U.S. is walking path of selfishness, greed

Re: “Congress cannot allow end of USAID” (Feb. 13).

I was reading John Tupper’s letter to the editor on Thursday’s editorial page. After pointing out the obvious immorality of Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s canceling of USAID, which will cause innumerable deaths around the world, he ended his letter with “is this what we now stand for as Americans?”

Unfortunately, the GOP vision of being great again means that we ignore the world’s problems and focus only on our own selfish desires.

I believe this is what America is becoming; this is what we really stand for right now.

— Bob Cole, San Jose

Migrants wrestle with uncertainty and danger

“Minor incident” is how President Donald Trump is justifying his pardons of over 1,500 MAGA supporters, many sentenced for violence and sedition. Included among them are the White nationalist Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

Meanwhile, Trump has sent 1,500 troops to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border against illegal immigrants. Trump claims that he is keeping the criminals out. So, according to Trump, he wants to keep out suspected criminals while pardoning the known criminals who stormed the capitol on Jan. 6.

It’s too late to put the J6’ers back in prison, but it’s not too late to grant citizenship to those who are in need of it because going back to their native countries would mean extreme hardship or even death.

— Claire Jacobs, Sunnyvale

PG&E profits built on ratepayers’ backs

Re: “PG&E reports profit of $2B-plus” (Page A1, Feb. 14).

How can PG&E be allowed to post billions of dollars in profit year after year to pay shareholders yet have rate increases repeatedly approved by the PUC? Over the last few years the price of energy in all of our homes and businesses has continually risen, yet PG&E shareholders continue to be paid excessive dividends.

What is wrong with the PUC? PG&E is a monopoly that profits on the backs of the public, yet rate increase after rate increase is approved. Can someone stop the bleeding?

— Geoffrey Wright, San Jose

Trump and Musk are working for themselves

The Mercury News editorial cartoon said it all on Feb. 14. Donald Trump is shown engorging himself with the three branches of government, shredding them into pieces and spewing them back out, with no thought of order or replacement.

One can only surmise that Trump and Elon Musk together are destroying legitimate departments for their personal gain in order to reduce their taxes and those of other billionaires. Who knows what other plans they envision? They show no thought of the serious consequences faced by the hundreds of thousands of citizens who benefited from these departments or the thousands who lost their jobs and will struggle without them.

— Susan DillonMorgan Hill