San Francisco Chronicle

Level of commitment

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I agree with President Trump that mental illness is the deepest underlying cause of the frightenin­g increase of mass shootings in the United States — that a sick person and not a gun is the real problem.

However, if we as a nation are to actually improve our overall level of mental health, then the government must make some huge changes in its spending priorities — changes that emphasize moving our nation away from constant preparatio­ns for war with other countries and toward improving our nation’s mental health programs, our schools and mental hospitals and actually requiring those who are most mentally unstable to undergo intensive therapy before thinking about even owning a small handgun — let alone an assault rifle.

Is President Trump actually sincere about committing our nation to making these sweeping changes that will challenge every basic conservati­ve commitment to remaining as the world’s unconteste­d superpower and moving our nation’s basic social and economic philosophy from fierce individual competitiv­eness toward a more relaxed, cooperativ­e lifestyle?

It is one thing for Trump to actually commit the United States toward becoming a happier and less violent society. But does he really mean what he says? Rama Kumar, Fairfax

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