Plenty of big money backs Obama, too

A July 19 letter writer slammed Mitt Romney for his "huge financial resources" while conveniently ignoring Barack Obama's huge financial resources accumulated by seemingly endless "fundraisers" with his millionaire and billionaire show business buds and other hollow-headed deep-pocket liberal fat cats.

A few indisputable facts to consider: as a candidate, Obama promised to create five million "energy jobs" alone, claimed by the end of his first term his health care plan would "bring down premiums by $2,500 for the typical family," guaranteed that his financial rescue plan would help "stop foreclosures," predicted unemployment would not rise above eight percent if the stimulus plan was passed, pledged to "cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term," promised to "lift two million Americans from poverty" and vowed to "jolt our economy back to life," among other chimerical pipe dreams too numerous to list. These predictions were abysmally wrong, as everyone should be aware.

To re-elect this incompetent socialist would be madness of the highest order.

Lanny R. Middings

San Ramon

Candidates should run on more than race

Rather than dwelling on the raising of Obama by a communist mother (whose parents were also communists) and education as a Muslim in

The result is a dictatorial and narcissistic man who disrespects the U.S. Constitution and is striving to destroy our capitalist system in favor of a socialist society and government which would destroy the most prosperous and moral country in history.

In review, Obama's sole qualification for president of the U.S. is that he is black, which seems to have mesmerized most of the black population and the white guilt-ridden. Whereas, there are several other black Americans that are qualified through their intellect, values and leadership capabilities.

Are we willing to sacrifice our most precious freedom and prosperity by re-electing a most inept and dangerous administration?

Frank J. Murar

Danville

Health care law good, more should be done

I totally agree with the Supreme Court's ruling and Obama Care -- as far as it goes! Our health care in America is so uneven and so expensive that it doesn't work now.

I have Medicare and a supplement and am very satisfied with the care I received. My only complaint is "the doughnut hole" on meds. The pharmaceuticals were left off the hook when President Bush helped us seniors. President Bush didn't negotiate a lower price because he didn't want to upset them. Wrong -- drugs are too expensive. The whole country should have a Medicare plan that everyone pays into and that is regulated from fraud and any mismanagement. Then Grandma or anyone else couldn't be thrown "under the bus!" The way it is now, one-third or more people can't even get on or near the bus.

Specialists should be paid less and more general practitioners should be let into medical school at government cost and pay back the education by working in the new all-inclusive system! Those crazy Tea Party folks don't want their Medicare touched -- pretty soon the whole country would be saying that in spades.

Barbara Alarab

Danville

Kudos for the stand on Delta water issue

Thanks to the editor for speaking out against "holding the Delta hostage."

Apparently, you've been educated by your reporters' coverage of water and Delta issues over the last three years. We hope you'll remain blunt in your criticism of present Delta priorities around water quality if or when the $11 billion bond for a conveyance comes to the voters. You should have added that secure levees will keep an expected sea level rise brought on by global warming from polluting the Delta further with salt. Earthquakes, floods, and other climate changes will happen. Please have your reporters interview Dr. Robert Pyke, of Lafayette, for comprehensive data on California levees and what can be done to preserve or upgrade them.

Jan Howe

San Ramon

Mileage tax worst political proposal ever

I think it is absolutely absurd that now on top of everything else, government and civic officials are considering a mileage tax to further burden the working people of the Bay Area.

I absolutely cannot believe it. No wonder so many people and businesses have left California to move somewhere else so that they can afford a financially comfortable living. The Bay Area is one of the most expensive places in the United States to live in, and now these so-called leaders of ours want to burden us even more and make life harder financially for not only the working class, but also for those of us who are retired and do not have the income that we once had when we were working.

I have a better idea. Why don't all these people who are coming up with these ideas, including all of our government officials, including members of the state Legislature, U.S. Congress, city and county officials try this new plan out and see how it works for them? That would include a mileage tax on air travel to Washington D.C., Sacramento, business travel, vacations, weekend outings with the family, a night out to dinner, etc. After a two-year trial, they could report back to all of us who are working and retired and let us know how good, or not good, this pilot program is working for them personally. Better yet! How about charging these officials a tax for every foot or inch they travel? That would generate even more money!

Dan Carleton

Pleasanton

Outrages aplenty in Golden State

Two newspaper articles this week make me wonder "What are these people thinking?"

One article is about an illegal alien, Sergio Garcia, who has passed the state bar exam and wants to practice law in California. Amazingly, the State Board of Bar Examiners thinks that would be just fine.

Unbelievable! Garcia has been in the country illegally, breaking the law every second, every day for years, and he wants to practice law! Even more unbelievable is that the state bar is OK with that. What are these people thinking? Why was Garcia even allowed to take the bar exam?

The second article is about a proposal to tax drivers in the Bay Area by miles driven, which would likely entail a GPS-like tracker on their cars. Unbelievable! What an invasion of privacy with a tracking device installed in your car. Even without a tracker, what a ridiculous idea.

We already have a fuel tax paid at the pump that accomplishes what this new tax would do. Drive more miles, buy more gas, pay more tax.

Thomas Jefferson

Livermore