Special interests take hold

WILL ARNOLD neglect the government's responsibility to educate our children and provide adequate funding for health care and basic services?

Those who didn't want to pay the vehicle registration fee or increase revenue will find it strange that the state has a shortage of $4 billion to $10 billion.

Arnold said he would not take campaign contributions from special interests; however, insurance executives, bankers and other deep- pocket lobbyists seeking to influence his decisions are not special interests.

This is truly a magic trick. They are the ones pushing to terminate the school reform law, called SB 1419 (contracting out school services). Let's think about this for a minute: Terminate the law, then bid on the contract that could benefit your industry. Is this the business-friendly climate California should adopt?

I look forward to our action hero starring in the summer blockbuster hit movie, "Enemy of the State II: working families against the machines of capitalism with Arnold as the Leader of Capitalism."

Proceeds to benefit a business interest near you.

Andre Spearman

Oakland

More police not the answer

ON JULY 20, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to put a violence prevention measure on the November ballot that calls for more money to hire police officers.

More police will not promote a safer, healthier community -- investing in schools and other basic social services will. While Oakland is planning on closing five schools, our council members should not be focusing on hiring more police.

Instead, the focus should be on more classrooms to nurture the future leaders of our community. We need to redirect resources that put in place a true violence prevention program that would invest in our youth, maintaining their classrooms and after-school programs.

We need more teachers to foster the minds of the youth, not more police harassing and targeting youths as criminals. Let education, not incarceration, be the focus of Oakland public policies.

LeAnna Perez

Oakland

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