Letters to the editor | Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020: How to show real appreciation to front-line workers

Showing appreciation to front-liners

Our daughter has been living by herself in Mexico City, working remotely and following CDC guidelines to make sure she is doing her part to stay safe and help fight the spread of the coronavirus. She has been living in isolation since March with minimal in-person visits and then these always were held outside masked and distanced.

We were planning on her coming home for Christmas early so that she could quarantine and be with us safely, but with the new stay-at-home orders, we started to have second thoughts. After a one-hour conference call, she, my husband and I made the decision that she should postpone until after the holidays her visit to California. This was not an easy decision to make.

My husband and I are both healthy and under the age that seems to be most impacted by the virus. My husband works virtually, as does our daughter, and I am retired, only going out for essentials.

We made the decision to not have our daughter come home and to follow the spirit of the recommendations from the public health care officials out of respect, support and appreciation for healthcare professionals in our community that are working so hard to provide care for COVID and other patients in our area hospitals. It was not enough for us to simply thank these workers for their service. We felt it necessary to show solidarity by staying home.

We are not often asked to do anything for our fellow Americans. We have an all-volunteer army, cut our taxes in time of war, and were told to go shopping when we first invaded Iraq after 9/11. It is not enough to tie ribbons around trees or place stickers supporting front-line workers on the bumpers of our cars. Wearing a mask and staying home during this latest wave is a small price to pay to show our healthcare professionals that we value what they are doing for us.

Anita Bruce, Modesto

Let’s discuss justice reform

Re “Modesto murder suspect was out of jail due to COVID” (Page 3A, Dec. 4): I am disappointed but not surprised by Sheriff Dirkse’s dramatic expression of anger in this article. I am concerned that his one-size-fits-all mentality, “criminals should be behind bars,” makes discussing criminal justice reform problematic. After all, one size does not fit all. For example, since not every crime is a felony, not everyone who commits a misdemeanor deserves to be behind bars, particularly in the middle of a pandemic.

By the way, Dirkse’s past claims that the jail is state of the art and protects against transmission of illness fall flat in view of the COVID outbreak there. Also, the sheriff knows that the Judicial Council’s mandate to release inmates included protections against releasing inmates who are a danger to the public. In other words, if there was a failure here, maybe we should look at what crime put the suspect in San Quentin to begin with. Was it a violent crime? Did this suspect slip through the cracks in policy? If so, let’s address that, just as the sheriff needs to address his jail safeguards.

These are difficult matters. The murder of Joseph Rivera is a tragedy and should not have happened. If this system is failing our citizens, let’s have a responsible discussion about what we need to do to address our failures.

Tom Crain, Modesto

You don’t know if you have COVID

I am a 65-year-old woman. I have lived in Oakdale more than half my life. I stopped to pick up curbside takeout and the restaurant phone was off the hook when I arrived, so I was forced to go inside. Due to the close contact of patrons going in and out while I waited, I would turn and cover my face when someone without a mask walked past. One man said, “Wow, you’d think I had the plague.” Well, you might! And I have a right to protect my life the same as you have the right to risk yours. So keep your comments to yourself and ask yourself if you would want a grown man talking to your mother or grandmother the way you talked to a lady who was just exercising her right to stay alive during a pandemic.

Ronnette Lewis, Oakdale

Get off the dime, GOP

Funny, congressional Republicans are so concerned about the fiscal impact of a relief bill that will provide food, shelter and safety for the nation. They didn’t seem to have this much angst when they passed a giant tax cut that was a bonanza for the wealthy, a con job for the middle class and an insult to the poor.

Jack Heinsius, Modesto

Questioning Howze column

Re “Looking forward to 2022, Stanislaus GOP can do a lot better than Howze” (Page 1B, Dec. 6): Garth Stapley tells me in his column that Josh Harder (and his Democratic Party) has enough character to avoid being bigoted, blind to the electorate, pandering to ultra-conservative or ultra liberal, dismissing everyone else, comically refusing to acknowledge the purple core, racism, scare tactics and a lack of decency, all things Howze is guilty of. At the same time, Harder displays the desire and ability to work for the majority of his constituents, “co-sponsoring more bipartisan legislation than any other house Democrat” including sponsoring legislation on “Republican” issues like supporting Vietnam vets and COVID-damaged small businesses, thereby appealing to all voters regardless of party.

So given Harder’s decency, his character and his ability to pull together such a harshly divided Legislature to get bipartisan support on his bills, what is it again that you think the GOP can do better?

A.J. Ward, Modesto

Teach real-life skills

Schools in the U.S. should implement more integrated economic courses in schools starting as early as middle school to teach the basic fundamentals of adult life, such as taxes, mortgage, credit, bank accounts, rules of the road. This is a major issue because as a young adult I was taught the bare minimum by my high school about anything related to these topics. This is a huge problem. We need these skills in the real world and not knowing is being left in the dark, and we could possibly face major consequences by our own government.

I propose we start with revamping economics to have more detailed and thought-out courses. Making it its own full-year required course to graduate high school rather than split with government for half a school year. Learning how to file your own taxes and build credit is crucial information.

Ceasar Onate, Hughson

Health and hygiene priorities

Every month a large percentage of individuals must struggle with the physical discomfort that comes with menstruation. To make matters worse, menstruating individuals need to pay out of pocket for hygiene products, which are certainly not cheap. It is unfair that these individuals have to pay for something that is out of their control.

The Modesto City Council should follow in the steps of the Los Angeles and New York city councils and pass a measure that would implement a free menstrual product program. This program would require that Modesto give all menstruating individuals access to hygiene products at no cost. These free products would be readily available in all public restrooms, just like toilet paper and soap. It is important to implement this program because pads and tampons are not a luxury; they are an everyday necessity, just like toilet paper and soap. Some people, such as the homeless, worry whether they can afford these necessities. In fact, menstruating individuals could be at risk of infection and toxic shock syndrome if they have limited to no supply.

Maintaining the health and hygiene of residents needs to be Modesto’s priority.

Celina Valdizon, Modesto

Good job, firefighters

We want to thank the Modesto and Ceres fire departments for their quick actions and thoroughness when responding to and fighting a fire in our warehouse on the corner of Jefferson and Elm streets in Modesto. It was a dangerous fire which they contained with no damage to other buildings. We are fortunate to have such well-trained professionals working for our cities.

David and Carole Kamrar, Modesto