Letters: $1 million outrage | Revoke approval | Realistic liberals | Save Social Security | Unjustifiable attack

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$1M for canceled bookan outrage to taxpayers

Re: “Writer to keep $1M in spite of plagiarism” (Page B1, March 14).

Outrageous. Jean McCorquodale was knowingly unqualified for the job; she is not a professional historian, and writing grants wouldn’t have made her familiar with the county’s history.

The county secretly gave her taxpayers’ money by avoiding the normally required bidding process. The $1 million fee was absurdly high; as one historian said, every real historian in the area would have jumped at the fee. She plagiarized about 20% of the book.

The excuse for not suing her to recover the money — that it could “hypothetically” cost more than her fee — is troubling. Contracts of this size routinely provide that the loser in any dispute pays the winner’s attorneys’ fees. If this contract doesn’t, that’s another stain on the County.

My guess is that the real reason for not suing is that the County executives responsible for the debacle don’t want more of their misdeeds and/or incompetence revealed.

Peter GelblumBoulder Creek

Cupertino council shouldreverse OK for billboard

As a recent college graduate who grew up in the Cupertino area, I am writing to speak out against the addition of a massive illuminated sign directly facing Highway 280.

Besides being a waste of energy, this sign would be a significant source of light pollution, which could have negative effects on motorists, residents and raptors who nest nearby. Furthermore, approval of this sign by the City Council will set a precedent for the potential proliferation of illuminated signs along Highway 280, endangering the designation of this section as a “Scenic Highway.”

On Tuesday, March 21, the Cupertino City Council will reconsider its approval of this ugly sign. I firmly believe that the safety and comfort of Cupertino’s residents and wildlife are worth fighting for, and would urge residents to contact the City Council via email or attend the meeting on March 21 to speak up about this issue.

KC HetterlyPalo Alto

Liberals are realistic,not depressed

Re: “The self-destructive effects of living with progressive sadness” (Page A17, March 12).

In David Brooks’ column, one of the absurd and overly-broad generalizations he makes is that conservatives are happier than liberals because they get married and participate in religious activities.

I am a liberal, unmarried and an atheist. I am also a very happy person. My happiness is firmly rooted in fulfilling and meaningful work, a sense of community in my life and a lovely home in a peaceful, rural setting. One of the many things we “liberals” find depressing and anxiety-producing in these scary times is climate change because, well … unlike many conservatives we actually believe it is happening. But quite from disempowering me, it infuriates me enough to spur me out of complacency and into action.

So much for absurdly broad over-generalizations.

Amy NeiblumAptos

Congress must fundSocial Security

Recently the hot topic in the news is the deficit reduction debate. The debate tries to link Social Security to the federal deficit. Social Security plays no direct role in the nation’s deficit. It does not depend on income tax revenue.

It’s true that as more people retire and with more people living longer, the surplus funds will run out.

However, there are many ways to strengthen Social Security. If we believe that Social Security is serving a useful purpose then Congress must do what is needed to satisfy its funding requirements. To this date, neither party has provided any solutions.

It is my sincere hope that common sense will prevail and that Democrats and Republicans will come together and make the necessary changes to Social Security to satisfy its funding requirements for generations to come.

Aurelio ZunigaHollister

Conservatives shouldclean their own house

If it is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ purpose to protect children from transgender people, drag queens and nonbinary persons for his displaced authoritarian campaign, then why are conservatives not doing the same to defend against sex abuse from predators in their own institutions?

The Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Boy Scouts have all been rocked by sexual abuse scandals. Several Catholic dioceses and the Boy Scouts have filed for bankruptcy over lawsuits related to abuse of children and young people. The mostly White conservative Southern Baptist Convention and largest Protestant denomination in the United States is dealing with hundreds of abuse cases it covered up for years. They are established Christian religious organizations or those heavily influenced by religion. The perpetrators are heterosexual or supposedly celibate males who abused their authority.

Ron DeSantis is using his authority to unjustifiably attack others who have done nothing to deserve it.

Warren SeifertGilroy