Letters to the editor

BART project should be re-evaluated

Re: “Extension plan price continues to balloon” (Page A1, March 12).

Here we go again. The BART extension through San Jose has increased in cost by over a half-billion dollars. Considering the many past price increases, is anyone surprised by this? I didn't think so.

The price drivers were labor and material costs. Does anyone think these costs are going to be stable over the next 13 years needed to complete this project? I didn't think so.

When will someone display some common sense, political courage and good old-fashioned guts and say stop? As currently configured, we cannot provide this project at anywhere near the cost and timeline projected 10 years ago and need to go back to square one. Anyone? I didn't think so.

— Tom Darby San Jose

Economic flex could end Ukraine war

The quickest way to end Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine is to tell Vladimir Putin we're going to triple our military aid to Ukraine in the coming months.

Since Russia's economy is a fraction of the size of the U.S. economy they could not begin to match us. If Ukrainian soldiers are willing to risk their lives, the United States and EU countries should be willing to put up the money before Ukraine runs out of soldiers.

It's the only way to stop Russia from launching other wars of attrition in Eastern Europe.

— Ed Kahl, Woodside

Biden must get tough with Israel

Re: “Netanyahu rebuffs U.S. plea to halt Rafah offensive” (Page A4, March 23).

President Joe Biden must toughen up and not allow Benjamin

Netanyahu to dictate and reject our advice to stop the invasion of Rafah.

Netanyahu already slaughtered 32,000 people and created a humanitarian crisis with Palestinians dying from lack of food and water and on the brink of famine, and with Israel making it extremely difficult for the food trucks to reach the people.

We can stop this war by telling Netanyahu we do not support genocide. We can stop the billions in aid and the supply of weapons

Netanyahu ignores Biden because there is no cost to doing so. Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist, wrote about Moshe Dayan, the former Israeli defense minister, noting he once said: “We take the money, we take the arms and we decline the advice.”

Americans have the leverage to stop the carnage and end the war. It's up to Biden to toughen up and use the leverage to pave the way to a two-state solution.

— Helena Vella, Burlingame