Letters: South Bay VTA strike leaving vulnerable people stuck
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VTA strike leavesvulnerable stuck
As a disabled woman, the ongoing VTA strike has devastated my life. I cannot drive, so I depend on the buses for transportation. I cannot afford Uber every day, so I’m basically stuck.
I’m not the only one inconvenienced by this bus strike. How long is this strike going to continue to ruin our lives?
Alexis NicholsSan Jose
Many commutersneed a short strike
The VTA strike affects not only VTA drivers but also passengers who regularly rely on the light rail for transportation.
Although I am frustrated that I had to find an alternative route to San Jose State this morning, I acknowledge that VTA employees are fully within their rights to go on strike in protest of unfair compensation.
In my case, I am fortunate to own a car; I choose to take the VTA to school to save money on gas. However, many people cannot afford the luxury of owning a vehicle. I hope that VTA will agree with their workers soon, for the sake of both drivers and passengers.
QB NguyenSan Jose
Trump abandons planto cut seniors’ taxes
Remember Donald Trump’s frequently repeated promise to eliminate the income tax on Social Security benefits? A simple executive order could do that.
How about, “Senior citizens no longer need to enter Social Security payments they received on their 1040-SR. Should the courts or the legislature overrule this, I am issuing a presidential pardon in advance that absolves all seniors of any interest or penalty based on not claiming the income.” No form or software change is necessary.
Why would this be any different from other executive orders? It doesn’t help his billionaire friends, for one, and he needs our money to support the subsidies for Elon Musk’s businesses — at least $38 billion over the years.
Trump did not receive a mandate — he received less than 50% of votes cast. Agencies being decimated were there to protect us from crooks and con men.
Jane PowerSan Jose
With democracy hobbled,what’s next for U.S.?
If you remember high school government class, our Founding Fathers created three equally powerful and independent branches of government: the legislative, the executive and the judicial. This was to protect us from ever having a king again, and the tension among these three branches has kept our democracy healthy for 250 years.
Donald Trump now controls all three branches of government. Additionally, since pardoning the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, he has a paramilitary force (Proud Boys, Oathkeepers, etc.) loyal to him alone. (Remember “Stand back and stand by”?)
Worse, Trump has allied himself with billionaires, i.e., Elon Musk and other tech giants who control much of our information. Finally, he has appointed loyal toadies over the departments of our federal government, including the military.
Our cherished democracy is gone, and we have a king again. What now?
Don EgglestonAptos
Loss of funding isColumbia’s own fault
Re: “Trump strips Columbia of $400M in grants, contracts” (Page A4, March 8).
Columbia University has been known as one of the most hostile campuses for Jewish students, so it is only fitting that it will be the first university to lose federal funding for its refusal to make its campus safe for Jews.
Four hundred million dollars in grants have been withdrawn by the Trump administration. It was totally avoidable. All Columbia had to do was to enforce its own code of conduct and enforce the law when it came to anti-Israel demonstrations. Threats and intimidation against Jewish students should have been stopped and takeovers of campus buildings should never be tolerated.
Both the college administration and students are learning a simple lesson: actions have consequences. In the case of the university administration, its inaction also has consequences.
Other colleges should take note. Do your job because nothing would make Donald Trump happier than to cut your funding.
Gilbert SteinAptos
Has word ‘antisemitism’outlived its usefulness?
Maybe we should stop using the word antisemitism. It can mean either anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli.
Anti-Jewish is what we usually mean by antisemitism. It’s a slur on everyone from a certain background. Anti-Israeli is criticism of Israel. That’s something all American citizens have a right to do, like criticizing our own government.
To label criticism of a nation (Israel) for its treatment of Semitic people (Palestinians) antisemitism blurs an important distinction and lets us interpret an event according to our preconceived ideas.
Alex HavasySunnyvale