Letters to the Editor 3/19

Medicare buy-in

Some Americans want the choice to buy into Medicare. They want a real alternative to insurance companies. They want health care coverage at a fair price that is simple, reliable, portable and allows them to choose their providers.

H.R. 4789 is the “Public Option Act.” It’s a four-page, stand-alone bill before Congress that will amend the Social Security Act to allow any United States citizen or permanent resident to buy into Medicare. As the bill’s author, Rep. Alan Grayson writes, “You want it, you pay for it, you’re in. It adds nothing to the deficit; you pay what it costs.”

Tell representatives Lois Capps and Kevin McCarthy to give Americans a real choice in their health care coverage.

Tell them to co-sponsor H.R. 4789.

Harold Light

Cambria

What about animals?

The Tribune article about the Charles Paddock Zoo(“On the right track,” March, 16) expanding their entrance and building new restrooms, a larger gift shop, a new ticket booth, and a new food service area made me sad. These are all things that benefit humans.

What about the animals living behind those bars, especially Menderu the tiger? His exhibit is a little bigger than my living room. He is the big draw to the zoo. He should be the priority, not a ticket booth or a place to sell postcards and other stuff. I haven’t read about any plans to expand the tiger enclosure, but I really hope there are some.

Jill Stavros

Morro Bay

Dunes mean dust

Regarding the front page story in The Tribune titled “Health panel wants action to curb Dunes air pollution” (March 10): The NIMBYs and drive-by environmentalists are at it again, trying to come up with yet another way to close the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area due to a flawed report.

I’ve been to most of the open riding and non off-highway vehicle sand dunes in California, Nevada and Arizona and they all have one thing in common: “blowing sand.” That’s how sand dunes are created, by wind.

The beautiful Kelso, Panamint and Saline dunes (all non-off-highway vehicle sand dunes) are all completely denuded of vegetation. There’s no natural crust holding all of that sand down. Wind is the primary force that blows all of those tiny particles of sand from one source and dumps it on another. It’s a fact of nature.

As for the excessive emissions found in the Air Pollution Control District report, there’s no more air pollution coming from the Oceano Dunes than there is created by the tens of thousands of cars driving on Highway 101 or the hundreds of planes flying out of San Luis airport.

David Hamilton

San Luis Obispo

Dunes negatives

How many reasons do we need for closing the Oceano Dunes to off-road vehicles? There are air quality issues, fatalities, major traumas, trash (it looks like a landfill after a windy day) and destruction of numerous eco-systems. Enough is enough.

Many local economies around the country have survived and even benefitted from eliminating off-road activities in their parks. A long tradition of off-roading in the dunes does not outweigh the negatives associated with this activity.

William Adams

Los Osos

Kokkonen in lead

As an Independent voter who pays attention, I truly had to speak out about The Tribune’s article on the Republican Assembly money race which was totally one-sided and biased (“The money race is on among candidates for local offices,” Feb. 22).

It clearly shows a prejudice this paper apparently has against conservatives by trying to ignore Matt Kokkonen, who actually raised more money than any of the other three candidates during the reporting period from July 1 to the end of the year.

The article created a phantom race between Katcho Achadjian and Etta Waterfield while it purposefully missed the actual financial win by Kokkonen over the six month period. The real news is that Kokkonen entered the race only in October but still beat all other candidates in raising the most money between July 1 and the end of December.

It is unfair to the voters how The Tribune is trying to minimize Kokkonen who is also leading in the voting, according to a survey by Farm Team Consulting. The paper’s anti-Kokkonen, anti-conservative prejudice is glaring. I ask that the newspaper please be more objective in their reporting so “all” voters can get a “true” picture of this race.

Michael Rivera

Paso Robles

Aid at home first

While I am not opposed to our government sending aid to countries that need our help (Haiti, etc.), I strongly concur with Carlotta Clymer’s letter (“Charity at home,” Feb. 15) that we should first do all we can for areas in the United States that can badly use the millions we now spread across the globe.

California, as well as many other states, could use more financial support. Additionally, aren’t people aware of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of American children in need of adoption. Why must they go elsewhere?

Andrew W. Bonior

Grover Beach

Straight to the point

No new health care.

Dan Phillips

Atascadero