Letters: Mental health | Congressional action
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Previous psychological well being
system higher than none
Re: “The place is state’s psychological well being plan, governor” (Web page A12, March 26).
I’m very offended with our system.
The dearth of shock or public response to your lead editorial on March 26 is simply one other instance of the callous remedy that our authorities and group present the critically mentally unwell.
We have now all the cash on the earth to fund wars, deficits and all types of bailouts for individuals who have already got some huge cash. The efforts of many well-meaning psychological well being advocates have ended up within the graveyard for lack of funding.
I believe that the pretense behind the wholesale destruction of the psychological well being system was a ruse to channel cash.
The present state of psychological well being is so dangerous that I’ll welcome the reinstatement of the outdated system consisting of humungous psychiatric facilities. They offered security and a house to the critically mentally unwell.
Kohli Singh
San Jose
Congress should act
to halt local weather change
Anybody studying the latest front-page Mercury Information article on local weather change and anticipating a contented ending should have been sorely disenchanted (“Earth to hit important warming threshold by early 2030, local weather panel says” March 21). Whereas it specified by stark phrases what’s coming down the pike for all of Earth’s inhabitants, it didn’t present a feel-good ending. It was fairly jarring, in reality.
Hoesung Lee, chair of the latest COP27 U.N. Local weather Summit, mentioned, “The tempo and scale of what has been completed up to now and present plans are inadequate to deal with local weather change.” Scary phrases, however what can we as people do? Our energy is in our vote. Now’s the time to induce your state and federal legislators to enact robust local weather insurance policies. Our youngsters, grandchildren and, certainly, all life on the planet, rely on it.
Renee Hinson
Mountain View
Prescription for
stopping catastrophe
Re: “Earth to hit important warming threshold by early 2030s, local weather panel says” (Web page A1, March 21).
The brand new IPCC report ought to function a wake-up name to the entire world’s biggest fossil gas emitters. America, one of many two largest polluters, should step up and do its half on this world local weather struggle.
We’re already experiencing the results of local weather inaction, together with the “record-shattering storms in California.” The longer we wait to take motion, the extra pricey local weather change will turn out to be.
Two impactful actions Congress ought to take are:
Allowing reform: If we don’t begin constructing clear power infrastructure quicker, we’ll solely obtain about 20% of the potential carbon air pollution discount from local weather coverage that’s already in place (particularly, the Inflation Discount Act of 2022).
Carbon payment and dividend laws with a border adjustment: This can dramatically scale back emissions whereas sustaining a degree enjoying discipline with different nations.
Congress should heed the recommendation of the IPCC and get to work.
Paula Danz
Los Altos
US at the moment displays
dystopic actuality
Re: “Father of youth who drew antiwar image discovered responsible” (Web page A3, March 29).
I needed to assume twice after I noticed the headline on the story a couple of father being sentenced to jail for an antiwar drawing his daughter had made in class. “Was that in the USA?” I requested myself. What a horrible testomony to the present state of affairs that the thought would even cross my thoughts. Ridiculous you would possibly say.
Take into consideration what we’re as much as: banning books; concerning classical Renaissance artwork as pornography; demonizing kids who don’t conform to inflexible stereotypes of gender roles; jailing girls or in any other case endangering their well being for making private decisions about their lives and our bodies; a Supreme Courtroom hell-bent on making a Christian theocracy, all others be damned.
All of this emanates from precisely the form of mentality that jails a person for his daughter daring to precise a contradictory opinion. One wonders what you’ll do once they come for you.
Eugene Ely
San Jose
Rightward lurch
brings ‘1984’ to life
“Ignorance is Energy” is simply one of many three slogans repeated time and again in George Orwell’s traditional novel “1984.” As far-fetched as these phrases are, within the latest Opinion column by Jamelle Bouie, “What the Republicans push for ‘mother and father’ rights is admittedly about” (Web page A6, March 29) these phrases appear to be coming true.
