a place for the homeless

. Practically every town, city, and metropolis in America has its hobo camp, usually or almost universally located on the outskirts of town, out of sight of “regular” people: and astride the railroad track which provides regular free transportation into and out of town in empty box cars. The camps are situated this way because the land they occupy is not much good for anything else. Santa Cruz County, believe it or not, has exactly such a place on its North side past Western Avenue. The only missing ingredient is regular freight train traffic, but a twice daily shuttle, provided by the County, could take care of transportation to downtown. The cost of the shuttle would be a small price to pay to get the camping problem out of town, and we would not be juggling the periodic and aggravating problem of where to allow the homeless to set up camp.
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

Use your imagination

[ This is for Thursday, June 6.]
Try, if you can, to imagine what Europe would be like today if the United States, led by Pres. Franklin D Roosevelt, had not established the Arsenal of Democracy which enabled Russia to withstand Hitler’s aggression, and equipped the Allied forces that eventually squashed the Nazi regime. Can you imagine?
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

Something to remember

Please do not let us forget the significance of Thursday, June 6, 2019, the anniversary of D-day, the military landing on the beaches of Normandy, France, on the way to liberating Europe from the brutal grip of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime: “Hardly a man is now alive”” that was part of that historically massive invasion, but the people of Europe are free because of it. And you can bet the old-timers of Europe remember it well.
PS: Camila: Did you know there was a private Carlton W. Barrett, First Infantry Division, one of the earliest recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded from the Normandy invasion?

it is time to act

Quoting Lindsay Graham as one of Donald Trump’s most servile supporters, Eugene Robertson (April 23, 2019) recited the constitutional basis for impeachment,okp and it does not require conviction of a crime. As Robertson points out, it is about “cleansing the office… restoring honor and integrity”. If there were any other human being in that oval office besides who is there now, these reasons might be enough, but in the case of the Donald there is another, more critical element: TIME. We don’t know how much time we have before some part of the world explodes in crisis, requiring a reasoned, measured, response from the United States, exactly the kind of response we cannot count on now. So, we must take advantage of whatever time we have to “cleanse” the office without further delay.
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

course correction

It has been said that Trump needs a “course change” in his immigration policy, and that should be painfully obvious to anyone who has been paying attention.. How about a complete reversal of what Trump has been doing so far? A complete reversal! Start with a switch from “keep out” to “welcome”, from armed troops blocking the border to “welcome centers” where migrants are treated like valued human beings rather than useless animals that clog our economy and eat up social resources. We need to face up to the reality that we need these people. Emigrant families are actually the most desirable kind of people you can find anywhere. They have endured indescribable hardship to get here and (unlike Trump’s assertions) will make good, hard-working, taxpaying citizens when they are allowed to settle in the USA. If we adopt the right attitude toward immigrants, and back it up with officially- stated government policy, most of the problems now facing our border control people will probably fix themselves. It is so much easier to be friendly and kind than mean and cruel.

Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

riddle

What would you get if you mixed: food, water, clothing, counseling, and a welcoming attitude? Answer: a true Christian…( if you provide all of this at the Southern border, that is. Add a sophisticated registration system and you can achieve a national registry of immigrants; and a photo ID card the immigrant could use to facilitate free travel throughout the country.) Unregistered immigrants already in the country should be able to go to their local post office and register in the same way. Of course, the right wing blowhards will jump on this idea as another way for the libs to cheat on national elections by padding the voter rolls with aliens.
t Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

