Mailbag: Obama changed immigration rule
Ray Richmond’s recent columns criticizing President Donald Trump have received support and disapproval from our readers.
In regards to Ray Richmond’s column of Jan. 14, wherein he made known his fear of the service of the 45th president to our country. It came as no surprise to me inasmuch as Richmond considers himself a member of the entertainment business whose members attach way too much importance to themselves and think pretty much the same, even refusing to participate in the great tradition of the peaceful transition of power.
I would be interested to know Richmond’s opinion on then-President Obama’s ending of the policy relating to the “residency of Cuban immigrants,” as reported in the Los Angeles Times in January and if it would be different if President Trump had ordered it.
Ronald Grzywinski
Glendale
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
Media must stay strong
We applaud the Glendale News-Press for publishing anti-President Trump columns by Ray Richmond and Brian Crosby.
When Steve Bannon, President Trump’s chief political strategist is quoted in the New York Times saying that the “media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut ... the media is the opposition party,” newspapers need to stand strong against such tyranny.
Keep writing, Mr. Richards and Mr. Crosby. Your voices need to be heard.
Holly Wolfle Hall
Philip Baker Hall
Glendale
..
Another list about Trump
Ray Richmond took a few hits for his anti-Trump column, and I would ask some of his detractors to address only a small fraction of the misgivings so many of us have about our new president.
His taxes. He still won’t release them and declares that “nobody cares about that.” Recent polls (always “rigged” in Trump’s mind when they reveal something he doesn’t like) indicate that more than 70% of our country’s population does care and continues to wonder just what he is hiding.
His grabbing. His apologists would still insist that it was only “locker room talk.” I would ask any man whether he ever talked among other men about stalking married women or committing felonious assaults on them — and then declaring his entitlement to said assault “because he is a star”? Such an admission would be a gaping hole in any man’s character, let alone a president of the United States.
Trump University. Who pays $25 million to settle “bogus claims”? Clearly it was his university that was bogus.
He reads and quotes from the National Enquirer. Is there anyone with a modicum of intelligence who will step forward and give a thumbs up to his “enquiring” mind here?
Speaking of intelligence, this new administration has consistently demeaned our entire intelligence community, putting operatives around the world at risk and compromising our national security. Unprecedented in our history.
The ban. Why wasn’t Saudi Arabia put on the list given that 17 out of the 19 perpetrators of 9/11 were Saudis? Could it be Trump’s business interests in that country?
A bushel of lies. More than 500 on record and they just keep on coming. Kelly Ann Conway has explained the latest lies coming from the White House as “alternative facts.”
For a more in-depth understanding of this concept and to prepare for the next four (possibly less) years, read “1984” by George Orwell.
Dan Kimber
Montrose
..
Another list of ‘nevers’
Given columnist Ray Richmond’s “A list he never thought he’d have to write,” I thought I’d share my “A list I never thought I would get to write.”
I never thought that I would see a president who understands: (1) that it is not the responsibility of the American taxpayer to fund the aborting of babies in Africa; (2) that America’s embassy in Tel Aviv actually belongs in Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem; (3) that Islam is not a peaceful religion, but rather an ideology of conquest in which the first priority is the oppression of women and the killing of homosexuals; (4) that city police forces exist to protect the rights of American citizens, not defend criminal aliens against extradition; (5) that World War II ended seven decades ago, and that Europe should pay for its own defense rather than continue to live off of the backs of the American taxpayer; (6) that the “deplorables” are the real Americans, not the Hollywood elite who, wearing $12,000 suits and dresses at $5,000 award dinners, lecture those of us who actually work for a living on how ignorant we are; (7) the UN for what it is: an elite group of corrupt dictatorships who use American taxpayer funds to further the destruction of America.
I never thought that, after 16 years of the twin nightmares of (1) Bush’s “New World Order” of nation building on the backs of America taxpayers and cozying up to the religious dictatorship of Saudi Arabia, and (2) Obama’s “Fundamentally Changing America” on the backs of the American taxpayer tied with a bromance for the socialist dictatorship of Cuba that I would see a president who actually believes in putting the American first. But I see one now.
Ray Shelton
Glendale
..
Let’s focus on local news
Like Ray Richmond, I too am worried about our country under President Trump. Politically I agree with Trump on some issues and disagree on others (as I have with all former presidents), but my biggest concern is with his character, not his politics.
