Drought, cancer, guns and barriers

Water needed beyond three years

Re “Water districts: We’re OK for 3 dry years” (Page 1A, Aug. 17): These water districts paint the picture that our water supplies are fine, when in reality, they are in grave danger.

The drought is predicted to last much longer than three years, with some scientists calling drought the “new normal.” Water districts need to be thinking about supplies in terms of generations – not three years.

For example, Orange County is investing in supplies like indirect portable reuse through our groundwater replenishment system. We’re also looking into seawater desalination as an option that is not dependent on rainfall or snowpack, especially now considering the State Water Board has designated the Carlsbad Desalination Plant as a drought resilient water supply, thus allowing San Diego County to reduce mandatory conservation requirements.

If local water districts want to avoid state mandates and ensure fresh water for generations to come, they must invest in their own local supplies.

It’s not so hard to talk cancer

Re “How to talk cancer” (Explore, Aug. 16): How encouraging that UC Davis is devoting precious resources to teaching communication-challenged doctors how to talk honestly with patients. How unfortunate that such resources must be expended in this effort.

Evidence-based medical research has clearly established that patients with advanced cancer and other conditions that will inevitably result in death live longer with hospice, palliative care than patients who receive aggressive, expensive, painful, and futile procedures and treatments.

That fact being known since at least 2007, how difficult can it be for a physician to be honest with a patient who has been diagnosed with serious, advanced or aggressive cancer, particularly those patients who are over the age of 70?

One can not help wondering if at least one of the reasons physicians find these conversations difficult is that hospice care is not nearly as lucrative for physicians and hospitals as surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy and, ultimately, death in the ICU.

Barriers are better than gun theft

Re “Rocklin gun shop owner, city spar over store’s security barriers” (Local, Aug. 16): It’s true, the concrete security barriers in front of Sacramento Black Rifle aren’t attractive or aesthetically pleasing. However, they aren’t nearly as ugly as the sight of a person killed or injured by a criminal using a weapon stolen from this gun shop.

I hope the city of Rocklin won’t allow a single, anonymous complaint to take precedence over the rational and proactive steps taken by the shop’s owner to protect his inventory until alternative means of security can be agreed upon. Let logic prevail.

Only Wall Street gets bailed out

Re “Mortgage tax relief gets axed” (Insight, Dan Walters, Aug. 17): What a shame for those who got first or second mortgages between 2002-06 before the crash in 2008. If Senate Bill 907 was bailing out Wall Street of CalPERS, it would have passed. The taxes lost from forgiven home equity would have been replaced easily by increased reassessed property tax revenue coming in over the last two years.

The oligarchy wins again while the middle class loses.

Birds of a feather – Ailes and Trump

Re “Ailes aid to be advising Trump campaign” (Page 10A, Aug. 17): So Roger Ailes, former Fox News chairman, is going to be an adviser to the Trump campaign. Perfect! They can compare notes on sexual harassment.

Anything for a Democratic vote

Re “Brown gets bill to allow more felons to vote” (Page 7A, Aug. 17): The Democrats will do anything to get an extra vote.

This story was originally published August 17, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Drought, cancer, guns and barriers."