Letters: Discounting parents | Newsom-proof state | Health insurance | Reject attacks | Israel’s aim | Red lights

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Alum Rock district
discounts parents

I am a parent of two students attending an Alum Rock Union School District elementary and I agree with parents who have spoken up about the obvious reasons why the board is closing many schools and consolidating others. Standing out most is the mismanagement of funds. Consolidating older grades with younger grades will add to unruly behavior, lead to unnecessary bullying, and expose younger children to older children’s behavior.

Parents aren’t being heard nor being offered a spare minute to vent. I question why teachers are not taking a stand for their students? Board members are impatient and frustrated. Fortunately for my family, we’ll be picking up where we left off with our homeschooling. We’ll be removing our children from the school system.

Yolanda Ruano
San Jose

Time to make state
Newsom-proof

California’s scorecard under Gov. Newsom and the Democrats’ one-party rule: the highest poverty rate in the country; 28% of the nation’s homeless population; about 40% of its residents enrolled in MediCal; the country’s second-highest utility and gasoline costs; bottom decile scores in public education achievement; and businesses and residents leaving in droves.

Perhaps it’s time to consider Newsom-proofing the state.

Nick Cochran
San Jose

Make health insurance
a new class of business

Health insurance premiums need to go toward health care, not investor returns or bonuses for stock price increases.

I propose a new class of business that health plan/insurance companies would fall into. Salaries and wages can be relatively unlimited and based on market factors, but profit would be capped at prime plus 4-5%. This would allow investors a safe but solid place to park money and ensure that revenue (premiums) are paid as benefits or used for tech to pay claims faster. Other tax incentives or government guarantees may be used to entice participation in this class of business.

Let people become billionaires off consumer goods, but we need money back in healthy people’s pockets to do that.

Fritz Bindel
Los Altos

Reject Trump’s attack
on the rule of law

Let’s reject Donald Trump’s attacks on the Constitution and the rule of law.

He has said he would only be a dictator one day. That’s a day too long. He caused and supported the attack on the Capitol and said he would pardon the attackers. We know who and what he is about.

It’s time for Americans to stand for the Constitution and the rule of law.

John Shepardson
Los Gatos

Israel aiming
to shatter Gaza

Re: “Israeli attacks around Gaza hospital kill or wound scores, doctors say” (Page A5, Dec. 7).

Amnesty International recently called the Israeli actions in Gaza “genocide,” although the actions are actually worse. Not all Israelis hate the Palestinians, but it has certainly become the default strategy of the Israeli government and the IDF.

The repeated intentional killing of the World Central Kitchen workers proves Benjamin Netanyahu’s intent. By murdering aid workers, bombing hospitals, targeting “safe zones” and indiscriminately killing doctors, the Israelis exponentially increase the pain, suffering, starvation, disease and death of Palestinians.

Just like the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO has shed a spotlight on the rapacious and profit-motivated insurance industry, we should recognize that the horrific Oct. 7 attack by Hamas was inevitable.

Imagine living your entire life under brutal military occupation while conditions continually got worse, no relief in sight and all hope was lost. Still no sympathy? What if Israel was no longer the undisputed bully in the Middle East and the roles were reversed?

Jerry Gudeman
Santa Clara

Running red lights
not worth the risk

Today we learned that a family friend was in a serious accident when another driver ran a red light and hit our friend. Our friend was in a hospital for weeks. He lost wages and his car was totaled.

We’re guessing that when the other driver ran a red light, it wasn’t the first time he went through a red light.
We’re guessing that it wasn’t his second time either. Perhaps it had become a habit to try to always beat the light to save a few minutes or maybe just save a few seconds.

We see a lot of people running red lights. Please don’t let running red lights become a habit. Our friend was almost killed — the other driver and his passenger were killed.

Linda Omaley
Morgan Hill