Trafficking victims, internet gambling, tunnel logic, teacher tenure | The Sacramento Bee

Don’t forget sex trafficking victims

Re “Sex-trafficking victim home shuts amid scrutiny by state” (Page 1A, Aug. 21): The article painted a picture of an organization that started with good intentions that went sideways, a CEO who was hiding facts from big money sponsors and disgruntled ex-employees ready to get back at the people who had wronged them.

But it seemed to have missed a very important factor. Whatever anyone thinks about Jenny Williamson or Courage Worldwide as a whole, the fact remains children are still being sold for sex. Don’t let one organization’s issues deter you from wanting to help these children.

Because of the article, the public now thinks these kinds of organizations are a scam. But it isn’t true; there are other organizations and people who have committed so much time, energy and money into helping these children. When all is said and done, they are still the victims and they deserve a chance.

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Internet gambling is not a threat

Re “Internet poker bill is a losing hand” (Editorials, Aug. 23): Whatever California’s Legislature decides to do about Internet poker, The Bee’s editorial board ought to stop peddling the threadbare superstition that gambling via the internet is somehow uniquely evil, and the poor consumer has no defense against being enslaved online.

Bilge. There are genuine online hazards in texting while driving, being lured into a robbery or wandering into harm’s way playing “Pokémon Go.” We have yet to see a casualty from internet poker.

More importantly, if ordinary people cannot be trusted alone with a few hours of their own time and a few dollars of their own money, then how can they be allowed to vote?

Arguments for tunnels not logical

Re “Economist says Delta tunnels don’t pencil out” (Local, Aug. 24): Yes, water flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the sea aggravates the Central Valley farmers. But the point they are missing is that there is a certain amount of flow that is needed to keep the Delta and San Francisco Bay healthy and to support the salmon runs.

The farmers need to cut back the amount of water they are taking from the Delta and either find other sources – recycling, desalination, restoring the Tulare Lake Basin – or cut back the excessive acreage of orchards they have planted and continue to expand.

And with global warming, they can’t rely solely on the Delta with or without the tunnels. When will the state stop its foolish one-track approach and look at real, viable, modern approaches?

Misconceptions, facts about tenure

Re “Court keeps teacher tenure protections” (Capitol & California, Aug. 23): The court ruling recalls some common perceptions and misunderstandings about teacher tenure.

Most important, tenure is a guarantee of due process and not a haven for incompetency. Tenure once required three straight satisfactory full years of teaching before it was awarded. Many county, state and federal agencies require mostly six months to a year to achieve similar status.

Until a teacher achieves full tenure, little proof or documentation is needed for dismissal. At full tenure, much more specific documentation is required to make a case. In any circumstance, a teacher deserves protections from random firings.

Since tenure was lowered to two years some time back, a first-year teacher can be removed with little reason or explanation given, even if their evaluations have been excellent all year. In conclusion, to keep teachers in the profession, they deserve an absolute guarantee of due process just like other non-teacher public agency employees.

Clinton story worth the front page

Re “Donors frequently got access to Clinton” (Page 3B, Aug. 24): The Associated Press has a major story on Hillary Clinton and her pay-to-play scandal at the State Department, and The Bee sees fit to bury the story in the second section, third page?

There is a presidential campaign in progress, and articles relevant to the election, especially those by reliable sources should be front-page news.

The fourth estate should be reporting the news, not attempting to influence it.