Letters to the Editor, Friday March 6 - The Press Democrat

Getting your

Trinity Audioplayer ready...If there is evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, present it

Editor: The American people deserve all verifiable evidence of fraud in the 2020 presidential election be presented publicly in print. Unsubstantiated claims of election fraud cannot be allowed to undermine the fundamental principle of the American form of government. Every American should be able to judge for themselves the validity of any evidence that can be presented. The current administration can end this controversy now. Not asking, demanding.

— Dave Heaney, Petaluma

Reasons to impeach Trump: Iran, tariffs, ICE, grift

Editor: Denny Olmsted implies that the prosecution of Donald Trump’s law-breaking justifies Republicans abusing power to persecute Democrats (“Trump is guilty of excesses, but what about Biden?” Letters, Feb. 28). Nancy Pelosi knew this would happen. Republicans now feel justified, indeed obligated to politically prosecute Democrats. And, whoa baby, have they.

In hindsight I firmly believe it was essential for the rule of law to prosecute Donald Trump through the impeachment process for extorting Volodymyr Zelenskyy and inciting a riot on Jan. 6, and in court for withholding classified documents in his resort ballroom. No one is above the law. Presidents and law enforcement should be above reproach, not beneath contempt. We either have the rule of law or we don’t. This cannot be a partisan issue.

If Congress doesn’t rein in Trump’s abuses of power now, it will get worse. It’s time for bipartisan impeachment of everyone behind bombing Iran, illegal tariffs, ICE murders and corrupt grifting.

— Sarah J. Phillips, Santa Rosa

Get ready for another post-presidency cleanup

Editor: In my lifetime (74 years) I’ve watched several presidents clean up after Republican messes. Bill Clinton after Ronald Reagan and George Bush the elder (deficits), Barack Obama after George Bush the younger (unfunded wars and the 2008 economic collapse) and now the biggest cleanup of all, Donald Trump. We never learn from history. Our attention deficit is astounding. If we have another election, and that is not hyperbole, the next cleanup will be the largest ever. It will require accountability and a combination of restoring the traditional separation of powers and major reform. All of this has been a colossal waste of time, money and deplorable cruelty and unfairness. Could electing Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris have been worse? Not in my mind. They weren’t perfect, but they weren’t Bush or Trump. Get ready for another clean up. Embarrassing.

— Tom Nixon, Kelseyville

To make downtown attractive, don’t pave it over for parking

Editor: Santa Rosa says it wants a more walkable, connected downtown, yet the proposal to turn the pedestrian space on B Street into a driveway and parking lot moves us backward (“Bicycle Coalition appeals plan for Santa Rosa Plaza drive lane,” Feb. 25). This space sits at a critical link between Railroad Square and Old Courthouse Square. Replacing it with vehicle access for a chain restaurant would worsen an already frustrating disconnect between two of downtown’s most important destinations.

Pedestrian spaces are not empty gaps waiting to be filled with cars. They are what make downtown feel inviting and worth spending time in. When we trade walkability for another driveway, we undermine local businesses, public life and the city’s own long-standing plans for more pedestrian-friendly streets. If we want a downtown that people actually use and enjoy, we should protect the spaces designed for people — not pave them over for more traffic.

— Stephenie McCollum, Santa Rosa

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