Monday’s Letters to the Editor

Dangerous heat

EDITOR: When I was a child, the thermometer hit 117 degrees once; my father said it was likely the hottest day we’d ever experience. If only! “Global weirding” is unpredictable, but it’s hot. Red hot. In May, parts of India hit 121 degrees Fahrenheit. Birds dropped from the air. Human activity became impossible. More people die when temperatures rise, sometimes even if they have air conditioning and abundant water. Heat messes with our systems.

Don’t stop reading. It’s upsetting; we’d all like to enjoy our summers. But extreme heat is happening in Oregon as well as in the global South. Experts agree we have little time to slow, let alone reverse, climate change.

We must leave fossil fuels in the ground, greatly accelerate clean energy use and capture way more carbon. We must prioritize the global South and low-income communities to invest in climate justice. And we must defend fair and free elections, so our government listens and acts.

Please urge President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency, whether or not Congress passes his important Inflation Reduction Act, which funds critical climate solutions. I shudder to think of the roastings my great-nephew will suffer if we don’t pull together fast. Now. Urgently.

LEAH HALPER

Santa Rosa

Law and order

EDITOR: Hats off to Michael George (“Trumps ‘Guilt,’ ” Letters, July 14). I agree with him a hundred percent. As we see our country falling apart under the Biden administration, I think it is time to vote for a president and governors of the states who are more conservative, ones who believe in obeying our laws and Constitution. All Democrats have is the blame game to try to make Donald Trump look bad, because Americans want law and order.

GAYLE KOZLOWSKI

Santa Rosa

Medical dilemma

EDITOR: I don’t profess to have any answers or causes for our medical community’s lack of availability for patients to acquire medical homes for their needs. Having my own medical home and primary care physician, albeit definitely not experiencing the personal touch that was available years ago, I can call and get an appointment if necessary. Granted, our aging population has put a strain on primary care physicians, and it appears recruiting them has been difficult. I have heard possible reasons for the shortage include the high cost of housing and the lack of medical students choosing primary care as their field.

Being of the aging population, I hear many sad, frustrating and debilitating stories about families having to bring their aging parents from different cities, counties or states to come live with them due to conditions that prevent them from living alone. In doing so, they are unable to establish them with a primary doctor. This just adds to the scary and dangerous family struggle.

As I mentioned, I don’t claim to have answers, but I would feel proud to live in a medical community that could help find answers and take care of our community’s needs.

YVONNE MARTIN

Santa Rosa

Economy destroyed

EDITOR: The current administration is on pace to destroy the economy and freedom for citizens of the United States in a record four years. This administration’s insistence to move the United States away from fossil fuels has created unacceptable inflation and erosion of GDP.

The current administration has dangerously committed the United States to support U.N. sustainable development goals. Craig Rucker, president of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, a public policy organization specializing in environmental issues, says, “The end goal of these efforts is to reduce sovereignty of both individual nations and people.” Another threat posed to our republic is that World Economic Forum developmental goals may cause world food shortages.

Informed voters want change away from radical government policies now in place. If we wish freedom for our children and grandchildren, we have to achieve fraud-free midterm elections for November. Then, we must ensure the same election protocols are in place for 2024. That done, voters will achieve leadership changes that will allow our republic to flourish again.

ROBERT D. SHOPTAW

Fort Bragg

Sonoma spirit

EDITOR: The Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women is excited to announce our second annual Sonoma County Spirit Award recognizing the hard work of leaders who have fought to improve the lives of women and girls in our community. This year’s theme, A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats, recognizes that leaders are doing amazing work in all sorts of fields and often uplifting women and girls in the process, even if women and girls are not the focus.

We encourage you to nominate anyone and everyone who has positively impacted our community, whether they are teachers, small business owners, activists, baristas, family members or have any other role. More information about the award, including the links to nominate in English or Spanish, can be found at sonomacounty.ca.gov/commission-on-the-status-of-women-sonoma-county-spirit-award.

CAITLIN QUINN

Petaluma

You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com.