National debt

My early political inclinations were decidedly Republican, but in 1966 my transition to a moderate Democrat commenced.

One constant in this transformation is my fiscally conservative persuasion.

Some of the current federal spending binge is, in my opinion, unavoidable. But it nevertheless stimulates genuine anxiety about our government's long-term stability.

David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's, said, "I see absolutely nothing that's going to bring the deficit back to balance in the foreseeable future."

The president countered, "Those who are worried about the deficit must first worry ... about people being able to find work. I'm more concerned about somebody finding a job than I am about numbers on paper."

The quotes are germane to President George Bush's administration, not President Barack Obama's, and are from the Aug. 24, 2003, Times.

The current bulging budget contains problematic expenditures, and it's the responsibility of every American to demand frugal budgeting of our money.

But Republicans who now vociferously condemn Obama were shamefully mute while Bush stumbled to eight consecutive budget deficits and swelled our national debt by $5 trillion.

Their silence was contemptible and predictable.

Ronald Entwistle

San Pablo

Canned news

The

recent headline news about too much BPA in canned foods always includes a snipe at Del Monte green beans. That's too bad, because I worked at the company in the 1970s, and upon quitting, left with the knowledge its brand name had the clout of rigid standards behind it.

Del Monte Cannery #35 in Emeryville employed me for nine years, and quality control was paramount there as it was in all Del Monte facilities. So much so that I still only buy brand name foods, especially Del Monte.

Fresh vegetables are not always an option because of the time involved in their preparation, and many consumers fear the lethal effects of deadly pesticides and poorly managed handling which have resulted in deaths. Frozen and canned vegetables are legitimate and healthy choices for the consumer.

To my knowledge, Del Monte green beans have not killed anyone; however, what has bored the American public to death is the continuum of canned news stories about life-threatening foods.

Mary Alice Altorfer

Brentwood

Useless demo

The Bureau of Reclamation's two-gate project is not a fish protection demonstration.

Any "demonstration" is never a full operational project to enable a proposed program. Demonstrations are low-cost, low-impact, reversible experiments intended to evaluate a hypothesis.

It's obvious California water politics are at the root of this demonstration. It has all the appearances of a mechanism to improve the quality of the water being exported south at the expense of Delta water quality.

California is historically arid. The lack of sufficient water to sustain an ever-growing population is a reality politicians and water managers must learn to deal with honestly.

Contractually promising ever-increasing, nonexistent water supply is at best unrealistic and at worst a fraud.

Without alternative water strategies, such as industrial-scale desalination, water-intense crops may no longer be a viable Central Valley strategy.

Regardless of the increase expense of new water strategies, California agriculture and its customers will have to accept a new business model.

Attempting to herd the Delta Smelt to put off the inevitable growth limits imposed by Mother Nature is like putting gas masks on miners' canaries in order to keep working an unsafe mine.

The proposed "demonstration" is not justifiable and must be stopped.

Nikola Mitschkowetz

Discovery Bay

Absurdities

It should come as no surprise to anyone with a pedestrian knowledge of history that the Republican Party of the South became the party of disenfranchised Dixiecrats after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At that time, those supporting the racist policies of Sen. Strom Thurmond, et al, left the Democratic Party and joined ranks with southern Republicans. I am not saying that there aren't southern Republicans who disavow racist ideology, but in the main the party is no longer that of Abraham Lincoln and is overtly anti-black. Bigotry is alive and well in America, and we would be best served if we recognized it as such and express our abhorrence whenever it rears its ugly head.

Some talk radio jerks are dangerously close to inciting racial tensions with foolish banter and bluster about President Barack Obama. That hardly anyone from the Republican Party is vehemently abjuring such nonsense is extremely disappointing as polemics are perversely being subverted to win over public opinion. It is inevitable that our nation will suffer great indignities if we continue to wallow in polarized absurdities.

John Kabat

Danville