Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (December 02, 2005)

Companies lose when customers are put last

Editor,

I am so tired of hearing about U.S. automobile companies losing out to foreign competitors. In many cases this is not the fault of the manufacturer, but of the dealership. Case in point: I brought my GM to the dealer because something was not done right. They needed to replace a $5 gasket. My car was there at 7 a.m., but did not get looked at until 2 p.m. Then I got a call at 4:15 p.m. telling me they cannot get the part until tomorrow. This part was in stock at another dealership and also at an auto parts store less than a mile away. Why not get the part and satisfy the customer? No, instead they put the customer last. So the next time I look for a vehicle, you can be sure it will not be from that dealer. Peter Kotsinadelis Foxswallow Circle Stop the Senior Project

Editor,

I attended the recent meeting about the new Senior Project graduation requirement, passed by the Pleasanton School Board. What I witnessed there was a group of about 60 articulate, impassioned parents strongly opposed to the requirement in effect for the class of 2010.

For anyone unfamiliar with the project, it requires students to complete an additional research paper, project, portfolio and presentation in order to graduate. While this may look good on paper, to those of us living day-to-day with high school students, it seems ludicrous. Students have done all these activities in classes long before high school graduation.

Hailed as a cure for the "senior slump," this proposed project usurps time seniors need to complete their College Board exams and college applications. If the "senior slump" means students are looking ahead to where they're going, instead of back to where they've been, then the "slump" is a normal part of moving onto the next stage of their lives. If they are no longer challenged at the high school, students enroll at a junior college, pursue AP courses or get a part-time job. They are moving ahead. Why should we throw a Senior Project at them to hold them back?

Sixty voices were not enough to convince the Board that the community is not supportive of this new, potentially expensive experiment. Please contact the Pleasanton School Board members by e-mail (see district website) or attend the meetings. Speak up now to save our children from being overburdened later. Bobbi DeLuca Sharab Court No national politics

Editor,

Here we go again. Pleasanton Mayor Jennifer Hosterman apparently assumes that everyone in Pleasanton has an agenda similar to hers. This is not necessarily true. Please, let's stick to the local business of governing Pleasanton and not get us involved in national politics. Pauline Coe Smoketree Commons Lay off Hosterman

Editor,

I don't understand why this newspaper and some readers find Jennifer Hosterman's stand on peace so alarming. Why should anyone have to defend such a position? But, there are some who reside on "Planet Fox News," where war is peace and torture is a viable option against the "evildoers," whoever they might be, wherever they might be. Maybe even under your own bed.

Exploring other news sources, one can discover many wonderfully sane and intelligent people, including decorated military leaders, who are aghast at this war and the way in which it is being conducted. If you have the stomach, go to www.truthout.org and scroll to their documentary section and view "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre." You will see the costs in human life, in world credibility, the economic drains on our domestic front. Unless you're a military contractor or an oil company, this war makes no sense. I'm proud that Jennifer has not hidden behind a veil, has joined the "Mayors For Peace" and signed on to the one-day ad calling for an end to the war in Iraq. We should pinch ourselves that we have such a strong, wonderful and intelligent woman as our mayor. With more people like her in public office, we wouldn't be in this God awful mess! Paulette Kenyon Adobe Ct. No more Wal-Mart

Editor,

I recently attended a screening of the film "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price," which was sponsored by the Tri-Valley Chapter of the National Organization for Women. As the holiday season is upon us, I realize the need to find good deals and to stretch each and every dollar. However, what you may save in dollars and cents is at the expense of hard-working men and women throughout our nation and many other countries as well.

Through personal stories and interviews, this documentary details these enormous economic, physical and emotional costs: the decimation of family-owned small businesses; the wages that keep full-time "associates" below the poverty line; the "health benefits" that are too expensive for workers to use; the discriminatory practices against women, minorities and people with disabilities; the exploitation of cheap labor in India, China and Central America; the aggressive tactics used to systematically squelch any union organizing; the pressure on its managers to work within a budget that promotes under-staffing and under-paying.

Wal-Mart is certainly not the only retail company that has questionable business and labor practices, but it is the largest private employer in the United States and should be held accountable. Before you hand over your hard earned money to the Walton family and their shareholders, I urge you to get this DVD at www.walmartmovie.com so you can see for yourself. Maybe buy the movie for everyone on your holiday list. However, you won't find it at Wal-Mart. Tricia Gallagher Pleasanton

E-mail a friend a link to this story.