National bank could finance rebuild of U.S.
Regarding “Vote to make the region more liveable” (Endorsement, Nov. 4): I certainly agree with The Chronicle’s position that housing is the most important election issue.
The best solution, however, is simply to pass HR3339, a bill in Congress that would form a $5 trillion publicly owned National Infrastructure Bank modeled after the Reconstruction Finance Corp. begun under President Herber Hoover and used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to get us out of the Great Depression and win World War II.
The Reconstruction Finance Corp. financed numerous public works projects around the Bay Area and California, including the Bay Bridge. A National Infrastructure Bank could finance affordable housing, roads, bridges and high-speed rail all without increasing taxes or government debt. It would create millions of jobs and lower inflation. Hard to believe, but it’s true. See www.nibcoalition.com.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, is cosponsoring the bill, but other Bay Area representatives have not signed on. Please contact your representatives and ask them to co-sponsor HR3339.
Don Siefkes, San Leandro
Playing dirty politics
Regarding “Watching World Cup will be a dirty feeling” (Sporting Green, Nov. 8): If watching the World Cup, according to columnist Scott Ostler, should engender a dirty feeling because Qatar is an authoritarian regime, then how should 49er fans feel when they watch their team play?
49ers owner Jed York is not the emir of Santa Clara, but he may as well be, given how the team is trying to influence politics in the city. So, as fans watch the 49ers, maybe they should feel a bit soiled.
Mark Allendorf, San Mateo
Stick to Standard Time
Twice each year there is debate about whether we should continue changing our clocks twice a year — either stick with Standard Time throughout the year or make it Daylight Savings Time yearround.
With the growing body of evidence that the twice-annual time changes cause health problems, it’s an important policy matter. So the question becomes, which is better: Daylight Savings or Standard Time all year?
Answer: Standard Time. Why? In the Bay Area, changing to DST in winter would change sunrise on Dec. 21 from 7:21 a.m. to 8:21 a.m. Schoolchildren would be going to school in the dark. Dark mornings make it more difficult to wake up. And commuting in the dark while under time pressure to get to work is a recipe for accidents.
DST was devised to provide more daylight later in the day. But if we change to Standard Time in the summer, sunset on June 21, 2023, would change from 8:34 p.m. to 7:34 p.m. — still plenty of daylight in the summer for late afternoon outings.
Gary Farber, Walnut Creek
Look for solutions
Regarding “Ignore the right-wing’s fantastical S.F.” (Open Forum, Nov. 8): How refreshing to learn on this anxious political day that Soleil Ho is not only an astute food critic but also an astute political critic in their defense of San Francisco’s victimization by right-wing politicians.
In the face of much higher crime rates in many “tough on crime” cities and decades of undermining of housing and social benefit programs by the rightwing, San Francisco does not deserve to be the whipping boy of the right.
Rather than attacking, the right should be seeking ways to solve society’s problems.
Tom Miller, Oakland
Don’t glorify suspect
Regarding “Chilling assault scene inside Pelosi home” (Nov. 4): If you want to embolden potential perpetrators of violence against elected officials, perhaps it is appropriate to publish a prominent photo of such an alleged perpetrator above the fold on the Front Page.
If you want to discourage such behavior, however, perhaps it is wiser to deemphasize the alleged perpetrator and instead highlight the trauma of the victim. While the headline strikes the right chord, there is little to be gained by emphasizing either the name or the likeness of those who pose a threat to society.
Jacquelyn Gentry, Foster City
Social upheaval
Regarding the upheaval at Twitter: We now have a large segment of the population getting information from sources that give exposure to any content, regardless of veracity. Any wonder that democracy, with its reliance on an informed electorate, is in danger?
William Raffetto, Moraga