LETTERS: The Californian, Nov. 29, 2008

By Readers of The Californian | Saturday, November 29, 2008 12:13 AM PST ∞

Speakers who were for quarry were puzzling

At the most recent meeting of the Temecula Planning Commission, regarding the annexation of the property at the southwest corner of the city, I was appalled at the ignorance of many of the speakers in favor of the quarry. It seemed that they had not made any attempt to study such a serious situation. They spoke about bringing jobs to the area, but never gave a thought about how many jobs could be lost by truck drivers who would not be needed to haul material from other areas.

Some of the speakers had the audacity to tell us that Granite Construction was an environmentally caring company, when one has only to look into the many environment infractions they have been fined for, the most recent, being by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

The idea of putting a quarry in or near a place as serene as those hills, and the SDSU reserve is criminal. One person even stated that because the quarry would be mined downward, that we wouldn't have any dust. One has to wonder about some people, and hope that they are not the ones who vote.

Don Swift

Temecula

We all need to lend a helping hand

Stop for a minute and put all of this "news" on the economic crisis in perspective. They are talking about real people, real families. Bottom line: real suffering. There is no excuse for those people's neighbors for not stepping up to the plate and helping. Those of us in California are very much among the blessed with good jobs, paychecks and so many other goodies. We are normally the first to lead for any new actions to lead the nation. Let's take on a great leading roll and step up and help the people who are hurting. No one in this state should be out on the street because of this meltdown.

Dang it people, open your minds and your wallets and stop the greedy banks that created this mess. More than the bank thing has to happen to stop the human suffering. Can you, any of you, imagine what it would be like to be homeless/living in your car? Most of us on the Internet have an ability to help because we still have a job and a place to live. Share, people, share.

Richard Byham

Menifee

Nations should form a new cartel

It is time for the larger nations of the world to carefully observe the activities of merchandisers like Costco and Wal-Mart. Not how they sell merchandise; how they buy it. The world oil market has a selling cartel we know as OPEC. Why don't Russia, China, the United States, Japan, etc. get together for just one purpose ---- to form an oil-buying cartel. Then, as one entity they can approach OPEC and say, "You have watched the demand for your product drop, you have watched your revenues plummet. Let's make a deal. We will buy no less than X million barrels a day and the price per barrel will be $Y. If we wind up with a surplus, that's our problem. If we come up short, we'll buy more at a premium of 10 percent."

The countries within such a cartel don't have to like each other in order to band together to make this happen. After all, several members of OPEC have been at each others' throats periodically for decades. All sorts of good things would come from such a plan. Consumers naturally win, at a time when any savings on necessary purchases is welcome in every country. Next, the oil companies would know exactly what their return on oil exploration investments would be and just might decide that, in the long run, they had better buy in to an energy supply infrastructure other than more gas stations. Ditto car companies, power companies ---- you get the idea.

Kenneth Ebmeier

Pala

Ask president to pardon two agents

This week, President Bush gave a full and unconditional pardon to two turkeys, Pumpkin and Pecan. A warm fuzzy tradition. I can't help feel my heart ache for our two U.S. Border Patrol Agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos. They have been held in solitary confinement for over two years for their own protection. They both have to serve at least a decade!

For two men who went to jail for protecting we Americans it seems to me to be cruel and unusual punishment. This miscarriage of justice can be reversed with a mere signature of the president. Please join me in calling the White House at (202) 456-1111 and/or e-mailing the president to have mercy on these men and their families and grant them a pardon, comments@whitehouse.gov. These innocent men and their families have suffered enough!

Treva Bennett

Sun City

Chairman provides bond money update

My name is David Landriscina, chairman and the business member currently serving Murrieta taxpayers on the Measure E Citizens Oversight Committee, established by the governing board of education and tasked with the responsibility of tracking and reporting expenditures for the $120 million school bond fund in compliance with Article XIIIA, Section 1(b) (3) of the California Constitution, and in accordance with the text of the ballot measure passed by voters in June 2006. I hereby report the following: New Construction: Dorothy McElhinney (Middle School) is expected to be completed in mid-December 2008: $15.6 million. Murrieta Mesa (High School) is expected to be completed by July 2009 for $65 million. Sykes (Elementary School) (Balance: $7.64 million.) is on a "To Be Determined" basis for start of construction. Technology: Balance: $1,264,550 and deferred maintenance: Balance: $9,279,018: A video surveillance project was awarded on July 22, 2008, for the District Support Center, Warm Springs, Creekside, Thompson, Shivela, Mails, Murrieta Valley and Vista Murrieta with completion on or about March 21, 2009. New air conditioning units will be installed over the gymnasiums at VMHS and MVHS in late spring 2009.

Finance: The series B bonds ($25 million) were sold under favorable conditions to the district on October 1, 2008, without a rate increase to the taxpayers. The independent auditor's report provided by Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co. supports the conclusions drawn by the oversight committee with respect to the district's management; that all financial statements and changes in financial position are accurate and in conformance with generally accepted accounting principles.

David Landriscina

Murrieta