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Let’s leave property
management to pros
Re: “Homeless providers under scrutiny” (Page B1, Dec. 19).
In the Dec. 19 Mercury News, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan points out that “property management” of housing for the homeless is a specialty that perhaps should be contracted out rather than left to nonprofit homeless providers.
I know of an apartment complex built on church property in partnership with a nonprofit provider in which serious problems have ensued due to a lack of professional property management. Since one hopes that more of these affordable housing complexes will be built, the experience of this church (in my neighborhood) indicates that there is a serious need for specialized property management experienced with the homeless population to ensure the safety and habitability of such housing.
The city should start thinking about effective training and planning for this kind of property management.
Susan Price
San Jose
Corporations don’t have
monopoly on corruption
Re: “Citizens United is our republic’s greatest threat” (Page A8, Dec. 22).
In his letter, Bill Wallace ignores the fact that Democrats were able to outspend Republicans by a wide margin in the recent election.
The attack on corporate influence should be extended to unions.
A greater threat to republican government comes from the egalitarian hate-the-rich crowd who want Citizens United overturned by constitutional amendment or a new ruling involving loose construction of the First Amendment. The second method, favored by liberals, would enable the government to define free speech as it wishes.
While a corporation is a legal fiction, workers and stockholders are “people” who deserve constitutional preservation of property rights. Corporations do a much better job of wealth distribution than government. Opposition to the Citizens United ruling, as well as to Donald Trump’s appointees, is based on the delusion that government and unions are less corrupt than corporations.
Fred Gutmann
Cupertino
Trump tax cut is
wrong solution for debt
Re: “House rejects Trump-backed plan to avert government shutdown” (Page A1, Dec. 20).
Donald Trump is not yet sworn in. Still, he wanted to wade in to stop the deal that Speaker Mike Johnson made with Democrats to provide FEMA funds to help Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton victims. In addition, the SBA is totally out of funds and farmers need help to deal with climate change.
Trump wants to give a massive tax cut to the wealthy and lower the corporate tax rate to 15% which will cost trillions. Knowing this, he wanted to take away the debt ceiling altogether. Trump won with the support from the working poor voters who bought into his promise of lowering grocery, electricity, gas and car prices.
We have $36 trillion in debt and interest alone is not sustainable. A tax cut is not the way to lower the debt and keep his campaign promise.
Mohan Raj
San Jose
Rate hikes don’t jibe
with new revenue
Re: “Nuclear plant stays open; bills to rise” (Page B1, Dec. 23).
It was recently reported that California regulators have finalized a series of electricity rate increases for California residents.
What I don’t understand is that new construction seems to be nonstop everywhere you look, and these new buildings will be connected to PG&E, thus bringing in more money to the utility. With all this new revenue coming in, why is there a need to increase rates so frequently?
Scott Simmons
Portola Valley
No substitute for
experience in housing
Re: “How to pick a housing pro” (Page E1, Dec. 22).
The best way to select an agent to help you buy or sell a property is to select one with at least five years of experience listing and selling properties in the area and price range you’re looking in.
It’s also important that an agent be associated with a financially sound brokerage company because they’ll be better able to carry good liability coverage to protect you in the event of any litigation from a sale or purchase.
I base this on my experience as one of the top Realtors in the country before I retired in 2018.
Ed Kahl
Woodside
Musk paid handsomely
for his path to power
I don’t remember Elon Musk’s name being on my ballot. Even if it had been, I would never have cast my vote for him.
Although he has never, in the past, shown the slightest interest in government, he now seems to be the most powerful man in Washington. He owns a major social media platform, by which he can manipulate the political scene, and by contributing over a quarter of a billion dollars to elect Donald Trump and his minions, he seems to be hovering over Trump in most photos and to have more power and influence than the president-elect.
Is Musk our soon-to-be shadow president? Once again, wealth and greed have triumphed in American politics. How did this happen? Possibly because we have the most uneducated electorate possible. Shame on us.
Lorraine D’Ambruoso
San Jose