Letters to the Editor

Re "Crash kills driver, injures two" (Our Region, May 14): The Bee recently reported on California Conservation Corps members who were injured when a Reno man lost control of his car on Interstate 80 near Soda Springs while leading CHP officers on a high-speed chase.

Re "Hospital prices vary wildly" (Our Region, May 9) and "Viva Mexico's rational health care system" (Forum, April 7): All this rang home today when I received statements from my insurance company for charges imposed by Marshall Hospital in Placerville.

Re "Can Dems curb urge to spend?" (Dan Walters, May 19): An expected $3 billion state surplus this year should be paid entirely toward the $4.5 billion annual shortfall in the state teachers' pension system (CalSTRS).

Re "Tipoff time for new era" (Page A1, May 18): With a new arena, the capital of one of the biggest states in America will keep a team in a major, professional sport. The arena's construction will bring many jobs and bring life and new revenues to downtown.

Re "Crooks found to be counselors" (Capitol & California, May 14): I highly disagree with the way California certifies substance abuse counselors. Unlike most large states, California does not require criminal or other background checks for drug and alcohol abuse counselors.

Re "Jack Ohman" and "Matt Bors" (Editorial cartoons, May 21): Ah, two cartoons today - a study in contrasts!

I have been watching with interest the press conferences and congressional hearings this past week, in the investigations of Benghazi, IRS, and AP scandals.

Re "If BDCP were science-based, Delta flows would be a priority" (Editorials, May 12): The BDCP 37-mile pair of tunnels would take water from the Sacramento River and divert it to southern California agribusiness corporations.

Re "Tipoff time for new era" (Page A1, May 18): I'm a big basketball fan and am happy that the NBA turned down Seattle's bid to move your Kings. I was heart-broken when the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City and know that you would have been crushed if your team moved. Congratulations and may you continue to experience the joys of a pro basketball team for many years to come!

Re "Expanding Medi-Cal: An opportunity not to be wasted" (Viewpoints, May 10): United Way CEO Peter Manzo is right on track by charging our governor, Jerry Brown, to take action and expand Medi-Cal to cover uninsured people in this state.

Re "With scandals, government delegitimizes itself" (Viewpoints, May 18): Ben Boychuck continues in the tradition of Republican rants against government made popular by the conservatives' lord god, Ronald Reagan.

Re "With scandals, government delegitimizes itself" (Viewpoints, May 18): Conservatives like Ben Boychuk, Rep. Darrell Issa and the entirety of the Republican Party leadership groan about government overreach and accountability while forgetting their lack of outrage a decade earlier.

Re "With scandals, government delegitimizes itself" (Viewpoints, May 18): Ben Boychuk's column is spot on. No wonder people mistrust our government. We are lied to during political campaigns, statistics are used to manipulate facts, candidates promise things we know they will never do, yet we buy it. We say it is only politics; of course they are going to lie, and we continue to elect them.

Re "Egyptian Romeos seek brides among Syria’s refugees" (Page A7, May 15): The article describing Egyptian men too poor to marry an Egyptian bride who are seeking out Syrian refugees fails to discuss the cultural customs that accompany marriage or the status of Egyptian and Syrian men and women.

Re "BDCP has safeguards" (Letters, May 19): Supporters of Central Valley salmon and Delta fish restoration aren't backers of "doing nothing," as Natural Resources Secretary John Laird suggests is the only "alternative" to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral tunnels.

Re "Corrosion plagues new bridge" (Page A1, May 19): There is a simple and relatively cheap repair system to compensate for inspection and construction errors on the new Bay Bridge span: bungee cords!

Re "BDCP has safeguards" (Letters, May 19): A July 2012 report by the California Department of Fish and Game (http://www.water.ca.gov/iep/docs/Herrgesell_IEP_Report_FINAL.pdf) on ecological understanding of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for 40 years details the work of a large number of extraordinary scientists doing exceptional studies for an unprecedented long period of agency cooperation.

Re "Tipoff time for new era" (Page A1, May 18): I'd like someone to explain the common sense applied to the decision to take existing revenue generated by the downtown mall, and displace it and replace it with existing revenue generated from Sleep Train Arena.

Re "Fired IRS chief defends staffers' actions" (Page A1, May 18): Readers should know that the IRS wasn't auditing these groups, but rather was deciding whether they should be tax-exempt -- and not have to pay any tax (unlike the rest of us) on revenues (from whom?) to do who knows what (secretly influence California's ballot initiatives and the vote on same?).

Re "If Maloofs return, this longtime fan won't" (Sports, May 15): Brought up as a true fan, I can see how Todd Dingley's feelings about the Maloofs are justified, but I do not think he is acting correctly.

Re "Business should train more workers" (Letters, May 15): Businesses need to give back. I could not agree with the writer more. Large businesses that are earning billions of dollars every year, in comparison to workers that work for them, receive a large amount of tax breaks. The letter writer brings up a good point that when she says the corporations should use benefits from tax breaks to develop qualified and skilled U.S. workers to fill abundant jobs. Having more skillful workers to fill job vacancies not only helps the workers and the economy, but also helps the business itself. More qualified worker means businesses can hire fewer workers as they will work more effectively.

Re "Corrosion plagues new bridge" (Page A1, May 19): Thank you for the article regarding CalTrans' handling of the corrosion issues during the construction of the new east span of the Bay Bridge.

Re "Tipoff time for new era" (Page A1, May 18): Congratulations on keeping the Kings. I did not want to see another city lose their team. From a long time Seattle Supersonics fan.

Re "Kids rescued from rubble at Okla. elementary" (SacBee.com, May 20): Where are our "news" priorities?When 20 children and six teachers were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary the television stations fed us constant coverage of the carnage. When a devastating tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma and collapsed a school on dozens of children, killing many of them, nothing appeared on the disaster until the evening news.

Re "State must pay enough to keep water workers" (May 17): Hydroelectric plant operators are essential personnel in the State Water Project's delivery of water throughout California. These state employees are paid 65 percent less than the prevailing standard elsewhere so the best of them leave state service, creating vacancies which can't be filled.

Re "House votes for 37th time to repeal health overhaul" (Page A8, A9): Number of bill introduced by Republicans repealing all or parts of the Affordable Care Act: 37. Number of bills introduced by Republicans to create jobs: 0.

Re "Lack of key water staffers is 'crisis, ' state officials say" (Page A1, May 16) and "State must pay enough to keep water workers" (Editorials, May 17): The Bee's recent article and editorial on the staffing challenges of the State Water Project are much appreciated.

Re "White House has a major credibility crisis to deal with" (Viewpoints, May 17): Columnist Charles Krauthammer advises Republicans to exercise restraint by not "overplaying" their Benghazi cards so it doesn't appear they're indulging in "partisan politics."

Re "China leaves U.S. behind in pursuit of clean energy" and "Dry winters, fires, low reservoirs -- prep yourself for the ‘new normal’" (Editorials, May 5): The United States is seriously lagging in efforts to develop clean renewable sources of energy. We must accelerate if we are to achieve our greenhouse gas reduction targets and mitigate the potential disastrous impacts of global warming, and achieve some measure of energy security.

Re "Kings drive shows city at its best" (Marcos Breton, May 19): Now can we hear the real taxpayer cost of the Kings deal? Count me as one of the ignored Sacramento taxpayers who didn't drink the Kool-Aid and jump into the money pit which is the downtown arena and the Kings.