Open borders do not make diversity

Joan Horn has for years been writing letters to the North County Times supporting illegal immigration, the rescinding of immigration law and the elimination of our borders.

Her M.O. has been to obfuscate or completely ignore the obvious difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien. Now she's made the ludicrous leap of logic ("Diversity a factor in improving schools," July 31) that the inundation of the poor and uneducated from one country and its attendant consequences have brought us "diversity."

There is, however, one encouraging thing to take from her letter: She has retired from teaching. Amen.

Michael Capozziello

Vista

Weigh the opinions

Frank Lancelotti is of the opinion that homosexual sexual orientation is a choice. I am of the opinion that it is genetically based; that is, inborn, thus not a choice. Another difference between us is that I provide independent data to support my opinion; Lancelotti does not.

Referring again to the Discover Magazine article Lancelotti quote-mined from: LeVay also said that studies of twins by psychologist Michael Baileya and psychiatrist Richard Pillard clearly suggest that "genetics accounts for a substantial fraction of the total (homosexual) causation." (http://discovermagazine.com/1994/mar/sexandthebrain346).

Further, from a 2008 study: Researchers Iemmola and Camperio, in a comparison of "the family trees of homosexuals with heterosexuals, reported a significant increase in fecundity in the females related to the homosexual probands (see note) from the maternal line but not in those related from the paternal one. This suggested that genetic factors that are partly linked to the X-chromosome and that influence homosexual orientation in males are not selected against because they increase fecundity in female carriers, thus … (explaining) why natural selection does not progressively eliminate homosexuals."

Note: Proband â€"â€" a family member through whom a family's medical history comes to light (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18561014).

John Terrell

Fallbrook

Media ignores H1N1 outbreak's cause

Re: "Fourth San Diego County swine flu death reported," July 8: Total H1N1 flu cases in California is 1,658. What is wrong with this? The media must be blind or they just do not care. In the same article, San Diego County's total H1N1 flu cases total 531. …

Any bets that Imperial County has the same or more …? What a burden and terrible cost to the health care system. I believe this is caused by illegal immigrants entering the United States with the H1N1 flu. Maybe the media can give a better explanation?

I hope you or a family member does not fall to this H1N1 flu.On July 10, the North County Times article ("County records fifth death from swine flu") is not on the front page (this is reserved for political fiascoes … ). Decide for yourself. …

There are now (approximately) 1,150 cases in San Diego and Imperial County. I believe we know why California was unable to balance their budget. They are unable to say no.

Buddie Gran

Escondido

Obamanomics â€"â€" death of America

How can we, as loyal Americans, sit back and watch our commander in chief run our country into the ground? Every day we hear something new on how the administration has a new plan to raise our taxes or tax our benefits, tax, tax, tax.

Then we have the other side of the coin â€"â€" the administration wants to spread the wealth. How can we support a president who wants to take our hard-earned money and give to those who do not make as much as us? We are slowly becoming a socialist country.

As residents of North County, we need to write our congressmen and tell them not to vote on any of the upcoming new bills set forth by the left-wing liberal Speaker Pelosi and her cronies. What more harebrained ideas do they have to come up with before we say enough is enough?

Let your voices be heard and call your congressmen. Let them know your disgust and tell them you want to see our country be a success again, based on free-market trade, which our country was built on.

Stephen Such

Oceanside

No on Prop. A

Proposition A is asking us to give up our vote and voice on incurring debt by pre-approving the board of directors of the Rainbow Municipal Water District to act on our behalf.

I will vote no because I want to maintain my voting rights on debt issues. Voting is the cornerstone of any democratic process, and I will not hand over my right to vote to the board.

Deborah Small

Rainbow

Give Wood the opportunity to govern

Listening to the last Oceanside City Council meeting and Kern-Feller-Chavez (KFC) send daggers to Mayor Jim Wood. He was elected two terms to be the mayor of the people of Oceanside. He's in the community to get to know the people better. KFC wants to have the City Council to themselves and lock the vote at 3 to 2.

Esther Sanchez and the mayor never have a majority, unless the issue is not the best for Oceanside. Oceanside deserves a mayor of the people. There is a lot of written criticism going on to share.

There can be only one elected mayor to govern the city. Let's give him that chance.

Brenda Souza

Oceanside

Suspicious of critics of Sunrise power line

The Community Forum of July 21 by Mr. Don Christiansen severely condemns the so-called monopoly by fossil fuel industries and the subsidies paid ("Support electric power generation distribution"). Not mentioned are the gigantic subsidies to be paid to build and maintain wind and solar-power championed by him, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and the rest of their supporters. Mother Earth has contributed to the human race for centuries, and depletion is not imminent.

We have immense reserves of coal, oil and gas. Wind and solar could and should be considered as additional alternatives.Germany, Vermont and 40 countries referred to are "required" to purchase surplus energy from their citizens. Is that not control by the state or government?

