Focus on constituents, not stock portfolios

Editor: When Congress passed the STOCK Act in 2012, the law was supposed to stop congressional insider trading, improve transparency, and increase public trust in the legislative branch.

But it didn’t go far enough. Recently, the news outlet Insider identified that many members of Congress have failed to properly report their stock trades, making it impossible to fully enforce the STOCK Act. We must go further and stop sitting members of Congress from buying and selling stocks altogether. That’s the best way to make sure that our elected representatives are responsive to our needs and not thinking about how a particular policy might affect their stock portfolio.

Thankfully, there are several proposals before Congress to address this problem. I urge our leaders in Congress to come together and pass legislation for the good of the American people.

BARBARA ERIKSEN

Stockton

Show compassion to our homeless citizens

Editor: I am so glad that the new temporary shelter for Lodi’s homeless will make sure our neediest community members remain “out of sight!” Heaven forbid that the rest of us should have to be reminded of the plight of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Some day I do hope that we will figure out that transitional housing, substandard mental health “care,” and other forms of “help” can be more detrimental than just being left alone.

I’m all for the ethics of self-reliance and personal responsibility, but some people — for many disparate reasons — will never be able to support themselves. We need to all get a reality check and do a better job of being respectful and providing a more realistic and compassionate response to our fellow Lodi residents who are fully equal to the rest of us in the eyes of God.

Step up people!

JUNE HARTLEY

Lodi

Elected officials not representing us

Editor: Right on Steve Hansen! I agree, I do not believe the present administration has a clue on how their decisions affect us, the working class. They live in a world that most of us cannot identify with. They live in gated communities, drive high-end autos, and only know a life removed from the commoners.

Wake up and consider who it is that you supposedly represent. US!

ROGER STAFFORD

Lodi

The truth matters

The Lodi District Grape Growers Association recently sponsored a great event, showcasing the candidates from all the local races. It was great to see the different candidates talk about what they are doing, going to do, and how they will work to better our community. It was inspiring.

There was one candidate that stood out — Ron Freitas. He didn’t focus on what he was going to do for our community, instead he bashed his opponent by making false claims based on misleading information. At best, he manipulated figures and the truth.

Did you know a DA is an officer of the court who takes an oath to honestly represent the truth? If Mr. Freitas compromises these most basic principles to get elected, how can we trust him when the community’s best interest is at stake?

I hope a lot of people see through the misinformation he spews.

JEANNETTE PETERSEN

Lodi

Letters invited

The Lodi News-Sentinel welcomes opinions from its readers. Letters must be signed and include the writer’s address and phone number for internal verification purposes. All letters are subject to editing. Letters from local readers dealing with local issues are given priority. Letters from outside the local area are published at the editor’s discretion. Letters longer than 350 words will be cut to fit or returned to their writers. There is a holding period of 30 days between publication of letters by the same person unless no other letters are queued. Send letters to letters@lodinews.com.