Letters to the editor | Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021: On Stanislaus superintendent, bad driving
Disappointed in superintendent
Re “Stanislaus schools chief speaks out on state vaccine mandate” (Front Page, Oct. 3): I am disappointed by Superintendent Kuykendall’s response to the vaccine mandate: “Pump the brakes”. I understand that mandates for school children will not take effect until the semester after full approval by the FDA. For elementary age children, that would not be until the fall semester of 2022.
Superintendent Kuykendall is an educational leader, not a medical authority. The CDC, scientists, and public health authorities have already considered all the factors Mr. Kuykendall mentioned and many more. We want to continue with in-person education. To do that we must support and follow the guidance of scientists, medical practitioners, and health authorities.
My grandson is in school, faithfully wearing a mask. But of course, he cannot yet be vaccinated. I worry that he may become ill, or that he may infect someone in his family, including some who are immune compromised or too young to be vaccinated. This is probably true for most families,
The protesters congregating outside his office today, not wearing masks and opposing COVID-19 vaccinations are prolonging this pandemic. Superintendent Kuykendall may have appealed to them, but he has disappointed many who voted for him in the last election because we believed in his competence and integrity.
Marianne Villalobos, Modesto
Ladies and gentlemen first
Mandate all adults to be vaccinated before using our children as guinea pigs!
Andrea Requena, Turlock
Traffic cameras infringe on rights
It looks like the city has finished or almost finished installing cameras over every intersection in Modesto. Are they planning on giving out red light tickets again? Are they hoping to take pictures of accidents and sell the info to insurance companies? Or, are they just observing us or tracking vehicles movements across the city?
Government is too involved in our lives. They don’t need to be more so. Get rid of the cameras. Stop wasting money. This is what happens when people elect Democrats to public office. We don’t need more governmental interference. We don’t need more control of what we do every day. We need the freedom that our Constitution gives us the right to have.
Charlie Leffingwell, Modesto
Speed bumps near schools
Re “Have you witnessed crazy driving in Modesto?” (Page 6A, Oct. 4): I live across from Pearson school. All-day and all night they are speeding down our street, even parents dropping off children. I suggest a speed bump. It’s a very dangerous street, with speeding over 50 and 60 mph. It’s a straight shot so they don’t slow down.
Please show some attention to Locust Street before someone gets hurt.
Lynne Hardman, Modesto
Lawns aren’t for pedestrians
Re “Have you witnessed crazy driving in Modesto?” (Page 6A, Oct. 4): I live next to Fremont school, on Orangeburg, a few blocks where the students and grandmother were badly injured walking to school. I want to report people using my lawn as an extra lane, and chirping tires. Kids and parents regularly wait in our yard for the light to change.
Felicia Aleman, Modesto
Gerrymander this
Re “Are commuters too liberal? Modesto Republicans try to cut Tracy out of Harder’s district” (Online, Oct. 6): Why don’t the Republicans just walk around neighborhoods and canvas residents if they are Republican and then ask to draw the districts according to how they answer? Lodi, Lockeford, Linden, Farmington and Modesto — really? What we need is fewer conservatives.
Randy Little, Turlock
Moving the goalposts
I am writing this because I and a Modesto teacher asked to have a moment of silence at a Modesto High School football game and were told no. My son Trevor Seever was a NCOA high school official for Modesto City Schools for over 10 years, and was named official of Northern California in 2018. He died tragically in December 2020. Trevor’s crew reached out to see if they could honor him in a game they were officiating on Aug 27. The principal and superintendent of schools both told me it is school policy not to do commemorative remembrances so I understood.
To my surprise I find out that at a Downey-Beyer game, a moment of silence was given to another official who lost a battle with COVID. My son had a tremendous passion for officiating and all we wanted to do was have a moment of silence for what he loved, nothing more. Schools should honor both officials. This is a double standard that should not be tolerated in Modesto City Schools.
Darlene Ruiz, Modesto
Don’t love USA? Leave
From Afghanistan to the border to almost any domestic policy, has there ever been a more crazy and stupid leader than Joe Biden? The economy, the military, law and order are all tanking and he whistles it all away.
Where has all the sanity in this country gone? If you love our country, defend it. If you don’t then please leave. I will help you to go to any other country you choose. Try Venezuela, North Korea or China. They would be glad to see you. I wouldn’t try to protest their policies while you are there, though. You might find the reception less to your liking.
Don’t come telling me how bad our country is — I’m not listening.
Tom Simms, Modesto
Closed stores waste power
I just returned from a trip covering vast amounts of California and was once again surprised by how we light up our towns and cities at night. Why are retail signs lit up when they are closed? Why are the surroundings and interiors of places that are closed for the night lit up? Why aren’t those lights motion-activated? It seems that law enforcement would like it better — if the interior is lit up, they know there may be a problem; as it stands there is no real indication and I suspect they roll by without checking.
The bigger issue is all that wasted power. We have become pretty good at not wasting water — why are we wasting power? Perhaps our cities and counties can counteract this trend. And wouldn’t it be nice to see a star-filled sky again?
Annette Hendricks, Modesto
Police brutality costs taxpayers
I’ve been watching a lot of videos about police violating people’s civil rights. It is an epidemic all across the country. Cops count on qualified immunity, and the taxpayers have to pay the bill. This is not right and needs to be changed. I am not anti-police, not in any way. The first thing cops need to learn is about all the amendments. But they don’t. Something has to change. No wonder there is a huge disconnect between cops and everyday people. That’s why all this “defund the police” has been on the forefront on all news channels. Can you imagine how much money could be saved if police actually would follow their oaths to uphold the Constitution? It’s costing American taxpayers.
Donald Balmain, Salida