Readers’ comments: August 1, 2025

Nothing trickling down for everyday Americans
Dear editor:
Literally three days after my “Notes from a consumer” letter was published (Readers’ comments, July 25), I read that Dollar Tree will be raising most prices in the coming weeks from $1.25 to $1.50 (+ 20%) and even more on certain items. The company cited, among other things, tariffs and rising costs as key reasons. The change won’t be felt by people who shop at Gelson’s and drive Bentleys, of course, but for the steadily growing number of Americans who rely on dollar stores this will have an impact. Is this what was meant in the Reagan era by “trickle-down economics”?
Don Linde
La Verne

When will MAGA wake up?
Dear editor:
Trump is a rapist (see E. Jean Carroll case). Why would anyone be surprised that he is also a pedophile? He was friends with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for at least 15 years, Epstein introduced Trump to his wife, attended the wedding, etc. Epstein raped hundreds of children during that time and ran a sex trafficking ring in both Palm Beach, Florida (where Mar-a-Lago is located) and a private island. It is beyond laughable that Trump supporters can claim Trump never participated.
Epstein was arrested and mysteriously died in prison during Trump’s first term in office. During the election of 2024 Trump and his surrogates stated they would release all the Epstein files. Now Trump wants everyone to forget about Epstein. Is that because Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump that his name is all over the Epstein files?
The MAGA world would rather believe one man than listen to over 1,000 women/children that have been victimized.
A common response to this now from the MAGA crowd is “Bill Clinton is in the Epstein files.” First, if that is true, then it would not excuse Trump. Second, those people don’t understand Democrats. We will throw Clinton under the bus so fast we might win a prize (see Anthony Weiner, Al Franken, Andrew Cuomo). No one is above the law.
Trump lies all the time, about everything. I wonder how many “witch hunts” and “hoaxes” does it take before the MAGA crowd wakes up? How much smoke do you need to see before you realize the country is on fire?
Sydney Pollard
Claremont 

Trump’s immigration policies are inhumane
Dear editor:
Why aren’t we totally embarrassed about sending people off to a strange country where they know no one, they do not speak the language, and they are treated miserably? Their families do not even know where they are or whether they are alive. They have not had any legal access. They are beaten and harassed mercilessly. How can a “Christian” administration be sending money to help imprison people in a foreign land? Is this not the same as rendition during the Bush administration? Were we not shamed then?
If our government thinks someone should be deported, they should have a lawyer and a trial and then possibly returned to their home country. And at least tell the family what is happening. The current situation is completely inhumane.
Karen Lull
Claremont

Viewpoint was off base
Dear editor:
Mr. Alex Pilz (“Immigration from a conservative perspective,” July 25) complains that our Congressional Representative Judy Chu concerns herself with the welfare of immigrant detainees in federal custody rather than with what he deems more salient issues. He mentioned homelessness, state taxes, the high speed train and the governor’s haircut. The trouble is all the issues Mr. Pilz mentioned are state issues, not federal. Our Congress rep can do nothing about state of California issues, but she has the authority and even the duty to address conditions in federal prisons.
Ivan Light
Claremont

Viewpoint connecting immigrants to crime is misleading
Dear editor:
There is a great deal to unpack from a recent op-ed that appeared in the Claremont Courier on July 24 by Alex Pilz, titled “Immigration from a conservative perspective,” but let me address one issue he brought up.
He, like many others, connects our immigrants with crime. However, the evidence just isn’t there. Yes, there have been a few extremely regrettable, high-profile cases, but the statistics just do not show the link between immigration and crime that the author suggests. Extensive research consistently indicates that immigrants, including both documented and undocumented individuals, are less likely to commit crimes or be incarcerated compared to U.S. born citizens.
Fact: The American Immigration Council compared crime and demographic data from 1980 to 2022 and observed that the total crime rate decreased while the immigrant share of the population more than doubled.
Fact: In states like Texas that track criminal convictions by immigration status, research shows that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, have significantly lower felony arrest rates than U.S. born citizens. For example, a 2020 National Institute of Justice-funded study examining data from the Texas Department of Public Safety found that immigrants in Texas were arrested at less than half the rate of U.S. born citizens for violent and drug crimes, and one-quarter the rate for property crimes.
Fact: Several studies, including an analysis of the 2010 American Community Survey, demonstrate that immigrants have consistently lower incarceration rates than native-born Americans, according to 2015 paper published by the American Immigration Council. For instance, one analysis found that roughly 1.6 percent of immigrant men aged 18-39 were incarcerated compared to 3.3 percent of native-born men in the same age group.
Please note that immigration violations are civil, not criminal offenses, and should therefore not be conflated with the overall crime rate.
It’s good to consider the facts.
Pamela Nagler
Claremont

America could end Israel’s genocide in Palestine
Dear editor:
Starvation in Gaza. Paid for with American funds. On April 16 Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, vowed that he would starve Gaza into submission. No humanitarian aid will enter Gaza. Not a drop of water, an ounce of food, no medicine — nothing will get through.
“No one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid,” Katz stated. Collective punishment is a war crime. Every day 20-some are dying before the eyes of the world, mostly children and old people. Mothers so starved they have no milk to feed their babies — witnessed in living color every night on the six o’clock news.
Those who do make it to the distribution points risk being mowed down by Israeli troops. Some 40, 50 slaughtered every day. American contractors handling the distribution have completely bungled the work, with only two points of distribution in Gaza where before there were over 400.
Genocide from a people who ought to know better, having been the victim of such Nazi mass killing. Where is the Torah righteousness that should be the moral compass here? Where is the ethic of the eighth century prophets?
Fortunately, many of my Jewish friends are as aghast as I. In that minority the flame of humanity yet flickers, as it does in the hearts of their compatriots from other faith traditions who are equally appalled.
The Just War Doctrine specifies that any response to violence must be proportional. Indeed, the October 7 massacre was horrific — and so are the deaths of over 80,000 Gazans.
If America would cut off the weapons and funds, I suspect this tragedy would soon come to a halt.
John Forney
Claremont