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UUCA Social Justice Committee
Excerpts from a letter written by Duane Roberts and submitted on behalf of the UUCA Social Justice Committee to the Board of Directors of the Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) on Monday, November 9th, opposing cuts to bus service.
"Although we are aware Orange County is in the midst of a fiscal crisis, we believe much deeper cuts in funding will have an adverse impact upon the lives of workers, students, seniors, and the disabled who depend on OCTA buses to travel from one place to another.
"It is our opinion mass public transit greatly benefits Orange County's economy. Each day, OCTA buses transport tens of thousands of people to employers, shopping malls, schools, healthcare providers, and other venues which help generate millions of dollars in new economic activity and enhance the quality of life for everybody.
"In addition, mass public transit reduces the number of automobiles using our streets and highways, decreasing pollution, road maintenance costs, traffic accidents, and congestion. We urge the OCTA Board of Directors to explore all available options to maintain existing levels of funding for mass public transit...."
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End the Travel Ban on Cuba
On Nov. 7th we heard a presentation at UUCA by Delvis Fernandez-Levy, a Cuban who immigrated to the U.S. in 1957 at age 17. He told us about his expriences growing up in Cuba before the revolution. His mother was Jewish and Jews were hidden "underground." There was 30 percent illiteracy and schools were segregated by race. Children were undernourished. There was no doctor, running water or toilets in his village.
Americans with United Fruit Company lived in a gated, segregated compound. Life in Cuba today is vastly improved although certainly not perfect.
Bills are pending in the House and Senate to end the travel ban on Cuba. They are H.R. 874, backed by Loretta Sanchez, and S.B. 428, supported by Senators Boxer and Feinstein. If you agree, contact your representative and urge him or her to support the House Bill.
Also, thank our Senators for their support.
The Editors
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