Letters: Suggestions for how S.F. Muni can solve its budget problem
I live in Oakland and ride Muni frequently. It is my observation that probably 50% of the passengers don't tap the fare readers.
How many are not paying? I'm sure Muni has more accurate numbers, but let's think about how to solve this problem.
Making sure people pay their fare for riding could go a long way to solving Muni's deficit problems, and it wouldn't have to cut as many routes, raise taxes or go through any of the other budget proposals it is considering.
Michael Coleman, Oakland
A fairer tax
Regarding 'Muni report: Difficulty of getting voters to approve tax measure 'should not be taken lightly'' (San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, July 15): The Muni Funding Working Group has evaluated the potential for a parcel tax, which has previously been implemented as a flat-rate tax in San Francisco.
Yet why should the owners of a small two-bedroom home shoulder the same tax burden as a mansion on Pacific Heights, or even more strikingly, the same as the Chase Center?
There is another form of parcel tax based on square footage, known as a variable rate parcel tax, which is inherently fairer.
While a variable tax could require effort to introduce, it could potentially raise more than enough to fund a robust Muni system.
Alice Mosley, San Francisco
Take Half Dome seriously
Regarding 'The scariest part of Yosemite's famous Half Dome cables isn't the climb itself' (Outdoors, SFChronicle.com, July 6): The story reminded me of the terrific experience I had on my first ascent in 2001 with my daughter, who was 10.
Climbers should be reasonably fit, know their abilities, wear appropriate boots and clothing, and bring sufficient water.
Half Dome is not a particularly difficult climb, but we had plenty of eye-rolls at the ill-prepared who struggled up the mountain, some wearing sandals and carrying a small bottle of imported water. The recklessness endangered everyone.
Many people seem determined to do things beyond their capabilities, likely encouraged by social media.
There's a lot of stuff out there trying to kill you. Best to give them your full attention and respect.
Roger Drosd, San Francisco
Play hardball, Democrats
When will the Democrats realize that playing fair against an opponent who constantly cheats is a recipe for disaster? Look where it has gotten us.
Wake up, Democrats, and fight back!
Stop the steal
I'm MADA (make America a democracy again). I'm scared.
When universities and educational systems are forced to change their curriculum, when federal agents arrest citizens based on the way they look and when an executive order is issued to circumvent the law, it is an authoritarian government.
I don't care what party you belong to. What we are seeing is a move toward a dictatorship.
We need to vote for our democracy in 2026.
Verna Curry, El Cerrito
Restore ALS research funding
Regarding 'I was diagnosed with ALS in February. Trump's budget just cut funding that could help find a cure' (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, July 16): I cried when I read Kevin Morrison's powerful op-ed.
My father died of ALS in 1962. He was 55. I was 14.
Years later, my mother told me the UCSF doctor who gave my father the diagnosis said, 'If you're lucky, you'll live two more years. If you're unlucky, you'll live three.' My father died 30 months later.
ALS is a cruel disease. Important advances have been made, but there is still no cure. Cutting research funding is short-sighted. It will set back the search for a cure by decades.
Janet Lampe, Aptos, Santa Cruz County
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