Re “Should the United States have open borders?”
I was fascinated to read the arguments of both Sal Rodriguez and Susan Shelley … because Rodriguez’s position isn’t really “open borders” at all. He argues it should be easier for well-intentioned immigrants to come to the U.S. without having to navigate such a complicated series of steps for becoming legal citizens or endure a grueling process just to gain entry into the country, but he notes there still should be a process, including a basic vetting. That’s not all that far removed from what we have now. Shelley, on the other hand, interpreted the same “open borders” phrase much more literally, as if the idea would be to prop the gates open with sticks and re-assign Border Patrol officers to a different law enforcement agency. And so, the debate really was reduced to apples vs. oranges. Both writers make sense on some aspects, but also are somewhat unrealistic about others. The result was an interesting read but, in my opinion, not much help in terms of solving our current border crisis.
— Bob Cunningham, Cherry Valley
Global warming
Re “Coal, gas power plants may get new limits” (May 12):
Thankfully, the EPA’s new regulations for fossil-fueled electricity generation preserve the chance to reach the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions science tells us are needed to maintain a climate where we all can thrive. It won’t be easy or cheap. But, failure is not an option. In 10 years, I would much rather discover we’ve spent a fraction of a percent of our GDP more than necessary to preserve a livable planet (while improving our health, security and extending our lifespan) than find that we just missed keeping global warming to a level that lets our kids and grandkids have a climate where they can enjoy life and prosper.
— Tom Hazelleaf, Seal Beach
White supremacy
Re: “Biden: Racial progress facing sinister forces” (May 14):
Once again, President Biden has repeated that endless lie, stating that Donald Trump said “there are fine people on both sides” of White supremacy, both for and against. Trump said no such thing. He merely said there are fine people on both sides of the question of whether or not to remove statues of Confederate heroes. But I guess as long as it makes the former president look bad, it is OK to continually repeat this lie.
— Marc Russell, Los Angeles
![Last week, the editorial board asked readers what they thought about whether or not the state of California should pay reparations for slavery. We published the first round of responses on Tuesday, as we normally do, but as a result of the volume and quality of letters submitted, we are presenting additional letters from across […]](https://www.sgvtribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2018_1008_generic_mailbox_letters_to_the_editor3-12.jpg?w=513 "Last week, the editorial board asked readers what they thought about whether or not the state of California should pay reparations for slavery. We published the first round of responses on Tuesday, as we normally do, but as a result of the volume and quality of letters submitted, we are presenting additional letters from across […]")
![Re “Enough of the Marxist delusions” (May 14): I agree with Matt Fleming that taxing the rich is not going to save democracy (though our democracy is in extreme peril and I hope something can save it). But, in usual fashion, he sets up a straw man, the obscure Excessive Wealth Disorder theory, and […]](https://www.sgvtribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2018_1008_generic_mailbox_letters_to_the_editor3-11.jpg?w=513 "Re “Enough of the Marxist delusions” (May 14): I agree with Matt Fleming that taxing the rich is not going to save democracy (though our democracy is in extreme peril and I hope something can save it). But, in usual fashion, he sets up a straw man, the obscure Excessive Wealth Disorder theory, and […]")
![No, it would be impossible to help all ethnicities that suffered past injustice History is the study of past events. The operative word is “past.” We can’t go back and help those people who in the past have suffered injustice. Probably every ethnic group on the planet has suffered injustice at one time […]](https://www.sgvtribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2018_1008_generic_mailbox_letters_to_the_editor3-9.jpg?w=513 "No, it would be impossible to help all ethnicities that suffered past injustice History is the study of past events. The operative word is “past.” We can’t go back and help those people who in the past have suffered injustice. Probably every ethnic group on the planet has suffered injustice at one time […]")
![Re “What’s driving the record levels of migration to the U.S?” (May 12): It is Joe Biden and his administration that have invited the immigrants to our borders. He canceled the construction of the border wall on his first day in office. Donald Trump, during his presidency, had the border under control … not […]](https://www.sgvtribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2018_1008_generic_mailbox_letters_to_the_editor3-8.jpg?w=513 "Re “What’s driving the record levels of migration to the U.S?” (May 12): It is Joe Biden and his administration that have invited the immigrants to our borders. He canceled the construction of the border wall on his first day in office. Donald Trump, during his presidency, had the border under control … not […]")