Vaccines and historic diseases: Letters to the editor, Nov. 28, 2021

Polio, smallpox and vaccines

How many people do you know with smallpox, a disease that could cover your body with pustules, and leave you with ugly scars for the rest of your life, and ... could kill you? Very likely you don't know anybody, or even know of anybody who knows someone. You can thank a vaccine.

How many people do you know with polio? Again, very unlikely that you know anyone, and again, you can thank a vaccine.

Both these diseases have been virtually eliminated around the globe because of a vaccine.

Teachers should not be mask police

I’m tired of being the mask police. Most students at my school do not come to school with a mask. We are providing 200 to 300 masks a day at our school, and most end up on the playground or on the floor in classrooms.

Students eat together and play together throughout the day without masks. Teachers waste so much time enforcing masks in the classroom, and the minute we turn our backs, they are not wearing them properly or at all. Do the district and our environment a favor — stop enforcement of mask in elementary schools.

Whoa, Saroyan parking is pricey

I recently discovered that it now costs $20 for parking for a few hours next to the Saroyan Theater. When I contacted the city councilman and the mayor’s offices to express my concern over this outrageous price increase, the responses were less than helpful.

This certainly does not encourage citizens to go downtown!

Patriotism and infrastructure

The process required to pass the president’s infrastructure bill received criticism, which didn’t take into account that this is what democracy looks like.

I happen to prefer debate over the neat efficiency of dictatorship, which Republicans seem determined to bring about with their nationwide attempts to restrict access to the ballot and gerrymander their way to minority rule.

Nonetheless, I don’t understand why Republican congressman David Valadao voted no to funding that will bring good jobs to his district repairing bridges and waterways, ensuring wider access to the internet, and expanding public transportation, among other obvious wins for San Joaquin Valley residents.

Valadao seems only to take orders from Kevin McCarthy, whose own marching orders still come from the previous president, who never delivered on infrastructure because he didn’t have the legislative chops of President Biden, and because Republicans leaders in Congress only know how to obstruct, rather than build consensus, let alone actual roads, bridges and the like.

Voting to bring America’s infrastructure up to 21st century standards keeps our country strong. That begs the question: Who are the real patriots?

State take over PG&E? That’s a hoot

“California should take over wildfire-starting PG&E” is the headline of a recent Opinion page. As a long time contributor of “Letters to the Editor,” I look for humor in the serious contents; it breaks the monotony and is a relief from the toxic turn many letters and opinions take. For example, the Opinion page article by the Sacramento Bee Editorial Board was such a contribution.

Remember The Fresno Bee article telling us that the state knew the mobile home park was unsafe and the license had been suspended? Somebody died, and as a result, Fresno took over the responsibilities the state couldn’t, wouldn’t or was unable to correct.

The humor I found is that if the state couldn’t manage to correct a small mobile park problem, how can it take over a giant like PG&E? It’s like a student who couldn’t pass an “Introduction to Algebra” class wanting to enter “Calculus.”

Some of PG&E’s problems are caused by the adding of restrictions and liabilities by the state and other social and environmental organizations.

If anything, the state ought to help PG&E perform at a higher level by assisting — not attacking.

Good points on COVID problems

Thank you for the excellent opinion column by Marek Warszawski, “As California emerges from COVID pandemic, Fresno County can’t escape. Why not?” (The Bee, Nov. 6).

Hopefully, The Bee will continue its focus on Fresno County’s COVID status in comparison with California and all 58 counties, particularly as we move into and through the holidays and colder weather.

By highlighting where we rank on several measures across the state, perhaps Fresno leadership will accept that (at least temporary) indoor masking mandates are not only helpful, but necessary, especially if our vaccination rate continues to lag behind many other counties.

We can do way better to reduce case, positivity and death rates as well as ongoing hospital bed shortages. Why are we choosing not to?

To the glee of America’s enemies

“A nation of laws and not of man? First and foremost, a unilateral decision by a public official not to follow or defend a law he or she considers unconstitutional is a constitutional problem.”

President John Adams foresaw what peril political blunders create. His diligence ensured Article IV of our Constitution defined with exacting specificity that transgression. Most importantly, the procedure for redress by individual states.

The uncontrollable flow of individuals crossing our Southern border confirms the former president’s fear as well as highlighting the many successes enjoyed by current fifth-columnists: paraphrased as, “Burning down our cities to rule over ashes.”

Frederick Douglass explained the “American Experiment” with his time-continuum analogy: “A man’s rights rest in three boxes. The ballot box, jury box and the cartridge box.” The daily display of discord indicates we have come full circle.

Today’s unprincipled representation supported by the self-loathing continues to assault our founding document, history, institutions and citizens with impunity to the glee of every cartel, false friend and true enemy.

Colin Powell, a great American

Colin Powell: A Black man who made American history and will be remembered as one of the greatest generals and statesmen America has ever produced. He is also a personification of what America can achieve if racism and white supremacy did not get in the way of many Blacks who want to make America a more perfect union.

I am looking forward to his name replacing the name of a military base that was named after a Confederate general who was in reality a traitor. Looking forward to seeing Powell’s name on government building and on educational institutions.

He was an American patriot, an African American and an American who endeavored through public service to make a more inclusive and diverse nation.

Climate change harms Valley air

The San Joaquin Valley has some of the nation’s worst air quality and it’s getting much worse because of climate change.

Working families are routinely exposed to toxic air, especially those who work outside on local farms and construction sites. They deserve better than a future where life expectancies drop while childhood asthma and other chronic disease rates rise, the heat keeps rising, and climate pollutants keep filling the air.

State leaders must act to protect our most vulnerable residents living in low income and communities of color located next to pollution sources. Equitable and empowering solutions will ensure any benefits improve the lives of everyone equally. The San Joaquin Valley’s Clean Vehicle Empowerment Collaborative is an example of that inclusion. It is a partnership of organizations to help low-income families in all San Joaquin Valley counties transition to zero-emission, electric vehicles.

Ultimately, all of us need to act on climate. We breathe the same air, share the same home, and in turn, must share the same moral imperative to act. Our legacy cannot be a damaged and dangerous Valley left behind for our children.

This story was originally published November 28, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Vaccines and historic diseases: Letters to the editor, Nov. 28, 2021."