The Willow Glen Resident

Letters

Gay community cover story offended our family values

It seems to be the March 18 cover story ("Glen is a 'safe place' for the largest San Jose gay community") still makes waves, so I believe it's not too late to respond to that article.

First of all, we feel offended by that particular article in your newspaper, since our ZIP code is also 95125. Now, I hope that issue of The Resident will not reach other parts of the county, state, or even other sides of the country, so my friends, associates, etc., will not recognize my 95125-5330 ZIP code as a "gay district" tag, especially because we are political activists, and we are against gays, lesbians, Communists, feminists, Democrats and all anti-American agenda, which is threatening our family and Constitutional values.

We are sorry if your "positive" attitude toward homosexuals in Willow Glen turned into an argument, but you should know also the silenced fact, that the majority of Americans are offended by homosexuality. As a matter of fact, just because a few gays are living in 95125, your reporter shouldn't have brought everyone under the same umbrella.

Like we said before, that article offended us emotionally!

Tibor Fuyer
Elizabeth Fuyer
Keesling Avenue

Prop. 226 backers aim to silence labor voices

Proposition 226 is an initiative written by big business and out-of-state lobbyists which would silence the voice of working families. Prop. 226 would make it illegal for unions to fight for their members and all working families without a complicated authorization procedure that includes a form designed by bureaucrats to be filled out by each member, every 12 months.

These bureaucratic regulations will tie up unions and working families in red tape and silence our voices on issues we care about, like a decent wage, health benefits and retirement and pension benefits.

Prop. 226 on the June ballot is a dagger pointed toward the heart of the state's labor. It forces individual workers to report their political activities to their boss. This violates workers' privacy. Employers should not be allowed to keep records on the political contributions workers make.

This initiative restricts unions, but allows big business such as the Medical Association and the Chamber of Commerce to spend corporate dollars without limit. Big corporations don't need permission from stockholders to spend money on politics. Big business already spends more than 11 times more on politics than unions do.

Prop. 226 is sponsored by the same people who want to cut wages, cut benefits and curtail our rights as workers and as seniors. The supporters of 226 are not friends of working families or unions. They include Pete Wilson and Newt Gingrich. In fact, most of the initiative's backers are out-of-state lobbyists and corporations.

The key backers of Prop. 226 are the same groups that consistently try to block increases in the minimum wage, dismantle job-safety laws and cut Medicare, education and pensions.

Dominic Catalano
Curtner Avenue

Willow stop sign would add to driver frustration

On May 14, the San Jose Traffic Appeals Committee will consider whether stop signs should be installed on Willow Street at Camino Ramon. Those of us who live in Willow Glen should oppose these signs.

The hearing is an appeal of the city's decision that the intersection does not qualify under current standards for stop signs. This decision was made after a traffic study, which counted each of the 10,000 cars that use Willow Street every day. During peak times, more than 800 cars an hour are traveling east and west on Willow. That's an average of more than 13 cars every minute.

The proponents of stop signs argue that we need to slow the traffic down on Willow Street. The signs will certainly do that in the area of Willow Street (Bramhall) Park. I expect that we will have long lines of idling cars waiting their turn. I also expect that impatient drivers will take to the side streets to avoid having to stop.

I do not expect, however, that the traffic will be any slower by the time it gets to Glen Eyrie Avenue, where most of the pedestrian traffic into and out of the park occurs, or to Cherry Avenue and points east.

I enjoy taking my 4-year-old son to the park, and we need to cross Willow Street to get there. Since most of the traffic seems to come in long streams, controlled by the lights at Lincoln and Meridian avenues, we sometimes have to wait.

But we have not experienced great difficulty in crossing during the lulls. On balance, I'd much rather wait to walk across to the park than add to both the frustration of thousands of drivers and the air pollution index.

Greg Ward
Camino Ramon

Prop. 223 would deprive local school boards of their needed flexibility

Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, a nonprofit regional collaborative investing in K-12 education reform, opposes Proposition 223. While we support the concept of holding schools accountable for student results, the rigid state requirement that all districts spend no more than 5 percent of their budget on "central administration" would impede the progress our schools are making in preparing students for the 21st century workplace.

Proposition 223's one-size-fits-all approach is unjustified and not in the best interest of students. The state should play a leadership role in setting standards for our students, but local school boards need flexibility in deciding how to reach those standards. We urge voters to vote no on Proposition 223 on June 2.

Tim Cuneo
Senior Executive Director 21st Century Education Initiative
Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network

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