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Our own worst enemy
EDITOR: Science says that Homo sapiens, the wise human, appeared on Earth around 300,000 years ago. At that time, differences were solved with clubs, stones and spears. There were too few of the “wise” to cause serious harm to the small planet on which they lived, and they were in such small groups that diseases didn’t spread worldwide.
Today, we “wise” humans have multiplied in numbers to the point where our planet can hardly sustain us. We have contaminated the water, soil and the air we breathe to the point where the future of the small space we occupy in the cosmos is in danger. We have invented weapons that can destroy what we call civilization. We have encountered diseases that kill huge numbers of our species.
We are aware of and have the knowledge to deal with these problems. But we fail to do so and allow ourselves to be governed by many who deny their reality or refuse to avail themselves of solutions in order to maintain political power and personal wealth. Our demise will be the result of our own actions and inaction.
Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge who we are and what we should be called. There is a term for it in Latin, “Homo autovinces” — self-destroying human.
PATRICIA F. CLOTHIER
Santa Rosa
NIMBYs, plain and simple
EDITOR: Your article about the Cloverdale affordable housing project focuses solely on the supposed plight of 11 homeowners (“Neighbors concerned over planned housing project,”
Dec. 28). These people are clearly well off (as they own their own homes), and all pictured appear older and racially homogeneous.
While the needs of all citizens of Sonoma County are important, the paper failed to address the needs of the 75 families who could potentially move into the proposed complex. These people would likely be younger, more diverse and more likely to take the types of jobs that local businesses have a hard time filling.
They would also add substantially more to the city and county tax base than these 11 homes contribute, as due to Proposition 13, these houses are being grossly under-appraised and under-taxed by several tens of thousands of dollars per year.
Building housing of any type, anywhere lowers the cost for everyone else due to supply and demand. Lower housing prices attract young workers who are eager to live in a beautiful place and contribute to the local economy.
Those who oppose affordable housing are NIMBYs, plain and simple, who are contributing to the housing shortage and reducing the tax base.
DANIEL MILLS-THYSEN
Salt Lake City
Imagine the possibilities
EDITOR: I read with interest about the recent launch of the James Webb space telescope at a cost of $10 billion and 15 to 20 years of effort. The cost was not just a sum to accomplish an end. Rather the sum consists of salaries for thousands of individuals, from janitors to lead scientists. The mining and processing of materials. The development of new techniques. The invention of new science. I think the cost and effort is and was worth the price.
This is not why I write this letter, though. I think of this cost and compare it to the worth of hundreds of individuals who have billions and, some, hundreds of billions of dollars. More than any of these billionaires could spend in a hundred lifetimes. Look then at what was accomplished with $10 billion and think what these multibillionaires could do for humanity if some of their wealth went to the human condition.
IRA LOWENTHAL
Santa Rosa
Of hubris and tragedy
EDITOR: Yes, we are politically and culturally polarized. Yes, it is challenging to bridge the divide. Yes, as a self-proclaimed progressive I need to make the effort to understand Trumpism and the beliefs of the many Trump supporters. I must not start from the assumption that Donald Trump is a threat to the republic and his supporters are fools if I am going to reach anything approximating common ground.
I am going to start from a different place. Let’s assume Trump is a tragic hero. Aristotle tells us a tragic hero is a character who elicits fear and pity in the audience of a drama. Yes, I both fear what Trump could do to our democracy and pity the man who was in a position to unify our country but instead felt he benefited from maintaining the polarization.
The principal character flaw of the tragic hero is hubris. Yep, that checks also. Trump’s populist tendency to resent the authority of experts has misled him into believing his instincts are more reliable than any expert opinion. He simply has no idea how mistaken he can be. There will be an inevitable downfall, and I pray he doesn’t bring our democracy down with him.
JIM PEDGRIFT
Santa Rosa
Why I’m running
EDITOR: It’s time to get ready for elections again. People run for office for a lot of reasons. I never wanted to be in politics. I was called to it. I don’t particularly want to sit through hours of legislative sessions or have a whip pressuring me constantly to vote for things I don’t agree with. I’m running for Congress in the 4th District because business as usual politics is destroying us all and our planet. Both parties are complicit, and we need to step up and change our leadership. Every aspect of our system seems to be breaking down, and we need people to step up to change it.
I’m not a lawyer or an executive. I’m a ticked-off voter, and I’m stepping up to do something about it. It’s time to dump the corporate employees in our government and elect everyday people with common sense.
After decades upon decades of death and destruction for profit, it’s time to do something different. Let’s build a better world where we strive for the greater good, not the lesser evil. Together we can do this, but it’s going to take all of us.
JASON KISHINEFF
American Canyon
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