Another pitch for taxes?

In the Jan. 8 IJ, Marin County Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke was quoted, saying that for children without early education, "It's very, very challenging for them to ever catch up. In those early years, the brain develops at a rate it never will later in life."

I would like to know how many people from my generation or earlier went to preschool. Yet, we all managed to become very successful individuals.

Staying home and raising your children is a very respectable and healthy decision.

This is about more taxes going to a program for low-income individuals.

How about people step up and be responsible for their own decision to have children. Why is everyone becoming a victim that needs someone else's money?

If this is really an article about subsidized day care and not the need of preschool, then a low-income person getting aid for food and housing should lose that aid since their children will be out of the house and they can be working.

Julie Casey, Novato

Questions seeking answers

1. Why does the Golden Gate Bridge District announce making changes in the traffic configuration two weeks after they were made?

2. Why are motorists required to stay three feet away from bicyclists rather than bicyclists being required to stay three feet away from motorists?


3. Why are tips and gratuities being taxed when gifts to our representatives in government and government employees are not?

4. Why is it illegal to light a fire in a fireplace to keep warm or to smoke tobacco when it's OK to light up marijuana anywhere, any time?

5. Why are garbage trucks allowed to stop in the middle of the street rather than parking on the side?

6. Why is the Department of Motor Vehicles not open on Saturdays for the working people?

7. Why is the lack of rain a drought?

8. Why is a person who doesn't try to gain legal status allowed to practice law?

9. Why are there no traffic cops in the city of San Francisco?

Thomas J. Harbinson, Ross

Open debate is critical

The United States has suffered ever more damaging results from initiatives sponsored by major corporations over the past three decades.

Now, these same corporations want to further eliminate the already weak controls they are subject to by nation states. How corporations, which are artificial creations of nation states, have been allowed these powers is a major failure of governmental control.

These corporations must be called to task. This can only be done by transparency.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership cannot be allowed to be considered by Congress without full review by the American people and full deliberation by Congress during open hearings.

This issue is one of the most important to ever be considered by Congress. It is hoped Congress will show strong leadership to defeat this damaging proposal.

Jim Suess, San Rafael