Along party lines: Letters to the editor, Jan. 8, 2020

Need to represent all the people

Along party lines. That is a term that we are hearing too often in politics these days. It’s been used in American politics since the founding of this country. It’s used to align with political philosophy or ideals, yet for whatever reason it was used, it was never written in stone. Politicians would wave their party’s banner but when the air (party rhetoric) that waved that banner had a bad smell, they had the integrity to say so and go against that wave. They weren’t called traitor or anti-Republican or Democrat — they were politicians doing what they felt best for the people who elected them, not the (D) or (R) next to their name.

I ask all members of Congress, were any of you elected in your state or district by unanimous vote? Did any of you receive every vote cast in any election? No, you did not. You received a majority, with the opposing party also receiving votes from the people of that state or district. It is not a winner-take-all scenario. You may have been elected (R) (D), but you are elected to serve the best interest of all the people, not the best interest of only your party.

Lack of vision for America

A response to Professor Andrew Fiala to “listen to each other.” He points out that political divisiveness is so bad that Americans “appear to lack a common vision of the good life.” He says though that this time of polarization and political dysfunction will pass and “spring will come again.”

How does the professor or anyone know that Americans will return to a common vision for a better future?

Political analyst Bill Schneider in 2018 said “this is the most divided we’ve been since the Civil War.” Pew research said in 2014 that “Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in the last two decades.” Things have only gotten more divided since then.

This year we have all seen how the “needle hasn’t moved on the impeachment hearings.” If you thought Trump did it before the hearings, you still do – and if you thought it was a “witch hunt” before the hearings, you still do.

If a televised investigation exposing a multitude of facts cannot bring Americans together to a common vision, what hope do we have for some future event.

California roads too bumpy

“Are we in California yet?” my wife asked recently while we drove south into California after visiting Las Vegas to attend the National Finals Rodeo.

She was being more facetious than inquisitive. I answered “Yes,” and she said, “I could tell because the road just got rough.” Not only was the road bumpy, but the trash littering the highways became more noticeable. We spent four days in Las Vegas and were amazed at the pristine roadways.

The difference was like driving from a modern civilization to a Third-World country.

Why are California’s roadways crumbling, particularly since Californians are being incessantly taxed for road improvements?

Why does California look like a dump?

Why do states like Nevada and Arizona have great, clean roadways, and you need to wear an athletic mouthpiece in California to keep from jarring your teeth loose while driving on its roads? Dodging truck tire carcasses is roadway sport in California.

It goes to what a friend once told me, “California is the sixth largest economy in the world run by Third World minds.”

Californians keep electing mindless droids to run this beautiful state. No wonder Californians are fleeing. It’s so sad.

Developers try to win planning?

I was honored to serve as co-chair of the Citizens Committee to Review the Fresno General Plan, which led to the decision in 2014 to reject continued sprawl and concentrate on available in-fill. This decision was a strong one by the committee with vocal support from the public. In making this decision, supported by the City Council, the committee had to resist strong pressure from developers to go in the opposite direction. Limitations in our infrastructure, especially water, were not the only concerns.

With the sudden effort to review the 2014 revised General Plan after only five years, I do believe that developers are instrumental in promoting their views to the City Council. The fact that efforts to revise the plan have ramped up so quickly, with hearings scheduled and large amounts of publicity, has me very concerned about motivation. I sincerely hope that we will put greater effort into implementing the 2014 plan in the public’s interest, and resist succumbing to private pressure.

This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 5:46 AM with the headline "Along party lines: Letters to the editor, Jan. 8, 2020."