Letters to the editor | Sunday, July 17, 2022: Modesto street racing is horrendous
Modesto street racing horrendous
The recent death of a young man on McHenry Avenue is tragic and it is hoped that the responsible party is held accountable.
This incident points to the problem that we’ve had for some time in this city, that of street racing. One just needs to live near McHenry, Briggsmore, Sylvan or Standiford avenues to realize the problem. One can hear the cars with loud exhausts racing back and forth. California Vehicle Code #27150 requires cars to have an adequate muffler to prevent excessive noise. Section 27151 says an exhaust system cannot be modified and the sound level is not to exceed a certain level.
Why aren’t police enforcing these laws? The drivers with the loud modified exhaust are the same ones participating in street racing. How many police officers do we have enforcing traffic laws? Maybe we should have more traffic officers?
Glen Poteet, Modesto
Vulgarity not appreciated
Where has our civility gone? Driving east on Briggsmore Avenue just past Lakewood Avenue someone decided that what the area needs is another example of disgust and hate. There flies a large “F--- Biden” flag. If I were your neighbor I would be embarrassed to live near you. I would also respectfully ask you to replace it with a “(Let’s) Go Brandon” flag instead. They mean the same thing without the profanity. How many young children pass by this disgusting display?
Yes, there is freedom of speech but is it really necessary to have vulgar language for all to see? Be a good neighbor and replace that flag, please.
Patrick Walsh, Modesto
Avert potential tragedy
Old Colony Road is a long-forgotten strip of dirt that was never accepted by Stanislaus County as a roadway. County counsel and the public works director sent several letters stating this dirt strip is not a county road, it is private property. Now Stanislaus County has taken a different stance.
A majority of adjacent property owners has agreed to gate this dangerous strip next to an open ditch, to avoid liability. Teenagers and young children ride off-road vehicles down this dirt strip with large potholes. Property owners are at risk of being sued if someone is hurt or killed. The county has tied the hands of property owners, flexing power over property they have no interest in. Who is going to be responsible when someone gets killed? Several tragedies have happened in open ditches in Stanislaus County. This strip needs to be gated off.
Rachel Sanchez, Oakdale
Red flags were obvious
The 21-year-old suspected of opening fire at a Fourth of July parade in Illinois has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. His online presence reveals a fixation with violence; he apparently made music videos about shootings, and posted thousands of times to a violent message board.
Let’s get real about this. If I start thinking about buying new fishing gear, for example, and go online to do a quick hunt for what’s available, within a matter of minutes (sometime seconds) my internet is inundated with messages from retailers around the world with great bargains on fishing gear. That is usually followed by more propaganda about fishing clubs, charters, fishing destinations and all other manner of info. Then the clothiers and shoe specialists jump in, and so on. If this can happen to me, then it must also happen to the 21-year-old suspect. So some authority somewhere has got to figure out what this guy is up to and where he is headed, don’t you think?
Let’s get with the program and start doing something about this.
Jane Mazurczak, Salida
Investors need patience
Everyone who is panicking over their 401k and stock portfolio, please take a deep breath. I have seen the stock market tank several times in my 80-plus years and it always comes back. Remember the contraction in 2008-2009? As I remember the stock market dipped down to around 8,000 or 9,000 — about half what it was before, and then it started to climb to above 36,000.
I fear the stock market will continue to drop for awhile until the government’s policies change, but they will change and the stock market will recover, so hang in there.
Nancy Hamer, Oakdale
Sounds like corruption
The Biden administration selling oil from America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) – designed to aid the nation in crises – should be a matter of outrage. The SPR should never be used by a president as a political crutch to lower U.S. gasoline prices and save his hide from the disastrous impact of his anti-oil industry moves. But when a president sells the SPR oil to the nation’s potential enemies, such as the People’s Republic of China, and benefits his son’s Chinese business interests, the story becomes treacherous, if not worse.
The New York Post wrote: “Biden diverted at least a million barrels of oil from the SPR, according to Reuters, to Chinese state-owned gas giant Sinopec, which Hunter had invested in through his 10 percent stake in Chinese private equity firm BHR.”
Stephen Wampler, Tracy
Hold Trump accountable
The January 6 Big Lie hoax sessions are proving to be quite embarrassing for Trump and his inner circle of ring kissers.
One question remains. Why is this man not manacled and thrown into a windowless, mirrorless, padded cell in Leavenworth? How much evidence, testimony, emails, tapes, sworn statements are needed to lock this seditious parasite away where he can do no more harm?
Trump’s band of loyalists are dwindling down. His Big Lie hoax followers have all been played for slack-jawed suckers. I doubt if they will ever admit they were taken in and accept the factual truth that Trump is a dictator who tried to overthrow our government. What is frightening is that these Trump die-hards are allowed to vote. May the good Lord help us all.
Brooks Judd, Turlock