Teachers risk COVID exposure at schools
One can understand how parents can be distraught and frustrated over the closing of schools as a result of COVID-19. Students have lost valuable learning and social time that they will never be able to recover. It is equally true that some school districts have done a poor job of finding ways to get children back in the classroom. There is no better example of this than in San Francisco, where it seemed the school board’s highest priority was a political statement.
You can even make the argument that, since the under-18 demographic was less susceptible to the virus, you could have safely returned students to classrooms with relatively minimal risk. Unfortunately, when outraged parents make that argument, they are conveniently ignoring the other part of the equation: the teachers and administrators that would have shared those classrooms and hallways.
It may be true that there were teachers’ unions that were stubborn about agreeing to classroom standards that would reopen schools. Nonetheless, teachers are already overworked and underpaid. I don’t believe they should been expected to willingly risk their lives just by reporting for work.
Joel Wiener, San Carlos
Simple recall solution
Regarding “Rules: California Democrats look to overhaul system after victory” (Front Page, Sept. 16): There is a simple, eloquent and cost-effective solution to the wasteful recall debacle we just faced: In a successful gubernatorial recall election, the duly-elected lieutenant governor is automatically elevated to serve as governor.
Under the California Constitution, the lieutenant governor already becomes governor in all other cases of a vacancy (death, disability, impeachment, temporary absence from state, etc.). A very minor amendment to the Constitution’s recall provision could apply the same standard to gubernatorial recall elections. The benefits of this simple amendment are numerous.
First, it avoids a prolonged, contentious battle over how to amend the recall petition process, a feature of progressive reform dating back more than 100 years.
Second, it ensures that a state official elected by majority vote during a normal election is elevated to the office, not some unvetted celebrity who slips in through the back door by a slim plurality (unlike the shared presidential ticket in the federal system, the California governor and lieutenant governor are separately elected and thus separately vetted by voters). Finally,
where the governor and lieutenant governor are from the same party, it discourages expensive off-election-year recall attempts by the opposition party. Deborah Sivas, Palo Alto
Switch to beans
Regarding “Animal intelligence” (Letters, Sept. 10): I heartily agree with the letter writer who stated that all animals are sentient beings who deserve not to be used for food. Our industrial food system treats sensitive animals as simple commodities and essentially tortures them throughout their lives.
The original point of the article on horsemeat was to compare it favorably to beef in terms of health, affordability and the environment. In that regard, I would say that the case for horsemeat is extremely weak. Although horsemeat might be marginally better than beef, there is another alternative that beats both of them hands-down: good old-fashioned beans! An excellent source of protein, beans use only a small fraction of the land, water and climate emissions of any animal product without all of the saturated fat and toxins and are extremely cheap, to boot. There is a reason why beans, from refried beans to dal, are the staples of so many traditional cuisines. Anyone truly concerned about health or the environment should stop arguing about types of meat and dump the animal products entirely! Avilee Goodwin, Richmond