Overhead blight in Palo Alto

Dear Editor: I was deleting emails from my files and came upon this one that ran as a letter to the editor on April 27, 2009. Unfortunately it is still current, as little has been done by the city of Palo Alto to remedy this condition. The city indicated recently it is going to concentrate a lot more on infrastructure.

"Palo Altans. Our network of ugly overhead wires are a blight on our city. We claim to be a city of trees, but for too long we have been a city of wires. City-hired expensive tree trimming companies are forever trimming pathways so branches won't impose on these wires. I consistently see huge wedges cut out of one side of a magnificent tree so the branches can clear by several feet.

"Decades have passed since the city somewhat began undergrounding. Now, little is heard about it and progress is pathetic. Some resources are allocated, but utility funds are constantly tapped for the general fund and undergrounding is on a snail's pace.

"Stop siphoning the utility fund reservoir. Leave us enough to mount a serious 10-year completion program to get rid of these wires and save on tree trimmers. The squirrels may be disappointed to lose their freeways, but we will better enjoy our yards and thoroughfares, and the city will take on a new appearance."

Bob Leonard,

Palo Alto



Dear Editor: The Senate is cramming several different subjects -- agriculture, transportation, commerce, justice -- into one giant spending bill that will cost the typical family $2,900. I do not consent.

There's little to nothing in the Constitution that authorizes micromanagement of these issues. Instead of funding these departments, Congress should abolish most of them.

Moreover, the more subjects there are in a bill, the longer and more complicated it becomes. It also opens the door for secret deals, pork and unjust laws.

Keep bills simple, short and transparent. Fund every department or agency with its own bill. A One Subject at a Time Act should be the law.

Irvin E. Chambers,

Menlo Park

Sugarcoating illegal immigration

Dear Editor: Republican Jeb Bush said the following, in part, about those who come to America illegally: "Yes, they broke the law, but it's not a felony. It's an act of love. It's an act of commitment to your family. I honestly think that is a different kind of crime, that there should be a price paid but it shouldn't rile people up, that people are actually coming to this country to provide for their families."

So perhaps Bush can explain the whereabouts of that "love" when it comes to the parents of thousands of children -- some as young as 2 -- who have stormed U.S. borders and created a horrific humanitarian crisis.

The reality is that coming to America illegally is a deadly serious and dangerous venture, even for mature adults.

For defenseless children, illegal migration can lead to death or serious injury, being victimized by sex trafficking, exploitation by Mexican drug cartels and other heinous crimes at the hands of unsavory thugs who have no regard for the lives or well being of innocent children.

Allowing, or even encouraging, young children to assume the risks of coming to the U.S. illegally portends a complete lack of common sense and anything but love.

By foolishly trying to sugarcoat illegal immigration as an act of love, Jeb Bush has demonstrated his own lack of common sense and perhaps fatal weakness as a possible presidential candidate in 2016.

John W. Lillpop,

San Jose