Bee readers take on Jan. 6 insurrection, flood preparedness

Looking ahead

“Omicron upends return to US schools and workplaces,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 4)

Isn’t it a shame when we read what we could have done if we followed the protocol that Dr. Anthony Fauci and other medical experts advised? Too late to cry over spilled milk. Let’s square our shoulders and look ahead into this new year to change what we can. Refuse repeating the lies and misinformation and stop listening to politicians who are not experts at anything but trying to get your votes. Protect yourselves and your family.

Lyla Rae Wickstrum

Sacramento

Agree on facts

“Teachers at culture war front lines with Jan. 6 education,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 5)

The call for “objective history” in our schools is a painfully naïve request. With luck, we can agree on the facts. For example, the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 destroyed that city’s Black business community. But analysis of why the event occurred or what it means is open to interpretation framed by a set of guiding values and world experiences. So let´s first agree on the facts, then search for shared values. Don´t ask teachers to ignore facts when explaining history to our children. Objective histories have never existed — they are pure fiction.

Robert Blake

Davis

Rehabilitation

“Judge orders temporary halt in changes in good conduct credits for California inmates,” (sacbee.com, Dec. 30)

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with about 600 people per 100,000 incarcerated. Our criminal justice system is failing those who break the law by not providing them with meaningful opportunities for gainful employment upon release so they will not reoffend. Contrary to Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert’s wish to maintain or increase incarceration rates, the answer is not more prisons or longer sentences. It should be implementing programs, starting with families and schools, to instill a sense of responsibility so people don’t offend, and rehabilitation for those who do commit crimes, including an opportunity at meaningful employment.

William J. Schmidt

Wilton

Preparing for flood

“Sierra storm updates: I-80 reopens; Nevada governor closes Highway 50 at state line,” (sacbee.com, Dec. 29)

While taking a graduate-level class at Sacramento State University, I did a study of the 1862 flood that turned the Valley into an “inland sea.” It started with a heavy snowfall much like the snow now blanketing the Sierra. What came next was an atmospheric river that quickly melted the snowpack and flooded Sacramento and the Valley. The flow of the American River was estimated at 262,000 acre-feet per second and reached the present height of the Rainbow Bridge in Folsom. If a rainstorm such as that hit the Sierra in the coming months, it would be catastrophic. Folsom Dam could not hold the flow and would be dangerously overtopped, as would the levees now protecting the city. What would occur is a 1,000-year flood. Are the weather prognosticators watching for such an event?

Eileen Glaholt

Kaneohe, Hawaii

Water storage

“The government is releasing water from Folsom Lake during California’s drought. Here’s why,” (sacbee.com, Dec. 31)

Water is being released from the Folsom Dam because, as your story reports, Sacramento is one of America’s most flood-prone cities, and Folsom is a relatively small reservoir. For several decades, our state has experienced recurring drought, power shortages and floods while leaders have blocked efforts to build new dams. State voters approved a $7.1 billion bond seven years ago to build the Sites reservoir, but construction isn’t scheduled to start until 2025. In the ’80s, state officials responded to pressure from environmental groups and halted construction of the Auburn Dam, which would have provided 2.3 million acre-feet of water storage and 700 megawatts of electricity. State leaders have also ignored the idea of safely raising Shasta Dam by 100 feet. It’s time for Californians to elect some new leaders.

Michael Rushford

Carmichael

Concern in Placer

“School tied to Trump buys land from group led by Sacramento’s Democratic Tsakopoulos family,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 1)

As we honor the memory of those killed and injured in the Trump-fueled riots in Washington, D.C., one year ago, I’m concerned that an extremist, Trump-supporting institution, Hillsdale College, may build a campus in Placer County. I felt sick to my stomach after reading a publication from Hillsdale on a so-called “insurrection hoax.” In an article filled with disinformation, it’s outrageous that Hillsdale turns the facts on their head and blames a “Democrat oligarchy.” As our nation seeks to heal and strengthen our democracy, it’s dangerous and irresponsible that Hillsdale College would give a nod and a wink to the use of political violence. An extremist institution like Hillsdale College presents a threat to the Sacramento region. We don’t need a citadel of propaganda and intolerance in Placer County.

Harry White

Roseville

Access to midwives

“She just wanted to help women give birth. But she learned California wouldn’t pay her,” (sacbee.com, Jan. 2)

Thank you for bringing attention to the crisis birthing people are facing due to the overreach of a physician-dominated medical board and the ridiculousness of health insurance companies in the U.S. Midwives should not have to jump through hoops and get judgements in their favor to get paid out by insurance companies. Maternity care deserts’ existence in 2022 is completely asinine. The state should be doing more to ensure people can access care in all counties. We need more community programs and services to make sure all of us are cared for, not just those who can pay Kaiser, Sutter or Dignity.

Denise Adams

Arbuckle