LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

and the end is not in sight. It is time to make changes to our personal uses of water. A garden of native plant species is an excellent way to achieve sustainable water usage levels while at the same time keeping your outdoor spaces healthy, beautiful and resilient to the changes we are seeing in our climate. A grass lawn is an unproductive, and frankly outdated, style for your home, which requires far more resources to keep healthy than it is worth.

Including plant species such as aloe vera, salvia or morning glories will keep your yard healthy and help San Diego’s environment thrive.

with very diverse problems, such as drug addiction, alcoholism, mental illness, chronic health disabilities and a lack of viable longterm job skills.

The crucial first step in building a long-term solution is to focus housing and transportation resources on helping people who have a recent history of stable employment in San Diego. Several small shelters (not in Balboa Park) would be a better approach.

Let’s take advantage of this vast labor pool

Recently the meat department at my local supermarket was closed; the manager told me they were having trouble staffing it. As I walked sadly away from the counter, wondering how long all that meat and fish would stay fresh unsold, I recalled the reports we are seeing from our border.

I thought, “I betcha there’s a good butcher in there somewhere!” Given the large labor shortages nationwide, I propose we allow employers to list their job openings directly with the border agencies that daily encounter hordes of eager workers, and then immediately allow the companies to sponsor those families willing to move to their new jobs. Sort of like a computer dating service, with the benefit of reducing

the suffering at the border, and increasing the number of productive new taxpaying Americans.

GOP efforts to weaken ethics office are telling

Re “House passes rules package for Congress in key test for Mccarthy” (Jan. 9): Now that we have a new House, representatives could start by tackling an issue that Republicans, Democrats and independents agree on: corruption. But as its first move after taking power, the new House majority approved a rules package that includes weakening the Office of Congressional Ethics.

The office is one of the only safeguards against corruption in Congress. It provides independent nonpartisan oversight and accountability, ensuring that members of Congress work for the people, not special interests. Over the years, it has done its job, shedding light on shady dealings by representatives of both parties.

What possible explanation could the new majority have for opening the door to less transparency and more corruption? Contact your representatives today to tell them that gutting the Office of Congressional Ethics is unacceptable and a clear sign of warped priorities.

We deserve elected officials

who work to make our lives better, and we will vote accordingly.

Roots of predicament predate current times

Re “Biden stokes the flames of debt and inflation” (Jan. 12): I know it is very convenient for Republicans to blame the Democrats for the current state of debt and inflation, and I’m sorry to mess up a good story with a few facts, but inflation doesn’t happen overnight.

Here are a few facts: Donald Trump inherited a growing economy and budget deficits that had fallen to 2 to 3 percent of GDP. When Trump left office budget deficits were estimated at $13.9 trillion, $3.9 trillion higher than the inherited projection. His legacy is reduced revenues due to a big tax cut for the rich, record spending, the largest peacetime deficit of any president in history and a national debt that rose $7.8 trillion during his time in office.

We need to vote for people first, not parties

Re “Voters should have rejected Ricardo Lara” (Jan. 5): A letter writer asked how we could have re-elected Ricardo Lara. There is a very simple answer, there are way too many people who say, “I’m a Democrat, and so I can’t vote for a Republican.” And, “I’m a Republican, so I can’t vote for a Democrat.”

Until people can start thinking for themselves and stop being dictated to by “their party” we are, most likely, doomed. That anyone would rather vote for an unethical liar or even a criminal than, OMG, vote for someone from “the other party” is, well, unbelievable.

The San Diego Union-tribune letters policy

The Union-tribune encourages community dialogue on public matters. Letters are subject to editing, must be 150 words or less and include a full name, community of residence and a daytime telephone number, although the number will not be published. Please email letters to letters@sduniontribune.com. These and additional letters can be viewed online at sandiegouniontribune.com/letters