Why do so many people in this town get their knickers in a twist over political cartoons? By their very nature, political cartoons are supposed to be sarcastic and biting. That's what they are for--to address the underside of political situations and individuals in office.

Sometimes, that underside is ugly. Sometimes it's dealt with harshly. That's the nature of the beast and the cartoonist's right.

Last time I checked, we still had "freedom of speech" and "freedom of press" in this country. (Barely--thanks to oversensitive, "politically correct," whiny idiots who complain about everything.)

Personally, I really like DeCinzo. I find his humor to be biting, sarcastic, refreshing and hard-hitting--just the way a political cartoonist should be. As for R. J. Matson, I haven't seen enough of him to form an opinion, but I don't mind him bashing the president, or anyone else. It's his job, nay, his duty as a political cartoonist.

Contrary to some opinions, I think a community newspaper is the perfect forum for such cartooning. It represents the opinion of a member of our community, and probably the opinion of other residents as well. If people are so offended by the political cartoons in The Sun, there's an easy way for them to avoid it. Don't read the political cartoons. Duh!

Shirley Maddison

Sunnyvale

Election is over; let's get
on with important issues

Oh, good Lord.

The election is now more than two months old, and people are still fighting over the candidates. I had more than my fill of negative campaigning during the election. The one benefit to its conclusion is that I hoped the issue would actually be, well, concluded.

One candidate won, one candidate lost; that's the way it always is, and no amount of whining (and that's an accurate description) by either side has any value now.

Sunnyvale faces many difficult challenges. We have a library without the space or resources it needs to properly serve its growing community. We have development conflicting with the desires of surrounding neighborhoods. We have a shaky economy that directly impacts our quality of life.

Of all of the issues of civic concern, Risch versus Spitaleri doesn't even enter my radar. I would greatly appreciate it if those people who continue to be vocal on this topic would kindly grow up, give their egos a rest and focus on proposing solutions to the actual problems that we face. You do us a great disservice by continuing to simply make noise, and you look silly in the process.

Jim Griffith

Sunnyvale

Education has reaped youth without basic skills

Joseph DiSalvo's education column "Disproportionate funding is at the heart of the achievement gap" in the Jan. 18 issue of The Sun suggests going back to all the old failed fantasies: mandatory preschool (even for privileged children for whom preschool is a step down); more discriminatory affirmative action; higher salaries for teachers regardless of merit; professional development through the ingrown and self-serving education lobby; more research money (to find out what?); restore pre-Proposition 13 levels of spending (will I lose my home to taxes as my grandmother did?)--increase, increase, increase. Not a word about how we can weed out the drones and incompetents.

Until the consumers (the parents) have direct control over their children's education and the money that pays for it, the teachers union will continue to serve itself.

DiSalvo's photo makes him look old enough, I think, to remember the War on Poverty and The Great Society of President Johnson. Estimates vary, but most fair observers agree that we could have supported all the poor for 50 years on the trillions of dollars that were poured into federal coffers and out into bureaucracy and waste.

The same could be said for California education. We have generously supported education as we were told to, only to reap two generations of youth without basic skills. Money helps, but only when the consumers have direct control, in my opinion.

Beth Erickson

Sunnyvale

City needs to abolish
numbered council seats

Rusty O'Brien (Letter to the editor, Jan. 25) has, unfortunately, missed the point of my previous letter to The Sun (Jan. 11). Perhaps I was too subtle.

My point was not that Tony Spitaleri deserved to be elected to City Council over Tim Risch. He did not. In my view, neither of these two candidates was worthy of election.

My point, for those who missed it, is that the Sunnyvale City Council election system of using numbered seats does the electorate a grave disservice.

If we had had an open pool of candidates all running against each other, I would not have had to vote for either Risch or Spitaleri, and I most certainly would not have. In an open candidate pool, I would have been delighted to select any of the defeated candidates for Seats 2 or 3 rather than hold my nose and vote for the lesser of evils for seat 1.

Sunnyvale needs to abolish the voter-hostile fiction of numbered council seats. There is no geographic basis for these seats; their only purpose is to allow challengers to choose their own opponents.

I'm glad O'Brien found it worthwhile to reply to my letter, even if we happen to disagree about two particular candidates. It shows someone's paying attention. But there's a much bigger issue which needs to be resolved if Sunnyvale is ever to have the representation it needs and deserves. And we all need to pay attention because it's important: Abolish numbered council seats, and let all candidates run against each other.

That's about as unsubtle as I can be. Sunnyvale voters: speak out! Do you agree? Council members? Am I wrong? I'm all ears.

Bob Weissman

Sunnyvale