Whenever the issue of income inequality is raised, Republicans are likely to accuse one of class warfare. But what do the facts tell us? According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, during the 30-year period from 1976 to 2007, average income for the bottom 90% grew by only about 10%, while average income for the top 1% grew by about 275%!

In the Feb. 2 Bee, Kathleen Parker wrote a provocative column unknowingly refuting the philosophy of Ayn Rand. In Rand's supernovel, her heroes approach perfection, although what or who is perfect is debatable to some extent. Ms. Parker suggests that Mitt Romney needs a visible defect in the form of a limp so that the "everyday American," with his or her addictions, broken marriages, near poverty, etc., can "connect" with him.

On Jan. 28, I spent a beautiful day with my family at an open house tour of Critter Creek Wildlife Station.

I am writing in response to the Jan. 28 article addressing a federal program that checks the immigration status of people booked into local jails. I am not, in any way, against immigrants coming to our country in hopes of having greater opportunities, but I strongly feel it needs to be done legally.

In The Bee's Jan. 18 Senior Living section, I enjoyed reading Kathy Garabed's story of dedication to ease the suffering of displaced people with respect and understanding.

I voted for Mayor Ashley Swearengin and I think she is smart, but I do not agree with her concerning the revitalization of the Fulton Mall. There have been other very qualified mayors that have tackled that task and failed. I very strongly feel that her trying it again will be like flushing taxpayer money down the toilet.

I look forward to this year's elections. I hope that we all take our duty to vote seriously and that we research the proposed policies and the candidates who seek to represent us.

A recent news story suggests that The Fresno Bee misunderstands how California is reducing prison overcrowding. Under realignment, nonviolent offenders who used to go to state prison are now sent to county jail. Gov. Jerry Brown has backed up realignment with hundreds of millions of dollars to counties to add staff and jail space. More money will follow, and the governor is committed to seeking constitutional protection for those funds.

So PG&E wants to raise rates again. The rates already are among the highest in the country. But, even worse, they want to charge you $10 a month (plus a $75 fee) if you wish to opt out of the SmartMeter program.

On Dec. 16, The Bee printed an op-ed about the city's plans for the old Gottschalks' downtown location. It discussed a new tenant that leased the space as part of a swap mall business, but didn't mention that the Fresno small business owners who occupy the space are all minorities.

When listening to some candidates for political office, we must all wonder: Why does that person want my vote? What does that person want to achieve if elected? I recall Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina -- millionaires and accomplished people. Why were they running? For their résumé or because they want to improve the condition of the citizens whose votes they seek?

As the United States celebrates Abraham Lincoln's birthday, the entire world celebrates the birthday of another emancipator, Charles Darwin, who ranks alongside our greatest scientists -- Galileo, Copernicus, Newton and Einstein.

The Jan. 29 headline, "Is California death penalty worth the cost," was misleading. It costs almost nothing for a length of stout rope.

For many years, I served Fresno County on election day as a precinct worker. I was later selected to work as a member of a team developed to help recruit and train election day workers and to serve as a precinct troubleshooter on election day.

At the State of Downtown Breakfast on Tuesday, where Mayor Ashley Swearengin was the featured speaker, I was reminded of a letter that 18 past presidents of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce wrote in support of her mayoral candidacy. We wrote: "Ashley is the candidate who has the vision, and more importantly, proven leadership skills to continue to move Fresno and the region forward."

You have published several stories concerning the meth problem in the Valley, but I haven't seen any mention of the children of meth. We adopted four children through Child Protective Services who are all meth babies.

In most of your reporting of the strike by Fresno County workers, you have downplayed or simply not mentioned that the county workers have had mandatory furloughs for three years now. Also, they have been asked to take voluntary furloughs for more than 10 years.

Once upon a time in a land of make believe, there was the little engine that could. Because it thought it could, it could. Because people rooted for it, it could. Because it was make believe, it could.

Every time you purchase a product or service, the price you pay includes a markup, which is the difference between what the product or service costs and the price paid. A markup is added on to the total cost incurred by the producer of a good or service to create a profit.

The Jan. 28 Bee editorial "Top CSU salaries are still out of touch with reality," got it partially correct. Not only are top administrative salaries too high, CSU Chancellor Charles Reed's arguments for such high salaries are so illogical, they fail the smell test.

Where are your priorities, Fresno? Two articles next to each other on Jan. 30 state that the Fresno Regional Foundation is offering grants totaling $70,000 for arts and culture organizations in Fresno and that Caltrans is planning to spend 10 times that much -- $700,000 -- to landscape six miles of Highway 41.

The AP's Desmond Butler reported Jan. 26 that Turkey has "threatened sanctions" if French President Nicolas Sarkozy signs a bill that would condemn genocide denial.

Sometimes humor is the only way to deal with a situation that is so unbelievable, and that is certainly true in the case of the Jan. 30 letter in The Bee by Judith Rasmussen regarding auto theft in Fresno. I got a real kick out of it.

Recent polls continue to place President Barack Obama either slightly ahead of, or even with the Republican candidates. Who are these would-be Obama voters? Those who are influenced by the vote buying giveaway tactics of Obama? Those of the 48% who don't pay taxes? The Occupiers? The fraudulent welfare and food stamp beneficiaries? The government employee union members?

