Letters to the Editor 9/4

We’re in the Dark Ages

Again, recent high-level wind and rainstorms across our country suddenly put millions of people without electricity and telephone service.

Why is it that we still have telephone and power lines above ground? Other countries buried these eyesores below ground decades ago and keep their telephone and power services up and running during bad weather. Why are we still living in the Dark Ages? No pun intended.

George Edmonds

Paso Robles

Help us regain pride

I come from one of America’s oldest families (Pieter Claesen Wyckoff, whose home, founded in 1652, is now a museum of history in Brooklyn, N.Y.). The Wyckoffs have been watching politics for 350 years and counting.

Congress, “We the People” are ashamed of your performance during the recent debt ceiling showdown and frightened that you seem unable to work together for our nation’s welfare.

Recommendations:

• Do not shame your constituents. You are to demonstrate reason at all times in order to discern, then implement our representation. No politics of fear, secrecy, cronyism or blind faith.

• Produce evidence that you have taken economics courses.

• Develop efficient and quality representation of your constituents.

• Reap budget savings everywhere.

• Invite us into “our” representation, then turn to your colleagues and speak our truth!

Challenge us to get informed and involved. Involvement lessens fear and bonds us in common knowledge. If we structure our representation right, we’ll take castor oil to right our nation’s fiscal crisis, and we’ll reward you with admiration.

Please help us regain our pride in this country.

Karen Bren

San Luis Obispo

Climate crisis rally

At 7 p.m. Thursday in the Atascadero library community room, volunteers will begin planning for the International Moving Planet Rally Celebrations in Atascadero to be held on Sept. 24. All are welcome.

Moving Planet (www.moving-planet.org) is a worldwide rally to promote solutions to the climate crisis.

On Sept. 24, Green treks coming from rally points around North County will converge at Atascadero Lake Park for the Natural Pot-Luck Lunch, the Conservation Celebration at the Charles Paddock Zoo and the SLO Food Bank Hunger Walk from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At 2:15 p.m., we will bike, skateboard, in-line skate, unicycle, jog, walk, ride a horse, etc. (just do not use fossil fuels!) to the Sunken Gardens for the Acoustic Jam Session. The Grand Drum Circle will conclude the festivities.

There will be free bike safety checks and tune-ups available all day.

If you would like to get involved in any way, please email benlovejoy@yahoo.com.

Ben Lovejoy

Atascadero

Car show hindsight

Gee whiz, Paso Robles is having all that violence and crime and can’t blame it on the old Memorial Day car show as it did in the past. Maybe all that trouble was brewing anyway, eh?

Thanks to the police chief and the City Council members who drove it out of Paso into Santa Maria’s waiting arms. Should have thought twice. Here was a car show that not only brought more than 60,000 people to the area, but also made Paso Robles a place people wanted to visit long before the wine became well-known. And they did come from all over. They not only came, but they told others, “This is great!”

They also spent money! All the hotels were full with a three-night minimum stay. Wow! Think of all that transient occupancy tax they were paying? Plus they were eating at local restaurants. All that tax money that could have helped Paso keep a few extra officers on the job!

Ah, well, hindsight is always better than foresight, eh?

Sharen Rund Bloechl

Atascadero

Questions for Mr. Bush

I read Ralph Bush’s letter (Sept. 2) and had to respond.

I would like to ask Mr. Bush what Constitutional rights have been denied to him? I, too, believe in the rights provided, one of which is to provide for the common good. 

I’m not sure of your age, Mr. Bush, but if or when you are eligible for Medicare, will you eschew participating in the plan (if it’s even there because tea party supporters killed it)? I wonder if you like paying money to the middlemen in the insurance industry for your health care. As for me, I cannot discern any reason insurance companies should be involved in the health care legislative process.

You state everyone should pay their fair share of federal taxes. Warren Buffett, one of the richest people in the world, has stated the rich are not paying their fair share. Have you contacted Reps. John Boehner, Kevin McCarthy and Eric Cantor, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, et al., urging them to increase the taxes on the rich and corporations? I bet not, but if I’m wrong, apologies.

Finally, Mr. Bush, yes the Republicans, including the tea party, have been holding programs and the country hostage in an attempt to ensure the Democratic Party fails in righting the wrongs of the Bush administration.

Bill Tkach

Paso Robles