Getting schools reopened: Letters to the editor, March 21, 2021
Critical to get kids back to school
Throughout this pandemic Fresno Unified has moved mountains maintaining programs to keep children fed. I commend the efforts and diligence keeping this afloat. Around technology availability, again another win, the district should be proud of this accomplishment.
It’s impossible to know, relate to or understand the hardships that all families face with remote distance learning. Everyone’s story is different; bottom line, everyone is affected. While my child has an excellent teacher, he’s now anxious, feels like a failure, is afraid to speak up in class and acts out. When asking him about why he’s this way, he says it’s because of distance learning and wants to be in school like his preschool-aged brothers. When a 7 year old says distant learning is a lot of pressure, to me that’s wrong on so many levels.
Nothing about this past year has been easy, nor is education anything but complex. As board members, your character matters as much as the administrators, teachers and students. Be accountable, be the change and get our students back on campus. Follow other districts allowing for in-person education. Let our students thrive, let this be about opportunity and not contracts, power or to right the wrongs of the past.
Adam Cholakian, Fresno
Good riddance to Trump already
I am sick of Trump. I’m sick of his Florida tan, his platinum blonde hairdo, his speech writers and the monotonous, fib-filled manifestos; his CPAC speech, his loud costume-wearing, more-patriotic-than-thou hardcore base supporters, and the argument that 70 million votes say he’s relevant — the same or more voted for the previous losing candidate and same every presidential election prior, period.
Stop making this clown out to be anything more than a loser who has continually shown nothing but disrespect and stokes every hate group’s fires. He preys on anyone with a friendly ear. He speaks zero facts. I’m so sick of him, good riddance already.
Joseph Riofrio, Mendota
Put the politicians on $15 per hour
A story in a recent edition of The Bee noted that the average rent in Fresno was $1,022 per month. A worker earning $15 per hour, 40 hours per week, earns around $31,000 per year, less around 17% for payroll and income tax deductions of around $5,2700, or a net disposable income of $25,750.
That means much of that worker’s net income goes to rent; add in utilities, and it is clear half the income goes to putting a roof over his or her head. A worker is left with something like $13,000 per year for food, clothing, automobile expense, and medical care for all in the household. Doesn’t leave much to spend on something frivolous like a movie ticket or cable TV or internet, or cell phones, does it?
I just read a news story that shows McDonald’s workers in Denmark earn $22 per hour, or around $44,000 per year. Yet Republican lawmakers are adamant that the $15 per hour minimum wage is unrealistic.
It would be interesting to see if any of those holding their elected cushy jobs, often for decades, could survive on $15 per hour. I would love to see all of them paid an hourly wage, rather than a yearly guarantee of over $135k with fully paid health care and plush retirement pension plans.
None of them would survive. However, they don’t believe any of their less-than-wealthy, check-donating constituents should be paid a living wage.
Larry A. Smith, Fresno
Heart-felt thanks for Fresno cleanup
I would like to say to Mayor Jerry Dyer, and the many volunteers who are cleaning up our city: Nice, wonderful, beautiful, fabulous, kudos, bravo, a standing ovation, and a huge thank you to you all!
Betty Sorensen, Fresno
Dairies lead way on methane reduction
California is leading the nation in dairy methane reduction, providing important benefits to local communities. That’s why I was disappointed to see the inaccuracies published in the Opinion section on March 14. While Kevin Hall has a right to his own opinion, he is not entitled to his own set of facts. His piece on “how to equitably improve the local transportation system” widely misrepresents the facts.
The state’s dairy digesters are providing environmental benefits far beyond the capture of methane and production of clean, renewable energy. Air quality benefits have been well documented by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). More than 115 family dairy farms (all located in the San Joaquin Valley) are developing projects to create carbon-negative transportation fuel. That fuel is replacing the use of diesel in heavy-duty trucks driven in the Valley, significantly reducing emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), a component of smog.
Additionally, CARB has documented that digesters also reduce criteria pollutant emissions associated with these farms. Equally important, these climate-smart projects help to improve the protection of groundwater by requiring the lining of dairy manure storage lagoons.
Michael Boccadoro of Sacramento, executive director of Dairy Cares, a statewide coalition that works to ensure the long-term sustainability of California’s dairy farm families.
This story was originally published March 21, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Getting schools reopened: Letters to the editor, March 21, 2021."