Letters to the Editor 11/11

Lost his respect

I used to respect Victor David Hanson’s views in his commentary pieces. He was one of the conservative voices whose opinions I valued. But after reading his “Global Warming — RIP?” piece in The Tribune (Oct. 27), his credibility is gone. I know the man is intelligent, so I have to assume he is not ignorant of science but is instead deliberately misleading the public about global warming for some other reason.

Two statements stand out among many in his commentary. The first: “The planet has not heated up at all during the last 10 years.” Really? A new analysis from NASA and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies shows that 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record, and was part of the warmest decade on record where five of the past 10 years were the warmest ever measured.

Hanson then concludes by saying, “We simply don’t know positively whether recent human activity has caused the planet to warm up to dangerous levels.” (Wait, I thought he said it wasn’t warming!) He continues, “But we do know that those who insist it does are sometimes disingenuous, often profit-minded and nearly always impractical.”

Mr. Hanson, you have that backwards; you and many other skeptics are disingenuous, profit-minded and being irresponsible to future generations.

Dean Thompson

Los Osos

Prop. 13 losers

I could not let the responses to Mr. Duane Wall’s letter on Prop. 13 go without comment.

Jarvis and Gann, representing commercial interests (the 1 percent), used public anger to create a fiscal disaster for California. Prop. 13 reduced property taxes by about 60 percent and required a two-thirds majority to change tax rates.

What isn’t remembered is that property taxes were a stable source of revenue to support schools, police and fire and other local services. The much-needed fix for escalating property taxes was for local government to lower tax rates on residential property, but Jarvis dropped a bomb on California, and we have yet to recover.

Since the two-thirds vote requirement made it nearly impossible to offset losses, schools, police and fire services were bailed out by the state. Local control was relinquished to the state, which was bound by a two-thirds vote on the budget.

So we have a revenue impasse at state and local levels and further, we shifted funding of local services to a volatile state source. The state gets most of its revenue from sales taxes and personal and corporate income taxes, revenue most affected by economic downturns.

Who got the benefits? The corporations and old people like me, who are still paying taxes at the 1978 plus 2 percent per year assessment.

Who lost? Everybody else.

Fred Frank

Atascadero

What if ...?

What if the Obama administration and Congress had helped open medical clinics in the inner cities or contributed financial aid to those who need transplants or helped those with catastrophic medical issues, and many other needs, instead of giving money to Solyndra or SunPower? Wouldn’t we have a better country? We could have helped the poor.

Shirlene Gregory

Pismo Beach

Thanks for support

Over the past 10 months, the 40-member SLO County steering committee to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of California women securing the right to vote organized parades and individual community events; researched and documented the history of suffrage in SLO County; created a website; and sponsored a countywide celebration on Oct. 10 at the Dallidet Adobe and Gardens attended by more than 250 people.

We want to thank honorary chairperson Assemblyman Achadjian, mayors and council members from county cities, the board of supervisors, educators, historians, historical societies, community activists, librarians, the AAUW, Republican and Democratic women’s groups, and the committee organizers — the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County, for participation in the coalition.

And thank you to the many sponsors who funded the brochures, flyers, banners, sashes and the celebration.

SLO County showed their support for suffrage in the elections of 1896 and 1911 by passing suffrage both times by a wide margin. In 2011, the county came together again, this time in recognition of the historical anniversary of women’s right to vote and to run for office.

Thank you, San Luis Obispo County, for your 100 years of supporting equality.

Trudy Jarratt and Marilee Hyman

Co-chairs, SLO County 100-Year Anniversary Committee

Thanks from Creston

Wow! I would like to extend a big Creston thank-you to everyone who attended the Creston Chili Cookoff last Sunday (Oct. 16)! It was a great turnout, and we made over $2,100 for our scholarship fund. So many people helped to make it a success! I would like to thank KJUG, KPRL, my judges, local wineries who donated wine, the contestants and my wonderful committee!

So let’s do it again next year and remember: Promote world peace, eat more chili!

Victoria Mehalick

Paso Robles

A Great Success!

Thank you to all those who made the Oct. 18 Dig for Delaney event such a success. It was a special event for a very special person. Thank you to the Nipomo High School girls’ volleyball program and NHS staff members for hosting the event. Thank you to all of those that have contributed to the Delaney Lemus Scholarship Fund; the continued support of the community has been amazing. Most of all, thank you to the Lemus family. Without you, this community would not have been blessed with such a wonderful young lady.

Thank you for letting us all remember Delaney in such a great way.

Darlene Ballestero-Pirotte

Nipomo

Do some research

With regard to fault, as well as aiding and abetting, we are to blame.

However, I suggest researching just a bit further to the taxation deduction years prior to Clinton, if you do recall or can read about it. Perhaps a clearer future can be sought.

Jeanne Bruenecke

Paso Robles