Letters to the editor | Sunday, July 19, 2020: Stanislaus leaders’ approach to COVID is political

Is Stanislaus COVID response political?

Your editorials and news stories highlight the source of the coronavirus surge in Stanislaus County.

Jim DeMartini, never one to let facts get in the way, touted Sweden’s relaxed approach. He was ignorant of the fact that by the end of June, Sweden’s death rate had eclipsed all of its neighbors (who had enacted strict controls), and its death rate in May was 35 per 100,000, compared to Denmark at 9.3, Finland at 5.2 and Norway at 4.7.

And Kristen Olsen wanted conclusive evidence that masks helped control the virus, thus ignoring expert local, state, national and international advice.

And now Terry Withrow lets us know that his brother, thankfully, only had a runny nose and now feels fine. Great. Maybe he should visit a family who has lost a member to the virus, or who may have long lasting respiratory and other effects. He appears to be downplaying the serious nature of this virus, as has Trump.

We don’t have leaders in our county on this issue. Rather, we have ignoramuses who put our health at risk because of their political biases and their refusal to follow science.

David Rockwell, Modesto

We know what works

Time for a reality check. 1) Because of the coronavirus, the economy is in shambles. 2) The coronavirus is way out of control in America. 3) The economy is not going to get better until we get the virus under control. 4) We cannot depend on Trump or the administration to do anything.

Back in January Trump was advised by many, including his own people, that it was a very serious situation and he did nothing. Worse than that, at least eight times he tried to lull us into a false sense of security by publicly assuring us that he had it under control.

So what do we do now? The only thing that has worked to any degree in other countries is masks, social distancing, contact tracing and avoiding large gatherings. This, of course, is going to take all of us to put aside our petty prejudices — political, egotistical, racial or whatever — and follow the rules. Our state and local leaders cannot do this for us. It is up to each and every one of us to just suck it up and follow the rules. Our very lives and that of our loved ones depend us doing that.

Bob Schmitz, Oakdale

It’s a simple ask, folks

If the government says, “Don’t jump on rusty nails with your bare foot,” would you then jump on one barefooted to make a political statement? Of course not. Then why the uproar over wearing a mask? It’s been proven elsewhere in the world that wearing masks in public helps prevent the spread of COVID-19. Anything that cuts down the spread of this disease is an improvement until we get either a near 100% effective treatment or a vaccine.

No one hates more how tyrannical bureaucracies in particular and government in general have become. Those who have seen my previous letters know I’ve been a severe critic of California government. But a wise man said to pick your fights, and this ain’t one of them.

Art Rossetti, Manteca

Let’s improve water filters

So far COVID-19 has not been found in our drinking water. But what will happen if it is? Water is the beginning of life, the beginning of everything. If COVID-19 gets in our drinking water, it could possibly lead to a worldwide water shortage. Many industries heavily dependent on water may collapse.

A coronavirus particle averages .125 micron, about 1/8 of a micron. A human hair is 50-100 microns in comparison. Most water filters on the market do not filter down that much. A filter that does would effectively remove over 99% of viruses and bacteria in our water.

It may be wise to look into such filters.

Gordon Kobayashi, Valley Springs

It’s all one party’s fault

The elephant in the room, the one we tiptoe around and refuse to acknowledge, is the fact that we elect Republicans to office. For our almost exclusively Republican locally elected politicians to be proactive in facing problems — coronavirus, funding, taxes — would be tantamount to declaring that government can and should attempt to address problems. That is just the opposite of what that party believes.

At the federal level Republican legislators and governors work endlessly to disenfranchise those voters they believe are inclined to vote for a Democrat, both through gerrymandering and purging of the voter rolls. Thankfully not here in California, but through much of the rest of the country, Republicans are working to force voters to go to polls to vote, even if that endangers their and everyone’s health.

Lou Hampel, Modesto

Get over Trump’s win already

In the USA we have free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of opinion, freedom of trial, innocent till proven guilty. Freedom of thought, liberty and success. Unless you are on the wrong side.

