$400 rebate is gimmick

I’m alarmed at the torrent of bellicose demands that we intervene to block the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Spurred on by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeals for NATO to “close the skies,” letter writers to The Chronicle and increasing numbers of posturing politicians demand that we intervene in this war.

We all are appalled by the terrible suffering brutally displayed on our TV screens, but the answer is not further military escalation and increasing bloodshed. We should be supporting the current promising negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. What is needed is an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated settlement fixing Ukraine’s neutrality, while guaranteeing Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the minority rights of Ukraine’s Russian speakers.

We must firmly reject the irresponsible demands for NATO to impose a no-fly zone. We must be clear: Any attempt to drive the Russians from Ukrainian airspace would result in the Russians shooting back; an attack on any NATO member would trigger Article 5, the collective defense measure of the pact, and start World War III with Russia. We must call for peace, not suicidal escalation.

Regarding “Gas prices prompt proposal for rebate” (Bay Area & Business, March 18): What is it about a surplus that makes lawmakers so quick to toss a few coins back to the masses?

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas Lowe pilots an EA-18G Growler on the carrier Harry S. Truman during a NATO exercise Thursday in the Mediterranean Sea.

They love to cut dollar checks that cost two to print. It is fiscally stupid and irresponsible to give a blanket $400 to everyone in the state. They should work a little harder to figure out how to reduce the current as well as ongoing financial burden they put on people living in California.

This legislation is silly and nothing more than a way to prop up the popularity of these lawmakers. The surplus should be used for things we need, and we need a lot (schools are closing, teachers’ salaries are low, streets are full of potholes and the list goes on and on).