Letters to the Editor 9/1

Too much to handle

The United States is affected daily by illegal immigrants entering without money and looking for jobs. We take on more weight paying for illegal immigrants to stay here to help out with their household by sending money to their families. The government and people have much to worry about already without illegal immigrants flowing into the United States hidden from people’s eyes.

They come from Mexico, Honduras and even Guatemala to reunite with their parents in the United States. Children travel by freight trains or come with smugglers because they want to help out with the family money crisis or to see their parents’ faces again after many long years of separation. Some don’t make it because of death or not having any faith to continue on.

When reading Sonia Nazario’s award-winning “Enrique’s Journey,” the thought came to me, why should we have to look out for those entering the country illegally? The government has enough problems to solve that become bigger as we try to fix them. And when immigrants come to the United States, there’s too much for us to handle and take on with more people coming.

Claire Verzin

Paso Robles High School

Support and praise

This county has always enjoyed a reputation for fairness and compassion. I guess those days for SLO County are over. I have followed the Dan De Vaul story in the news over the years. You would not be able to convince me that there is not some sort of emergency program and funding to assist Mr. De Vaul in what he is trying to do, which is give people a place to “be,” to sleep in peace, to enjoy a decent meal.

A county judge ordered that Mr. De Vaul evict his guests or face penalty. De Vaul had the audacity to have people staying in tents on his own property. Will the county face that same dilemma once these folks join the others already sleeping under bridges, in cars or in city parks across this county?

I would never have guessed I could say I am ashamed that I played a part in electing these individuals who cannot see the common-sense approaches needed now! The homeless are not all drug users, alcoholics, mentally ill or other negative labels that seem to have been attached.

Wake up! Instead of threats and hoops the Dan De Vauls of our area are forced to face, support and praise the effort.

Barbara Wynn

Paso Robles

Consider applying

Thank you to Tiffany Alcantara, who served on the Lucia Mar Unified School District’s board of trustees.

Ms. Alcantara possesses many of the qualities of a successful board member: She is able to listen well, read and synthesize information, work with a diverse group of people and put student learning and district values first.

Lucia Mar is moving forward in exciting ways, and we need good people to help steer the course for the future.

Sept. 8 is the deadline for interested Nipomo-area residents to apply for the vacancy created by Ms. Alcantara’s departure from the board. Please consider applying.

Visit www.lmusd.org for more information and application procedures. Interviews are Sept. 13.

See you there!

Colleen Martin

President and trustee, LMUSD Board of Education

Ron Paul’s weakness

Regarding The Tribune letter “Supporting Ron Paul” (Aug. 18), I have been torn in the past over how to vote for him. His family life is exemplary, and his morals may be impeccable. However, there is one weakness Mr. Bischoff overlooks.

If elected, Ron Paul would destroy our gun laws. In a letter from a radical pro-gun group that opposes all regulations on all guns, I was told that all Democrats and most Republicans, too, are anti-gun. That the only true defender of the Second Amendment is Ron Paul! In an era when more than 30,000 Americans are killed by guns each year, Ron has suggested he would repeal our 1934 and 1968 gun control laws with their strict regulations of machine guns and shortened shotguns and conceivably the 1986 Hughes Amendment banning civilian use and transfer of foreign machine guns.

So reluctantly, I’ve had to vote against Ron Paul. His reign would result in gun anarchy.

Steve Kobara

San Luis Obispo

Almost always

In response to Paul Krugman’s commentary “Rep-ublicans against science” (Aug. 30), everyone knows that politicians of all stripes tend at times to prevaricate, dissemble, obfuscate or simply apply their own spin to an issue or statistic.

I have admired as many Republican presidents in my lifetime as I have Democratic ones, but during the recent national debt/deficit debate and now the run-up to next year’s primaries, it’s more clear than ever that, these days, when a politician or candidate utters a statement or takes a position so outlandish, so nonsensical, without any basis in fact and usually with considerable evidence to exactly the contrary conclusion, that person is almost always Republican.

Joe Whitaker

Arroyo Grande

Why we’re divided

­Leonard Pitts’ commentary praising Rep. Maxine Waters’ statement that the tea party can go “straight to hell” (Aug. 28) inadvertently explains the disgust the majority of Americans have with our elected officials and why Congress has an approval rating approaching single digits, with the president’s approval not far behind.

Elected officials are supposed to represent all of their constituents. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Politicians now represent only those whose votes they have purchased or the interests that have purchased the politician.    Politicians and pundits complain about how the American people are divided. Yet in nearly every speech, quotation or attempt to garner support for a legislative act, the elected official seeks to divide the American people in order to carve out his or her own base of power and block of votes. Mediocre officials are making promises they cannot keep with money they do not have. If you don’t like it, you can go to hell.

Andrew Wright

San Luis Obispo