Immigration

[ dear editor: this submission is more in the nature of an essay than an “as you see it” letter. You may want to treat it as such.There is a radical idea here.]
We know pretty well what does not work on the immigration situation that is: everything Trump comes up with returns to dreck. His policies don’t work because they are aimed at the wrong goal, that is: keeping people out. Trump has no love for (nor even a willingness to accept as neighbors) anyone who skin is not white. Unfortunately, this attitude ignores the reality that white folks all over the world are not reproducing fast enough to maintain numerical superiority. We’re going to need immigrant labor in large numbers just to maintain America’s prosperity engine and keep it running. At present, however, only people of color are showing up. So, as a result, Trump keeps throwing obstacles which hurt more than help the United States economy in both the short and long run. As an example, closing the border.This is the absolute most damaging, least effective action conceivable! It simply shuts down too many important economic activities. What to do? How about a 180° turn from KEEP OUT to WELCOME…? If we could pull that off, of course, there would be an even larger flood of immigrants surging Northward, but we already have that, so what? And both political parties must, as an absolute minimum, restore substantial aid to the three Central American nations that produce immigrants in the highest numbers: Columbia, El Salvador, and Honduras. If we could somehow improve living conditions in those three countries, it might be possible that our “keep out” policy would shift into one more aimed at recruiting than rejection. We wouldn’t need a “big beautiful wall” at all. Wherever vehicle or animal control is needed, an ordinary fence would do perfectly well. And our 330 ports of entry could become 330 “welcoming centers” where arriving immigrants could be offered a drink of cool, clear water, a hot meal, shower, undisturbed rest, new clothing, counseling, and a photo ID card showing them to be an official immigrant: student, seasonal worker, or potential citizen. We need these people. We should make them feel welcome, not treat them as animals.

Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

False title

“democratically elected leader”
That phrase was recently used in a right-wing post on the internet. It should be pointed out, wherever and whenever necessary, that Donald Trump was never “elected”, democratically or otherwise, to the presidency of th U.S. He was “selected”, after losing the popular vote by almost 3 million voters, through an arcane system known as the “electoral college”. The only thing that keeps him in office is the 30% or so of registered voters for whom he, himself, Donald J Trump, is a perfect duplicate. This “base”, when combined with the traditional Republican base of ordinary people, is what gave the GOP their total control of everything. Now that Americans or learning, the hard way, what they have in the oval office is not what they bargained for, there is hope that traditional Republicans will see the error of their ways.

A favorite target for naysayers

[If it is permissible to say anything in favor of high-speed rail, here is my offering:]
I don’t recall ever seeing a total, eventual cost estimate for the Interstate Highway system, nor Hoover Dam; nor was there a concerted media put-down campaign against either of these massive undertakings. So, why, now, are pundit– types so riled up against high-speed rail? Of course, it’s running way over budget. Doesn’t everything of this size? Behind schedule? Well consider, if we built one of these every year or so we could easily prepare an accurate construction schedule, couldn’t we? Funding? Investors? For heaven sakes, this is a massive public utility were talking about, not some high tech startup. You don’t look for “investors” in a project like this. Investors are looking for big profits, whereas high speed rail should be funded with long-term bonds which pay off over time. Attractively priced, long-term bonds can tap into an almost bottomless pit of investment capital. So why are we not simply plowing ahead to build something that will benefit everyone and pay for it over the many generations of its use?
Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>

Ideas

In a recent issue, you suggested that the Democrats make this election season an “ideas primary”. Terrific idea! In my opinion, the only thing that will attract new voters is new ideas. I have some real doozies for you, but will hold off on sending them in until I can hear from you whether you want them all at once or scattered through the year in the form of letters to the editor. If it is convenient, let me know your preference.
For example: My first submission would be to replace the present income tax system with a “Common Tax 1/1”. The “common tax” part of the title means that it applies universally to every citizen of the United states of America over the age of 18. Thus, it is “common” to everyone: no favors, exemptions, deductions or any other way to avoid or evade the tax. The 1/1 designation indicates a one – time assessment 1% on the total cash assets of all citizens: 1% one time. The other <1> indicates the total maximum income tax RATE that can ever be levied, and it, too, is a one time tax on the amount of cash you add to your bank account (without regard to the amount you already have in there). The Common Tax is deducted from your deposit and forwarded by the bank to the U.S.Treasury. Thus, your tax is paid automatically. You have no more obligation: no withholding, no Quarterly Tax Estimate, no detailed record keeping, no form 1040, no schedule A or C. April 15 will be just another day on the calendar. You might think that 1% is hardly enough to cover the Federal budget. You would be surprised. π

Howard F. Sosbee 1400 Weston Ridge Road Scotts Valley CA, 95066 831, 335, 8401 hfs@sosbee.com <mailto:hfs@sosbee.com>