Re “Coronado bridge suicide barrier clears final hurdle” (Aug. 22): Building a suicide barrier is a noble cause in normal times; however, we are not living through normal times. Instead, we are in the midst of a catastrophic period where average Americans can no longer afford food, gas or health insurance, and programs like Head Start are being gutted. It is certainly a tragedy when eight to nine lives are lost on average each year due to suicide on the bridge. However, I believe that $162 million could save more lives if invested in things like health care subsidies, SNAP and making mental health care available to all.
— Kathleen Butterstein, Del Cerro