Letters: Campus safety | ‘Hero pay’ | Ban offshore drilling | Better tech | Variety of voices | Debt limit

Mercury News Letters to the Editor for Oct. 17, 2021

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We must do more to halt
campus sexual assaults

Re. “Students: Sexual assaults are on the rise,” Page B1, Oct. 5:

The fear of experiencing a sexual assault is in the back of all female college students’ minds at any given time. We are afraid when living in the dormitories, going to school-related events or parties, or simply walking around campus. We all know someone who has been assaulted, or for many of us, have experienced an assault ourselves.

The fact that Santa Clara University students have reported 30 sexual assault cases involving a date rape drug, in just a little over a month’s time, strikes fear into the hearts of college women everywhere. We are experiencing violence and harassment on and off of our campuses.

Oftentimes these cases are not taken seriously and the perpetrator involved is let off free by the school. We need to protect women and take sexual assault much more seriously. Women should be able to get an education without being victimized.

Taylor Patterson
San Jose

Money for county worker
‘hero pay’ misdirected

Re. “Public employees to receive ‘hero pay’ bonuses,” Page A1, Oct. 6:

Good grief. Public employees already get retirement benefits that far exceed the average worker. Public employees already get several more paid holidays than the average worker.

Now, there is an infusion of $76 million in federal money and Santa Clara County has elected to give its own employees bonuses. Come on … we are all suffering.

As someone who regularly uses court services in my line of work, I would much prefer the money going toward hiring more staff and/or paying overtime so that government agencies can begin to recover from all the delays and backlog that has occurred.

Extra funds should be going toward practical solutions to problems that occurred as a result of the pandemic and not extra pay-outs to all public employees, regardless of their actual “hero” status.

Julie Bonnel
Sunnyvale

Citizens must push
for coastal drilling ban

Thank you for your editorial, “California needs permanent ban on coast drilling.” (Page A6, Oct. 6)

This latest spill is indeed “the last straw.” It has me grieving again, for all the sealife and marsh ecosystems killed by this tragic accident. Then I remember that thousands of California children live and play near oil wells and are sickened every day.

We at Mothers Out Front call on California leaders to stop fossil fuel drilling anywhere. We know that every gallon of oil or gas that is pumped out of the ground brings us deeper into a climate calamity that will doom future generations.

We can email the governor and other state leaders to heed the call of the Last Chance Alliance, and Stop, Drop, and Roll. Stop new drilling projects, drop existing production and transition to green jobs, and roll out 2,500-foot setbacks away from homes and schools. It’s time. Now.

Susan Butler-Graham
San Jose

Better tech exists
for oil spill response

The response to the huge oil spill near Huntington Beach seems to consist of workers in rowboats with rags and buckets.

The massive spill back in 2010 prompted a contest to design a better method of collecting spills and a prize was rewarded for an outstanding oil collection design to Elastec/American Marine.

Why is that product not mandated to be near oil rigs to collect spills?

Ronald B. Johnstone
Santa Clara

Opinion pages must carry
a variety of viewpoints

I am in letter writer Brian McCormick’s camp – keep conservative columns for balance (“Keep conservative columns to preserve the balance,” Page A12, Oct. 3 ).

I don’t always agree with Victor Davis Hanson, but I usually give his column a read – Marc A. Thiessen, not so much. I will glance at the subject and maybe some of the article, but I tend to dismiss him.

I would prefer to see more from George Will, Bret Stephens and David Brooks (I did not agree very much with his op-ed on the opposite page that same day about why we “need’ to spend $4 trillion).

Leonard Pitts Jr. has things that I agree and disagree with, but I am so glad he is over President Trump. He seemed to be eternally fixated on him in every column – which I believe detracted from his writings.

Keep the balance, Mercury News.

Gary W. Miller
Saratoga

GOP continues dangerous
game with U.S. economy

Re. “Senate approves temporary raise of debt ceiling,” Page A4, Oct. 8:

Every time I see that the Republicans (let’s face it, it’s always the Republicans) are pulling this destructive stunt again, my blood boils.

Why is this a destructive stunt? What most people clearly don’t realize is that the debt ceiling limit is related to financial obligations that Congress has already authorized in prior legislative sessions. They already voted for these expenses. What they are saying with this stupid game is that the United States doesn’t pay its bills. What a great message to the world, and what great behavior to model for the Republican rank and file.

This charade is so dishonest. The Mercury News can help call this out by reminding people what the money is for. If Congress doesn’t want to raise the debt ceiling, it shouldn’t vote for all the appropriations that make it necessary. Any other action is just games and lies.

Margaret Stanton
San Jose