That being said, I hope that Richmond can move on and focus instead on local issues. There is more than enough coverage and opinion regarding Trump in the national news, and papers such as the L.A. Times are the proper places for that. On the other hand, the Glendale News-Press is all that we have left of local news and it should exclusively focus on that.
Besides, by writing a tirade against Trump, Richmond is providing an opportunity for Trump supporters to flood the News-Press Mailbag with their own tirades in rebuttal. If this continues, the News-Press will just become a second-string for the L.A. Times.
Steve Mills
Glendale
..
Measure is a waste of money
Another example of government waste: Our house received three Official Sample Ballots in the mail yesterday. One for me, one for my wife and one for our daughter who has not lived in California for more than seven years.
In November 2016 we voted on Proposition HHH, the Homelessness Reduction and Prevention, Housing and Facilities Bond and Proposition JJJ, the Build Better L.A. measure. This measure required developers to include affordable housing units in any new construction.
Upon opening my Official Sample Ballot I found there was only one measure on the Official Ballot. County Measure H: Los Angeles County Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness.
Los Angeles County has printed hundreds of thousands of Official Sample Ballots, mailed them, will open poles on March 7 fully staffed from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. for one measure, a measure that should have been and was addressed in November.
I imagine there is some arcane law that requires an election in March but to spend taxpayer money this soon after a national election that contained ballot measures very similar to County Measure H is a pure waste of money.
Jim Kussman
Glendale
..
Advocating for traffic safety
In response to Shant Minas’ op-ed, “Glendale is bad for your health” (Jan. 19), I’d like to say that there is a coalition of Glendale residents and homeowners, called Drive Safe Glendale, that has banded together to ask the city to address the growing and out-of-control problems of reckless driving, speeding, running stop signs, and illegally loud cars, especially in residential neighborhoods, and the plethora of paper plates.
We have posted a Change.org petition that outlines the problems Mr. Minas pointed out and offers possible suggestions for solutions that the Glendale Police Department and the City Council can pursue. Although we can’t dictate the specific actions by the GPD or the city, we can throw our considerable voting weight behind this cause that, as Mr. Minas points out, is not only a quality-of-life issue, but a public safety issue that affects everyone in the city.
As Jeff Landa reports (“Glendale residents come together to make traffic safety a priority in upcoming election,” Jan. 24), our coalition hopes to convince current City Council members and those running for the open seats in April to make the traffic problem a higher-priority issue than it currently is. To wit, we strongly support recent efforts by the GPD at citywide traffic and speed enforcement, and would like to see more of the same. Our goal is for everyone — the GPD, the City Council, and residents/homeowners — to work together to solve this problem.
If you’re interested in supporting this cause, you can find the Change.org petition at https://www.change.org/p/urge-the-glendale-city-council-to-make-traffic-safety-a-priority. We hope to collect hundreds or thousands of signatures and make a difference in our community.
You can also stay updated by liking Drive Safe Glendale on Facebook or by visiting us at https://www.drivesafeglendale.com or emailing us at info@drivesafeglendale.com.
Hank Schlinger
Cari Field
Mari Carlos
Glendale
..
Suit came after years of protest
Re: “Glendale must pay back residents nearly $57 million for illegal energy rate increase, judge rules,” Feb. 1. Glendale City Atty. Mike Garcia has literally led the Glendale City Council into an illegal abyss. More disturbing is that the article states the City Council is likely to vote to appeal the L.A. Superior Court ruling on the direction given by the city attorney, falling further into the abyss of violating the Glendale City Charter and California state law.
Since 2008 I, along with many other Glendale residents and rate payers, have been publicly urging the sitting city councils to stop transferring funds from the GWP directly into the city’s General Fund. The councils were given copies of the sections of the City Charter that were being violated time and time again, only to be ignored by every council including the sitting council.
The outcome of these citizen protests was that former Councilman Dave Weaver, then acting as mayor, ended our presentations by stating “sue us,” which led to the formation of the Glendale Coalition for Better Government (GCBG) of which I am a member. The GCBG filed subject lawsuit in 2013 at great expense which is borne by the members of the GCBG.
The bottom line to decisions made by the Glendale City Council is its continued acceptance of legal advice received from the city attorney appointed by the council. Clearly, that advice has not served the council well. Also sharing in these legal missteps is the advice and support of the city attorney’s recommendations by the city manager. These actions clearly point out the need for the city attorney and the city manager to be elected positions. Unfortunately, the appointments by the city councils over the years have not served the public interests well.
Albert Hofmann
Glendale
MORE OPINION
Learning Matters: Education challenges are nothing new