Focus on the economy
Regarding “Use economics, not insults, to argue for immigration” (Insight, March 19): While I agree with Dan Schnur that the discussion of pros and cons of immigration should hinge on economics rather than on insults, we often see economic points interpreted as insults. That aside, no matter that mechanization and off-shoring have reduced opportunities for our less-skilled workers, continuing to import more of the same inevitably reduces opportunities for our workers and depresses their wages. The economy as a whole gets larger, but the very modest gains go very disproportionately to the top fifth of the population.
Raymond White, Mountain View
Ineffective bill
Regarding “Trump seeking support for health bill”: If President Trump wants to speak about the disaster that was the Affordable Care Act, he should take a good look at his health care bill. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) is essentially the ACA, except with key provisions missing. The AHCA acts as a $600 billion tax cut, almost entirely benefiting the wealthy. Its subsidies are inadequate in helping most Americans combat expensive costs of health care. The one-year 30 percent premium-surcharge penalty, the replacement for the individual mandate, disproportionately affects those with pre-existing conditions, low incomes, and unstable employment. Furthermore, the AHCA doesn’t encourage young, healthy consumers to buy health insurance, which is vital in balancing risk pools and lowering premiums.
Overall, the AHCA is a dismal replacement for the ACA and works to actively uninsure millions of Americans. It will undermine and destabilize all the progress the ACA has achieved; namely, lowering the rate of uninsured to a historic low of 8.6 percent. Instead of battling across party lines, leaders should work together to protect and serve the American people. Agree that health care is a right and work on fixing what we have now instead of wasting time and resources on ineffective bills.
Mary Unanyan, Berkeley
Accept the loss
Regarding the so-called “Russian interference” in the presidential election, it leaves me wondering, just what did the Russians do to help President Trump get elected? Did they somehow change the votes electronically, or by some other method? Just how were they able to influence the millions of Americans who voted for Trump? Brainwashing on a national scale? Democrats might do well to remove their tinfoil hats and accept reality. Hillary Clinton was not only a flawed candidate with more than her share of political baggage, she ran a poor campaign, and was outsmarted at every turn by a political novice. Liberals need to stop acting like spoiled children, and accept the fact that they lost, fair and square, before they can move forward.
Raymond Moreno, San Francisco
Set better example
Regarding “Apple in the red” (Daily Briefing, March 22). It’s disappointing and yet not surprising to learn that Apple pays no corporate taxes in New Zealand. After all, Apple didn’t become the corporation with the largest valuation in our country without outsourcing labor and finding tax loopholes. However, as a world brand that originated in the U.S., it would be heartening to see Apple setting an example by practicing better corporate citizenship.
Takeshi Hashimoto, San Jose
Climate research
Regarding “Making America dirty again” (March 20): Many thanks to David Lewis for pointing out the dangers of cutting the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency. Equally or perhaps more frightening were EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt’s remarks about his doubts concerning human influence on the climate. Scientists who study the climate have no doubts about this and recently we see that the consequences of climate change are occurring sooner and with more severity than they had predicted.
If Pruitt truly doubts that
No longer credible
Regarding “10 years later, Bonds back with S.F.” (March 22): I am saddened to learn that Barry Bonds will join the Giants. Bonds’ lack of credibility and the substantial circumstantial evidence have convinced me and others that Bonds knowingly took performance enhancing drugs (PED), and thus his reputation and legacy are forever tarnished and now forever tarnishes the Giants. Before joining the Giants, I would have expected human action is driving climate change, he should be funding more climate research rather than less. To be wrong on this issue is to condemn both America and the planet to costs and suffering that could be reduced by timely climate action. The conservative Climate Leadership Council recently proposed a fully refunded carbon tax that would go a long way toward reducing U.S. emissions while building the economy and protecting citizens from the rising cost of fossil fuels.
Lee Ballance, Berkeley
Wall of cruelty
Regarding “Against the wall” (Editorial, March 22): The Chronicle correctly notes that President Trump has budgeted $600 million for the bidding process — just the bidding process, mind you for, as he has described it, his “big, fat, beautiful wall” on our Mexican border. But where will Trump find the funding needed for that process?
Assuredly not in Mexico, although he repeatedly promised to do just that. No, he’s instead planning to “zero-out” such critical cultural institutions as the National Endowment for the Humanities, which had a 2016 budget of $148 million, and the National Endowment for the Arts, also $148 million. Destroying those proven job-creating, budget-multiplying programs won’t get him even halfway to the $600 million needed to attract bids for his useless, divisive, $20 billion “great, great wall on our southern border.”
Rik Myslewski, San Francisco team officials to require Bonds to finally come clean about his knowing use of PED. But I guess it doesn’t matter to the Giants. In this age of widescale cheating and lying by our president, other public officials, researchers, school officials, students, etc., Bonds’ use of PED appears irrelevant to a lot of people, including the Giants’ ownership. I guess the argument that baseball is just entertainment and everyone was doing it rules the day. It matters to me.
Ralph Stone, San Francisco