California Republicans who backed Rep. Jim Jordan for speaker are “feckless stooges” | Opinion

Price of freedom

“Gaza hospitals are overwhelmed with patients and desperately low on supplies as invasion looms,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 15)

The price of freedom is high. But the real question is: Whose freedoms are we talking about? And at what price?

Hamas and Israel hate each other far too much to ever come to a negotiated settlement. Both sides are convinced God is on their side. There is much to blame here. Peace may be impossible until the last Palestinian is staring at the last Israeli across the blood-soaked, charred ruins of Gaza.

Israel has the military wherewithal to invade and occupy Gaza. They may decapitate Hamas — they may physically eliminate its structure and kill its leaders — but it will be a hollow victory. You cannot kill an idea. It will survive and inevitably re-emerge.

Robert N Austin

Sacramento

Feckless stooges

“All 12 California Republicans back Rep. Jim Jordan, who again falls short in bid for Speaker,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 17)

We are less than a month from a possible government shutdown. World conditions are dangerously unstable, and a functioning government is essential. However, after removing the elected speaker without a replacement plan, the Republicans have chosen an extremist member of Congress as their leader. Thankfully, Rep. Jim Jordan has had difficulty securing support.

It’s alarming and appalling that the entire California Republican Congressional delegation, including Reps. Kevin Kiley, Doug LaMalfa and Tom McClintock, has no problem voting for a man intimately connected to the January 6 insurrection and who still denies the outcome of the 2020 election — not to mention those credible allegations of enabling sexual assault.

These local “representatives” and the entire Republican party have shown us they’re uninterested in governing. Chaos and dysfunction are their brand. Let’s fix that in 2024 and replace these feckless stooges.

Barbara Smith

Auburn

Opinion

Waning confidence

“California: Gavin Newsom’s tiny homes are delayed,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 12)

As someone who feels strongly about the homelessness crisis, I like the state’s initiative to solve this problem. But the fact that the governor is making promises he can’t keep is concerning. If Gov. Gavin Newsom is saying the tiny homes project will get done by fall, people believe him; but so far no homes have been built.

The fact that the state still doesn’t have a contracted business to construct the homes is very concerning, and the fact that it has moved the date to contract with someone three times doesn’t make me feel confident that this will be completed in the near future.

Emet Altevogt-Ward

Folsom

Pause and rethink

“CA’s Capitol Annex project is Sacramento’s nightmare,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 11)

Samatha Corbin’s op-ed provides an excellent overview of what’s wrong with the stalled Capitol Annex Project. The project is an assault on the historic integrity of our State Capitol (which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and on Capitol Park’s beloved trees. It is also a financial boondoggle.

It was planned and approved with no meaningful opportunity for public input. The current pause in construction offers a badly needed opportunity to rethink the project. The Historic Annex building has already been demolished, but its replacement could be redesigned from an oversized glass building that bears no relation to the 1874 Capitol to something more appropriate; plans for a new visitor center could be changed to preserve the West Lawn gathering space, and the parking garage could be eliminated.

Karen Jacques

Sacramento

Audit necessary

“CA’s Capitol Annex project is Sacramento’s nightmare,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 11)

The spiraling costs and lack of direction on the Capitol Annex Project are deeply troubling. Originally intended as a renovation, its scope and price have ballooned to almost $1.2 billion and now include demolition for a “glass palace,” an unnecessary excavation of the West Steps and the death of dozens of historic trees. With the project rushed through with little transparency and no clear plan, leadership or defined timeline, it’s not surprising that the project has been met with confusion and lawsuits.

It’s time to reconsider the entire project, especially with the state facing a massive budget deficit (as Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed out in many veto messages to critical safety nets).

An audit of the project is necessary so funds can be redirected to more deserving projects.

Kate Riley

Sacramento

Our principles

“The latest effort to secede from California is happening in Sacramento’s backyard,” (sacbee.com, Oct. 4)

Residents of El Dorado County want to leave California and form a state of their own. Residents of northern counties propose to create the new State of Jefferson. In eastern Oregon and Washington, some residents hope to create a greater Idaho. And Texas keeps threatening to leave the whole country behind and go it alone. This is not a new problem. Most will recall that a war was fought over this, though it seems the 600,000 dead did not leave a lasting impression.

President Abraham Lincoln had some thoughtful words to share on the subject, as he so often did. We will always have disagreements with our neighbors, he pointed out. But if that means we build a wall and wash our hands of them, where does it stop? It’s easy to praise democracy when one is in the majority. The true test is whether we abandon our principles when we are not.

Tim Goncharoff

Fairfield