The root cause

EDITOR: It never ends, the vitriol over illegal immigration, the alleged waves of criminals, rapists and human traffickers who are taking jobs away from Americans. Despite all this demonization, no one on either side recognizes that these immigrants, illegal or not, come here to find work. They don’t “take jobs”, they get jobs from American business owners who depend on cheap labor.

If Americans really want to stem this flow, then focus on the businesses and industries that employ them. But that will never happen. Donald Trump will never round up and deport 10 or 20 million people, simply because if he did, many businesses would go bankrupt.

In Sonoma County alone, you would see the end of restaurants, wineries, and tourism, to name a few, without this tireless, dedicated, and largely Latino workforce. And take American jobs? The Press Democrat reported a statewide unemployment rate of 5.3%. Thus, almost 95% of the active population has paid employment. Most of the jobs that immigrants do are jobs that Americans don’t want to do.

What about criminals and psychopaths? If they commit a crime, arrest and prosecute them or deport them. But the vast majority are wonderful, hard-working people who care about their families. Rather than kicking them out, we should thank them and give them a raise.

STEVE O’ROURKE

Saint Rose

Let’s herd the cows

EDITOR: When I was little, Los Angeles County was the dairy capital of California. When the dairies were forced out of the county, it became a great sea of ​​houses. This hasn’t stopped anyone from eating meat or consuming dairy products. Now these products are trucked in from elsewhere, creating more pollution. Please consider what will replace cows on the hills of Sonoma County if Measure J pass. I guarantee it won’t be cashew farms making fake cheese. These cashew nuts come from tropical countries where they destroy rainforests, displacing millions of wild animals. Measure J will be a gift to developers if dairies are forced to close. I say: let’s herd the cows.

CAROL MITCHEL

Sevastopol

Go back in time

EDITOR: Don’t forget to set your clock back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday. And vote for Harris/Walz by Tuesday to avoid having a government that goes back another 238 years on January 20.

ROBERT PLANTZ

Saint Rose

Yes on measure I

EDITOR: We know that raising healthy, strong, happy children starts with helping parents access a wide range of services, including health care, affordable child care, educational opportunities, counseling , education and parental support.

It is essential that children have the resources they need throughout their formative years to become healthy, successful adults. The children of Sonoma County are our future. They will bring the creativity, leadership and productivity needed to strengthen and maintain the quality of life in our county. However, too many families in Sonoma County do not have this opportunity. To achieve this, we need robust funding focused on prevention, because the cost of prevention is much lower than the cost of intervention.

This is why the Child Parent Institute supports Measure I. This initiative will provide $30 million annually to expand early childhood education and health care, improve accessibility for families, and ensure our early childhood educators receive a fair wage. By passing Measure I, we are not only supporting children’s development, but also strengthening our workforce and reducing economic inequality. We have an opportunity to build a better, more equitable future for Sonoma County, and it starts with our youngest residents. I invite you to join us in voting yes on Measure I.

ROBIN BOWEN

Executive Director, Child Parent Institute

Reject the tax on libraries

PUBLISHER: A writer praised her experiences with Cloverdale Library since the passage of Measure Y (“Library Services” Letters, Thursday). This is great and this is why Measure Y was implemented. Then, however, she implied that if Measurement W does not pass, many services will have to be removed. This is not the case. People who say yes to W would like you to believe that, but the fact is that Measure Y still has two years until it expires, giving us time to develop a better measure. A no vote does not punish communities in any way, but it can slow down library administration’s apparent desire to be all-powerful and answerable to no one. So please vote no on W and then we can create a really nice library in two years.

DAVID PETIT

Sevastopol

You can send letters to the editor to [email protected].