Don’t play the foolish ‘recall’ game

So I see that the same crowd of far-right science deniers who are trying to recall the governor have announced an effort to recall our local school board for caring too much about the health of students and the community.

What these people really want is to bring Texas-style governance to California. Let’s do a little numerical comparison. Numbers can be useful, if you want to live in the real world. In California, as of March 3, our daily new cases of COVID-19 are running less than 9 per 100,000 residents and dropping steadily. Still too high, but on the right path.

Our government officials are following a carefully measured approach to re-opening that will — hopefully — keep things on that improving trajectory and let us get back to something like normal in the safest way possible.

Now let’s look at Texas — where many people still don’t have drinkable water weeks after the collapse of their deregulated free-market utility system. Their daily number of new cases is about 26 per 100,000 — 3 times as high as California. And NOT dropping — staying flat at that level.

And their governor’s response? Remove all rules and restrictions. Open everything up! Let’s party! Who cares about a few thousand more dead people?

Make no mistake: That

Texas style of governance, which is failing so miserably to keep its people safe — is exactly what the recall-happy Republicans want to bring to California and now they are playing their foolish games right here in Chico. Please don’t sign any recall petitions.

— David Welch, Chico