Letters: Next appropriations bill must restore SNAP cuts

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Next budget deal must undo SNAP cuts

When the shutdown ended, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was reinstated, only through Jan. 30.

The next appropriation bill must undo the cuts that require states to pay a share of SNAP food benefit costs, shifting many millions of dollars in annual costs to California. California cannot be expected to cover federal disinvestment in a national nutrition program.

This devastating cost shift would create impossible choices for California state and municipal bodies to fund critical services. Which programs will be cut: SNAP, housing, health care, early childhood education?

The next federal appropriation bill must eliminate this provision. Congress must act quickly, at least by delaying the cost share until 2030. Urge your members of Congress to repeal harmful SNAP cost shifts to states.

Susan Wright
Oakland

Oil companies should steer clear of Venezuela

Donald Trump has grandiose plans for Venezuela, including rebuilding their oil infrastructure and increasing oil exports exponentially. He will handle the windfall profits himself and use the proceeds to “make Venezuela great again,” his words, and reimburse America.

I think that American oil companies would be crazy to follow Trump’s advice and invest billions of dollars rebuilding Venezuela’s oil infrastructure. Trump is a dishonest person. I doubt if he would treat Venezuela’s money fairly. He sent warships and is using “Gunboat Diplomacy” to get his way. He arrested the dictator but left the corrupt government basically intact.

Once money starts to disappear, going to “reimburse America,” resentment will surely grow. To fight back, Venezuelans may sabotage American-built oil infrastructure. What a mess. American oil companies better keep out.

Jim Peterson
Walnut Creek

‘Information Tsunami’ meant to spark judgment

Re: “ICE shooting drawing snap judgments” (Page A6, Jan. 15).

Given the omnipresence of screens in our lives, it is clear that the intentional strategy of technology companies is to inundate us with an “Information Tsunami.” Given the impact of social media, we then become part of what has been called the “Outrage Olympics.”

We are encouraged to participate in the political process through memes or tweets that are between 10 and 60 seconds long. As a result, we never escape from an emotional reaction to news or current events. The result is that we are unable to access our evolutionarily more recent intellectual self or cognitive process.

Maria Ressa, the Filipina American journalist, is excellent at describing the strategy and the result. She is also a former winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Another description of this strategy and the result is that we are living in a “post-truth world.”

Elizabeth Preston
Oakland

Democrats succeed in manufacturing martyrs

I would like to congratulate Rep. Swalwell, Sens. Schiff and Padilla, Gov. Newsom, the rest of the Democratic Party, and this and other news organizations for helping to turn Renee Good into a martyr in the cause of resisting Donald Trump.

Without the constant barrage of incendiary words such as “Gestapo,” “secret police,” “Nazis” and “disappearing people,” she may not have been motivated to follow ICE agents around, harassing and obstructing them, until she met her untimely and unfortunate demise in Minneapolis.

I don’t really believe any of the individuals and groups who used this inflammatory rhetoric really care about the person who was martyred as much as they care about the political capital gained from her martyrdom. There can be no victory in bringing down Trump without having casualties as political leverage to further inflame the situation, which might lead to an actual insurrection toppling the U.S. government. Congratulations.

Ray Winther
Livermore

The real criminals are in the White House

Donald Trump and ICE are the equivalent of Murder, Inc.

The real domestic terrorists are holding positions in the federal government. All of us must resist, organize, demonstrate and vote.

Chris Ackerman
Castro Valley

Trump’s ICE agents target Native Americans

Once again, President Trump is orchestrating his anti-Indian policy by trying to have ICE deport an American Indian woman named Leticia Jacobo away from her homeland, the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona.

Fortunately, Jacobo’s family prevented it by calling local officials and alerting local Indian leaders to stop ICE from deporting her from her own homeland. Jacobo did nothing wrong except that she has darker skin, for which she is targeted.

This action by Trump is immoral, and it must stop.

Billy Trice Jr.
Oakland