Making criminals out of legal gun owners
Here we go again with yet another misguided gun control law. Senate Bill 1160 would require yearly gun registration, supposedly for better understanding of who has lawfully owned firearms. Really, it is a law to collect more fees, possibly to make up for the state’s lack of fiscal responsibility.
Why not pass laws that take care of the real problem — the criminals who flaunt our government’s lack of the desire to put them in jail. What happened to “use a gun, go to jail.”
We as citizens of this state need to let our legislators know we are tired of them making laws by 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 time and time again, when will we get a clue?
Duane Opie, Fresno
Valley Children’s leaders lost their way
Valley Children’s Hospital has evolved from a small hospital at Shields and Millbrook in Fresno to their large campus in Madera. Along the way the leadership has lost its way.
When a top executive is paid $1.7 million, he should meet all his goals and expectations and not receive millions in bonuses.
Opinion
Remember this is a nonprofit that has received lots of support from our community. The success of VCH is its staff on the floor that carries out the hospital’s mission. If anyone receives a bonus, it should be the nurses and the supporting staff that make VCH a world-class operation.
I have read and listened to the excesses of the excessive bonuses, so I looked at the compensation of top executives in our area. These are larger, more complex operations, with more employees. They are Fresno city, Madera city, Fresno County, Madera County, Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified. Their compensation ranges from $230,000 to $440,000, compared to the $5 million VCH compensation package. Community Medical and Kaweah Delta pay their leaders about 1/5 of what VCH compensates its leader.
Another concern for me was the $10 million donated to Fresno State and $124 million invested offshore. Be transparent invest locally.
Al Rush, Fresno
Keep tobacco away from 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 use in our community by raising awareness of the tobacco industry’s impact.
We believe this can be accomplished by implementing a comprehensive tobacco retail license policy.
There are several ways youth access to tobacco products, including buying them at local stores. Survey results from an undercover youth purchase study show that 21% of retailers in Fresno sold to young people.
It’s not surprising that one-third of high schoolers in Fresno County have tried tobacco products because many retailers fail to ask for identification. This can be significantly reduced if the tobacco retail license passes.
More than 200 cities and counties in California have implemented a TRL and had decreased illegal sales to youth. The outcomes for a TRL include a minimum price for packs to make them less affordable, restricting flavored products that are enticing to youth, and keeping retail locations away from schools and youth zones.
Protect the younger generation and help us support a TRL policy that will minimize the sale of tobacco products to youth and penalize retailers that sell to underage individuals.
Karina Virk, Clovis
Red-light runner
On the digital edition of The Bee April 10, there is a caption under a picture that states ”… a UPS truck running a red light and striking an SUV.” Clearly, that is not the case, based on the video which shows the SUV “running” the red light.
A prominent Fresno attorney says the intersection at fault. Don’t think so. Perhaps a better explanation would be that Fresno drivers feel that their time is more valuable than your life, and the city of Fresno couldn’t care less.
Cameras to catch violators? “Oh, we tried that in the past, but we didn’t make enough money.” While cameras wouldn’t be absolutely preventative, a “hefty” fine would give some people a second thought before “running” a red light and endangering others.
Bill Dixon, Fresno
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