Moore’s law, math
and big pumpkins
O Great Pumpkin! I have plotted that pumpkin weight data the Mercury News printed (Page 1B, Oct. 9) for some of the years from 1973 through 2007. Weight is clearly an exponential function of time, one that makes Gordon Moore look like a piker. If the current trend continues (and why shouldn’t it?), the champion pumpkin in 2849 will weigh slightly more than the earth itself. What a pickup truck that will require.
C.F. Carey
San Jose
State fails to make
our water safe
Despite the title, “Safe Drinking Water Act of 2008,” not a single dollar in the current bonds would address the state’s drinking-water crisis. While policy-makers argue about how to best solve our water crisis, tens of thousands of Californians can’t fill a glass of tap water without fear of cancer, kidney disease or other health problems. According to the California Department of Public Health, public drinking-water systems deliver water with unsafe levels of contaminants to approximately 1 million people, predominantly in rural, poor areas. This drinking water is primarily groundwater contaminated by pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture. Ensuring future water supplies for the state is important, but shouldn’t meeting the current water needs of residents be our No. 1 priority?
Amy Vanderwarker
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Oakland
Iraq war’s soaring
cost is a shocker
The feds were never able to hang responsibility for a crime around Al Capone’s neck. Instead, accountants brought him down for tax evasion. In similar fashion, rather than fighting a wasted battle for impeachment, opponents of President Bush’s endless war should follow the money. If we can show the American people how much of the $600 billion was wasted, lost or stolen, then the fiscal irresponsibility of this administration will finally be on display and the real costs of this war will force us to either raise taxes or get our troops out of this wasteful sinkhole.
Ed Taub
Mountain View
Sale of land could
aid school district
The Oak Grove Educators Association, representing all Oak Grove employees, appreciates the concerns of the neighbors in the Calero area. We recognize that the Oak Grove School District Board of Trustees is looking out for the best interests of the students of the entire district. Josh Roza (Letters, Oct. 4) is correct stating that the land is public; however, it belongs to all of the Oak Grove community and not just the neighbors in the Calero area. The sale of the property could generate income that could be used to benefit all of our students. The board is entrusted with an awesome responsibility and is doing due diligence in considering this issue. A decision won’t be made until the matter has been thoroughly explored.
K.C. Walsh
President
Oak Grove Educators Association
BART to San Jose
popular with many
I am tired of letters from readers “speaking for everyone,” that BART to San Jose is not worth it. I for one think it will be great. I live in San Jose and work in Milpitas. Every one of my co-workers likes the idea. Many commute up and down the East Bay corridor and would take this alternate means on a daily basis. It also would provide an easier link to downtown San Francisco as Caltrain does not even reach Market Street and requires an additional bus, taxi or long hike to get anywhere in San Francisco. Maybe it’s time for Santa Clara County residents to discover more than just the Peninsula.
Michael McLain
San Jose
Stadium poor idea
for Santa Clara
The Santa Clara City Council is making a mistake in its efforts to build a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers. The city has much more important issues to focus on. With the recent downturn in the economy we should be frugal and not looking to spend millions.
Henry Cate
Santa Clara
Cigarette, coffee
comparison untrue
Yvonne Hester (Letters, Oct. 9) is upset that we want to tax smokers like her, to pay for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to cover millions of uninsured children. She believes that this is as unfair as having a tax on coffee for the same purpose. Well, Yvonne, I would support a tax on coffee the moment that it is proven to cause or be a major contributor to lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, stroke, birth defects, and death to hundreds of thousands of Americans each year – while costing our health care system tens of billions of dollars. And, by the way, I would immediately stop drinking my two cups of coffee a day.
Alan Zisser
Campbell
Lower highway
speeds are unsafe
If Luther Martin (Letters, Oct. 10) wants efficiency limits, let’s pass efficiency limits, not unsafe low speed limits. The 55 mph limit is hypnotic. The speed limit went up to 65, and accidents fell, not rose. Let’s limit what we want to limit. Electric cars will replace gas cars much more quickly if we mandate efficiency.
Brendan Taylor
San Mateo
