Brown out of touch on taxes

Re "Welfare cuts, new taxes sought" (Page A1, Jan. 6): I just can't understand how Gov. Jerry Brown thinks that the people of California are going to vote for raising taxes. Unemployment is high, the economy is bad, seniors are just making it and businesses are closing or moving out of the state. Where does the governor think that this money is going to come from?

I think welfare and social services should be cut. I don't think Brown is in touch with the people of California. I will encourage others not to vote for raising taxes.

– Robert Contreras, Sacramento

And about those raises

I will absolutely not vote for an increase in taxes as long as our wonderful elected officials are handing out raises to their staff. What do they think we are, stupid?

– William Connor, Pioneer

Kings' woes go higher

Re "Struggling Kings fire Westphal, promote Smart" (Page A1, Jan. 6): This is their sixth head coach in seven years. With that many changes, doesn't it point the problem to upper management?

– Ron Winter, Fair Oaks

Players, owners to blame

Re "Westphal courted trouble by failing to get club to play hard" (Ailene Voisin, Jan. 6): For the last couple of days, Ailene Voisin has painted Paul Westphal the villain for the Kings' demise. Of course, she is clearly wrong, and the blame instead should be squarely placed on the broad shoulders of the entitled generation. Geoff Petrie's drafting of players who lack the intelligence to run a simple offense, or fail to hustle, is clearly the root of the problem.

But what did you expect with the Maloofs, themselves, being part of the entitled generation?

– Mike Clegg, Davis

Santorum is a bigot

Re "Santorum sheds loser label, becomes a worthy challenger" (Viewpoints, Jan. 6): Two days in a row so far, you have published opinion pieces from prominent conservative columnists praising Rick Santorum for his political qualities in the wake of his close second-place finish in Iowa. As effective a politician as he may be, neither of these columns addresses one of the fundamental problems with Santorum: He is a homophobic bigot.

Several years ago, he compared sexual relations between two men to "man-on-dog" relations, comments he still defends today. He has also suggested that same-sex marriage is morally equivalent to polygamy. Bigotry of this kind has no place in American political life.

– David O'Brien, Sacramento

Santorum is a loser

Re "Santorum could energize GOP working-class base" (Viewpoints, Jan. 5): George Will suggests that Rick Santorum as the GOP's vice presidential candidate would lessen Obama's chances of winning Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes.

What Will fails to take into account is that Pennsylvania voters rejected Santorum's Senate re-election bid by 18 percentage points. With "Palin lite" (Michele Bachmann) officially out of the race and George W. Bush clone (Rick Perry) on life support, the GOP must decide whether to ride Mitt Romney as its candidate and choose someone without baggage as his running mate if they wish to retake the White House.

– Gene Martineau, Roseville

Santorum isn't a conservative

Re "GOP should consider Santorum's experience from the working class" (Viewpoints, Jan. 4): David Brooks failed to point out that former Sen. Rick Santorum has based his "social conservative" values on family – he is opposed to abortion regardless of rape or incest, contraception at fertilization, the Roe v. Wade decision and a woman's right to choose, as well as gay marriage.

This so-called "small government" conservative wants small government as long as it doesn't deal with the womb, the bedroom, the uterus or the doctor's office.

– Dave Bennett, Chico

Who's financing pension push?

Re "Pension debate due to heat up" (The State Worker, Jan. 5): In Jon Ortiz's column, we hear about how former bureaucrats George Shultz and Aaron McLear are twisting the arms of deep- pocketed donors to support their "pension reform" ballot initiative.

Who are these deep-pocketed donors? Are some or all of these donors fund managers aiming to expand their businesses by earning more in fees and commissions by managing funds that were once managed by CalPERS or CalSTRS? If this is the case, it appears that Shultz, McLear and their brethren are crafting and promoting a ballot initiative that would hand over more public money to an industry that has received billions of dollars of TARP funds and other subsidies since the 2008 financial crisis. And calling it "pension reform" provides the aura of a good government initiative that would stabilize the state's finances. The lipstick-on-a-pig metaphor comes to mind here.

– Jason Orta, Sacramento

Bringing back tasty memories

Re "Blue Diamond coaxes nuts out of their shell" (Living Here, Jan. 4): As a native of Sacramento, I was so happy to read the excellent article about the city's own Blue Diamond almond factory. Our mother worked many years in the '50s and '60s for what was then California Almond Growers with the quality control line and the inspection of blanched almonds. Our mom was so proud to work for this company back in the day when some of the "reject" almonds came home in her apron pocket. That was a big treat for us. Sacramento can be proud to have this quality factory in our community.

– Valerie Knorr, Sacramento

Camping illegal, even for poet

Re "Ode to well-mooned night" (Our Region, Jan. 3): Kudos to Mark Bell for attempting to better his plight. We could certainly use more of that in 2012. But shame on The Bee for failing to provide balanced reporting. Surely if the article can explain six times that Bell is making his "home" in the American River Parkway, it can also report that camping in the parkway is illegal.

No amount of writing poems or feeling "like Abe Lincoln" creates an exception to the parkway camping prohibition.

– Mark L. Andrews, Sacramento

Official deserved to be fired

Re "OHV official's dismissal signals wrong turn" (Viewpoints, Dec. 30): The BlueRibbon Coalition's Don Amador blames Daphne Green's recent dismissal as deputy director of the state Off Highway Motorized Vehicle Recreation Division on the "green conflict industry" and its "mean-spirited complaints."

But the wrong turn was taken a long time ago when, contrary to the division's stated charter, Green and others abandoned any pretense at "balancing" environmental with recreation concerns and rushed headlong into the welcoming arms of the off-road industry, its advocates and corporate sponsors.

When those concerned about off-road abuse urged new regulations to enhance the size and readability of vehicle tags, just for identification purposes, Green successfully threw the proposal down the legislative rabbit hole.

During 2010, our organization uncovered evidence that nationally known professional dirt bike riders and an off-duty CHP officer had trespassed on private lands and California's Pacific Crest Trail. No effort was undertaken to punish those involved or seek to curb further rider abuse.

– Mesonika Piecuch, Tehachapi, executive director,

ORV Watch Kern County

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