Pro bono is your money

Ever wonder how lawyers can afford to litigate Proposition 22, religion, fish, bugs, oil drilling, power plants and so forth? Surprise! You pay them. After the Civil Rights Act was passed, our legislators discovered it cost them money to enforce it, so they passed the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Award Act of 1976. This was such a good idea that, in 1977 they passed the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act, providing for attorney fees if the plaintiff prevails. Eventually all civil rights and environmental laws contained the same provision.

So who usually gets sued? All levels of government. If the suit is lost, or settled by the government agency, they (you) pay legal fees to the plaintiff. Look up legal fees collected by the ACLU and all the supposed environmental groups.

It becomes even easier when your politicians do not like defending something you want. The politicians settle or refuse to appeal. Their hands are clean. Hello, Arnold and California. Suddenly pro bono becomes lucrative contingency. Lose and it becomes a tax write-off for the lawyers. Who cares if you need gas, water, or your way of life protected? Not the pro bono lawyers or our complicit politicians.

Peter Murnieks

Vista

How did oil become so expensive?

Just when you think gas prices were slowly decreasing, problems seem to occur toward our economy. How did the numbers end up this high? Oil is plentiful but pretty expensive. I think that there are two reasons why the oil prices are increasing so quickly. First, I think that President Bush did a horrible job solving the world's problems. By not handling the situations very well, he seemed to make the economy worse.

Secondly, population plays a huge role also. The population is growing twice as fast as it was in the 1900s. If the population is growing twice as fast, the demand for oil will outpace worldwide production. Of course, this will lead to an increase of prices for oil, and even a high possibility of wars exploding and oil-dependent economies suffering.

I remember when gas prices were a little over a dollar per gallon. I didn't know what those prices meant at that time, but now that I think back to that time, I wish it was as cheap as it was then.

Lola Bae

La Jolla

His heart wouldn't be in it

Once again, a pat on the back and a tip of my hat to Mr. Harry Titus (Letters, May 19). I am sure that he is a sincere and dedicated "rent-a-cop" and I appreciate his offer to join him, but I couldn't put my heart into it like so many of those folks.

My first impulse would be to eliminate these unnecessary stop signs. I thought the city of Oceanside got rid of that Ph.D. … that ran the traffic department. I heard that King James wants to install more red-light cameras. Jeez, what leadership.

Anyhow, Mr. Titus, thanks for the polite reprimand and keep those sedans rolling.

G. Charles Evans

Oceanside

Quasi-military groups need more control

Blackwater is an organization employed by our government to take the place of military personnel. However, they operate with [little] accountability to any government agency.

Blackwater has made large profits with [little] responsibility for their actions in Iraq. They have gone without correction for numerous violations. … Not long ago, Blackwater attempted to develop a training facility in eastern San Diego County. The citizens voted it down.

Recently, Blackwater attempted to get approval for a training facility near the city of San Diego using a [different] name. This is being challenged in the courts. Our military forces need to be under the control of our government, not private organizations.

Bill Wernett

Fallbrook

Stop condoning usurpation of our laws

As a society, we have basic rules of conduct, laws that we follow for the benefit and betterment of its citizens. … Pedro Rios (whom the North County Times cites ad nauseam) condones the usurpation of our laws by braying about "rights," "fear" and even "nefarious" ("ICE operation nets 137 in San Diego County," May 23). Mr. Rios may score points as a drama queen, but this paper's continued use of his bellicose rantings only make your obviously agenda-driven opinion irrelevant.

With almost 600,000 criminal fugitive illegal aliens out of 12 million total illegals, this task is indeed important and urgent. I give accolades to the ICE agents for the daunting and dangerous task they do. Mr. Rios may try to discredit our fine agents by saying, "cast a wide net that can catch any illegal immigrant an agent meets." … Mr. Rios needs to advise his "friends" not to associate with [criminal illegal aliens and fugitives] who carjack, assault with a deadly weapon, commit domestic violence and sexual assault. I love immigrants who are "tired and poor, that come in through the golden door," not the ones that sneak in the back door at night.

