Letters: Prop. 33 | Bird flu | Laws defy logic | Rodeos’ barbarism | Remove Biden | Blocking peace | Mideast cease-fire

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Prop. 33 is crucial
for affordable housing

As a student at Los Medanos College, I have witnessed a noticeable surge in housing expenses in California.

Access to affordable housing is crucial, and it is imperative for the government to take decisive actions to alleviate the cost of living in the state. This can be accomplished by instituting government subsidies on the cost of living.

Envision a world where everyone can afford a home, homelessness is eradicated and the rate of people on the streets is reduced. Vote yes on Proposition 33.

Promise Anoruo
Oakley

Tighten dairy rules
in light of bird flu

Re: “Bird flu surge leads to state dairy quarantines” (Page A1, Sept. 27).

The bird flu was first detected in dairy cows in California, and 14 human cases have been reported in the United States.

Though the public risk remains low, the flu has spread among herds. The article quotes John Korslund, a retired epidemiologist, as saying, “We are at great risk of multiple poultry outbreaks and introductions into workers.”

Given the increasing cases in animals and the possibility of human transmission, we must advocate for stronger collaboration between animal health experts and public health officials to prioritize monitoring and enforcing strict biosecurity protocols on farms and processing facilities to prevent further spread.

Dongmei Liang
Oakland

Two laws signed by
Newsom defy logic

Gov. Newsom signed two laws in California that defy reason.

He signed a bill, SB 1174, that makes it illegal to ask for ID when someone votes. Voting is the benchmark of our republic and must be protected, but one effective means of preventing voter fraud is now illegal?

He also signed AB 1955, barring schools from notifying parents when a child exhibits gender confusion, such as requesting to be called by a name or pronoun of the opposite sex. Notably, the law has no age restrictions — even preschoolers could be transitioned without parental knowledge. Additionally, it shields school employees from liability if they facilitate these transitions, despite growing concerns from medical professionals about the potential harm caused by such interventions.

Parents have the fundamental right to the upbringing, education and health care of their children, and government officials have no right to hide critical information from them.

Jon Rego
Clayton

It’s time to end
rodeos’ barbarism

Re: “Rodeos can’t buy their way to respectability” (Page A6, Oct. 1).

It is revolting for animal abusers to use “donations” as a prop to look good. This is yet another public relations maneuver by rodeo proponents to distract from the crude reality of how violent and grotesque the spectacle of rodeo is.

Rodeos are the most vile and abhorrent form of animal cruelty. All humane organizations worldwide, including the Humane Society of the United State and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, condemn rodeos for the inherent brutality exerted on the animals. Bullfights, dog fights and cock fights, like rodeos, were defended as cultural traditions, and all were banned in the United States for their inherent cruel practices to animals.

“Tradition will reconcile people to any atrocity,” said George Bernard Shaw. It is time to put an end to the barbarism of rodeo.

Alfred Kuba
Mountain View

Remove ailing Biden
from the presidency

If Joe Biden can’t handle running to be the president, then he can’t handle being the president. His withdrawal from the presidential race isn’t enough. He is still making frequent gaffes and reading simple statements that other politicians wouldn’t need notes for.

Biden’s frequent gaffes have made some people believe that he is suffering from cognitive decline. Biden won’t take a cognitive test to dispel doubts.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution should be used immediately to remove Biden from the presidency for mental inability.

Ashu M. G. Solo
Hayward

U.S., Israel’s quest for
power blocking peace

The military and political decisions being made in Israel and in the United States are part of a story where power is all that matters.

My faith says otherwise.

For any kind of peace, an ongoing sense of humility is a necessity. We face together the hopelessness of a future where power is paramount.

My faith allows light into darkness.

Where is our honesty? When did killing children become a strategy?

Daniel Classen
Oakland

People of faith demand
cease-fire in Mideast

As a Jewish member of Interfaith 4 Ceasefire, our faiths compel us to work for an immediate, permanent cease-fire and an arms embargo.

Our faiths tell us to decry U.S. and Israeli state violence against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, supported by our elected officials and tax dollars, making us complicit.

Our faiths tell us to demand accountability for those who violate international humanitarian law: targeting civilians, destroying life-sustaining infrastructure, manufacturing starvation and facilitating the spread of disease.

Our faiths tell us that every human life is sacred; we protect one another by investing in housing, health care and education.

Our faiths tell us to reject indifference and demand justice; to choose life over death, and love over fear.

Donna R. Gans
Albany