A ‘difference of opinion’ over public transit

Editor: The Gallahers didn’t want SMART from the beginning. They haven’t supported SMART’s progress, and they don’t support extension of the current SMART tax — a tax that, with voter approval, will stay as is for 30 more years (“New book rips SMART ahead of key tax election,” Feb. 17).

The Sonoma and Marin County voters and their families who use and depend on the train, and have experienced its growth, do support SMART. Drivers who suffered through expansion of Highway 101 through Marin and Sonoma are relieved to have it finished, but they know the freeway alone cannot meet our future transportation needs. They know SMART can expand and take cars off the freeway.

This is being proposed without raising our current taxes. And this money will be spent on more trains, more stations, more passengers, as the need grows.

We have a difference of opinion with the Gallahers, who don’t need or support the train, and the rest of us who know transportation cannot depend on automobiles alone in the future, and also respect the progress we are making with SMART.

Let’s turn this vote into opportunity for the future — not a bitter battle.

— Lynn Woolsey, Petaluma

Who will get tariff refunds for American consumers?

Editor: The Supreme Court has voted down Donald Trump’s tariffs. Now businesses that were impacted are apparently going to sue to recover their costs. Who is going to stand up for the consumers who incurred additional costs because of this taxation without representation?

— Gail Culverwell, Guerneville

Trump abandons fight against climate change

Editor: Without a doubt, climate change is the greatest existential threat to humanity and the habitability of our planet. We see daily news reports of unprecedented ice and snowstorms, tornadoes, floods, droughts, fires etc., not just here but globally.

Donald Trump refers to it as a “hoax” and a “scam.” In doing so he shows his ignorance of the catastrophe that will befall us if we continue to spew greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. People will suffer and die from more respiratory diseases, heart issues and the effects of poor air quality, heat-related illnesses, poor responses to infection and generalized ill health.

Trump has dismantled all climate safeguards in order to prioritize fossil fuel expansion (“Trump kills basis to curb emissions,” Feb. 13). It’s a direct assault on environmental research by thousands of scientists confirming that fossil fuels have a detrimental impact on our health.

The U.S. is the top emitter of these dangerous gases, sadly a reversal of earlier reports of progress in reduction.

How can one man be given complete control over our health? Where are the protests and pushback? We the people need to protect ourselves by making our voices heard, loud and clear. Contact our representatives in Congress now.

— Joan Mc Auliffe, Santa Rosa

Encourage kids to enroll in trade school

Editor: When consoling high school children, consider this: The old promise of a college degree as the golden ticket often leads to heartbreak — mountains of debt and underemployment from majors in areas such as social sciences. While these fields hold great social value, fostering critical thinking and awareness, they might be better viewed as minors or electives rather than primary paths for earning a living.

Instead, let’s guide them toward trade schools, which are booming with opportunity. These programs offer hands-on training in fields like welding, heating and air conditioning or health care — paths to stable, well-paying careers without the financial burden. For instance, Santa Rosa Junior College’s Industrial and Trade Technology programs provide top training in high-demand areas like advanced manufacturing and welding, leading to outstanding employment opportunities locally and nationwide.

Gen Z is already embracing this “toolbelt generation” shift, finding fulfillment in skills that artificial intelligence can’t replace and that meet real-world demands.

As parents and grandparents, we owe our kids and grandkids a future of security and joy, not regret. Encourage them to explore trades; it could be the key to their thriving independence.

— Gary Jones, Santa Rosa

The skyrocketing cost of energy in California

Editor: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate policies are delivering higher energy costs, fewer jobs and even more carbon emissions.

Don’t believe me? Phillips is closing its Los Angeles refinery. Ditto for Valero’s Richmond refinery. Altogether, California has lost roughly a quarter of its refinery capacity since Newsom became governor in 2019.

We can’t import fuel via pipelines because liberals have blocked every interstate pipeline that might connect us to Gulf Coast refineries. So we get our oil via tanker from countries like Canada, South Korea, Japan and India. We all know what kind of fuel oil tankers burn. Is that better?

Currently, we are paying $1.67 a gallon more for gasoline than the national average, and there’s much more to come. Then again, maybe higher gas prices are Newsom’s goal, because he wants to force his citizens to buy electric vehicles, no matter their cost and his state’s skyrocketing cost of power.

— Joe Gaffney, Rohnert Park

A bleak and faulty view of the world

Editor: In response to the Feb. 24 letter about the role of soldiers in a free country, I struggle to find words (“America’s constitutional rights are delivered by soldiers”). Soldiers represent violence or force and, indeed, they play a role in a free society. But to imply that our freedom is dependent exclusively on violence is a bleak and faulty worldview.

Many nonviolent forces play critical roles in assuring our freedom, prosperity and justice. The need for violence is evidence of a failure of compassion and reason. I’m grateful to soldiers, but it’s time for us to glorify brains and heart over brawn. It’s time for America to elect peacemakers, consensus-builders, problem solvers. Reserve soldiers for the sad day when reason and heart fail us.

— Sarah J. Phillips, Santa Rosa