AB 1106 in California was passed by the very legislature that has caused the overwhelming disaster we are foundering in. I am suspect of all the unfair criticism of the Sunrise power line as depicted by opponents. Many other experts agree the lines to be necessary and the promise of wind and solar as a distant source is not truly reliable.Carbon emissions claims are not proven.

Proposed renewable energy will cost trillions beyond budget, and it's our money.

Bob Limpus

Fallbrook

Argument for universal health care

There has been little analysis of the facts behind universal health care. What follows is an argument for universal care.

The U.S. spends roughly $6,100 per citizen on health care each year. Most universal health care systems spend less than two-thirds that; Canada, the U.K. and Germany have universal health care and spend $3,170, $2,560 and $3,170 per citizen, respectively (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934556.html). In fact, our health care is the most costly in the entire world!

People here get better service, right? It turns out that isn't the case.

The infant mortality rate in the U.S. is 6.26 per 1,000 births; Canada, the U.K. and German's are 5.04, 4.85 and 3.99, respectively. In the U.S., the average citizen lives 78.11 years; in Canada, the U.K. and Germany life expectancy is 81.23, 79.01 and 79.26 years (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html?countryName=United%20States&countryCode=us&regionCode=na&rank=180#us).

WHO ranked our system 37th best in the world. In contrast, Canada, the U.K. and Germany are 30th, 18th and 25th, respectively. France's universal health care system is No. 1 (http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/index.html).

It's true people in the U.K. and Canada have to wait a bit longer for service, but that isn't the case in all universal systems. Furthermore, let's not forget why service is slower in those places: Everyone is getting treatment.

Charles Rambo

Escondido

Health care bill lacks redeeming value

The use of taxpayer dollars for abortions in the health care bill will make every taxpayer in America an accomplice to this barbaric practice (forcing all taxpayers to be pro-choice). Wasn't freedom great while it lasted? The end-of-life provisions in this bill will be used to rid our society of the "excess population" (i.e., the elderly/handicapped). The private health information of all Americans will now be in the hands of the federal government.

Ninety percent of prostate cancer victims in the U.S. now survive, 70 percent in France and 50 percent in Britain (http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/27976/). Why would anyone want Europe#'s health care plans brought to America?

Every time a federal government deems citizens to be imperfect, they help them on the road to the eternal world by kicking them down it.

The lie that one can choose a doctor is exposed on Page 16 of the bill where it says you can't â€"â€" if you make any kind of change in your coverage you have moved on to the government plan (http://ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=333066661999894).The exclusion of illegal aliens from government health care has been amended out of the bill (http://bsimmons.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/obamacare-for-illegal-aliens/v).

I can find no redeeming value in this fundamental change to America.

Philip Taylor

Vista

Slaughter for profit

In reference to Dave Bishop's slaughter for profit (involving approximately 1,500 government individuals), nowhere does San Diego County allow using livestock for profit without a special use permit in a rural residential zone â€"â€" I would think this commercial slaughtering for whomever would fall into such a requirement.

This issue deserves a spotlight on your network news moment.

Carolyn Read

San Marcos

Back Page article went too far

I know these are trying times for newspapers and I'm trying to stick with you. I haven#'t complained about the flap and I haven't complained about the sticker. I've kept quiet about missing top-notch columnists Thomas Friedman and Paul Krugman â€"â€" I can read them online, though it's not as cozy and pleasant as reading the morning paper.

I've loved (though granted, there's less lately to love) and have been a loyal reader of the North County Times for many years, even from the Blade-Citizen days, but you#,re not making it easy.

The Back Page article on July 30 about the man having sex with a horse was beyond the pale ("Police: S.C. man charged with having sex with horse"). It had no redeeming value whatsoever. It's not interesting, it's not newsworthy, it's not informative and it's not amusing. It's merely tasteless and revolting.

Don't resort to sensationalism. We can buy the National Enquirer if we want to read that stuff. Please. Give your readers some credit; we deserve better. You can do better.

Marlene Brannon

Carlsbad

Abuse of pigs must stop

Pigs are sensitive, intelligent creatures who deserve to be treated with respect, not transported in hellish conditions and stabbed, shot and killed in archaic military trauma exercises ("PETA suggests Valley Center training violates zoning," July 30). The nearby Naval Trauma Training Center in Los Angeles has stated that it does not use any animals in its training program.

If sophisticated, humane, non-animal training methods are good enough for the Navy, then they are good enough for all of the Armed Forces, and the abuse of pigs should stop immediately.

Teresa Cardwell

San Diego

Republican lies about health care reform

First "birthers," now "deathers." A member stood on the House floor and said that if health care reform passes, our government will kill old people. I can't figure out how the insurance/drug companies got the entire Republican caucus to shill for them. Like all mysteries, follow the money.

They own these often-quoted "think tank" studies showing how catastrophic health care reform would be. There would be no "government take-over" with a public option. A public option would only serve to create competition inside our incestuous insurance behemoth and offer a safety net for the poor. In short, a public option will decrease costs dramatically by fostering competition. As for government-run health care, look at the VA, which by all accounts, offers excellent care.

Nathan Wesley

Solana Beach