Regarding The Bee's Jan. 28 headline, "Rail opposition gathering":

A recent letter questioned whether Rep. Devin Nunes was from this country or even this planet. I ask Cliff Nugent (letter Jan. 28) what planet he's from?

After reading Cliff Nugent's Jan. 28 letter smearing Rep. Devin Nunes for being vocal against the policies of the Obama administration, I was appalled by the lack of knowledge he seems to have about history and current affairs. A study done by dozens of economists, including two Nobel Prize winners, found "evidence poor people were principle victims of the New Deal."

In the Jan. 29 Obituaries section, there was a tribute to the life of Anna Maxwell Levin-Ware, a holocaust survivor. A story like that is proof that our God saved her for a purpose: so she could witness to others and be an example as to what one can do with their life.

OK, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Mariann Powell and George Bursik (letters Jan. 23 and Jan. 27) suggest that "Fresno" disregards its history and its architectural heritage. Probably true! As proof, each month a commission of volunteer experts, the city's Historic Preservation Commission, meet to discuss and make decisions on tough preservation issues. And yet, with rare exception, there is no public there to voice an opinion.

One of the single biggest problems we have in California is our idiotic criminal justice system. It is a legalized lottery system for lawyers paid for by the taxpayer. On Jan. 29, reporter Pablo Lopez did an outstanding article on the ballot measure regarding the death penalty, which we never use.

Just because kids are kids does not mean we do not have any power.

I hesitated to respond to Patricia Brown's Jan. 21 comment regarding Fresno County Supervisor Phil Larson's remark, "There are plenty of people out there who would take their jobs," calling him insensitive.

In the 1880s, ruthless California railroad barons ordered local militias to forcefully evict Valley farmers from their property over a dispute about land values.

Should we all be thankful that Michael Der Manouel Jr. stepped off the Herman Cain train long enough to put county employees back in their place? Unfortunately, per usual, his recent column brought more heat than light.

As a victim of car theft in Fresno a few years ago, I know the anger and angst that comes with the loss of one's vehicle. My car was stolen from a nice area while I was attending a function. It certainly spoiled my evening, and while insurance covered some of the loss, there were still expenses not covered besides the deductible.

Your lead story on Jan. 31 was important, but the person who decided to include the words "oral sex" in a Page 1, above-the-fold headline, should be reassigned. The story could have been conveyed in a less sensational manner.

I read Gary Walker's Jan. 28 Valley Voices piece. It is a wonderful testimony to the amazing gift of freedom of religion we have as Americans. He mentioned the Interfaith Scholar Weekend as one of those times when people gather from many faith communities to listen together and to learn from well known scholars.

In response to recent stories about fatal crashes in the Sanger and Fowler areas, something really needs to be done about the accidents on American, Central, North, Adams, South, and Lincoln avenues between Clovis and Academy avenues.

California citizens have voted at least twice to keep the death penalty. The state complains that keeping it is expensive.

Hearing from Eli Setencich is like a breath of clean air. Eli's Jan. 30 letter reminded me of my nephew when he was a little tyke. My nephew kept stumbling on the steps and running into doorjambs until his folks got him glasses. Then he proclaimed, "Gee, I didn't know we lived so close to the mountains!"

Assembly Member Jim Beall, D-San Jose, has authored legislation (AB 171) that would compel private insurance companies to cover treatment for "substance abuse, depression and anxiety," all under the rubric of "mental illness" (story Jan. 27).

Our economy is in shambles and our government is going broke. My hope is that our elected representatives from the Valley can find a way to work together on these problems.

The front-page article in Sunday's Bee reported about the ballot initiative to reduce California debt by a billion dollars over five years by eliminating the death penalty. Here is a novel idea: Save even more by eliminating the unending appeals and ridiculous obstacles to justice by requiring that the sentence be carried out within 90 days.

It was with a sense of perverse smugness that I read: "Fresno's top car thief is released." By now we should all be de-sensitized enough to accept such headlines.

It appears Occupy demonstrations have gotten out of control and their true meanings forgotten. Occupy has become nothing more than a riotous mob bent on upheaval and destruction and civil disobedience -- a far cry from the original peaceful demonstrations.

In case you haven't heard, Newt Gingrich is running for president. I recently saw him in a debate, and in commercials, mentioning how he created millions of jobs and reduced the total number of people receiving welfare while he was speaker of the House.

Jim Doyle's Jan. 27 reveals interesting things about those who are against "organized religion." When he says he's a "practicing non-believer," does he also think he is "non-religious"? Most dictionaries describe religion as: "a personal set or system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices." No one believes in nothing, so his practice of "non-belief" is a religion.

As a retired judge, I read your Jan. 27 editorial and letters to the editor critical of Judge Houry Sanderson's decision to put prolific car thief Robert Wollert in drug treatment instead of jail.

I love my internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. I own three. My favorite is the 1955 Willys M38A1. It has a carburetor sitting atop the four cylinder block, and that's about it. It sucks in gas, and occasionally blows out smoke. I will drive it until some politically appointed, unelected, enforcer from the California Air Resources Board comes to confiscate it.