Schools must show that mental health is critical for students
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Schools must show that
mental health is critical
Re: “California schools can’t afford cuts to lifesaving counselors” (Page A6, Dec. 11).
I have been banging my head against the wall for 20 years. I am doing it again after reading Ayo Banjo’s column. When the budget is being done every year, mental health is the first on the chopping block: the counselors, who are our first defense against suicide by young boys. Of course, we cannot afford to do this, but who cares?
Mental health is the flogging horse. No one is willing to bell the cat. People die by suicide and in shootings. Nearly 47,000 people die a year, and no one cares. Guns are available freely to the mentally ill to accomplish this. Things were better before the 1980s, with psychiatric centers where the mentally ill were safe, when Ronald Reagan started defunding them.
I feel angry, but I hope that a day will come when society realizes that mental health is as important as physical health.
Kohli Singh
San Jose
Kids need role models
as well as counselors
Re: “California schools can’t afford cuts to lifesaving counselors” (Page A6, Dec. 11).
It’s a shame that so many young people have mental health issues. It’s difficult to excel in school if their attention is focused on the problems in their home, in school, in their community or in their heads.
If men and boys make up nearly 80% of the suicides in the United States, then something is broken in our country. Violence, substance abuse, unemployment and homelessness are the results of untreated mental health issues in our male population. Women and girls also struggle with mental health issues, but are more likely to seek help. Positive male role models are what’s needed in homes, schools and communities and on television.
What’s also needed is for someone to care when a boy shows he needs help. School counselors are in a good position to help. Mothers who have a healthy relationship with their sons are a huge benefit to them and our communities.
Patricia Marquez Rutt
Redwood City
Invest in teachers
and better education
As a current high school student, I’ve experienced the repercussions of weak educational funding — an issue that reshapes students’ academic experiences and futures.
In my school, underfunding causes issues for both teachers and students. We can’t keep enough qualified teachers in every department, making curriculum and schedule changes nearly impossible to figure out. These issues affect students’ abilities to balance classwork.
Median starting salaries for teachers are barely over $50,000. These individuals shape our future, yet many struggle financially despite their numerous responsibilities. When districts underpay their staff, it tells teachers that education isn’t a priority.
The solution is clear: increase educational budgets and raise salaries. States that have invested in teacher pay show improvements; this development needs to be nationwide, for our futures.
Cecilia Nguyen
San Jose
Well-known cap and
trade collects too little
Re: “Cap and trade has turned into a backdoor tax on Californians” (Page A6, Dec. 12).
In his Dec. 12 column, Dan Walters takes aim at California’s climate policy as a “backdoor tax,” but in fact, the cap and trade policy has been in plain sight since its inception in the Schwarzenegger administration.
Most developed countries around the world now have carbon tax policies and are threatening to retaliate with tariffs against countries like ours that don’t. Why so? Because a carbon tax has been shown to be the most economically efficient way to tackle climate change. British Economist Arthur Pigou proved this in the early 20th century.
California’s effective carbon tax is now about $30 per ton of carbon pollution, with plans to gradually raise it so as not to shock our economy. What should the actual carbon tax be now, considering the damage our carbon pollution is causing (think about your rapidly escalating insurance rates from wildfire catastrophes)? About $200 per ton.
David Cain
Los Altos
Nuclear power needed
for ‘always on’ energy
Experts say our country and the world need to significantly increase “always on” electrical power for our future energy needs. Our electric bills are projected to go up by as much as 40% in urban areas by 2030, due to AI, electric cars and green building codes. Batteries are too costly and can’t yet store power on a large scale.
The only sure way to meet our electrical needs is to include nuclear power in the mix. Today’s designs are safe with automatic shut-downs without human intervention, and smaller modular reactors are now being factory-built. The U.S. Navy has used nuclear power on its ships since 1954 without a radioactive incident. Today’s nuclear power plants are far more advanced, safer and less expensive.
Ed Kahl
Woodside
Noem’s ICE defense
is built on lies
Re: “Secretary Noem defends Trump hard-line immigration policies” (Page A3, Dec. 12).
Secretary Kristi Noem’s appearance before Congress was another spouting of MAGA misinformation.
The immigrant workforce is the backbone of the U.S. economy, with lower criminality than the average American.
We would all appreciate fair and balanced reporting perspectives with accurate headlines. Project 2025 immigration policies are nothing short of ethnic cleansing.
David Clark
San Mateo
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