Debt ceiling debate hurts poor Americans most | Letters to the editor

Budget cuts will hurt Americans

Congress has a responsibility to pay the bills it runs up. For decades, this was not an issue. But now House GOP leaders are refusing to pay unless they get deep cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance and core global poverty programs.

For them, people struggling to make ends meet are the problem, not reckless tax cuts for the rich that Congress has enacted over the last 40 years. These proposed budget cuts would force deep hardship onto tens of millions of people still recovering from the COVID economic downturn and rising costs of basic needs. Even worse, a debt default would trigger a deep recession and throw millions of Americans out of work. Instead of being responsible, House leaders are holding the U.S. economy hostage to punish Americans experiencing poverty.

This must stop. I strongly urge President Biden and congressional leaders to reject any budget cuts that would increase poverty and to lift the debt ceiling immediately.

Daniel Marsh, Modesto

Don’t give away our money

Does anyone know how our country can afford to spend billions of dollars on aid to other countries when our country’s debt limit is critical? If we reach the limit around June 1 and can’t afford Social Security benefits, that is tragic for millions of Americans.

Carla Dionizio, Modesto

Surplus or shortfall?

Last fall, just before the election, we received debit cards for several hundred dollars. It was our share of the California state surplus. Last week, our Bee reported a projected budget shortfall of $30 billion-plus. This is not the type of bookkeeping performance that should earn our governor a promotion.

David Muller, Denair

Supreme corruption

Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch have sullied and tarnished the integrity of the Supreme Court.

Thomas and his wife, a vociferous MAGA truth-denier, have been receiving lavish gifts, luxurious vacations, cruises on a multimillion-dollar yacht and use of a private jet from benefactor Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire. Harlan recently gifted Clarence’s mother a $150,000 check to pay off her home and then quietly paid off a relative’s college tuition at a costly, elite, private school. Mr. Crow also covertly donated thousands of dollars to Ms. Thomas’s questionable personal causes and activities.

Just nine days after staunch Trump supporter Gorsuch took his oath of office, he finally was able to unload a piece of property for $2 million to a law firm whose name was conveniently left off the sale. The law firm and Mr. Crow have multiple cases pending in courts.

Thomas and Gorsuch are nothing more than MAGA-backed, black-robed con artists. The two of them have no business sitting on a once-esteemed Supreme Court.

Brooks Judd, Turlock

More talk about River Walk

The Farmland Working Group gets it right in their May 7 piece titled “Many reasons to oppose huge River Walk proposal” (Page 1C, May 7). This 1,500-acre proposed project was made public in June 2021, just five years after Riverbank obtained approval for a 1,500-acre addition to its sphere of influence, known as Crossroads West. Only 400 acres of this area has been annexed to the city thus far, so the need for another expansion, particularly of this magnitude, has not been demonstrated.

This project would also be poorly placed given that its location is in a floodplain and consists of prime agricultural land. If Riverbank needs additional room to grow beyond Crossroads West, it should look to closer-in, available soils of lesser quality where we aren’t growing the food that feeds our citizens.

Riverbank residents should contact their City Council members to tell them they don’t need or want this development, and they don’t want to pay for the cost of the services it will require.

Jami Aggers, Modesto

Smooth-talking Newsom

Gov. Newsom is helping to ruin California and at the same time bragging about all the great things he has done and how great California is. He reminds me of a fellow trying to sell a broken-down car with only the radio working: “Just listen to that great radio.”

Jeffrey S. Diehl, Modesto