To the editor: It seems that learning the story only leads to repeating it. Do societies crumble when the right to enjoy life is shared by those who do their best to contribute? I do not think so. (“The Recall Circus has managed to ignore the harrowing crisis that is tearing California apart,” column, Sept. 11)
President John F. Kennedy said it best when he suggested we ask what we can do for our country. For the sixty years since then, we’ve turned inward and instead asked ourselves what we can do for ourselves.
It will take at least that long to repair the damage we’ve done. If we don’t start seriously with education, climate change, inequality and a host of other issues, we will continue to attack windmills and our democracy will follow the path of bygone civilizations.
Will our democracy experiment work? Not if we lose trust in one another. Let’s start fixing our society by respecting those who are different. It could give us hope.
Arthur Kraus, Venice
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To the editor, while I appreciate Steve Lopez’s column on the unruliness of income inequality and the failure of one of the major political parties to address this issue and the grievances that go with it, it might be helpful to read more about what works .
Are there cities that have successfully tackled homelessness and housing construction? Are there more living wage worker jobs nowhere in California?
It’s true that the days of leaving high school and getting into a well-paying job are over, but craft jobs seem to be available. Are there no successful public-private programs that can place people with government-funded training in jobs?
After all, California, with the best of intentions, enacted some of the toughest environmental laws in the country, including the California Environmental Quality Act. However, CEQA and other regulations can present incredibly expensive and time-consuming minefields to potential employers and builders.
Is there no way we can tighten our environmental laws without affecting our quality of life? There has to be.
California has the largest economy in the country, which means something has to work in this state. Please show us what works.
Gordon Tomaske, San Gabriel
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