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Speak Out
Article didn't tell the whole story of vaccination
I was disheartened to read your recent article that seemed to suggest that not vaccinating children was a reasonable choice ("A Shot in the Dark," Jan. 19).
As the mother of a young child, I know the fears that accompany each set of shots. Will my child be the one out of 2 million who dies or experiences serious repercussions from the shot? But I couldn't believe that the views of a chiropractor and several biased books and websites could be treated as the equal of the Centers for Disease Control and decades of pediatric medicine! The fact that more than 9,000 children die annually from childhood diseases seemed buried in this article.
My grandmother lived with polio for 20 years--she was bedridden, unable to use her arms or legs, and unable to sit up. Nothing could be done for her, and to this day no cure exists. As a small-time dairy farmer, she had eaten organic foods and her life, and God knows she got plenty of exercise. People who think they can fight epidemics with organic vegetables are seriously misled. In avoiding a small risk, they've exposed their children and other unvaccinated children to a far graver risk.
I really hope this article did not persuade any parents to avoid vaccinating their children. We don't live in a risk-free world, but vaccinations were developed to reduce the risk of our children suffering and dying. For normal children, vaccination is the better choice by far.
Lita A. Kurth
Warren Avenue
Chains belong in Milpitas, not WG
I would like to add my two cents about the proposed Longs Drug Store on Lincoln Avenue. When I moved to Willow Glen in 1986, I joined the board of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association. We were committed to keeping out franchises and "chain" stores in order to preserve our neighborhood's charm and uniqueness. We wanted Willow Glen to remain the hometown we had never had.
There are some other reasons to keep our neighborhood free of chains and franchises. Chains do not pay their workers a living wage; they do not provide all of their workers with medical benefits; and their profits go far away from here and make our community poorer.
An independent business is able to support fully at least one family. When a chain moves into our neighborhood, it displaces independent businesses. An independent business that provided at least one living wage is replaced by multiple jobs that don't pay enough for the chain's employees to own a home, to live in our neighborhood or to save for their children's college educations. Their jobs don't pay enough for them to rent a decent place to live. The profits of these chains don't remain in our community, they go to the executives and shareholders of the chains. Also, chains aren't as flexible as independent businesses with respect to whom they hire. I delight in Hicklebee's and the Willow Glen Bookstore, where I see workers who are much older and much younger than those hired by the chains.
I pay a premium to live in Willow Glen. If I wanted to surround myself with chains, I could move to Milpitas. Check out Los Altos and the other more exclusive communities of Northern California. You won't find a Longs in their central downtown areas.
Diane Solomon
Chabrant Way
Longs could learn lesson about being a good neighbor
As a neighbor who lives relatively close to the proposed Longs Drug Store, I was impressed by the design drawings of the store. I am also looking forward to the benefits of what Longs has to offer within easy walking distance. But I was not impressed with Longs' presentation to the WGNA, specifically the less-than-empathetic attitude expressed by Longs architect George Ramstad. Longs would be best served by keeping Mr. Ramstad in the background and by allowing Longs' more sympathetic real estate broker, John Machado, to deal with the local residents and strip business owners.
I am less concerned about the ability of a company, which has more than 381 locations and which reported $261 billion in sales last year, to justify its decision to move to Willow Glen, than I am about how this will affect not only small business owners on the strip, but also vehicle traffic through the residential neighborhoods adjacent to this location.
Longs' proposed solution to keeping traffic from accessing the residential side of Brace Avenue from its parking lot consists of a sign which would inform motorists that "no right turn is allowed." That should prove about as successful as a similar sign which was located behind the Garden Theater parking lot on the Meredith Avenue side. Bottom line, folks: It doesn't work!
Both Longs and city representatives were quick to respond that more study is needed and that other alternatives would be explored. As a professional firefighter, I am opposed to vehicle diversions, restrictions, speed bumps and the closure of Brace Avenue. These devices only serve to delay emergency vehicles and crews who understand that time is directly proportional to life safety and survival. These devices would affect the quality of life and movement of all adjacent residents.
I don't expect Longs to solve all of the parking or traffic problems on the strip. But I do expect its representatives to understand that allowing their parking lot traffic onto Brace Avenue will create problems for residential neighbors. My solution is simple: All vehicle traffic should be restricted to Lincoln Avenue for this site. I would offer the same solution to the problems associated with the Garden Theater parking lot, which affects Meredith Avenue, especially now that a new Willow Street access has been created.
Perhaps Longs should embrace the fact that becoming a good neighbor and a respected business starts with listening to its community of customers, and that approval and trust must move beyond design, square footage and products to create not only a good place to shop, but also a pleasant and safe environment for patrons, local neighbors and other business owners.
Harold Schapelhouman
Britton Avenue
Correction
In an article in last week's Resident ("Community won't stop CAIRing about Muir"), a quote attributed to CAIR president Jim Chase was inaccurate. Chase was quoted as saying: "The judge gave [the district] their right to go on, but if we win the lawsuit, they will have to choose a new site and repair any changes made to Muir School." In fact, if CAIR wins the lawsuit, the school district will have to restart the site selection and environmental review process. The district could choose the same site or a different one. If it chooses a different site, the Muir campus will have to be restored.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
