Tuesday's Letters to the Editor

<p class="bold allcaps">Big spenders</p> <p>EDITOR: There appears to be a lack of oversight in Santa Rosa city government. Forty million dollars is being spent to build a new facility for the Utilities Department, so the city can continue to spend our dollars adding to a fleet of more 400 vehicles and building better meeting rooms for its employees.</p><p>Who protects the ratepayer and the taxpayers from these expenses or passed-on fee/tax increases? It doesn't appear to be the city manager or the City Council and their appointed Board of Public Utilities.</p><p>For more than a decade we have paid double-digit increases for our water and sewer usage, and we have been told by our elected representatives that we can continue to expect this. Maybe it is about time to elect representatives who say no to this egregious spending.</p><p>I am tired of seeing the City Council and city personnel spend our money as if it was Monopoly money. It is time for a change. Vote for fiscally responsible representatives that first priority is the people.</p><p>THOM GLENN</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Retire the ones</h3> <p>EDITOR: Has the time come to retire the penny and the dollar bill? Considering the cost factor of minting these monetary units of commerce, has their usefulness expired?</p><p>We have a beautiful $2 bill, as well as dollar coins that have a longer life span than their paper counterparts and are in keeping with the 21st century cost of goods and services. We can price goods and services to the nearest nickel, as opposed to cent.</p><p>As a sign of good faith of our economic future, let's set aside the ones and roll onto fiscal recovery. Let your representative know your wishes.</p><p>Jobs for all, all for one.</p><p>M.J. GIRARD</p><p>Potter Valley</p><h3>Wall Street rules</h3> <p>EDITOR: I am writing about the importance of comprehensive federal action to rein in Wall Street's transactions to prevent another, even more disastrous financial meltdown.</p><p>Congress has now enacted the Dodd-Franks Act, a weakened bill that still potentially can limit the ability of the Wall Street gang to engage in its most nefarious activities.</p><p>But the effectiveness of the act is dependent on the regulations that will implement the law. This job rests with the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission. You can be sure that the Wall Streeters are already mounting a massive attempt to influence these regulations. They want the regulations to allow them to operate as much as possible in their old hugely profitable destructive ways, with minimum competition and transparency.</p><p>I am writing to the commission to urge its regulators to stand firm against Wall Street efforts and to write rigid regulations that serve the interests of the American public. I urge you to do the same.</p><p>I hope you had an opportunity to read the column by Gretchen Morgenson on Aug. 29 (“It's not over until it's in the rules”). She explains this whole issue in wonderfully clear and complete language.</p><p>GRAIL DAWSON</p><p>Mendocino</p><h3>Beck and Sharpton</h3> <p>EDITOR: David B. White (“D.C. rallies,” Letters, Wednesday) says Al Sharpton has a seriously flawed claim of radical divisiveness? Really?</p><p>Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of peace who started constructive nonviolent dialogues for social and economic justice. He worked tirelessly for civil rights, organizing people who had no voice, who didn't enjoy rights others took for granted. His “I Have a Dream” speech from the Lincoln Memorial preached racial unity. And you wonder why this could be an issue?</p><p>Glenn Beck is a sham. He has a loud voice and spreads an ideology of fear to people with a narrow view of our beautiful world. Be afraid of this group or that person, fear whomever is different from you, they want what you have, want to destroy you and what you hold dear. Redistribution of wealth is such a joke, but a big draw for Beck's followers. If you don't see things Beck's way, he says you are a Communist or a Nazi. Really?</p><p>As of Aug. 26, Beck is channeling spirit voices at his “Restoring Honor” rally. Really?</p><p>Indeed, he is too far gone to have any honor left after his divisive complaints, whining and tears.</p><p>PAMELA HOM</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Regulate redefined?</h3> <p>EDITOR: Is it possible that in the 18th century the word “regulate” had a slightly different meaning than it does today? Could it be that we are ignorant of this fact? I implore all readers to do their homework and not take my word for it.</p><p>My understanding is that to regulate the militia or interstate commerce simply meant to keep them properly operating. In the instance of the militia, “well regulated” refers to how well the militia operates and how well trained they were (state responsibility). Regarding interstate commerce, it simply meant commerce should be regular or uniform amongst the states (federal responsibility).</p><p>Today we are told to regulate means total control from the top. That being said, with manly firmness and in spite of an erring world, I reject your newspeak.</p><p>JOHN BLAIR</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>It's about jobs</h3> <p>EDITOR: While Susan Lentz' letter (“License drivers,” Thursday) primarily concerns undocumented workers driving without licenses, she begins by saying, “As a grape grower reliant on the hard work of a primarily immigrant labor force, I support immigration reform, including a path to citizenship.”</p><p>While I am in agreement with her desire for a more realistic, rational and humane immigration policy, am I to assume from her statement that she is acknowledging employing (either directly or through a labor contractor) undocumented workers?</p><p>If this is the case, she should be aware that knowingly employing undocumented workers is a violation of the law. If I have misread her letter and she employs only persons who may legally work in the United States, I apologize.</p><p>However, I firmly believe that a great deal of the angst and turmoil we are experiencing regarding illegal immigration could be eliminated if the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the Department of Agriculture would concentrate on holding employers responsible for hiring undocumented workers rather than attempting to identify the workers themselves.</p><p>While there are undoubtedly myriad other reasons, it seems obvious to me that the availability of jobs is the primary motivation to migrate to the United States. If we really want to reduce illegal immigration, we might begin by eliminating the economic incentive.</p><p>WILLIAM TURNER</p><p>Forestville</p>