Mercury News Letters to the Editor for May 1, 2024
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Re: “Newsom is hawking gun reform, but is anybody listening?” (Page A1, April 21).
I applaud Gov. Newsom’s leadership to propose updating the Second Amendment, now more poignant after the Super Bowl parade shooting. The death of Lisa Galvan, a mother of two, resulted from exercising her inalienable right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” by attending a parade.
Missouri has some of America’s laxest gun laws, resulting in Kansas City witnessing record homicides last year. In 2021, Missouri passed the “Second Amendment Preservation Act” to ban the enforcement of federal gun laws, which is currently tied up in court. Gun rights advocates have little hesitation in tinkering with the Second Amendment. Nine words of the Second Amendment rarely mentioned are “being necessary to the security of a free state.”
Perhaps the best way to honor Lisa is through a national conversation to amend the Second Amendment to balance firearm ownership with the “security of a free state” and the “right to pursue happiness.”
John Maa
San Francisco
San Jose seems to be drowning under the tide of the unhoused population.
This has become a hot topic, especially with it being an election year.
The main focus has remained on creating more affordable housing. While this is an important issue all of its own it, this seems more like a Band-Aid than a real fix. To begin to see real change in the homeless crisis, we must look deeper at the root causes affecting those caught in its grip. Until we see the city investing heavily in mental health support and addiction treatment options I fear we will continue to see this city we love crushed by the sheer volume of people living on the streets.
These marginalized people need for us to walk alongside them and help them rather than making them a political buzzword.
Jessica Jones
San Jose
Re: “Mayors urge Newsom to protect funding for homeless services” (Page A1, April 26).
On March 26, the superintendent of the San Ramon Valley School District (SRVSD), John Malloy, issued an announcement about the budgetary situation in the district. He wrote about a plan regarding budget reductions. “The Board asked that this plan should identify $10 million in ongoing expenditure reductions. The district is projecting an $8.3M decrease in state funding next year.”
How is it that local mayors can urge the governor to provide for more homeless benefits while, at the same time, local school districts are suffering? Where are our priorities?
Thomas Baker
San Jose
Re: “Conservative justices take argument in new direction” (Page A3, April 27).
Unlike a lot of people on the left, I am not at all worried about right-wing judges on the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the former president and declaring that a president should be given full immunity for his actions while in office.
Indeed, it is the Republicans who should worry because what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Republicans need to remember who is sitting in the Oval Office as we speak. If a president is indeed given full immunity for his actions in office, Joe Biden can pretty much do whatever he wants.
This is what is known as a win-win situation. Go Joe.
Myokyaw Myint
San Jose
There have been many allegations by former President Trump that the Justice Department has been weaponized. Let me point out that Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court are in themselves a weaponization and are by far a greater threat to our democracy.
As we witness the justices openly questioning whether Trump enjoys full presidential immunity, it is clear that the Supreme Court is moving away from applying the law but is instead choosing to make the law.
It is clear to me that we have moved to a democracy that is in grave danger, more so than previously thought or ever imagined.
Mark Grzan
Morgan Hill
As a parent and a part-time student, I am particularly affected by the increasing cost of child care and the limited access to affordable options.
For those who think renting in the Bay Area is exorbitant, try paying for day care and preschool. For many the costs incurred with child care are equivalent to a mortgage or monthly rent payment. This disproportionately affects women, single parents and those of a lower socioeconomic status. It is no wonder that fewer and fewer people are choosing not to have children in the face of insurmountable child care costs.
As a community, we need to recognize the challenges that parents face and that access to affordable child care isn’t just a singular family issue but a collective one. We need to advocate for policies that prioritize the well-being of families and children. Vote in November as if you are paying for day care and preschool.
Megan Lovato
Morgan Hill
