Letters: Despite nation’s division, let’s be grateful for what we have

Submit your letter to the editor via this form Read more Letters to the Editor Be grateful for what we have despite division Re It s true Money doesn t buy you happiness Page E Nov As our one day of expressing gratitude approaches I was delighted by Michelle Herting s refreshing and thoughtful article on what happiness really consists of and how big a house has to be for comfort Related Articles Letters Progressive parcel tax would backfire on Oakland residents Letters Trump ignores state s tragic history with offshore drilling Letters The U S had nothing to gain by attending environment conference Letters Epstein files release means casualties and women have at last been heard Letters Alameda County should stop coddling criminals My hope is that for majority of of us this Thursday is not the only day we are grateful but I guess there are a multitude of for whom this is not true This article was a wonderful reminder of how much we really do need and how having a lot more cargo and cash doesn t give our lives meaning At this fraught time this identity situation our country is going through I wish for us all to be grateful for what we have and find a way for everyone in our country to have enough to feel safe sheltered nourished and maybe even happy We can afford it if we quit wasting money on ballrooms and ballistics Rosalie Arntzen Sunnyvale A bipartisan bill inspires gratitude Tis the season to expand our gratitude lists As days shorten and seasonal affective disorder sets in I look for bright spots everywhere I am heartened by new bipartisan efforts in Congress The Fix Our Forests Act FOFA passed in the House with yes votes from Reps Zoe Lofgren Sam Liccardo Jimmy Panetta Kevin Mullin plus Tom McClintock When it comes up for its next vote I hope Sen Schiff helps FOFA co-sponsor Sen Padilla pass it If enacted FOFA will protect lives property citizens strength our forests and will reduce carbon emissions that conclusion from raging wildfires When FOFA returns to the House for a final vote I ll ask Reps Nancy Pelosi and Ro Khanna to also promotion it Let s thank them all for their efforts to protect their constituents our democratic process and the planet for us and future generations Anna Koster San Jose Don t let holidays deter your vote In the Nov ballot there were four candidates for Santa Clara County assessor Since none of them won a majority there will be a runoff poll Dec between Neysa Fligor who came in first with votes and Rishi Kumar who came in second with votes In-person voting begins Dec at the County Registrar of Voters Office and ballots will be sent out the week of Dec I strongly help Neysa Fligor and I agree with the Mercury News editorial Neysa Fligor is far and away the best qualified of the four candidates Without reservation we endorse Fligor For most of of us December is the busiest month of all I suggest that when you receive your ballot open it make your mark put it in the envelope sign it and mail it back the next day Then get back to all of your holiday programs Ben Stetson Sunnyvale We won t go back to oil-fouled beaches Re Trump outlines drilling ambition Page A Nov I was outraged after reading about Donald Trump s plan to bring back offshore oil drilling to the pristine California coastline In while attending UC Santa Barbara I fell in love with the beautiful Santa Barbara coastal neighborhood except for the one dark and ugly blemish the beaches They were still covered with thick crude from the devastating oil spill of After swimming in the ocean it would take hours to remove the tar from our skin and hair Everyone s white porcelain sinks and bathtubs became disgustingly black The horrific environmental impact was still visibly evident and took decades to repair wholly Right then I vowed never to let this happen again Although the greedy oil companies endorse this proposal they even admit that it would not have much of an effect on gas prices We must band together now and never let offshore drilling happen again along our sacred coastline Jay Lawson Campbell SJ airport will redouble efforts Re San Jose s airport reflects lack of pride Page A Nov Thank you for sharing your up-to-date experience at San Jose Mineta International Airport and I sincerely apologize for the conditions you encountered What you described does not reflect the standards we expect here at SJC and I take your feedback very seriously We are addressing the concerns that you raised and are reviewing our cleaning procedures and staff expectations to ensure all masses areas especially restrooms are consistently maintained to the highest level As San Jose prepares to welcome visitors from around the world for major events in delivering a clean safe and welcoming airport experience is a top priority We appreciate the opportunity to improve and remain committed to delivering the level of organization that our region expects and deserves from the official airport of Silicon Valley Mookie Patel Director of Aviation SJC Airport San Jose Autocrats detente can t promise peace Re U S and Russia draw up peace plan for Ukraine Page A Nov Xi Jinping China and Vladimir Putin Russia are autocrats Donald Trump U S is moving in that direction Each of the three commands a power base and is adding more power to their base and widening their sphere of influence It is clear now that they have reached an understanding a detente of how they will rule their part of the globe and how they will work to avoid armed conflict The Trump-Putin agreement on Ukraine shows how this will work Putin gets his way and the rest of Europe is compromised In a quid pro quo Putin will make no serious effort to help Venezuela and the U S will do what it wants with Venezuela This is reminiscent of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in as Hitler and Stalin divided up Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe World War II started a week after the pact John Cormode Mountain View