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Use Measure E fundsto find housing now
My unhoused neighbor has been living in her pickup for more than a decade after she was injured on the job and unable to pay rent. She has been on a Section 8 list for most of that time.
She is in her 70s and suffers from multiple serious health problems. She has undergone one surgery while living on the street. When she was more able-bodied, she would drive around collecting leftovers from local lunch programs and second-hand clothing from other sources. She would distribute these daily to our neighbors living along our creeks.
Compassion would be getting my neighbor indoors, not waiting for an apartment to be constructed for her. Why do we insist on making the perfect the enemy of the good? Use Measure E funds to get people like her indoors in any way we can.
Davide VieiraSan Jose
Chronically homelessmust be brought inside
Re: “County blasts homeless proposal” (Page A1, March 18).
I can’t understand why Santa Clara County refuses to face the reality that some homeless are nonfunctioning and refusing all treatment.
Despite the passage of Proposition 1, our community still refuses to build the institutions and enact the laws to help these most vulnerable and neediest people. But until we step up to our responsibility of taking these mentally ill and hopelessly addicted people off the streets against their will, we are never going to protect them from themselves, never going to protect the rest of the homeless population from their unfortunate behavior, and never going to fully reclaim our parks and public spaces for the rest of us.
Charles AlbertSan Jose
Clarity needed on plansfor national monuments
Re: “National monuments’ fate unclear after Trump move” (Page B1, March 18).
The confusion surrounding the fate of the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands national monuments highlights a concerning lack of clarity and transparency from the White House. These 850,000 acres of protected lands are not only vital to the environment but also sacred to native tribes who fought for their preservation. Former President Biden’s designation of these monuments was a step toward safeguarding these locations.
The recent attempt by President Trump to rescind these protections, followed by a sudden deletion of the proposal, has left many in the dark. This lack of communication, especially on matters as important as national land protections, is troubling. Public lands belong to all of us, and any attempt to reduce their protections should be met with strong opposition. Clear answers are needed. We deserve a transparent process to protect our natural heritage.
Rachael MaldonadoSan Jose
Trump like Chamberlainappeases a dictator
Instead of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, Donald Trump should change his name to Neville Chamberlain. He has preemptively capitulated and appeased Vladimir Putin by giving him all he has sought: Ukraine will not join NATO, portions of Ukraine illegally taken by force will not be returned, and the U.S. sided with Russia, North Korea and Belarus in rejecting the U.N. resolution condemning Russia for starting the war.
Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement in 1938, declaring, “I believe it is peace for our time.” Trump believes he is today’s peacemaker, but he fails to realize the lesson of history: accepting assurances of a tyrannical dictator can have the opposite effect. We see “The Art of Appeasement” not “The Art of the Deal.”
Anyone can capitulate. Few have the courage to fight for liberty, freedom, democracy and sovereignty. Trump is disgraceful to America and its presidency.
Jeff BragginSunnyvale
The MAGA economyis only for the rich
The cornerstone of Republican economics they say is to balance the budget. To this end, Elon Musk and Donald Trump have cut subsidies for affordable housing and fresh food for school meals, with the elimination of SNAP cards and SSI not far behind. Additionally, DOGE has laid off tens of thousands of workers and shut down countless programs that aid the general public.
It’s worth noting here that despite all their posturing, the GOP hasn’t balanced a budget since Dwight Eisenhower in 1960 and Trump in his first term ran up $7.8 trillion in debt.
The GOP still believes that if you give the wealthiest Americans big tax breaks and government subsidies, eventually their wealth will filter down to our poorest. Unfortunately, this has never worked, so instead, we’ve wound up with a grotesque gap between rich and poor.
Don’t be fooled. MAGA has nothing to do with Making All of America Great Again.
Bob ParkerSan Jose
Trump administrationhas shaken the world
Re: “U.S. surrounded by enemies that we created” (Page A7, March 18).
Thank you for publishing David Brooks’ analysis of America’s foreign policy under Donald Trump.
It is one of the most chilling assessments I have read to date about the worldwide consequences of the policies Trump has put into place in less than two months. It is shocking what damage a “rogue superpower” can do to our reputation and to countries that once trusted us.
Every day it gets worse, but I hope Americans will start standing up to the egregious and disastrous actions and situations Trump has created.
Susan WalkerSan Jose