Letters to the Editor 8/21

Stop aiding enemies

There is really something wrong with Washington’s thinking. Politicians can’t balance the national debt and cut money subsidies to the states, yet they spend billions on foreign aid every year to Middle Eastern countries that hate us.

Either we need to secede from the United States, then apply for foreign aid, or the U.S. government needs to wise up and cut off foreign aid to these countries entirely. We as Americans need to stop this practice ASAP.

Countries we give aid to are North Korea, China, Iran and Libya — to name a few. Let’s tell Congress to put a stop to this practice. Our people need it now more than ever.

Raymond C. Porter

Paso Robles

The city of San Luis Obispo pays its police officers 44.5 percent more than the city of Grover Beach pays its officers. Does that mean San Luis Obispo officers have a harder job to do than those in Grover Beach? No, it doesn’t.

San Luis Obispo pays its officers 40.5 percent more than the city of Paso Robles pays its officers. Does that mean San Luis Obispo police officers do a better job than those of Paso Robles? No, it doesn’t.

In fact, the city of San Luis Obispo has to pay its police officers anywhere from 25 percent to 45 percent more than any other law enforcement agency in the entire county.

So why is this happening? Because a third-party arbitrator was required to come in and make a decision. Was the final result right? Looking at the differences on the basic pay rates, I’d say it wasn’t. There is nothing about their specific job that deserves 40 percent more than every other county law enforcement officer. Nothing.

The citizens of San Luis Obispo know what is fair for this line of work and the current salary scale isn’t. Binding arbitration got it wrong by more than 40 percent, and that doesn’t even cover the extra retirement benefits.

Vote yes on A and B.

L.G. Gibson

San Luis Obispo

Reason for regulation

The world today is very accessible. We can read about events that happen almost anywhere. We can observe human activity and the effect it has on other humans, animals and the planet. We exist with caring and uncaring universally.

I grew up in the country in Pennsylvania. Pine Creek was a stone’s throw away. We spent endless hours fishing and swimming there. One day, someone dumped something foul into the creek and it killed everything! We searched upstream till we found the source: a power plant. We could do nothing. It didn’t make the news. No one cared.

On a vacation trip, we crossed a large river, which was so polluted it was bright orange and full of debris. I can’t ever forget the sight.

The point I’m trying to make is that there are those who seek to enrich themselves unhindered with little consideration for the effects.

Regulations are sometimes annoying. It is terrifying to imagine what the world would look like without those fighting to maintain it.

Mike Lorenzo

Los Osos

Cuddy, Pitts are tops

Tom Cochrun’s fine letter (Aug. 18) commenting on Bob Cuddy’s superb column (Aug. 14) adds good background history and thoughtful comments on the issue. Cuddy points out that one of the serious problems our democracy faces today is mainstream media failing to report, accurately and honestly, both sides of controversial political issues.

I think it’s important, for example, for us all to know what the Republican party is really up to and who is pulling its strings. We all know the Grand Old Party has been hijacked by extreme, inflexible ideologues who haven’t a clue how a democratic form of government needs to function effectively for the benefit of all the people.

I also think it’s important for the Democratic Party to lay out its core values — what it thinks will work best for the nation, then let the voters decide.

But for that to work we need a responsible, independent news media that has the skill and backbone to put the issues in perspective.

We are fortunate to have such good journalists as Bob Cuddy on the Central Coast, as well as those like Leonard Pitts Jr., on the national level.

Ray Bracken

Los Osos

Me, Me, Me’ in the USA

I am totally against these cuts that Republicans want. The needs of low-income and disabled people along with the elderly are at stake for possible cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. However, it should not happen during a time like this, when another possible recession is around the corner. I have been watching FOX News with nightly updates, and I am trying to figure out: What exactly is happening to the good old USA?

It seems now that the phrase “We The People” has been changed to a “Me, Me, Me” view. Can our president and Congress get the economy moving without threatening our lifestyles in a whole different way?

Scott C. Presnal

Morro Bay

GOP for the wealthy

Republicans want to cut benefits for the poor, aged and disabled. The deserved benefits are not the reason for the debt crisis.

Our national debt is very high because of unfunded wars and high unemployment from crooks on Wall Street and the top 2 percent of the richest Americans who are not paying their fair share of taxes.

The Republicans have made it very clear that they only truly represent the wealthy. It’s time the other 98 percent wake up to that cruel fact.

John Andrews

Grover Beach

Change the 17th

Thursday’s front-page article, “Police grants may get caught in political tug-of-war,” is illustrative of what is wrong with our state and our nation.

Is it just me, or does sending billions of dollars to corrupt, disconnected and mismanaged bureaucracies to get back a few dollars for a local responsibility seem a bit perverse? In a sane world, state legislatures and governors would guard jealously their citizens’ wealth, if for no other reason than to ensure they get to spend the dollars in their respective states and communities, as they desire. A state politician not in the pocket of special interests, or who has even a modicum of original thought and/or a desire to serve his or her constituents, would work to repeal the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, which changed the means by which we elect our senators.

As originally enacted, the Constitution required senators to be appointed by the respective states and who were, for all intents and purposes, intended to be ambassadors of each sovereign state to the federal union. If we had senators who reported to Sacramento, rather than lobbyists, I am certain we would not be groveling at the shoes of some Washington bureaucrat to get our money for local prerogatives such as law enforcement, education, construction, etc.

As an aside, it might also be the remedy for overspending tax receipts by $1.2 trillion.

Fred Maurice

San Luis Obispo

Daughter of ‘Flubber’

It was President Obama’s 50th birthday. He was in Chicago that day. While he was there, a 75-year-old lady pilot was flying her 1946 model Piper J-3 Cub around the area. Unfortunately, she wasn’t aware that she was flying in temporarily restricted airspace that fine day and jet fighters were sent out to survey the situation. Talk about your mismatch.

A couple days later, I happened to pick out at random a movie from my collection. It’s a Disney film from 1961. I hadn’t seen it in probably 30 years. It’s about a college professor, named Brainard, who comes up with a brand new substance called “Flubber.” He applies it to his car, a 1910 Model T Touring Car, and now his car can fly. So, off he goes in his Flubber-powered car to Washington, D.C., with his girlfriend Betsy to demonstrate his discovery to Congress. As they enter restricted airspace, jets are scrambled and guided missiles are trained on the perceived threat. Wow, what a mismatch.

Fifty years have passed since this film came out. So, has anything changed?

Well, maybe one thing. They don’t make movies like they used to.

Henry Schaufus

San Luis Obispo