In boxing, two players spar in the ring, At the end of each round they go to a neutral corner. In today’s political rounds, the losers do not wait until the next round to try to knock out the winner. That is the only thing they want to do.

The winner of the last presidential round was not the winner for them. They do not want anyone to speak who doesn’t agree with them. They have a Trump temper tantrum. When others talk with or about that winner, they say “Off With His Head!” No matter the good they have done helping others in need. They say “no freedom” to those who do not agree with them.

Jerry Couchman, Modesto

Support the innocent unborn

I express my full support for Ted Howze, who is running for U.S. representative in the 10th District against Josh Harder. I also want to commend the leaders in our county who also support him, despite the badgering, threats and abuse they might have endured. There have been multiple accusations against Ted, but not one word in this latest campaign challenge about the video that came out in Harder’s first campaign where he stated he that believed in full-term abortion. I am thankful for those who are not afraid to stand up for the innocent, unborn citizens of our country. May God bless them and may Stanislaus County continue or start to vote them into office.

Christine Renee Bunow, Turlock

Harder works for us

We are living in a challenging and historic time due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused uncertainty and fear for many of us. In the face of this challenge, District 10 Congressman Josh Harder has been working hard to help our community.

Over the past few weeks, a group of congressmen, including Harder, introduced a bipartisan act titled “Success for Rural Students and Communities Act,” which provides more efficient access to secondary educational opportunities to rural areas and creates new employment opportunities for those who complete their education. Congressman Harder also introduced the bipartisan FARM (Future of Agriculture Resiliency and Modernization) Act which would create a $2.5 billion fund to aid farmers in fighting climate change and dealing with the damage change will cause. It also sets aside $10 million to create pilot programs to turn nut tree waste into usable bioproducts.

And finally, the $1.5 trillion Moving Forward Act that passed the House of Representatives included Harder’s provisions for support of water storage projects, water recycling, groundwater recharge to help farmers, and water research. As Josh said, “This is the best-ever infrastructure bill for the Valley.” Josh is responsive and he cares.

Robin Jones, Manteca

Turlock thirsts for surface water

Our Turlock mayor, Amy Bublak, has expressed her opinions as well as voting “no” to approve funding for the Tuolumne river surface water treatment plant. It’s unfortunate that someone in her position lacks the foresight and good judgment to realize how important this project is for the long-term health and prosperity of Turlock. Depending solely on ground water, our growing community is already dangerously dependent on the resource. With hundreds of new homes being built and hundreds more planned, where exactly does the mayor think the water will come from for these new households? Water-saving shower heads, low-flow toilets and drought-tolerant landscaping in lieu of lawns may reduce the amount of water these new households use, but the net result is an increase in demand. There’s no way around it.

Without using surface water to supplement well water, Turlock will be locked in to two-days-a-week summer watering even in wet years, making it difficult for homeowners to properly maintain existing landscapes, and ultimately, one-day-a-week watering during the next drought, guaranteed to destroy the landscapes many homeowners cherish and have worked hard to establish.

Jerome Handley, Turlock

An option to the two parties

This November will no doubt be a repeat of 2016 for California. The Democratic candidate will beat the GOP candidate and our electoral votes, never in question, will be so awarded. This means that California voters are in a unique position to show their general frustration with the status quo and send a message to our two dominant parties.

I will be voting as a member of the American Solidarity Party. I will cast my vote for our ticket of Brian Carroll and Amar Patel, both of whom will be write-in candidates. Consistently pro-life for the whole life, the ASP opposes assisted suicide and the death penalty. The ASP hopes to confront the fear-driven factors that too often push a woman to end her pregnancy. We support a more open capitalism that fosters new entrepreneurs and wider ownership, putting the traditional American dream within reach of more people. We support a more community-based approach to law enforcement allowing people to work with law enforcement to promote mutual respect and safety.

The lopsided nature of California politics removes any argument that voting third party is throwing away my vote. I will be voting my conscience this November.

Leslie Shaw Klinger, Modesto