Letters to the Editor 10/26

Change of heart

Just a note to those I offended by my letter (Oct. 20) regarding the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. I was put into a fit of pique when I saw photos of young, laughing people waving protest signs, and I thought, they haven’t worked a day in their lives.

That started it all. It was a stupid letter, written by a stupid, uneducated old lady who should give up letter writing and take up quilting or tatting. I forgot the Bernie Madoffs of the corporate world and all the others of his ilk. I will save the letters of those who took exception to my letter and learn from them. They are right and I was so very wrong.

Patti Launders

Nipomo

The 99 percent

I was at the Occupy SLO rally and march Oct. 15 in downtown SLO. It was an excellent outpouring of emotion and desire for people to organize into clear fact-finding missions to see if we the people can improve our country from the ground up. 

I saw a big guy with a heart-wrenching story. This man said something to the effect of:

“My grandfather lived in North County with his wife and his two kids. He didn’t have a college education and worked at a hardware store. He and his wife were able to take care of their children.”

He said, “We have two kids, and I have a college education as does my wife, yet we can’t take care of our family properly. We want to be able to take care of our kids. Something has to change, now!”

I saw young people with student loan debt finally waking up to the fact that they had been victims of loan sharking practices in the “higher education market” they bought into during the Bush administration. 

In numbers, we hopefully can stop this “confidence man (con-man) culture of greed” and take our country back! The greedy perpetrators need to be prosecuted.

Scott Jenkins

San Luis Obispo

Year-round vacation

Prop. 13 has essentially destroyed public education in our late great state. We now rank No. 46 out of the 50 states in dollars spent per student, and even more disgracefully, we now rank dead last — below even Mississippi and South Carolina — in students-per-teacher ratio in our dilapidated classrooms.

California was historically one of the very top states in all categories of excellence in public education until the “stupidity bomb” that is Prop. 13 was detonated in 1978. An undemocratic adjunct that followed shortly thereafter makes it impossible to resurrect public education, as it mandates a two-thirds majority — not a simple majority as is required in democratic countries — to change any tax policy whatsoever.

This heartless one-two punch has worked so malodorously well in California in destroying public education that the conservative corporate cartel ALEC and their bought-and-paid-for Republican Party have now taken up the cause and plan to similarly ruin public education nationwide. States across the nation are legislating their public schools into extinction, and plan to give the money to morally corrupt Republican corporation-schools to turn youth into soulless know-nothing GOP-heads.

God save our schoolchildren. Vote Republican, and you’ll give them “year-round summer vacations.”

D. Duane Wall II

Cambria

Prime duties

As an attendee of the state Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Commission on Oct. 14) dealing with high dust levels in our area, I feel their debates were a colossal waste of time and money.

The so-called informational video, to the tune of “Over the Rainbow,” was a whitewash showing a happy day in the Dunes when real problems were all around them. The commissioners could only criticize the APCD reports and put off any suggestions for solutions until next spring when area residents are again suffering from lung and health problems connected with months of pollution.

When will our legislators realize that their prime duties involve protecting our citizens from fatal health concerns, even if it impacts our local economy? This is the stuff of lawsuits that may cost taxpayers millions to settle in the future.

Pat Fitzgerald

Oceano

Unforgivable action

How disgraceful the actions of the city of SLO to permit the spillage of sewage these past three years and pay a fine of more than $57,000 to one of the most anti-business organizations, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

To pay this organization in itself is criminal, let alone compensatory. On the other hand, the actions of the city to continue to create spills of sewage is unforgivable. These acts occur year after year after year, no matter who the public officials are.

It seems to me there should be a change in the bureaucracy behind the elected officials. The taxpayer continues to be harmed (I have another word for it but chose not to use it here) by paying the salaries, medical care and pensions to those who are not qualified to work in the private sector. What happened to investigative reporting?

Joe Laraneta

Templeton

Humble thanks

The tragic accident that took place on Highway 1 on Oct. 10 has forever changed everybody’s life on the Central Coast. The beauty of the area with its surrounding hills and mountains; the vast shoreline; the serenity of the place has been stained by this awful and horrifying incident.

But through it all, our humanity wasn’t diminished — we still retain and will always be a loving community. Experience tells us that for every bad thing happening in our lives, something good comes out of it — and, I believe, it is already happening.

Many of you have expressed that you’re taking your time driving down the road, observing traffic and the like. Also, many have expressed concern, reaching out to comfort one another — most especially for the families involved. It gives us a warm feeling — that we are not alone in our suffering!

My family thanks each and every one of you — for your prayers, words of comfort, cards — and I do hope that you’re also praying for the Fuller family.

The letter of forgiveness from the Fuller family is so humbling, so overwhelming. I have no other words to express my feelings but to say, “Thank you; may God be always with you and with us.”

Leticia B. Lachance

Paso Robles

Editor’s note: The letter writer’s spouse, Jeffrey Lachance, according to the CHP, caused the collision by allegedly trying to make an unsafe pass. He has been charged with vehicular homicide.

Hypocrisy, jealousy

Let me get this straight ... A person can sign on the line borrowing money for a house they know they can’t afford, committing to a bad loan nobody forced them to take, just to live the high life. Then, when their bad decisions come back to haunt them, they start complaining about the bankers being greedy?

Never has lack of personal responsibility, hypocrisy and jealous envy been on bigger display than with the whole Occupy Wall Street movement.

Jody Langford

Templeton