California policies are driving out oil companies

I couldn’t help but smile while reading a Sentinel article headlined “Gas prices are spiking again, what’s going on.” The author reported that a spokesman for AAA said that “The West Coast is what many consider an oil island that is far from the main production centers of Texas, Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast.”

I don’t think the liberals controlling California understand that this state was once one of the highest producers of oil and gas in the nation! But liberal policies have driven the oil companies out of the state and do everything they can to halt production, even though 90 percent of the vehicles on the road still rely on oil and gas.

One of the largest reservoirs of oil existing in the country (billions of barrels) is in Central California and will never be developed. Liberals just never seem to get it. You can’t have things both ways.

If I was an oil company in California I’d charge everything I could merely because the state does everything possible to drive the industry out.

— Elwin Haddix, Ben Lomond

Don’t forget how cycle of inflation began

Stubborn cost inflation causes concern about the economy, but let’s not forget how this started. As the pandemic ended supply chain systems had to get back on track. The current administration has taken steps to ensure that such issues don’t happen again – a step the previous administration never seemed to consider.

This administration inherited an economy in disarray because of the supply chain issues and the widening wealth disparity encouraged by the tax policy of the previous administration. Inflation lingers partly because of employment and wage increases pushed by the current administration, and partly because some corporations are taking advantage of pricing systems.

Let’s not forget that the Democratic administration before this one inherited a world economy in disarray because of the financial meltdown, but brought the economy roaring back, an economy inherited by the Republican administration before this one, only to have it crumble under the pandemic’s weight.

— Mike Melville, Santa Cruz

Is there a way to temper true believers’ behaviors?

Let’s look at blind following. David Koresh of Branch Davidians, Jim Jones of Jonestown, Adolf Hitler, Putin and to some degree Donald Trump all have or had a group of loyal followers, in some cases willing to die or commit violence to follow their leader. The question is why, and I can’t think of a better place to start looking for answers than Eric Hoffer’s 1951 book, The True Believer.

In this book, Hoffer delves into why people become so convinced of something that they give themselves over totally, believing, even if to their own detriment. Now, not everyone is a true believer, but enough to have created wars, mass suicides and dictatorships. Arguably, humanity would have far fewer problems if we could overcome this tendency.

Is there a way to educate people so that they temper their true beliefs with personal reflection and analysis, which hopefully will lead them to stop and do some serious soul searching? One would hope so, seeing the current global conditions.

I hope to have some feedback and suggestions..

— Meade Fischer, Lincoln

The local brand is all about image and property values

I’ve lived in Santa Cruz County for 15 years, and honestly, I don’t see much charm. The question of rebranding Santa Cruz gives me some idea of the people who are running things. Smug and pedantic. People say the area is gorgeous, but to key on this betrays a superficial and childish emphasis on image, in my opinion.

The place is not just shallow, its character is malignant. Every civic question is seen through the lens of property values. Meanwhile, the people that serve this community get milked.

How will the property values be affected when all the low lying coastal are below the Pacific sea level, as is forecast? I’ll tell you. Bail out.

— Tod Mastrandrea, Ben Lomond

Tesla owners behave as if they are above traffic rules

I wasn’t aware that when you bought a Tesla it allowed you to speed and basically ignore all traffic rules. I may have to start saving my money.

— Tom Mason, Scotts Valley