At the pump

I appreciate your latest editorial (May 18) regarding the causes for sky-high gasoline prices in California, which are $4.92 per gallon compared to a national average of $3.19. Where is the outrage from the masses getting screwed every single day? Where are the mass demonstrations in Sacramento to implore the governor and Legislature to change their policies, and get us out of being an idiotic “energy island” right now?

To be honest, as a Democrat, I did vote for Gov. Newsom, and also voted for him in that recall attempt. I am very sorry about that now. It is Newsom and our Democratic-controlled Legislature who are to blame for over-regulating and driving out critical oil refineries in the state. Since we cannot import gas from other states, we’re like trapped and helpless fools.

It only takes a minute for the average driver with a calculator to figure out how much he/she is getting screwed out of their cash. Use the above numbers; they’re accurate. And then, just for laughs, double it. That will be our new numbers, with the horrifying news of those two refinery closures.

We need to drive Newsom and the Dems in Sacramento out of town on a rail now. It is the “scandal above all other scandals,” yet I bet I’m the only one who responds to your editorial. The rich couldn’t care less, and the poor are not speaking up, including us stupid, stupid Democrats.

— William Stremel, South Pasadena

The rapid decline

The public was witnessing the rapid mental decline in President Biden while the mainstream media refused to address it. Then we had the Hur interview. That didn’t go so well, but media and Democrats said it was politically motivated. Leaders of the Democratic Party saw enough and showed Joe the door. Hur’s interview tapes were made public, devastating to hear, mainstream media again refused to cover it. Air time from May 13 to May 19 was NBC 6 minutes 17 seconds, ABC 37 seconds, CBS 22 seconds, NPR none, total six-day coverage, 7 minutes 16 seconds. Your paper has not had one article on this subject. That’s a real problem, selective coverage by today’s media. Suddenly overnight, stage-4 prostate cancer appears and takes top billing by the media.

— Dennis Cito, Arcadia

Cutting care

Re: “Californians receiving in-home care cuts facing consequences of president’s Medicare cuts”:

Kudo’s to Ronnie Cohen, Health News’ Senior Living column. His heart-rending column exposes how the truly needy are going to be neglected in Trump’s “Big Beautiful” tax proposal. Obviously, the president and the toadie congressmen who bow to him will never have to worry about paying for in-home care. I’m fortunate I’ve the financial resources to pay for in-home care for my wheelchair-using wife. Most do not. The invalid in Cohen’s column said it best: “If I lose my in-home care worker, whom I’ve bonded with ... they put me in a convalescence home, a place where old folks go to die.” Seniors are a huge voting block. Don’t tread on us.

— Bob Ginn. Arcadia

An alternative solution

Susan Shelley’s column taking Gov. Gavin Newsom to task on his latest proposal to eliminate homeless camps makes sense and this time she has an alternative solution that sounds like a good idea. She suggests the state applies to the federal government for funds to extend the number of mental health beds in state hospitals. Currently, Congress is looking to make large cuts to Medicaid to pay for the extension of Trump’s tax cut. Who believes that they would treat such an application favorably for what they would believe to be welfare for the poor for what could be considered the president’s least favorite state.

— Ron Garber, Duarte

Biden’s medical care

After years of arguably the best medical care in the world, how does the ex-president “suddenly” come down with a common, detectable cancer, which has already spread to his bones? I no longer trust anything the Biden family or the Democratic Party says. Of course, after years of outright lies, I no longer trust Trump or the Republicans either.

— Norman Flickinger, Moreno Valley

Cancer crashes people’s lives

Some of the political remarks regarding Biden’s diagnosis are just deplorable. Yes, Biden probably was experiencing some mental decline, and it was unfortunate that he chose to run. Perhaps the Democratic Party and his wife should have insisted that he remove himself. But that is beside the point now. Given the aggressive nature of his current, he probably will not live much longer. Maybe presidential medical evaluations should always be made public, given the enormity of their responsibilities. In the meantime, can we not have a little compassion for a man who may not have been the perfect president, but viewed the world compassionately and governed accordingly?

— Sue Cugini, Whittier