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Too few benefit from
costly development
The huge development proposed for Seven Hills Ranch property next to Heather Farm Park is not housing for workers and families. In fact, it’s not really considered “housing,” so it will not include any market rate or below-market units.
It is primarily a residential medical facility serving only a sliver of wealthy elderly residents who will leave behind multimillion-dollar homes that no worker could afford to buy.
We might make the sacrifice – paving over and building out 30 acres of natural habitat, cutting down 350 trees (many heritage oaks), and razing the seven hills and dumping them in the creek beds – for family housing, but this is not that. It benefits only a privileged few in a narrow age group.
Rosalie Howarth
Walnut Creek
Bishop’s falsity aims
to bolster punishment
Re. “Catholic bishops approve steps toward possible rebuke of Biden,” June 18:
Commandment No. 9: Thou shalt not lie.
Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Wisc., states that President Biden advances “the most radical pro-abortion agenda in history.” I personally don’t know Mr. Biden, but I suspect that he believes some restrictions on the procedure should be [and are] in place. Regardless of his personal belief, that today’s conditions are “the most radical … in history” is demonstrably false. Yet here is a Catholic bishop saying that it is true. One can’t “teach” something when they can’t even get facts straight.
There is little wonder why religions face continuous losses in membership.
R. Cote
Castro Valley
Lab theory doubts stem
from Trump dishonesty
Victor Davis Hanson states that now that Donald Trump is no longer president, “progressives” are willing to consider that a leak from the Wuhan, China, lab was responsible for the pandemic (“Mysterious coronavirus origins raise some alarms,” Page A9, June 18). He claims previous skepticism was based on their contempt and dislike of Trump.
Hanson chooses to ignore that Trump is known for outrageous statements with no factual basis. Some call this hyperbole and find it charming. He is known for deflecting responsibility for any negativity. He routinely expressed outrageous, unscientific opinions on treatments, called the virus by an ethnic name meant to gin up his base even with evidence it was causing physical harm to that ethnic group.
Words matter. Trump lies constantly. Many of us require more validation after years of random self-serving utterings devoid of any factual basis. It is important to get the truth but Hanson’s speculative “what ifs” do nothing to advance it.
Sheila Tucker
Pleasant Hill
Careful what you ask
for in voter suppression
To all the Republicans seeking to end voting rights for anyone who does not vote Republican, here’s a suggestion. Go live with Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kim Jong-un and all the other world-famous dictators and autocrats. See if that matches your method of governance.
The GOP knows that their outlandish plans have only one purpose – greed. They don’t care if you have needs, they just need your money. Led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the GOP is actively working with state governments to ensure this voting system benefits one party, his.
With propaganda from Fox News, the general public who watches Fox have no clue what is happening to them. It will be a sad day when they find out.
Stuart Shicoff
Martinez
Article confuses red
tape with America First
Noah Smith’s commentary in the Business Section on June 20 (“Big government is the answer to America’s supply problems,” Page E4) showed a shocking disregard for American IT workers.
In the article, he claimed that President Biden is trying to slash through the “red tape” thrown up by his predecessor to reduce skilled immigration. On the contrary, former President Trump prevented government organizations like the Tennessee Valley Authority from firing its locally staffed IT department and replacing it with lower-paid foreign workers brought in on H1-B visas, which are supposed to be used to fill shortages in the labor supply, not reduce salary costs.
This can hardly be called red tape but is rather part of the America First policy that strives to keep Americans working in good-paying jobs.
Bob Simoni
Hayward
Housing policy must
address segregation
As a native Bay Area resident, I reminisced when reading Louis Hansen’s words (“Study: Bay Area segregation rising,” Page A1, June 21). I recalled the tens of black and Hispanic neighbors I played tag with as a 6-year-old, only to be reminded of the predominantly white street I live on at 17. What changed? I went from living in a cramped apartment to a single-family home.
Segregation isn’t some abstract foe. It’s a systemic, daily issue stemming from the larger evil: current housing policy. Residential restrictions implicate youth, as I find myself sheltered from the minority perspective through a bubble I did not choose but that was thrust upon me by the contemporary divisiveness of property zoning.So when local government officials contemplate land usage, I hope they consider what’s really at stake – the American experience millions of migrants travel to this country for, a real shot at a real life and an integrated community to call home.
Gayathri Srinivasan
Santa Clara
June 23, 2021 at 06:30AM
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/22/letters-431
Letters: Few benefit | Forget the facts | Dishonesty’s damage | Voter suppression | America First | Address segregation - The Mercury News
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