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Editorials

  • Time to toughen county policy on dog attacks

    Imagine you have been mugged, your wallet or purse taken, your face bruised, your dignity shaken. Now imagine that the police, having cornered the suspect, merely dust him off and drive him home.

  • Salute efforts to educate new doctors

    Critics have pounced on efforts by Jim Costa and Dennis Cardoza, a pair of Congressional Democrats from the Central Valley, to scare up funding for a medical school at UC Merced.

  • New hope for end to Hwy. 46 carnage will stop

    Impatient drivers making stupid mistakes are to blame for Highway 46's "Blood Alley" reputation. But the design of the two-lane state highway, particularly the stretch of roadway in western Kern County, provides nearly no margin for error.

  • Is California AG required to obey laws he enforces?

    Two Republican lawmakers may be savoring a political "gotcha moment," but they also are raising legitimate questions: Is the state Attorney General's Office above the law? Is California's top law enforcement officer also bound by the laws he enforces?

Community Voices

  • No amount of caution could've foreseen meltdown's effect on redevelopment

    I was happy to read that Ric Llewellyn's Oct. 17 column was titled "Government should proceed cautiously on redevelopment" for two reasons. One, the many legal requirements made of redevelopment (and local government in general) demand such caution. Two, prudence suggests that all projects involving public funding require deliberate consideration.

  • Why demonize Wal-Mart foes?

    So Bakersfield finally has a Wal-Mart Superstore and the chief proponent of it needs to crow (Mark Salvaggio's Nov. 6 Community Voices article, "Newest Wal-Mart Superstore overcame bogus opposition"). I suppose I can understand that. I even understand him sending me a letter containing an ad for his perceived crown jewel.

  • Maybe we should also blame Obama for gravity

    The writer of a Nov. 2 letter, "Swine flu scourge is Obama's fault," claims that "Bush warned us 18 months ago about the H1N1 flu and took steps to ensure we would have enough vaccine."

  • Turns out neighborhood blight is a problem I'll have fix myself

    I recently moved back to Bakersfield from Los Angeles, and immediately upon my return I realized where the focus of attention had been during my absence.

Forum

  • Jim Costa: Why I decided to vote yes on the House's health care reform bill

    Having spent my entire life in the San Joaquin Valley, I've seen examples of the best and worst our nation's health care system has to offer, or not offer, its residents. Without a doubt, we have some of the most devoted, hard-working health professionals anywhere in our doctors' offices, hospitals, and health centers in the Central Valley. But one doesn't have to spend more than a few minutes in one of these facilities to know that these health professionals and health facilities are stretched thin.

  • The lost winter of 1918

    On a small farm outside of Bakersfield, a robust woman of 32, the mother of a small child, died quietly in the early hours of Sept. 30, 1918. As tragic as this loss was to the family, and the small community of friends and neighbors, it was only the beginning.

  • Water bond is vital to the Central Valley

    Recently, I joined many of my colleagues in an unprecedented effort to modernize how water in California is managed. The bills we passed represent the most comprehensive effort to address the state's water system in almost 30 years. It was the product of difficult negotiations, and not everyone got everything they wanted, but it is an impressive bipartisan product that brought together disparate interests to reach a reasonable solution to our state's water crisis.

  • Help connect California's returning vets with services created for them

    The birth of our country was made possible by a passion for freedom and a willingness to go to war for it. War creates veterans.

Letters to the Editor

Submit your letter to the editor for publication. The letter must be less than 250 words. We limit publishing letters to local authors and one published letter every six weeks. Letters must be signed by an individual (not a group of people) and include your name, address and phone number for verification purposes. We will only publish your name and city. Email letter to opinion@bakersfield.com.

  • They're a letdown

    I am disappointed with recent actions by both of our congressmen that represent Kern County. Take Kevin McCarthy. First he supports questionable candidates for Congress, just because they happen to be registered a Republican. But they are nowhere close to the Republican platform he ceremoniously oversaw. Congressman Mike Pence from Indiana, who is number four in the House Republican leadership, didn't back Dee Dee in New York's 23rd District, so why did Kevin? He'll support questionable people out of our area, but not Jim Costa's Republican opponent in 2008.

  • Pedestrian safety issue has income component

    Thank you for your Nov. 16 article, "Danger in the Streets," highlighting the concerns of pedestrian safety throughout Kern County. Your article did a good job of spotlighting a big problem in Kern County. Unfortunately, a large number of Kern residents live in both incorporated and unincorporated areas where sidewalks, crosswalks and walkable paths are not accessible.

  • Try them on U.S. soil

    Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, we have called for the capture and prosecution of those responsible. The announcement that the trials will be held in New York should have been greeted as a chance to have justice prevail as well as offer some sense of closure to this event.

  • Go for a ride along

    I would like to comment on the Nov. 4 letter, "Privatize firefighting." Being a former private-industry firefighter, I might have a little more knowledge on the subject than the earlier writer.

Sound Off

  • From afar, bravery isn't so difficult

    One of the most talked-about news stories last week was Tuesday's brutal pit bull attack, in which Steven Herrera was mauled by three of his brother's dogs.

  • SOUND OFF

    Reader: I have three complaints about the tabloid format:

  • SOUND OFF

    This feedback forum is designed to give readers an easy way to voice criticisms and compliments or ask questions about news coverage. Your questions are answered by Editor Mike Jenner each Sunday.

  • SOUND OFF

    This feedback forum is designed to give readers an easy way to voice criticisms and compliments or ask questions about news coverage. Your questions are answered by Editor Mike Jenner each Sunday.

Viewpoints