Your Opinions
Good job so far!
EDITOR: As a result of our great community cooperation, instead of being part of national community spread, we are presently containing the COVID-19 virus here on the north coast. We are doing a good job so far.
While 40 states are experiencing significant surging in their COVID-19 cases because they are not masking and distancing, our Covid Response Network (CRN) survey reports that our community is over 90 percent compliant with mask-wearing and social distancing. Even so, our numbers are increasing slightly. To date, here on the north coast we have had about a hundred and fifteen cases and presently have at least six active cases. We are doing a good job so far.
We may be getting tired of wearing masks and social distancing, but we must support one another and keep our guard up. In our businesses, it is imperative that we only serve those who enter wearing masks. We are doing a good job so far.
We are loving, tribal animals who enjoy one another’s company, and we can be creative in how we hang out together. We can have outdoor, masked, socially-distanced gatherings, like the people in Caspar are doing on Tuesday nights. We can visit on our porches, in our yards, even with chairs out on the sidewalk! We can do this and we can survive and thrive.
The lives we spare from injury and hospitalization, and save from death, are family, and we are all family.
A mixed economy
EDITOR: I voted for Jared Huffman and appreciate his participation in the House Progressive Caucus and support for universal health care, but was disappointed to read his quote in the Nov. 5 Washington Post: “I think Republicans … try to scare people on this ‘socialist narrative.’ … What’s the point of embracing a phrase like ?”
Because, we are all socialists! Socialism occurs when society chooses to pool our taxes for social benefits like highways, libraries, police and public schools. This contrasts with capitalism where businesses sell goods and services for private gain. We have a mixed economy: part socialist, part capitalist.
Please don’t perpetrate conservatives’ scare tactics and forbid us from speaking the truth. Instead, be proud of our socialized national parks, universities, postal service and Social Security. After all, a Harris poll last year found, “Socialism is gaining popularity: 4 in 10 Americans say they would prefer living in a socialist country over a capitalist one.”
Unreasonable policy
To the Editor:
Mendocino County Jail has a policy regarding incoming inmate mail that has no basis and is likely to cause undue burden on the family and friends of inmates, not to mention undue expense from postage and time.
The policy: All letters received must be on lined notebook paper.
For the elderly and the less literate family members who wish to type (and don’t have lined notebook paper) this means a trip to the store during a pandemic.
This lined notebook paper policy has already cost me two valuable letters from my wife and is unnecessary. For others, this has reduced family ties, reduced community ties and has the effect of ripping inmates even further out of their families making their reintegration into the community more difficult.