Letters: What the SCOTUS ruling on judges will let Trump do to the founding ideals of the U.S.
Regarding 'SCOTUS deals huge blow to judges' power to rein in Trump in birthright citizenship case' (Politics, SFChronicle.com, June 27): Six justices of the Supreme Court delivered a scathing opinion, ruling to limit the powers of an independent judiciary to protect the rights of all citizens.
As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent, 'No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates.'
What an irony that this week we celebrate our country's birth — founded on the principles and values of freedom, liberty and justice for all — while the occupant of the White House plots his next move to destroy those ideals.
Alyson Jacks, San Francisco
Cars and transit needed
Regarding 'Three ideas to save S.F. Muni that have nothing to do with cutting service' (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, June 23): Joe DiMento blames San Francisco's transit crisis on 'public subsidies for private cars.' That's misleading. Drivers already pay registration fees, parking fees and gas taxes — much of which funds roads and transit.
Everyone wants Muni to succeed. But ridership is falling, routes are shrinking and the budget gap is growing. Blaming cars distracts from real issues: ballooning labor costs, outdated infrastructure and a transit system that hasn't adjusted to post-pandemic patterns.
Dismissing residential parking as a luxury ignores reality. Many who rely on street parking aren't driving luxury SUVs — they're working-class people who live far from reliable transit. Taking away affordable parking doesn't help Muni; it just punishes people with few choices.
This shouldn't be a war between drivers and riders. We need smart investments to improve public transit — not a crusade against curb space.
Let's be honest about equity. Eliminating low-cost parking doesn't hurt the wealthy — it hurts the working class. Muni needs stable funding and practical reform, not scapegoating. That's how we build a city that works for everyone, not just the car-free few.
Marie Hurabiell, executive director, ConnectedSF and InspireSF
So much narcissism
Every day, I read the Chronicle's Letters to the Editor, and I'm struck by the theme running through them all: me, me, me, me, me.
I want a park, and screw whoever it inconveniences.
I want this or that and am damned well going to take it from someone else or make them pay for it.
I demand that someone paint their house the color I want.
I don't want some eyesore torn down, so I'm going to fatuously label it 'historic' because my opinion trumps everyone else's.
What a depressingly intolerant and self-centered part of the world we live in.
Andrew James, San Carlos
Faith in humanity restored
After 44 years in the Bay Area's cutthroat commercial real estate business, I've become a bit cynical about my fellow man.
However, my outlook shifted recently.
I was driving on El Camino Real in Burlingame, a busy, four-lane road known for aggressive drivers. As I was dodging traffic, the driver in front of me suddenly braked, pulled across our two lanes, put on his emergency flashers, got out of his car and waved all four lanes in both directions to a stop. Who or what did he hit? Road rager?
No, he noticed a mother duck and her five ducklings on the side of the road, fretting to cross the busy boulevard. Like a crossing guard, he held up his arms while mama and her brood crossed El Camino Real single-file in his care.
In those 90 seconds, no motorist honked, yelled or flipped the bird. We all watched intently, quietly and admired this hero. It was a moment of glorious humanity in our darkening world that restored my faith in my fellow human.
I get a catch in my throat just thinking about this heroic act. He reminded me that we all have the instinct to do the right thing, and that anyone, anywhere and anytime can be a hero.
David Klein, Burlingame
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