Letters to the Editor: Progressives want to 'reimagine California.' What about the rest of us?
To the editor: The common theme in the responses to your "Reimagine California" series is that we, individually or corporately, are not making choices that will create a more "equitable" society, and that more government action is needed.
While the "reimagine" exercise can yield insightful options, reimagine does not mean "do-over." Whatever is proposed will have to navigate or modify existing structures.
Will the resulting government and economic structures be capable of producing the technical, scientific, cultural and economic achievements equal to those produced by the previous model? There is little evidence to support an affirmative response.
The pursuit of a more "equitable" society will only enable and benefit the government class. Everyone else will be disappointed.
Scott Perley, Irvine
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To the editor: Thank you for the "Reimagine California" letters. They were diverse, reflective and at times moving. The letters reminded me that unless we embrace our shadow sides — the pain, suffering and trauma around the pandemic and the election — hope and renewal are illusory.
For me, the shadow sides are not about the other, but about that trauma and pain that I carry within me, bound up together with others. So it was with great sorrow that I witnessed the Trump administration's self-destructive attacks on science, public health and expertise.
Similarly, there's a deep shadow side as well to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. It's terrible to lose and to be a loser. That said, I hope that we can turn away from the self-destructive and dangerous lies about the election.
I pray that we Americans can open our hearts to this trauma of losing and realize that the protections of our voting process remain totally nonpartisan. Let our hearts and minds become open so we reject the Big Lie that our election was flawed and corrupt.
Stanford Searl, Culver City
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
