Wednesday’s Letters to the Editor

Putin must be stopped

EDITOR: I have had it with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. It is high time our elected officials stop talking and actually invoke sanctions or any other nonmilitary means to restrain Putin. This dictator has interfered in our elections, levied harmful cyberattacks against the U.S. and invaded the Crimea with no significant retribution. And now Putin threatens to attack and annex the Ukraine.

Putin is so entrenched in KGB doctrine that he can’t think outside the box for the good of Russia. He’s a true believer and thus dangerous. Putin, however, didn’t fool the late great Sen. John McCain, who once said, “I looked into his eyes and saw three letters, a K, a G and a B.”

Putin’s Russia would profit more by cultivating a friendly relationship with the U.S. and European Union rather than being an adversary. Had Putin done so, Russian could have become a trading partner, which would have boosted its economy. Perhaps what Putin is really worried about is that democratic republic principles that exist in the U.S. and the EU would take hold in Russia and he would be out of a job and no longer able to rip off the wealth of the Russian people.

GENE COLOMBINI

Santa Rosa

A regressive tax

EDITOR: It would be great to protect Highway 37 from flooding (“Dodd revives Highway 37 toll road proposal,” Feb. 17). And nice if this overloaded artery added a couple of lanes too. And let's raise the road so the abundant wildlife could wander from one part of their habitat to another without becoming roadkill. However, there is a big problem with paying for these important improvements with a toll on all highway users.

Long ago in Economics 101, I learned about regressive taxation: taxes that hit poor folks harder than the rich. Do we in 2022 ignore that — if all the stories in the news about constant inequality are any indication, we may not — but I think this idea is still worth considering before we put tolls on all drivers who use Highway 37.

Surveying the picture accompanying the story I see numerous pickup trucks, work trucks and small vehicles among the SUVs. Should the guy who goes to Marin County every day to work on lawns have to pay the same rate as a doctor or lawyer coming home to his cocktails?

Improving Highway 37 is a terrific, long overdue, idea. Let’s just pay for it fairly.

CHARLES LITTLE

Petaluma

Front-page story

EDITOR: I have been a subscriber to The Press Democrat for over 40 years and have been very pleased with the direction the paper has taken, to bring me local and world news stories of quality. I was dismayed however to see the headline story about our health officer, Sundari Mase. While I do not condone in any way her actions regarding her DUI, or feel it shouldn’t have been reported on, I do feel disappointed by your sensationalizing the story and posting it as the first headline I saw, on the front page of your newspaper. I believe this was a real error of judgment on your part.

JOAN McAULIFFE

Santa Rosa

In support of SB 1173

EDITOR: As a longtime public employee and a current retiree benefiting from a pension, I would like to express appreciation for your article about the effort to require the California Public Employee Retirement System and the State Teachers Retirement System to stop investing in, and rapidly divest from, major polluting industries (“Bill seeks fossil fuel divestment,” Feb. 18). Senate Bill 1173 would require PERS and STRS to cease investment in, and soon divest from the 200 major publicly traded businesses which emit the most pollution from carbon and other greenhouse gases. As our climate crisis steadily, obviously and rapidly gets worse, we have no time to waste. This California State Senate bill would give PERS and STRS until 2027 to divest of investments in top polluting companies, giving these companies time to clean up their emissions. The bill would also prohibit new investment in those companies right away.

I urge all public employees, teachers, employees of public schools, and all retirees of such institutions, to contact their state senators in support of this bill!

BILL MONTGOMERY

Santa Rosa

Confident in Mase

EDITOR: I was very disappointed to see The Press Democrat’s front page headline coverage of the county’s health officer, Dr. Sundari Mase (“Health officer arrested in 2020,” Feb. 19). Dr. Mase has done an incredible job over the past several years in guiding Sonoma County through the pitfalls of the COVID pandemic, relying on her professional expertise and guided by science. She does not deserve the assault on her reputation brought on by the vivid detail of events spelled out in this article.

Previously it was noted that Sonoma County has lost several professional women of color owing to racial discrimination. It seems ironic that we would want yet another top county official to feel pressured to leave. Her offense occurred during her own personal time and did not affect any aspect of her position as health officer of Sonoma County. Dr. Mase has my total confidence in continuing to lead the county in best practices, guided by her scientific knowledge. This attack seems to fuel those who would promote the anti-vax, anti-mask campaign. I expected better of The Press Democrat.

JUDY ERICKSON

Santa Rosa

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