Making Criminals Legal Gun Owners
And here we go again with another misguided gun control law. Senate Bill 1160 would require annual gun registration, supposedly to better understand who legally owns guns. In reality, it is a law aimed at collecting more taxes, possibly to compensate for the state’s lack of fiscal responsibility.
Why not pass laws that address the real problem: criminals who display our government’s unwillingness to put them in prison. What happened to “use a gun, go to jail”.
As citizens of this state, we need to let our legislators know that we are tired of them reading into laws making citizens criminals for owning a legal firearm.
Put the criminal who uses a gun where he belongs in a cell, then don’t let him out. As I have said many times, when will we have an idea?
Duane Opie, Fresno
Valley Children’s leaders have lost their way
Valley Children’s Hospital has grown from a small hospital at Shields and Millbrook in Fresno to its large campus in Madera. Along the way, leaders lost their way.
When a top executive receives $1.7 million, he must meet all of his goals and expectations and not receive millions in bonuses.
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Please remember that this is a non-profit organization that has received a lot of support from our community. VCH’s success lies in its field staff who carry out the hospital’s mission. If anyone gets a bonus, it should be the nurses and support staff who make VCH a world-class operation.
I read and listened to the excesses of excessive bonuses, so I looked at the compensation of top executives in our industry. These are larger, more complex operations, with more employees. They are City of Fresno, City of Madera, Fresno County, Madera County, Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified. Their compensation ranges from $230,000 to $440,000, compared to VCH’s $5 million compensation package. Community Medical and Kaweah Delta pay their executives about 1/5 of what VCH pays its executive.
Another concern for me was the $10 million given to Fresno State and the $124 million invested overseas. Be transparent, invest locally.
Al Rush, Fresno
Keep tobacco out of reach of young people
We are the Advocates for Tobacco Abstinence Coalition, a group of young adults in Fresno, working with the Fresno County Tobacco Prevention Program. Our goal is to reduce tobacco consumption in our community by raising awareness of the impact of the tobacco industry.
We believe this can be accomplished by implementing a comprehensive tobacco retail licensing policy.
There are several ways for young people to access tobacco products, including purchasing them from local stores. Results of an undercover survey of youth purchases show that 21 percent of Fresno retailers sold to youth.
It’s no surprise that a third of Fresno County high school students have tried tobacco products, since many retailers don’t ask for ID. This can be significantly reduced if tobacco retail licensing is adopted.
More than 200 California cities and counties have implemented TRL and reduced illegal sales to youth. Outcomes of a TRL include a minimum price for packaging to make it less affordable, limiting flavored products that appeal to young people, and moving sales outlets away from schools and youth areas.
Protect the younger generation and help us support a TRL policy that will minimize the sale of tobacco products to youth and penalize retailers who sell to minors.
Karina Virk, Clovis
Red Light Runner
In the April 10 digital edition of The Bee, there is a caption under a photo that reads: “…a UPS truck runs a red light and hits an SUV.” » Clearly, this is not the case, according to the video which shows the SUV “going” through the red light.
A prominent Fresno lawyer says the intersection is at fault. I do not think so. Perhaps a better explanation is that Fresno drivers believe their time is more valuable than your life, and the city of Fresno doesn’t care.
Cameras to catch offenders? “Oh, we tried that in the past, but we didn’t make enough money.” Even if the cameras would not be absolutely preventative, a “hefty” fine would make some people think twice before “running” a red light and putting others in danger.
Bill Dixon, Fresno
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