t 9 a.m. this morning (July 27) I watched six consecutive
drivers speed right through a residential stop sign without even
slowing down. I have watched the overall number of street sign
runners increase steadily over the last year, and even called the
police to request they drop by to take a look.
Reckless motorists pose potential traffic problems
Dear Editor,
At 9 a.m. this morning (July 27) I watched six consecutive drivers speed right through a residential stop sign without even slowing down. I have watched the overall number of street sign runners increase steadily over the last year, and even called the police to request they drop by to take a look. Unfortunately, our police department has to weigh potential stop sign runners against other crimes that need attention, and this one doesn’t measure up – until there is an accident, which should be just a matter of time.
Recent comments in the MH Times reveal that this same behavior is happening at two other locations in Morgan Hill. These stop sign runners are not primarily teens, but moms and dads – sometimes with kids in the car.
This behavior is troubling not only because it’s unsafe, but also because it models anarchy to our children. In civilized society, we are taught that we voluntarily give up small liberties for the safety and security of the population as a whole.
I understand that we all tend to drive a few miles over the speed limit, and many of the street sign runners are driving above the speed limit by 5 or 10 mph, but running street signs takes a technically illegal behavior into a higher risk category.
On the other hand, perhaps I am missing some important shift in society. This is clearly a disturbing symptom of a collective thought process here in Morgan Hill, and I believe it’s important to understand the motivations behind the shift towards personal decision-making on community safety issues.
So please, if you are a stop sign runner, help me to understand your thinking. Do you drive through stop signs in San Jose as well or just here in your own community?
What do you tell your kids when they ask why you just went through a stop sign at full speed? And finally, what would it take to convince you to stop from this particular behavior before we have a fatality?
Barbara Sullivan, Morgan Hill
Wanton spending by the Democrats and president really is the problem
Dear Editor,
Our president is accusing Republicans of blocking unemployment benefit extensions. What the Republicans are objecting to is adding this to the debt. The president himself made a big production about all expenditures to be paid for. Over half of the stimulus money is unspent and could easily fund the unemployment extension.
Why the president chooses to demagogue this issue defies logic. What the people need are the jobs that were promised with the stimulus package. Only when people are working and consuming will the recession end.
Maybe if the administration spent more time stimulating business and less time partying, we might get people back to work.
Keith C. De Filippis, south San Jose
Astronomical cost numbers for the California High-Speed Rail project
Dear Editor,
Based on comparable rail transit construction costs around the U.S., the latest estimate for the California High Speed Rail project is $165 billion to $177 billion.
That’s construction only; operating subsidies are estimated most recently by the Long Beach Press-Telegram to be $4 billion per year.
Joe Thompson, Gilroy
Column was a waste of space that could have been better used
Dear Editor,
Referring to the Morgan Hill Times “It’s a Mom’s Life” column by Laurie Sontag dated Friday July 16, what a waste of space. There must be many more subjects of substance that would be written by a qualified journalist.
Note to Ms. Sontag, if your teenage son did in fact call you an “old fart” to your face, that would be very disrespectful. How could you not develop his attitude to respect his parents and others?
Don Watts, Morgan Hill
Have we really sunk to this level of public discourse?
Dear Editor,
I try to be a good father and grandfather. I go to church regularly and try to use language that is acceptable in church. I am disappointed with the way we have deteriorated on television and in the newspapers.
The following is a story I made up, but you can see how this could very easily happen:
A group of 9-year-old girls are watching television, when the hostess says, “we were watching ‘Dancing Your Big Fat Ass Off’ when Suzy farted. I was so pissed off, I sent her home.”
I am disappointed we have sunk to this level.
How can we scold her when we use that language on television and in the newspapers?
Ed Carr, Morgan Hill
