March 27 Letters to the Editor

<p class="bold allcaps">Why reunify?</p> <p>EDITOR: Reunification of Old Courthouse Square, why? (“Work on Courthouse Square could begin in 2011,” Sunday.) Why is the Santa Rosa City Council forcing this on us when both city and newspaper polls show residents do not support this?</p><p>Closing off one of the few crosstown routes and diverting 14,000 motorists onto side streets will create a traffic nightmare. Traffic is already terrible now. Santa Rosa Avenue can be closed through the square for community events. I've been to many of them, and this works well.</p><p>A reason businesses are not getting more shoppers is because many people won't park in a parking garage and walk the half-block to downtown stores. Reunifying won't change people's behavior. Downtown stores are pricier places to shop, too; locals buy things where they can get them for less.</p><p>And let's not kid ourselves, Santa Rosa is not Healdsburg or Sonoma. We're not a “cute” little town where tourists come to shop for frou-frou items. Reunifying the square won't change that.</p><p>When there's no good reason why, the City Council should not impose this on us.</p><p>MARTI SWAB</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Quality business</h3> <p>EDITOR: I have had the pleasure of being acquainted with the Tocchini family for my entire life and have known them to have integrity, a strong work ethic and a commitment to our community. The theaters operated by the Tocchinis have provided entertainment for Sonoma County residents for decades. The theaters have also provided numerous employment opportunities, including many entry-level jobs.</p><p>I've known Larry Wasem for almost 25 years through business associations and as a friend. During this time, he has consistently been a generous supporter of the community through donations of his time as well as financial contributions. He has always been a man of his word.</p><p>Tocchini and Wasem have pledged to continue to operate the Rialto Cinemas as a showplace for art and independent films and with a commitment to support community programs in a manner commensurate with the practices of the current operator.</p><p>I believe the statements made by Tocchini and Wasem because of their demonstrated integrity over many years, and I strongly encourage others to share my confidence in their commitments.</p><p>SUE NELSON</p><p>Windsor</p><h3>Hospital pay</h3> <p>EDITOR: Voters agreed to support Palm Drive Hospital and awarded it parcel tax funds. I do not follow the hospital's financial situation until The Press Democrat brings it to my notice, but I noticed that it has found a new CEO for $275,000 per year (“Palm Drive hires new CEO,” March 20).</p><p>Is that a printing error?</p><p>There's also $250,000 being paid to Brim Healthcare Inc. I think the hospital needs a reality check. There is no way that a manager of a 37-bed hospital that probably has fewer than 100 employees warrants a $275,000 salary. This is a small business, not Wall Street.</p><p>In comparison, the Santa Rosa city manager has employees numbering in the thousands and is responsible for a budget that dwarfs Palm Drive Hospital, and he is paid just under $217,000.</p><p>I applaud Palm Drive's financial turnaround, and it appears that Brim Healthcare has been mainly responsible for it. However, if the new CEO is to do his job responsibly, perhaps Palm Drive should fire Brim and save $250,000. Except that Brim is the new CEO's employer, so that would not work.</p><p>I support Palm Drive but not at any price.</p><p>IAN ELLIOTT</p><p>Sebastopol</p><h3>GOP tactics</h3> <p>EDITOR: After health care reform passed on Sunday, the Dow Jones average rose almost 144 points through Tuesday. In early 2009, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's proposal to revive financial markets sent equities tumbling sharply the next day. What do market traders know that others don't? </p><p>Emotional rhetoric in the media has been impossible to avoid. During the final debate, Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, yelled “baby killer” at Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., as he spoke while Congress was in session. Neugebauer apologized, although his Web site uses the incident for fundraising. </p><p>Republican leaders haven't been outspoken on violent images and threats to elected leaders, including the president and members of Congress. Claims that the Obama administration used Nazi tactics ring hollow when office windows of Democratic Party representatives have been shattered by bricks, as happened in Arizona after the vote. A member of Congress was spit upon. Others were subjected to offensive insults. Smashing windows and public intimidation were Nazi tactics.</p><p>I could go on. Simply put, Republicans have allowed the right-wing fringe to control their message. They ignore their boxcars of sanity. After the collapse of the Bush administration, their strategy is chutzpah, fear-mongering and obstruction. </p><p>JOEL E. FOX</p><p>Graton</p><h3>Responsibility</h3> <p>EDITOR: On Thursday, Cheri Langlois repeated the liberal trope that it's OK to require everyone to buy health insurance because, well, we already require people to buy car insurance (“Insurance mandate,” Letters).</p><p>Langlois has overlooked an important difference here: Driving is a privilege granted by the state. A car is a choice. For the privilege of driving your car on the public roads, society requires that you be able to pay for any accidents. Hence, the requirement for auto insurance.</p><p>The main objection from conservatives to Obamacare is the sweeping expansion of government into what has traditionally been a matter of personal responsibility. But, instead of debating that, we are stuck arguing about abortion coverage and the meanies at the insurance companies.</p><p>JOE GAFFNEY</p><p>Rohnert Park</p><h3>Testing times</h3> <p>EDITOR: After reading the March 18 editorial “School pleas,” I am saddened by the state of our school economy. With my junior year of high school almost over, I am worried about the major changes that could affect my senior year. If the state continues to make promises that it will have no choice but to break, we will start to lose our confidence and faith in our government.</p><p>Increasing class sizes and giving teachers pink slips are only temporary fixes. In the long run it will affect us all. Students are already losing individual time with teachers. The teachers laid off will cut back on everything in life and dive into a deeper recession. If California ever wants to escape this recession, firing teachers isn't the answer.</p><p>The adventure of learning is turning into frequent statewide tests. If the government spent less money on all the testing, such as the STAR tests and the high school exit exam, we might have more money to keep teachers in the classrooms.</p><p>What happened to the school system we had just a few years ago — a time when teachers grew close to students and learning was enjoyable instead of taking test after test? </p><p>HANNAH FORREST</p><p>Santa Rosa</p>