Voter ID

I nearly fell out of my chair when I read the April 14 “Voter ID bill could cost OC hefty sum” article. It focused on the burden of the possible $6 million cost of requiring proof of citizenship in U.S. presidential elections, something that Americans overwhelmingly support.

I’m sure that far greater costs are incurred by requiring presentation of ID for flying or buying liquor. For that matter, there’s no doubt that Californians would be far more interested in the vastly greater sums of our taxpayer dollars that our government is wasting throughout the state.

Here’s a thought. How about doing us a real favor and produce a hard-hitting expose on the actual incredible waste endemic in California government? What an easy assignment that would be!

— Steve Shatynski, Brea

Free or fair trade

Re “Tariff mania an affront to liberty” (April 13):

Steve Greenhut seems to ignore all the trade barriers against our products and is advocating for nothing other than the status quo to continue. He actually defends the trade deficits as a good thing. Some ideas are so stupid that only an academic could believe them.

He doesn’t address how trillion-dollar trade deficits contribute greatly to our perpetual unsustainable budget deficits and our unsustainable national debt.

He doesn’t address the deficit’s impact on the decline in the number of industries that used to provide good middle-class American jobs.

Also not mentioned is how huge numbers of those trade deficit dollars return by buying up our businesses and farmland.

“Free” or “fair” trade has simply meant plundering our economy for the last 50 years and the damage is apparent to the most casual observer. We can’t continue doing the unsustainable. To do so would lead to the real cataclysm.

— Thomas Swift, Sun Valley

Deportee Kilmar Abrego Garcia

It is incredible that the same administration that says (boasts) that it can negotiate an end to the Russia/Ukraine conflict, settle the war in Gaza, quiet the Houthies, make a nuclear deal with Iran, while imposing, and un-imposing tariffs around the world, is unable to resolve the mistaken deportation of one man to a prison in El Salvador.

Are these belligerents to be trusted?

— Robert Mikkelson, Fontana