Letters: The US can choose to end poverty here

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The US can choose not to have poverty

Re: “How cruel politics divide struggling workers” (Page A7, Sept. 23).

Harvard historian Sven Beckert says: “We should also face that it is a very immoral and unethical choice to live in one of the richest countries ever in world history and have people not have enough food, have people not be able to access health care, to have people live in terrible housing conditions. This is not necessary. We can address these issues based on the enormous wealth that is at our disposal.”

Beckert argues that this raises a moral and political question: What do we choose to do with the wealth we have?

His argument is not simply that “capitalism is bad,” but that capitalism is a human-created system that can be changed.

Poverty is not inevitable; it reflects choices about how wealth is distributed and our compassion for those who struggle. Finding solutions begins with recognizing our shared humanity.

Peggy Charlton-Brady
Foster City

Meter fee hike will make downtown less attractive

Re: “New meter rate hike plan pitched” (Page B1, Sept. 11).

I think raising the rate of parking meters is not a good idea.

I have lived downtown for 29 years, and balancing the city budget on the backs of students, visitors, friends, shoppers, hockey fans and families, all the people we want to come downtown, makes no sense.

The city has a budget shortfall of $50.3 million. Parking meters are not the place to make it up. We want people to visit our city. They shouldn’t have to pay to come.

Instead, make public transit free and reduce the need for parking. There used to be free buses to hockey games or from the train station to San Jose State University. Let’s do that again.

Joanne Domingue
San Jose

For voters, choice is no longer worth considering

Re: “California governors can do (almost) anything” (Page A7, Sept. 9).

The idea that governors can do anything is preposterous in the current environment. A governor of a state like California, which has the fourth-largest economy in the world, is always looking over their shoulder at the national environment. Moreover, President Trump has already upended the unitary executive.

Since Montesquieu and Locke popularized the division of powers among the three branches of government, the world has undergone a sea change. News now travels at the speed of light. The media, countries and government entities contend with different problems.

The conclusion that people get the government they deserve has been upstaged by AI and emerging power centers. People like Elon Musk and Jensen Huang virtually govern themselves.

Getting back to Trump, all of this is lost. For him, all we are talking about is garbage. He has all the power.

The armchair idea that people have a choice isn’t worth considering.

Kohli Singh
San Jose

Season’s change offers chance to recalibrate

Re: “U.S. is accused of war crimes in UN report” (Page A4, Sept. 18).

As the fall equinox arrives alongside the United Nations General Assembly, nature offers a timely lesson. Trees release their leaves not as an act of defeat, but as preparation for renewal. Nations, too, can let go of old assumptions and entrenched grievances to make room for something new.

At a moment of profound tension among Iran, the United States and Israel, the gathering of world leaders offers an opportunity to choose dialogue over escalation. Peace rarely begins with agreement; it begins with the willingness to listen, recognize our shared humanity and keep talking when mistrust runs deep.

Autumn reminds us that change is both inevitable and necessary. May this season inspire leaders to shed what no longer serves their people, strengthen the roots of diplomacy and plant the seeds for a more peaceful spring.

Akeem Mostamandy
San Jose

Midterm convention was platform for Trump’s lies

Re: “The midterm convention was entirely false” (Page A11, Sept. 20).

Carl Leubsdorf’s op-ed highlights another disputed Donald Trump claim — that voters could receive $5,000 for keeping Republicans in power. It is another example of Trump’s boisterous claims about the stolen 2020 election, voting machines, his inauguration crowd, inflation, economic growth and keeping America out of war — all refuted by reliable evidence and independent fact-checkers.

Italian programmer Alberto Brandolini described this phenomenon: The energy required to refute falsehoods is far greater than the energy required to create them. It can be a process used to exhaust political opponents. A “beautiful” lie can be made in seconds; disproving it requires research, evidence, time and expertise. Sadly, many people buy these claims “hook, line and sinker,” while some followers may lack the skills, time or courage to question claims they hear repeatedly. Before spending that $5,000, consider the source.

Diego Certa
Campbell

Trump press ban is cause to vote Democrat

Re: “Trump says he will ban CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House” (Page A3, Sept. 20).

It is ironic that the man who likes to call Democrats communists has said that he is going to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House due to what he called “fake news.” In other words, these news organizations are making him look bad simply by telling the truth.

Supporters of the Republican Party need to wake up and realize that our hold on democracy is slowly being ripped away by this man and his cronies. Anyone who loves this nation and who wants to strengthen our democracy has no choice but to vote for Democrats in the upcoming midterm election. This is the only way we can ensure that our children and their children still have a future.

Myo Kyaw Myint
San Jose