Help is available at local food banks

As the federal government shutdown continues, the CalFresh program is facing significant disruption, and November’s benefits will be delayed.

CalFresh is California’s state-run program for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formally known as food stamps, which provides monthly food benefits to low-income individuals and families to help buy groceries. With more than 42,000 individuals in Butte County relying on CalFresh benefits, and over $8 million dollars in assistance not available for our community; this situation could have severe consequences for the most vulnerable members of our county, many of whom rely on these benefits for basic food and nutrition.

Cal-Fresh’s (SNAP) fate is intrinsically linked to the political process, turning the hunger of our neighbors into a political issue.

We encourage those who need assistance to contact our local food banks. Daily distribution schedules can be found at chcfoodassistance.org.

Local partners such as the Community Action Agency’s North State Food Bank, Catholic Ladies Relief Society, Oroville Rescue Mission, and the South Chico Community Assistance Center need our support now more than ever. Please consider making contributions of food or assistance to the food bank of your choice. This is a critical moment for us to show the strength of our community spirit and support those who need it most.

Contact your elected representatives and let them know how important the Cal-Fresh program is to our community.

— Tami Ritter, Chico, and Tod Kimmelshue, Durham

What we need is more restraint, oversight

Recently, both in the E-R letters page and on the streets of Chico, we hear relentless calls to protect and save democracy. However, it does not seem to me that democracy itself is most threatened, but rather our constitutional republic.

My college political science professor once explained that a lynch mob is a great example of pure democracy, where the will of the majority completely overwhelms the rights of the minority, with only one person standing against the crowd. Recognizing the hazards of unchecked majority rule, our Founders designed the U.S. Constitution with deliberate safeguards, including the bicameral legislature, the Supreme Court, and the all- important Bill of Rights.

While democracy has brought us our current president, the big problems have arisen from the breakdown of the other constitutionally mandated components. It is the failure of these critical parts of our system that has enabled dangerous overreach and thuggish behavior, both domestically and abroad. At this moment, what we need most is not more democracy, but rather careful restraint and oversight of its more problematic tendencies.

I notice that local Republicans, including those who identify as traditional conservatives, are largely silent in the face of blatant abuses of executive power. Are they truly in favor of brutish-like enforcement of immigration laws and Putin-style interference in our free enterprise system? I hope not. It is long past time for them to speak up.

— Carl Ochsner, Chico

Party goes ‘beyond parody into silliness’

If the signs at the No Kings tantrum were realistic — and they were not — they would have read something like “Please borrow $1.5 trillion and get our grandkids to pay it back so we can continue to fund health care for illegals.”

Instead, nothing of substance happened. No minds were changed. Re-Sisters showed commonality of, wait, what, exactly? That they don’t like the price of eggs and gasoline being lower than when Biden was in charge? The lower interest rates so that people can more easily refinance or purchase a home? Or maybe they actually oppose Donald Trump’s ceasefire in the Middle East between Israel and the terrorists that they’ve been clamoring for endlessly.

It doesn’t matter how many letters to the editor the Democrat Club of Chico submits — they have gone beyond parody into silliness.“But Trump” is a terrible excuse to demand more undeserved power in Washington. Democrats have 45% of California voters, but are demanding almost 90% representation, despite the fact they created the border crisis and the unaffordable care act.

The Washington Post — generally a spokespiece for the Democrat Party — supports the Trump expansion of the White House East Wing ballroom. Rachel Maddow’s employer is a contributing donor.

We haven’t had a King for 250 years, but one has to admit, our president is getting stuff done for our betterment.

— Barry Johnson, Chico