Letters: Cal and Stanford should quit the college football circus

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Cal, Stanford should exit college football

Re: “With new coaches, Cal, Stanford face pressure to win” (Page A1, Sept. 4).

Jon Wilner’s Sept. 4 column on the pressures facing Cal and Stanford football fails to ask the fundamental question: Why are these elite academic institutions doing this?

The concept of college students playing football while earning a degree is archaic; today’s Power 5 college teams are comprised solely of talented athletes preparing for NFL careers. They choose a different college each year to showcase their skills, and they earn big money. To enable this, the colleges must spend very big bucks.

The big question for Stanford and Cal is: Why do they want to participate in this giant money pit? Stanford and Cal whined and groveled their way into a conference 3,000 miles away that didn’t want them, pays them financial peanuts, and requires their athletes to spend countless hours of air travel to compete. Just how and for whom is this beneficial? It’s time to fish or cut bait.

Kirch DeMartini
Saratoga

Despite long odds, Trump will appeal

Re: “Latest U.S. bid to limit citizenship is blocked” (Page A1, Aug. 4).

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s original 2025 executive order on birthright citizenship on June 30, affirming that the 14th Amendment guarantees automatic citizenship to individuals born on U.S. soil.

Following that defeat, the administration issued a narrowed August executive order targeting specific groups, such as children of foreign visitors or foreign government employees.

Because the Supreme Court explicitly rejected the administration’s broader theory on redefining who is subject to U.S. jurisdiction under the 14th Amendment, a newly narrowed executive attempt that defies the core constitutional holding faces a steep uphill battle.

Legal experts note that the 6-3 decision in June showed a firm majority defending the historical and constitutional precedent of the 14th Amendment, making a reversal on these revised executive efforts unlikely.

Still, the administration will appeal to the highest court.

Mohan Raj
San Jose

High schools are failing to teach basics of living

I work in medical device manufacturing in San Jose, and it’s rare that a week goes by without a co-worker bringing up some version of the same complaint: nobody taught them how to do their own taxes, or cook something that isn’t microwaved, or clean an apartment without looking it up first.

California just passed a law requiring high schools to offer a personal finance class, and it becomes a graduation requirement for the Class of 2031. Good news. But home economics is still just an elective, so plenty of students will finish school having never learned critical life skills.

I’m not talking about bringing back a full home-ec program. Just make sure every student runs into this stuff at least once, the way we already do with times tables. My co-workers didn’t come up with this complaint out of nowhere — school just never covered it.

Shoujia Lin
San Jose

Dishonesty props up Trump’s election attacks

It is surprising that Americans, especially those in Donald Trump’s camp, don’t see the connection between Jan. 6, the SAVE Act, Trump’s untrue claims of voter fraud with noncitizens voting in large numbers and his moratorium on mail-in ballots due, again, to untrue claims of fraud with them.

Trump cheats, pure and simple. It’s been his lifelong mode of operation to get whatever he wants. Besides that, he lies.

Marcia Hulberg
Campbell

Let’s replace Trump’s bogus ‘Board of Peace’

A new Security Council Resolution is needed to disband Donald Trump’s bogus “Board of Peace.” Only nations with no ongoing or recent violations of the UN Charter and international law should be situated on a newly configured Board of Peace.

This body should only be composed of nations that are in compliance with lawful conduct in the world community.

All operations and occupations by Israel and the United States in Palestinian lands must cease. Previous UNSC resolutions such as Res. 242 must be enforced. The undeclared nuclear status of Israel needs to end. It has to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and open itself to inspections.

Other conflicts and blockades against Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Ukraine/Russia and so many others have to be handled immediately by this all-new “Board of Peace.” It should be able to marshal the collective actions of UN members to these ends.

Mike Caggiano
San Mateo

Let’s prevent the ‘suicide epidemic’

Losing a loved one to suicide is deeply traumatic. Having lost my sister to suicide, I am keenly aware of this pain.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. Statistics show that access to unsecured guns is often the deciding factor in whether a suicide attempt results in death or not. Attempts with other means result in fatalities about 4% of the time, but that skyrockets to about 90% when guns are involved. Moreover, most people who survive an attempt do not go on to try again.

Securing guns safely can help save lives. Please visit BeSmartforkids.org to learn more about secure storage. You can always call 988, the National Crisis Hotline, for confidential and free support, even before you or a loved one are in real crisis. Suicide is an epidemic that can be prevented.

Sharon Genkin
San Jose