The Putin war

Let’s end Russia’s brutal war!

President Trump is urging President Zelenskyy to negotiate an end to hostilities; everyone wants peace. But conceding the loss of Ukraine’s eastern border would reward Russia’s Putin for overt aggression, a Neville Chamberlain appeasement!

Perhaps not if the United States promotes Ukraine’s rapid inclusion in NATO, guaranteeing the underdog would not again face bully Russia.

— Lee Willard, Whittier

The ignorant masses

The relentless drumbeat about bloated governmental agencies is a classic example of the usual red flag waved in front of ignorant masses to gain power. Hitler had his own version when, in 1933, he burned down the Reichstag (seat of the German parliament) and blamed it on the communists. Oh, Germany had to be protected from such dangerous enemies and the “Jewish conspiracy!” And Hitler had his blank check. The Red Scare of the 1950s was the red flag that Joseph McCarthy used with such success, leading to a witch hunt that deprived many Americans of their constitutional rights. North Korea is propped up by a red flag depicting evil capitalists ready to attack at any moment. Great sacrifice, dear comrades, is needed to safeguard the homeland! Sound familiar?

Large governments come with a fair share of waste and incompetence. The solution, as letter writer and small businessman Monty Shook pointed out, is not to take a sledge hammer to everything in sight! Destroying agencies needed to protect us from being gouged by crooks and the powerful, from dangerous products, from contaminated food and quack medicine, and agencies essential to good health and the preservation of our environment, and especially agencies involved in governmental oversight, is horrific.

Beware of those waving large, red flags as a justification for suspending the usual safeguards! You may be looking at the next Hitler or McCarthy!

— Dave E. Matson, Pasadena

The next governor

It is difficult if not impossible, to Make America Great Again without California. As the country’s most populous state and the fifth largest economy in the world, it is often said that, “As California goes, so goes the nation.” Republicans know this, therefore they are trotting out their best and brightest to run for governor in 2026.

Leo Zacky, the VP of Zacky Farms (not even the president of Zacky Farms, who must be busy with the bird flu) and two unknowns have declared their candidacy. This past week, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco announced he would run. Bianco’s record as sheriff, past affiliation with the Oath Keepers (since denounced) and political acumen makes former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva look like a woke genius.

Recently, Richard Grenell, the “special presidential envoy for special missions” (sounds special) in the current administration, indicated he would run if former VP Kamala Harris decided to run. Grenell stated, “If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions dollars in educating the voters how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California and that the Republican actually has a shot.”

Mr. Grenell should note that Donald Trump lost to the former VP by over 3.2 million votes in California (58% to 38%). But let’s not let facts get in the way of Republican false hope.

— Robert Aragon, Duarte

The current unraveling

Re “U.S. retail sales plunge along with temps” (Feb. 15). Here we go. It’s not just the weather. President Trump inherited a robust economy, along with an excellent 2.9% inflation rate (for which President Biden got virtually no credit). It’s already unraveling.

So Trump comes off in his first month with crazy changes, crazy tariffs, crazy nominees, and the public, not to mention the world, is getting a bit nervous. So we’re hunkering down while waiting for the next Trump shoe to drop.

American consumers are clearly not in the mood for spending any more. Even a casual observer can see nothing good is coming down the pike. Things are too unsettled with this guy in charge, so we are saving our money, cutting back, buying only the absolute essentials. Sales plummet. There goes the robust economy, along with very likely higher inflation rates.

I wish we could believe what FDR once said, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Unfortunately, these are much, much different times.

— William Stremel, South Pasadena

The millions

John Stossel’s column on the virtues of capitalism got me thinking and I said to my Alexa “400 billion divided by a million” and she instantly responded “400,000.” If 399,999 individuals each had a million dollars, combined, they still wouldn’t have as much as Elon Musk. Just sayin’.

— Ron Garber, Duarte