Bike lanes are causing traffic constipation in Santa Rosa

Editor: As I drive north on Cleveland Avenue, following cars whose drivers seem to be uncertain as to merging and speeds, I see the entire roadway has been re-striped to accommodate the vast number of bicycle riders.

Originally the road was designed to accommodate cars, two lanes each way for traffic to “move freely.”

But recently, we see the work of our traffic engineers as the roads lose an entire lane to accommodate all of those bicycles using their own lane. Not.

— Jimmy Long, Santa Rosa

The new spoils system is the downfall of our government

Editor: On July 2, 1881, Charles Guiteau shot President Garfield, convinced the presidency owed him a reward.

His delusion exposed a weakness in republican government: too many Americans had come to treat public office as something to win, distribute and exploit.

The nation’s answer came from an unlikely reformer. Chester Arthur, himself a product of the spoils system, spent his presidency dismantling it because he understood that public confidence rests not merely on honest government, but on citizens believing government has nothing to sell.

That history casts an uncomfortable light on recent reporting: more than 3,600 trades were executed in investment accounts held by President Trump and managed by outside advisers, while Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 capital hedge fund reportedly earned returns exceeding 200%. The question Arthur confronted has returned: whether public office is being used for private gain.

In 1881, the spoils were government jobs. Today, the question is whether they have grown to include the presidency itself.

Republics erode when exceptions become habits; habits become inherited norms.

The presidency was never meant to be the spoils. It is the nation’s highest public trust. The Constitution cannot supply the character it presumes. In the end, character is destiny.

— Marc Coopersmith, Petaluma

Read on Sonoma!

Editor: As a retired school principal and former curriculum director, I am encouraged — and delighted — by the impact of Read On, Sonoma program, as it promotes literacy in youngsters.

Kudos to the individuals and foundations supporting this effort and to the educators who’ve adopted the program. In working together, they have merged two adages: “Reading is Fundamental” and “It Takes a Community.”

PS: The photo on the front page of the newspaper was priceless!

— Dave Delgardo, Cloverdale

Confusion about what socialism really is

Editor: There is much confusion about the term “socialism.” What is it; what is it not? Does it really matter what a person calls herself politically? Aren’t we all looking for policies that will make human lives better? Shouldn’t a person’s attitudes, opinions and values be what counts?

If a person is in favor of affordable housing, a minimum living wage for all workers, affordable healthcare, K-16 public education and help with childcare, is he or she automatically a socialist?

What if he or she opposes war in general and the $1 trillion military budget? What if he or she protests plutocracy and approves of a wealth tax on billionaires? Are they a socialist?

Whether he or she is a Socialist, a Democrat or a Republican, would you vote for that person? Isn’t it time we cease to sling labels around like weapons of war?

— Gene A. Hottel, Santa Rosa

What could go wrong?

Editor: In the Thursday Press Democrat, there was a front page headline about how Trump made a deal with the Saudis that could provide them with uranium capability for its civilian nuclear program.

We read about experts who are concerned that this deal doesn’t have the usual safeguards. Saudi Arabia still has one of the most egregious human rights records in the world, kills and imprisons journalists and doesn’t allow much freedom for women.

And, let’s not forget that 15 of the 19 hijackers in 9/11 were Saudis.

Could it be that Trump just might be doing this “deal” to enrich himself?

— Peter Tracy, Santa Rosa