Letters, editor Modesto Bee | Unity in a divisive time

Facing the future with unity

If we’re to survive the various crises we’re going through, we need to work together.

1. This flu epidemic is dragging us down. Let’s forget our politics and work together like we did after 911.

2. Now the race problem has flared up. It is evidently a bigger problem than I thought.

3. Lastly, we have the wildfires. We will have to join together to get the right people in office who can give California a plan so this doesn’t happen again.

Like the slogan after the Rodney King incident, “Can’t we all just get along?”

David Shirk, Modesto

Upgrade fight against wildfires

Shouldn’t we be developing new technologies to fight fires? Logging has changed dramatically in recent times. Not firefighting. Look at new technologies. How about unmanned tractors that can advance into the fire? Cut down burning trees. Delimb them if it helps.

I am no expert. The pros should have some great ideas. Clearly, we need help.

Bob Gould, Groveland

TLC for majestic Modesto trees

I can’t help but wonder how much nicer the Modesto environment would be if we could get city administrators to take care of such basic things as keeping the irrigation system functional at Moose Park just north of Dry Creek, so that those beautiful 50-to-75-year-old trees don’t die. Or removing deadly mistletoe from the remaining 50-to 75-year-old trees at 10th and L streets; several have already died and been removed.

This lack of maintenance is not due to a current lack of sufficient work force, due to the coronavirus hysteria that has swept the country and generated plenty of excuses for workers to hide at home and get paid all the while. It has been going on for many years.

Spencer Tacke, Oakdale

Goriel is respected

As a Modesto resident and a voter, I am casting my vote for Naramsen Goriel for mayor of Modesto. Naramsen brings excellent credentials to this position. He is very well-liked and respected in his community. His tireless campaign efforts, especially during the pandemic, are greatly appreciated, as are the goals he has articulated for the people of Modesto.

Naramsen understands the importance of mayoral duties and of dealing congenially with the public. He understands the city’s administration and operation. He is reliable, honest, and willing to work for policies that will benefit all the people of Modesto.

Sharolin Sarkis, Modesto

Zwahlen exudes confidence

As a mom with six children who attended local public schools, Sue Zwahlen knows firsthand the challenges our schools face. That’s why she ran for and was elected to the Modesto City Schools Board in 2009 and again in 2013. When she came onboard, our schools were deep in the challenges of the Great Recession. Through teamwork by parents, teachers and staff, Sue and her fellow board members steered the district through the downturn. During her tenure, graduation rates improved.

Sue’s clear vision and straightforward confidence are what Modesto needs to move us forward. What she did for the school board and its students, she can do for Modesto.

Paula Scheidecker, Modesto

A clear choice for Congress

This November election for District 10 House of Representatives is a no-brainer. Incumbent Josh Harder has worked his tail off for the people of this district from the beginning, and during the pandemic he has remained closely connected to his constituents. Whether his close scrutiny of the postal service in order to better ensure deliveries of vital medicines, or Harder’s relentless pressure on the USDA to continue its nutrition program throughout the school year, Congressman Harder has demonstrated his deep commitment to the people of CA-10. Josh has been a strong voice for agriculture by continuously pushing FEMA to expand its housing criteria to support agriculture workers who are on the front lines helping to keep our farmers in business and food on our tables.

Meanwhile, Harder’s opponent, Ted Howze, continues to refuse all candor regarding his bigoted remarks on social media to the extent his own party has (distanced itself from) him. Howze also represents an existential threat to both Social Security and Medicare, not just because he is a lockstep follower of Donald Trump but due to his earlier comments about raising Social Security eligibility age to 70.

Steve Pierce, Turlock

Rogers for YCCD board

I am excited to hear that Bryan Rogers is running for YCCD Board of Trustees Seat 3. He is the perfect candidate for such an important position to positively impact the lives of thousands of students.

I’ve had the privilege of knowing Bryan for 28 years as a fellow educator, and I know he is one of the most effective instructors in both the content and process of educating the lucky students who have been and are in his classes. Besides his teaching skills, Bryan has a deep understanding of higher education and its mechanisms for impacting society.

Bryan lives his life the way he teaches, and that is with honesty, compassion, preparation, diligence, and relevance. He means what he says and says what he means. You will not find a harder working candidate who has no hidden agenda other than wanting to help students meet their potential, and he can help them get there.

Michael Kennedy, Monterey

Barrett would be too rigid

Re “Looking to save the Supreme Court” (Page 1B, Sept. 27): Sunday’s column was intellectually dishonest. It purports to be concerned about the integrity of the Constitution while supporting the ideological “quirkiness” of Amy Coney Barrett, Mr. Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Judge Barrett calls herself an “originalist,” a “strict constructionist” and then some. She holds that one has to not only read the Constitution literally but go back in time to consider the meaning of the words when they were written in 1787, in direct contrast to the concept of the Constitution as a living document.

Barrett’s interpretation is just what both Jefferson and Madison feared. Jefferson thought the Constitution too rigid and that “every generation will have to rewrite it to suit their own needs.” Madison worried that too strict a reading of the documents — Bill of Rights, too — would hinder our ability to adapt to future needs. Largely due to them, as presidents, our Constitution has been a living document.

Two things I know about conservative justices give me hope. As long as they are qualified legal scholars, they tend to be cautious about far-reaching decisions. And, over time, they tend to move to the left.

Harold Crumpley, Modesto

Campaign signs vandalized

Several weeks ago we posted Biden and Harder signs in our yard. They were stolen and our fence damaged. We made a homemade sign to use until our new Biden and Harder signs arrived. The homemade sign was torn down three times, and last night it was left burned in our driveway. This use of fear and intimidation is a violation of our freedoms. This is the America Trump has created, where it is OK to violate personal freedoms.

As you decide who to vote for, please remember that we cannot support another four years of hate, division, fear and intimidation. Your votes for Biden and Harder support civility, trust, truth, and the rule of law.

Yvonne and Ray Taylor, Modesto

Quite a fiasco, indeed

The word debacle is defined as “a sudden and ignominious failure, a fiasco.” There is no other way to describe Trump’s response to the COVID pandemic. We have 6.5 million cases and (more than 200,000) deaths as we head into the winter months.

Let’s look at how a few other countries have fared. Vietnam, population 95 million, had zero deaths as of July 31. That’s right — zero. Their present death toll stands at 35. They acted immediately with testing, contact tracing and quarantines. By the way, they share a border with China. Just to illustrate what is possible with courageous leadership and a supportive population, New Zealand, with a population of 5 million, has 24 deaths. Taiwan, population 24 million, has 500 cases and seven deaths, sitting just 80 miles off the coast of China. Singapore, with 5.6 million people, has lost 27 people to the virus.

Even Trump supporters can’t escape the hard, cold reality of such a colossal failure of leadership.

Wayne R. Howard, Ceres

This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 4:00 AM.