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Trump’s cuts are not
making America great

Re: “California, other states sue Trump” (Page B1, April 30).

I am a volunteer with The Reading Program, which is funded by AmeriCorps. I wanted to give a first-hand account of what these cuts mean.

I’ve been helping a struggling 10-year-old learn to read at her grade level. She is so invested in learning and looks forward to our tutoring sessions, always asking when we will meet again. To have this tutoring just cut off will hurt her progress, as well as the trust we have built.

If government oversight wants to review how funds are spent, fine. I don’t agree with just axing vital programs, no questions asked. These kids are being hurt. It is not making America great; it’s shameful.

Amy Asquith
Campbell

After 100 days, Trump
is the same old fraud

Re: “Trump marks first 100 days in office focused on grievances” (Page A3, April 30).

Donald Trump claims to be a master dealmaker who will “make America great again.” Only about a third of America’s eligible voters backed Trump in the 2024 election — hardly a landslide victory. Now that he is literally tearing the country apart, many evidently still believe him.

The facts tell a starkly different story. Before 2016, Trump had no noteworthy prior experience in governmental dealings. That fact alone should be disqualifying. He has since been convicted by a twelve-person jury of multiple felonies for falsifying business records in an effort to influence the 2016 election. His private company stands convicted of massive tax fraud. Those facts should be disqualifying.

Furthermore, Trump has an abominable business history (chiefly as an unscrupulous upscale landlord), triggering thousands of litigations, involving bankruptcies, unpaid contractors and fines. That history reveals both his business incompetence and his utter contempt for the law.

In sum, Trump is — as always — a self-aggrandizing liar and a fraud.

Jerry Meyer
San Jose

Trump should take
page from NFL’s book

The NFL is punishing the Atlanta Falcons and their offensive line coach for the bogus call made to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft. Their reaction was appropriate and responsible.

Then you have to compare it to President Trump and his administration’s reaction to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chat indiscretion on two separate occasions. No punishment, total denial that anything was wrong with war plans being discussed with his wife, brother and lawyer listening in.

What a frightening contrast. Hegseth is only one of the unqualified members of Trump’s cabinet who are running our country … into the ground.

Lynda Martinez
San Jose

Environment must
be central in resistance

Re: “Pope Francis was a prescient climate hero” (Page A9, April 27) and “Offering weary bus riders a seat” (Page E1, April 27).

As the world responds to Donald Trump’s chaos, I’m glad to see the Mercury News squeeze in some articles about the importance of climate change. In a recent protest I attended in San Jose, there were hundreds of signs, but none mentioning climate change.

The opinion piece on Pope Francis summarizes how the climate crisis, poverty and selfishness are connected. Francis reminds all of us to urgently take action and to cooperate “for the care of creation.”

This leads to the second article, Mingwei Samuel’s work to build benches for bus riders in the Bay Area. Rather than complaining or being frozen with despair, he took action with others and got the work done.

As opposition to Trump crystallizes, we must keep the environment front and center. Humans are a small part of nature, but our impact is enormous, and the rest of nature doesn’t get a vote.

Tom Calderwood
Los Gatos

Big Tech is big
because it works

Re: “Google chief says breakup plan would hobble its business” (Page C9, May 1).

I don’t want the Justice Department to break up Google or Apple or any of the others.

The fact that their products work so well within their ecosystems is why I use them. I don’t want to go back to trying to fit together email and browsers, etc. together on my own.

What we have right now works. Leave it alone.

Karen Brenchley
Santa Rosa

State should offer
help to all its citizens

Re: “Bill would give homeowners cash to fireproof” (Page B1, May 5).

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This is a nice law for a community; however, why is it that politicians think that only low-income individuals need assistance, especially during this financial crisis, which we all are facing?

Let’s face it, even though California may be the fourth largest economy in the world, it won’t lift a finger for all its residents. We need better government and not just a welfare system for the few. Otherwise, why pay property taxes, sales taxes or even file state taxes if the government doesn’t represent all of its citizens?

Jeff Staben
Santa Cruz