In letters: 2 views on Trump, German visitors and a morro’s missing backside | Opinion
Democrats ‘may never recover’
The Democrat Party’s hatred of President Donald Trump has put the Democrat Party in a state from which it may never recover. If a Democrat president had done with Iran what President Trump is doing, the cheering and acclamation from the Democrats would be deafening.
Although not deafening, the Democrat Party’s condemnation of President Trump’s actions is widespread and virulent. Except for Sen. John Fetterman, who seems to have natural immunity or has been inoculated against Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), the Democrat Party’s case of TDS is likely terminal.
Reed Coray
Los Osos
‘State of delusion’
For the annual State of the Union address, what was seen was better described as a state of delusion. From start to finish, the speech was one of inaccuracies, self-aggrandizement, reckless criticism, hyperbole and lurid sensationalism. Badly overplaying his purported “historical” accomplishments over the past year, Trump often seemed to forget he’d even had a prior term.
Never able to keep himself central enough, he declared he deserved three terms as president and to award himself the Congressional Medal of Honor, even while presenting that honor to someone else.
His multiple ties to Jeffery Epstein were ignored, as were the killings in Minneapolis by his agents, and increasing international tensions in favor of crowing about mild to nonexistent positive trends in unemployment and inflation, and ending nonexistent wars. He grossly insulted the political opposition, then complained they weren’t showing enough enthusiasm toward him.
And also describing his trademark, obviously imaginary conversations with people praising his “accomplishments” in the same words they always use in these stories, and which no one would ever use in real life. Finally, his fixation on the gory details of violent encounters was the icing on this rancid cake.
Michael Seden-Hansen
Paso Robles
Missing morro
Regarding Kathe Tanner’s Feb. 27 article titled “SLOCO quarry is running out of rock; it plans to expand”: I wondered for years why the petite morro, sitting on the westside of Highway 1 between Cambria and 46 West, was missing its backside.
I saw large trucks carrying giant boulders from the Monte Cristo site and was told the rocks were needed to repair Highway 1. This rationale for morro robbery reminded me of the disfigurement of the backside of Morro Bay’s famous rock for the San Luis Bay infrastructure.
Kirk Consultant Ian McCarville told the North Coast Advisory Council that Caltrans has an “urgent demand” for rock from this quarry. He told The Tribune that southbound travelers see only a few fleeting glimpses of the mined-out hilltop and even then, they have to know what to look for and when.
However, every time I travel to Paso or SLO from Cambria, I am jarred by the desecrated morro. Owner David Crye has failed in his stewardship of one of our natural landmarks. Someone must be making a lot of money to justify this destruction.
Donna Gilliss Crocker
Cambria
Meet German authors
Meet German authors
I am delighted to support the West Coast tour of “On the Road: Readings with Young Authors from Germany”.
On Saturday, March 7, 2026 (3-4:30 p.m.), the History Center of San Luis Obispo County will host a unique stop on Goethe-Institut Los Angeles’ On the Road literary journey, part of the nationwide Among Friends initiative.
Two emerging German authors, Louise Kenn and Mücahit Türk, will read (in English) and discuss their work at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County, followed by a reception.
The event also celebrates San Luis Obispo’s tradition of student exchange with Germany dating back to 1948 through the German School Committee, supported by Rotary Youth Exchange and the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Through story, we gain access to perspectives that would otherwise remain distant. We are invited into other landscapes, assumptions, and histories to build something rare and valuable: trust.
It is a reminder that ideas travel best when carried by people. Amy Kardel Co-chair, German School Committee Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Youth Exchange Officer
How to move the (green) needle
For those of us who dream of a future where fossil fuels are history, the administration’s recent climate rollbacks have been disappointing, to put it mildly. Overturning the EPA’s endangerment finding was only the latest blow to protecting the climate for our children. But regardless of what happens in Washington, we can make local choices that make a big difference.
For example, the city of SLO aims to be carbon-neutral by 2035. That may seem daunting, but it’s achievable if we pull together and electrify our homes and vehicles. We could follow Santa Barbara’s example and subsidize the purchase of EVs and chargers. Central Coast Community Energy already offers several incentives, and SLO Climate Coalition offers free energy advising for people who want to electrify their homes.
Cities could also host regular events where residents can borrow an electric vehicle for 24 hours. I bought my first EV after a friend loaned me his for a day.
RFK Jr. recommends we eat more beef — advice that runs counter to both medical guidance and climate science. Instead, we can learn to cook some of the delicious plant-based foods that come from India, the Middle East and Ethiopia.
We have more power than we think. Let’s use it.
Don Gaede
San Luis Obispo
A new job for Paulding?
Recently, county Supervisor Jimmy Paulding filed a claim with both the San Luis Obispo County DA’s office and the Fair Political Practices Commission concerning inappropriate donations given to his opponent, Adam Verdin. The FPPC dismissed the claim as having no merit.
In 2023, Supervisor Paulding voted with the majority for Ordinance 3487, which amended campaign limits in accordance with the state’s 2019 Assembly Bill 571. Given that Paulding is an attorney, there is little reason to believe he didn’t understand what he was voting for in 2023 or he didn’t research his recent accusation before he submitted them. My feeling is that he knew what he was doing or is having challenges comprehending the language in the ordinances he voted on.
I further believe he should vacate the Board of Supervisors chairmanship this year, using the reasoning that he wants to spend more time with family, or he needs the extra time for his reelection campaign.
He could choose to resign from the Board of Supervisors and take a position with a political party in Washington. Judging by his actions, he seems well qualified for that.
Carl Dudley
San Luis Obispo
Nuclear safety
Nuclear energy production is extremely complex and inherently dangerous, requiring rigorous oversight in the authorizing, siting and operation of these very expensive nuclear plants. But the Department of Energy is looking at the guidelines of the Nuclear Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), wanting to fast-track these guidelines with a categorical exclusion for advanced nuclear plants. This is unwise. Rigorous guidelines are critical to the safety of all nearby communities. Even small modular reactors create lethal radioactivity and have not been thoroughly studied. Also, where there have been accidents with the release of radiation, like in Chernobyl and Fukushima. These places now include radiation that will virtually never go away. Do not assume that accidents will only happen elsewhere or even never again. That is arrogance. Advanced nuclear technology should be investigated with greater rigor, not less.
Sherry Lewis
San Luis Obispo