Letters

In a recent editorial a point was made that the city and county should focus on maintaining the infrastructure that we have now and not spend resources on building new infrastructure such as the River Park Project. While I agree that we shouldn’t be building things that we can’t afford to maintain, I think it is critical that we not abandon the goals of improving our community and to find ways to increase city and county revenues so that we can make improvements to parks, streets, schools and other public facilities.

Today I received my bill from the San Benito County Water District. With it was a pamphlet advocating passage of an $11.1 BILLION water bond. The pamphlet tells a sad tale of woe about what will happen if we do not pass this water bond. But what this pamphlet does not say is that farmers pay a small fraction of the cost of their water. The rest comes out of your taxes. Because their water is cheap, California farmers grow low-value crops like cotton, rice and cattle feed. This is a complete waste of our precious water, because these low value crops could be grown in states that have plenty of rain. If farmers had to pay the full cost of their water, they would not waste it on low-value crops. I will be voting NO on the water bond, and I will vote NO on any future water bonds unless the agricultural water subsidy is eliminated.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the people of the community. Do not forget to help out the unfortunate and especially the children, with a donated toy or food to the food bank . I donate every year to help make a difference. I hope you all do as well. Thank you.

To the Family of Jack Stark:

Every year during the holiday season, Americans take time to reflect and give thanks for the many gifts in our lives. Whether down the block, across the country, or around the world, we gather with family and loved ones to share a touch of home. It's during this special season we ask you to take the time to “give something that means something” to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, our nation's veterans, and their military families who may be separated from their loved ones or far from home.

The press has done a very good job of reporting about the challenges our veterans face. We all have read or seen stories about our wounded  warriors. About traumatic brain injury. About veterans suffering from  depression and other serious mental health issues. About those who have  lost limbs or endure other physical hardships. These are serious issues that deserve our attention, especially on Veterans Day. What also deserves our attention, but which gets much less press, is the fact that  military veterans are twice as likely to develop – and die from – Lou  Gehrig's Disease as those who have not served in the military.