Pay the Piper
Our city [San Jose] is a disgrace and has done a horrific job during the last few years. It starts with a decrepit downtown that is a financial black hole for the city, since it has failed miserably. The $3 billion bill is due for the whole city and its residents. What a colossal disaster on the city’s part.
The city had a good intention to rebuilt its downtown but never followed through to complete its redevelopment with more housing, offices and hotels to provide critical mass and more bodies to support businesses and help them thrive. One needs to look at New York City. It’s working in New York, not San Jose, because San Jose is not dense enough. Density is king. They could use market forces and finances as excuse for not completing the development of downtown to make it a success, but it’s going to cost all of us in the long run for the incompletion of downtown and not allowing it to reach its full potential.
In other words, the city shouldn’t have taken this task to rebuild downtown unless it could complete it. Completing the downtown revitalization in the future and putting things on hold due to slow economic slowdown is what kills downtown, period—and is allowing debt collectors to knock on the city’s door. Time to pay up!
Frank Burkel | San Jose
He Sees Them When They’re Peeping
People have seared consciences and think about animals as “things” to throw away or to do with as they please. Someday God, who has compassion on all of his animals, will hold us accountable for every creature (Hebrews 4:13). People need to know the truth behind the chicken they put in their mouths. Greed is alive and well.
Jan Fredericks | God’s Creatures Ministry
Parental Units
Sadly, more money will do little to improve the education of our children (“No More Education Cuts,” SanJoseInside, Dec. 29). Parents’ lack of concern for educating their children will continue to cause poorly educated people to populate California. Behind almost every successful child in the educational system are parent(s) who are engaged. No parents, no success.
Rose Garden Resident | San Jose
