Fresno Bee letters: More reader reaction to Devin Nunes’ retirement from Congress

No difference if Nunes leaves now

So Devin Nunes is going to abandon his post for a pie-in-the-sky dream job with the disgraced former president, leaving his constituents without serious representation until Jan. 3, 2023.

They haven’t had serious representation since he’s been in office, so what difference will another 13 months make?

Nunes in Congress was news to her

So, Devin Nunes is retiring from Congress to openly work for Donald Trump. I was not aware that District 22 had a congressional representative. After looking up “retire” in the dictionary, my suspicion was confirmed.

Biden, act like the president you are

Criticism is laid on President Biden’s porch concerning his take, or one would say, his view of what it means to be an American president. The Oval Office assumes great powers for any occupant who dares to flex the muscles of the world’s most potent desk; the most powerful man in the world, if you will.

Some now question, is the president taking the bull by the horns, “Carpe diem,” seize the day; the world recognises who has the power to call the shots.

The domestic scene, vis-a-vis the Congress with its pace of a snail, failing to call votes to move the country forward, has resulted, in stagnation. Pass the “Build Back Better Act.”

I see the problem, as many suspect, is that Joe Biden needs to take the senator’s hat off. Toss it out the window, and put that presidential hat on. Stop the Senate compromise routine and do what he said he would do. Push that Congress, especially Chuck Schumer, who seems to be gun shy initiating an aggressive agenda.

Joe Biden needs to get up every morning and say to himself, I’m president and I can do anything I want to. I have edict power! Don’t rely on a second term, it may never happen. If the Trump nitwits don‘t like it, “let them eat cake.”

Take Madden’s name off campus library

I am in favor of dropping the name of Dr. Madden from the Fresno State University Library. I had the privilege of being Fresno State’s University Librarian from 1988 to 2007 and inherited the best group of librarians and staff I had known in 50 years of library work, and the finest collections of a library that size in the country — both largely the work of Dr. Madden.

He was a first-rate scholar and a celebrated champion of intellectual freedom. None of that excuses the bigotry revealed in his papers or should, but reminds us that people are complicated, of their times, and should be judged in the round.

The Madden Library is one of the very few that is named for a scholar-librarian (and a gay person) — facts that the university’s committee on the matter might think about as they do their work.

Voter fraud & vaccine debate

It’s interesting how the argument against receiving the vaccine and the claims of voter fraud parallel each other as neither argument has a basis in fact.

There have been hundreds of millions of doses given out worldwide, and I haven’t seen or read anything from any reputable source that has pointed to any widespread problems with any of the brands; and though not perfect in performance, they have made all the difference in the lessening of the pandemic so far. Personal choice shouldn’t come into play as it is the duty of of every American to do their part. Unless, of course, you can prove otherwise.

Same goes with claiming voter fraud without a shred of eveidence while the truth is simple; is it really that hard to beliveve Donald Trump didn’t anger more people than he impressed? It’s been a year and he’s still insisting that “they find the fraud.” Well, doesn’t that mean he still hasn’t found it and wants someone to find it for him?

And for those unfamiliar with real mandates, what happens if we need to revive the draft to supplement the volunteer armed forces during a crisis? Will personal choice still apply?

Professors and pay equity with coaches

Tis’ the season to bolt; where is the loyalty?

The average university professor spends most of his or her teaching career at one university, dedicating loyalty to the mission of that university and the students. The years that they spent earning their degrees far outweigh that of a coach in any given sport. In addition, their salaries and benefits are a minuscule compared to multi-million dollar salaries given to coaches. For most of their years, professors are lucky to receive a cost-of-living raise. Instead, they are often rewarded with psychic income, which they cannot take to the bank and deposit.

Yet professors continue to maintain their loyalty and commitment to one institution for the good of the students. Most college athletes will never go into professional sports, but instead they will pursue a career based on their academic preparation.

Where is the equity?

Abandon militarism, embrace love

“Armor piercing grenades, plastic explosives, land mines, and rockets have been stolen from or lost by the U.S. Armed forces over the past decade.” And, “troops falsify records to cover up…” Visalia Times Delta, Dec.4 – Dec. 5.

Oversight and scrutiny of the Pentagon is sorely lacking. They keep failing audits because of “massive size and numerous assets.”

But we’re adding more. Our American military budget dwarfs the rest of the world. Empire building is not sustainable, nor is endless war. When the last clean water and air is gone it will be too late. We know that. The world knows that. Our children know that.

We humans are a “religious” people. We need to believe in that which can help us make sense of the life we live. It’s why we love ceremonies and ritual, songs and the beauty of the lights of this season. People love light, and by assumption, the sense of love and community that attends the light.

Perhaps we could ask ourselves what one small thing we can do to move from violence and hypermilitarism to reason and love of one another.

Time has come to smog check big rigs

We strongly support the Editorial Board’s call for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to implement a smog-check-like program to clean up the dirtiest heavy-duty trucks. A “yes” vote could prevent 1,664 premature deaths and over 599 ER visits in the San Joaquin Valley.

However, we should not be too quick to congratulate our air quality regulators. The Valley is still nowhere near meeting federal clean air standards for dangerous pollutants like fine particulates (PM2.5). In fact, the Valley just failed to meet the PM2.5 clean air standard dating back to 1997, and we are not even close to meeting two later standards, both with attainment deadlines set before this new truck rule would come into full effect in 2025.

CARB must do more to ensure this and other pollution reduction programs are implemented in the Valley as soon as possible. They should go above and beyond staff recommendations and require emissions to be reported four rather than two times a year. While this would increase costs by only $1 per pound of pollution reduced, it could save 1,000 more lives. These ambitious actions are long overdue in one of the nation’s most polluted and inequitable air basins.

Editor’s note: The smog-check program was passed by the air board and will implemented in stages over the next several years.

This story was originally published December 19, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno Bee letters: More reader reaction to Devin Nunes’ retirement from Congress."