Biden’s first veto raises questions

The recent headline proclaiming “President Biden issued his first veto” caught my attention for several reasons, including why it took over two years for his first veto.

largest manmade source of air pollution. By way of emission controls, such as catalytic converters and the like, along with changes in the fuels we use, California smog is mostly a thing of the past, except in those places where smog is trapped by weather-induced inversion layers.

Relatedly, the seep pollution is so large it exceeds the emissions from all the traffic on the 101 freeway every day, which is, once again, the largest source of air pollution in our region. The efforts that had little to no effect? Never-ending emission controls on manufacturing and industry.

The ugly truth is we did not reduce emissions from most of these sources. Instead, we drove these industries out of state or offshore because the technology to reduce the emissions didn’t exist or the cost was too much to bear.

Moreover, if you couple the emissions from transportation and offshore seeps, locally, in the aggregate, emissions from industrial sources are less than 1% of the emission inventory, meaning they are no longer worth further regulating.

Although air quality in Southern California has vastly improved over the decades, the regulators and activists will never admit that things are clean enough as they would be out of power and out of a job. Moreover, the effort to label greenhouse gas emissions as a form of air pollution is one of the biggest lies out there. The truth is, carbon in the atmosphere is as important to life itself as is oxygen., It is not pollution. Feel free to exhale all you want.

Moreover, speaking of existential threats, life on planet earth will cease to exist if carbon levels get too low. And moreover, proving once again that correlation is not causation, increased carbon levels in the atmosphere to this day have no proven direct relationship with climate change despite all the bloviation to the contrary.

However, as a student who studied classic literature in high school and now in a liberal arts college, I believe Frank represents most critics of this style of writing. They tend to not understand and therefore underappreciate what’s actually being expressed and why it’s important that it be transmitted down the ages.

Critics like Frank often point to the battles as lengthy and dull, the Greek gods as chaotic, and the work being outdated.

First, it’s a mistake to think that Homer’s works are read today just because they are ancient. From it, we learn about Greek culture: what they believed, why they believed it, how it affected the way they approached life, and more.

Homer heavily influenced western literary tradition. His works have allowed us to expand our minds and question the goodness, truth and beauty of nature and humanity. While one does not have to agree with everything presented in this work, there are attributes that are still admirable, such as nobility, bravery and responsibility. When taught and approached correctly, Homer can influence young and old readers to seek out truth, goodness and beauty.

I once had an assignment where I had to find something outside and write a lengthy description on it. After submitting the assignment, the professor contrasted my description as abstract and bland compared to the way the Greeks were able to see the same beauty in nature.

Because of my professor’s guidance through Greek literature, I’ve become a more independent thinker. I now appreciate with enthusiasm the ideas, themes, and questions of morality addressed throughout the epic poem.

Furthermore, Homer has influenced many other works throughout western classical tradition such as “The Aeneid,” “The Divine Comedy,” “Ulysses” and more. It is hard to picture the ancient world and not think of Homer’s works. He has been a basis in representing Greek thought, religion, and customs.

Without his work, there would be no basis for even the modern heroic tale, which we find in many literary genres — most of which are directly and indirectly inspired and attributed to him.

Barbara Najera

Santa Barbara

Editor’s note: Barbara Najera is a graduate of Saint Therese Classical Academy in Santa Barbara and is an English literature major at the University of Dallas.

Evictions ordinance raises questions

T his week the Santa Barbara City Council passed 7-0 an ordinance that safe, decent, sanitary housing is a human necessity and a “right.” A right is a power or privilege held by the general public as the result, and it gives people a legally enforceable claim.

Now that housing is a “right,” how will the City Council meet the necessity? Beyond limiting just cause evictions, where will the city put units to meet this new local right to housing?

Will the council finally prohibit Santa Barbara City College from admitting non-district residents to free up housing?

Santa Barbara has one of the highest per capita numbers of public housing rental units in the country. Safety is a huge factor with only one highway in and out, which has been closed due to weather and disasters. Water and topography are other limitations to increasing densities.

The City Council based its decision to expand renter protections on the 2015 Housing Element, which claims 50% of local renters overpay for housing, compared to statewide rents — as do homeowners. Let’s compare coastal Santa Barbara housing costs and rents only to other California coastal communities. They are comparable: pricey.

Council put in place rights for renters without regard to the present value costs to own here and the rights of property owners.

Ask yourself:

• Is living under City Council control of private property desired?

• Do contractual agreements between two parties no longer provide adequate protections?

• Will the City Council require empty bedrooms be rented to meet local rights to housing?

Denice Spangler Adams Montecito