Joseph Best

Oceanside

Will of the people versus judicial tyranny

Webster defines marriage as "the institution whereby a man and a woman are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family." In 2000, California voters approved the prohibition of same-sex marriage. In 2008, the California Supreme Court, by a four-to-three vote, gave legal status to gays and lesbians the right to marry. By a one-vote majority versus 36 million people in California, a precedent was decided.

Abraham Lincoln in 1863 said in his Gettysburg Address "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that the government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the face of the Earth."

Wake up, California, to this travesty of injustice and manipulation of the concept of marriage! In the realm of electricity, a male and female plug is needed to carry current to a lamp. What can gay/lesbian partners produce to continue the human race? Marriage is sacred and should be protected against a redefinition for the sake of the gay liberation.

Bill Baer

Carlsbad

Wah, wah, wah arguments

On May 28, June Kristapovich wrote a Community Forum ("Airport, riverbed future tragedies") that can be summed up in one sentence: I bought a house near an airport and I don't like the airport, so the city should close the airport.

The arguments are always the same: It costs too much, it's dangerous, it's used only by people with planes and I don't have a plane. We get the same sort of statements from people who buy million-dollar houses next to the train tracks and then discover that trains make noise. Perhaps a more concise summary would be "Wah, wah, wah."

Robert Matthews

Oceanside

Don't ignore the resources of Dumpsters

I would like to remind the citizens of North County that we have a great treasure in what many believe is pure trash. Dumpsters of large grocery stores … have great treasures up for grabs for all of us. These large supermarkets throw away billions of dollars' worth of products every year, many of which are only mildly defective and some of which are still in perfect conditions. It is not uncommon to find unopened bottles of pills, unopened bottles of drinks, freshly cut flowers that were not sold and even toys. Dumpsters provide a great deal of free goods for us that would otherwise be wasted.

There is undeniably a stigma behind Dumpster-diving, but this should be done away with. It is clear that Dumpsters contain many great resources, which we should not waste. People of all backgrounds come to use the resources of Dumpsters, from homeless men to my very own biology professor at UCSD. Dumpsters hold a great deal of treasures that all of us can use and enjoy, and it would be a tragic waste to ignore this resource.

Narisa Silver

La Jolla

TIP Academy provides quality education

The TIP Academy provides quality education, and our children thrive in all areas of studies. TIP Academy takes the theory and puts it directly into practice. Students are encouraged to think, ask questions and reason. Students learn to research and apply their findings to many different disciplines. Students learn to take charge in scholarly thinking with humility. They learn to care and develop compassion for those less fortunate through service. They learn caring for the environment through beach and lagoon clean-up projects.

TIP Academy recognizes every child as gifted and scholarly in a different area that may not be recognized in a traditional school GATE program. Teachers take the time to teach with different methods according to the child's learning style. Classes are limited to 28 students.

Aida Sultanyan

Carlsbad

Wasting fuel

As I sit and wait for my child to get out of school, I am amazed to see a soccer mom in her shiny SUV with the engine running for 15 to 20 minutes because it is too hot outside. This is absolutely ridiculous!

Fabian Avalos

Oceanside

'Splain it to me, Ricky

I don't understand why our state, as well as our communities, are in so much debt. … Gov. Terminator is going to borrow money on state Lottery money in order to keep our teachers from getting pink slips. Even I, the ignoramus that I am, know that borrowing money does not solve a problem. It just creates another one. I'm not sure, but I think that when you borrow money, you have to pay interest on it. Well, I guess next, Gov. Terminator will borrow money on our teachers' pension funds. Just think, you guys, at least you'll have a job.

Here in the city of Vista, they just got a half-cent sales tax increase and they are now charging businesses for fire inspections. They used to be free. By the way, multiply an average cost of $80 per business, times 3,500. That is additional money the city is collecting.

Now I understand the city is planning on cutting back on public safety. Their reason or excuse is they are having a financial problem. You don't think it's wasteful, government spending, do ya? Good God, I'm starting to sound like a country hick. I know the city of Vista is … in debt. … My question is, how does the city expect to pay for that debt with $100k in population? That includes men, women and children. 'Splain that one to me, Ricky.

Robert Martinez

Vista