issues. It’s become about the lives of those who are defenseless. I’m not exaggerating, based on Harder’s newly revealed views on abortion. It’s simply shocking that Harder would condone taxpayer funded abortions of fetuses up to nine months. A fetuses at nine months is essentially a human being; for Harder to advocate for abortion at that stage is wrong. We must show on election day that our community rejects Harder’s extreme ideals and those of any Bay Liberal that comes after him.

DiFi lost me in the Senate hearings

Prior to the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings I was prepared to vote for Sen. Dianne Feinstein as the lesser of two evils. She isn’t, I can’t. She lost me.

Olsen needs our support now

Re “Arrest details emerge as Supervisor Olsen’s political future weighed” (Front Page, Sept. 15): In recent days we have all heard, read and talked about Kristin Olsen’s unfortunate events in Sacramento. Kristin was a staunch advocate for Modesto while she was a city council member for two terms. She was a loud voice of reason and positivity while representing our area as a member of the Assembly. Most recently she stands up for what our entire county needs as a highly respected and valuable Stanislaus County Supervisor.

Olsen is a great mother, friend and is one of the hardest-working people I know. She comes from a wonderful family whose values are rooted in church, respect and hard work.

Its time for all of our community give back to Kristin, lift her up and give her the unwavering support she has given us all these years.

Soiseth driving away city staff

Turlock has always been a “shining star” in the county. It was our city hall – staff and city manager – that set us apart. Good employees made Turlock what it is. I’m very concerned about the continued departure of Turlock city staff. As a 52-year Turlock resident, it has been disturbing to realize our last two city managers – Roy Wasden and Gary Hampton – left because of unresolvable issues with Mayor Gary Soiseth.

The mayor’s style created tensions that resulted in the departure of several high-level staff. In the last three years, the police chief, fire chief, director and deputy director of Development Services, and the city attorney have departed. The city attorney had been with Turlock nine years, until Soiseth’s recent actions elicited an unexpected resignation. Now, the city must pay for outside legal counsel.

Three years ago, the scandal surrounding the farmers’ market had many saying Mayor Soiseth would be a one-term mayor. Others gave the mayor a pass, saying he was young and this debacle would be a lesson-learned. The mayor’s most recent actions regarding the city attorney leaves me with no hope that Turlock will benefit from another four years under Mayor Soiseth. There is little indication he values the thoughts, ideas or expertise of respected employees.

The next mayor must return trust and fiscal accountability to city hall.

The dangers of changing time

California voters will decide whether to change daylight saving time to our permanent time, or to keep it the same. I believe we should not make daylight savings time permanent.

Daylight savings time is bad for your health. Changing sleeping patterns even by an hour has a huge affect on our natural circadian rhythms. Research shows the risk of heart attack increases by 10 percent on the Monday following the time change. Daylight savings time increases the risk that a car accident will be fatal by 5 to 6.5 percent.

DST is expensive. The simple act of changing clocks costs Americans $1.7 billion in lost opportunity. So the 10 minutes it takes to move the clocks, your watch and devices ahead and hour, is time you could be doing something more productive.

Though there are some positive things to DST, such as having it promote healthier lifestyles and having it create longer daylight hours, it is not effective in the long run.