Hoping for better from Johnson
Re "Hood Corps probe grows," June 30: Yet another indictment of Kevin Johnson's questionable ethics and lack of business acumen. Unfortunately, I don't think it will sway any of his supporters.
Johnson was chief executive officer of St. HOPE until recently, and the alleged misappropriation of public funds happened during his watch. I can only hope that if the people of Sacramento still insist on voting him in as mayor, that he will not treat the city with such reckless abandon as he has done with his own business interests.
- Janet Grisanti, Sacramento
Not impressed with the captain
Re "Crime spike raises fears," July 1: I almost fell out of my chair after reading this article by Ryan Lillis. The Natomas area of Sacramento has had 30 home invasion and street robberies since the beginning of June. Now along comes Sacramento Police Captain Daniel Hahn to explain all of this to the fine citizens who live in fear every day.
Hahn's solution to the problem is to blame the city of Sacramento for everything. Of course, the old standby excuse is alive and well. Build more community centers, and parks, and then redesign the streets and schools. Are you kidding me? Go back to sleep.
You, sir, need to tackle the problem with the resourses available to you and solve these crimes. If you can't do it, step aside. The city of Sacramento pays you to do a job. Do it. Stop placing blame on others for your inability to get things done.
Here's a "tip." You just have to be a "little" smarter than the bad guys. That should't be to hard.
- Jack L. Souza, Sacramento
Retired Detective, Sacramento Police Department
Not impressed with Rex Babin
I normally regard Rex Babin with the same regard I have for the foul-mouthed children who live down the street – I simply ignore his antics. Sure, once in a while he manages to write something witty, but most of the time he simply comes across as crude and arrogant.
I've lost track of how many times he has crossed the line of civility, but here he goes again with his cartoon depicting Supreme Court Justices as gun-toting criminals.
The Second Amendment is one of the most unambiguous sections of the entire Constitution. The fact that four justices are unable to read the law as it plainly appears, but want to add their own personal biases, should give pause to us all. It should also remind us what is at stake in the presidential election.
Political cartooning isn't just about throwing bombs for the sake of controversy, but getting people to think about issues in new ways. That's never going to happen when the cartoonist is so obviously partisan. Babin seems content to wallow in juvenile and offensive humor that would never be tolerated if it were directed against the opposite side of the political spectrum.
- Mark Androvich, Folsom
CPS isn't entirely to blame
Although the "Unprotected" series (June 22-23)provided statistics about foster care and heart-wrenching stories of children who died despite Child Protective Services involvement, I think it is unfair to place all the blame on CPS.
I was a CPS social worker for seven years and had to manage a caseload beyond the state standard. Just like many of my co-workers, I worked nights and weekends just to stay "above water." Most social workers genuinely care about the children on their caseloads and would never purposefully put them in harm's way. To read "Unprotected" upsets me because no responsibility is placed on the court, families, schools and community.
I don't know how many times the court has ordered a child home against a social worker's recommendation. I don't know how many times relative/nonrelative caretakers go against social worker directives and allow unsupervised/overnight contact with the offending parent(s).
If it takes a village to raise a child, shouldn't the same village be responsible for a child's protection?
- Mary A. Parker, Sacramento
The planet needs us to change
Re "Immigration, population and politics," June 29: Regrettably, those who Dan Walters calls "dissidents" and others seem to view overpopulation narrowly as a California problem, fed by illegal immigrants and their growing families. The Sierra Club's "neutral" position views overpopulation more broadly as a world problem. Thus, the "neutral" position should not be dismissed as "hypocritical," but rather as reflecting concern for humankind as a whole.
