Letters to the editor | Sunday, April 18, 2021: More Latinos dying of COVID-19
More Latinos dying of COVID
On April 13 you reported the results of an epidemiological study that considered the impact of COVID-19 on various communities. As a public health student and Central Valley resident, it was shocking to read that Latino immigrants are 11 times more likely to die due to COVID-19. This is an issue that affects nearly half of California’s population and it warrants immediate action.
Yet while the actual statistic itself was shocking, the reasons behind this statistic represent a reality that policymakers and community leaders are already aware of. It is extremely important to acknowledge that Latino communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic — lack of access to healthcare, overrepresentation in highly exposed areas of employment, and high-density living conditions all play a role in making these communities more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The results of this recent study only reinforce the fact that these communities require and deserve more resources and support. The burden of meeting this need should not fall on select community organizations, especially as widespread vaccination endeavors continue. Policymakers need to demonstrate support for these communities by focusing on and implementing specific public health interventions that successfully address the astonishing results of this study.
Anoop Bains, Turlock
Forget civilian oversight of police
I see that our new mayor and city council want to create some kind of a public committee to oversee police issues somehow. Ridiculous, I say. Just like a Democrat, to create another layer of government.
Police answer to the city council. The council is our citizen-elected committee to oversee the police. What are they doing for Modesto if they want someone else to do what is their job to do? Stop the nonsense. Support police. Support law and order. If the council won’t do this we need to vote them out of office.
Charlie Leffingwell, Modesto
Defending all Americans
Many Americans stare aghast as post-modern political correctness devolves into identity politics, which is now the woke cancel culture and our sitting government. How can our country return to a common good, objective discourse? How far will America travel down this road to perdition?
An outcry could come from true blue (reference intentional) liberal Americans: Those who believe in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, race and sex equality (also known as equal protection, not equity), and who will fight to their last breath against government or oligarchic oppression (for due process). Where have they gone?
ACLU, where are you when speech is censored from the internet or citizens lose their employment for daring to speak contrary to the party line? Gloria Steinem, did you fight your fight just so women competing in sports could now be defeated by biological males? Could Hank Aaron believe the All-Star Game would be pulled from Atlanta to considerably more white Colorado, because of politics?
Or consider an altogether different belief where “[t]here is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Ross Lee, Modesto
Government inaction on gun laws
As gun violence continues, whether a mass shooting or a simple robbery, our government finds ways of not making changes to our gun laws. It reminds me of the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Something needs to change!
Coy Cross, Modesto
Stronger penalties for gun violence
Gun law and control are intended for the better. The laws should be aimed at the evil or dangerous. Punishment for crime should be more severe.
Why do we allow someone to be free after a short time for taking another’s life? Stronger punishment makes one think about their loss. Killers have little if any remorse for victims or their families. Make punishment stronger and more severe.
Norm Roth, Modesto
Slow down, Modesto drivers
My husband was stopped at a four-way-stop intersection at the corner of our ranch. A car with a lady driving was about to enter the intersection to his right, having already stopped. My husband glanced in his rear view mirror and saw a large white SUV bearing down on him. The SUV pulled around my husband with no intention of stopping at the stop sign. He noticed the lady was already in the intersection. She slammed on her brakes. The SUV driver swerved left into the almond orchard in order to miss her, never slowing down, and continued racing down the road out of sight. My husband said the SUV driver only missed her by inches.
I’ve recently read of so many horrible accidents where speed was a major factor. I am wondering if anyone else has noticed that nearly every car commercial on TV now shows vehicles racing along curvy roads or spinning in circles much too fast. As I was learning to drive many years ago, I was impressed by large billboards with a two-word message. They simply said, “Speed kills.”
Linda K. Cover, Modesto
How to reduce crisis fatigue
In March 2020, the world temporarily closed. COVID-19 reshaped lives.
The pandemic is not our only problem now. We heard the doom-and-gloom stories of coronavirus for months. Massive job loss, civil unrest, and whether kids should attend school in person are constantly discussed. Many people feel a mixture of tiredness, disgust, rage, anxiety, grief, depression and are overwhelmed with the chaos. Californians are emotionally and physically worn out. This ongoing stress is crisis fatigue. It can take a toll on the body and mind.
Crisis fatigue is not a formal medical diagnosis, but its effects are real. Here are a few ways to manage it:
• Avoid negative coping skills. Overdrinking, drug use, and overspending are a few. Negative consequences can come, like driving drunk. I was critically injured after a drunken driver hit me in 1992.
• Make a daily routine. This is an essential cure because it is done continuously. It is something you have control over.
• Limit the news. Too much media can increase your crisis fatigue. Disconnect sometimes.
Believe in your own resilience. This helps you survive the long road ahead.
Lori Martin, Tracy
Empowering girls and women
One of the most valued aspects of American life is the education of its youth. COVID-19 has impacted education nationally, but the United States is not the part of the world that is truly feeling this secondary impact of the pandemic. Girls and women living in extreme poverty have been disproportionately affected in education.
Prior to the spread, 33% of girls (10-18 years) in extreme poverty never attended school. The economic downfall of communities worldwide has pushed nearly 743 million girls out of school, making an additional 2.5 million girls at risk of child marriage in the next five years. Promoting the education of young girls and women will decrease the likelihood of child marriage and violence against women across the globe.
Empowering women does not only raise them up in society but can drive economic growth worldwide. There is a chance, through the Girls LEAD Act, that we can help change the lives of girls and women globally. As a Borgen Project ambassador, I urge you to support this act by emailing Sen. Padilla, Sen. Feinstein, and Rep. Harder to help give hope to the innocent.
Taylor Morasci, Modesto