Tri-City board not being kept apprised

A community member informed me of a meeting occurring either on or about Oct. 13 or 15 with members of the Tri-City Hospital District administration. …

At this meeting, discussion regarding new positions on facility seismic correction options, mandates SB 1953, HAZUS program and interviewing 1,000 community members, etc., ensued. This meeting took place seven to nine days prior to a scheduled special board meeting to be held Oct. 22 for the whole board to review, discuss and make important decisions regarding the same issues. However, the board was not given information to review and study until the evening of the special meeting.

I requested a special board meeting at the Aug. 28 board meeting to discuss and review options and plans that the board should have had in place prior to the bond failure. This request was negated by Mr. Shallock and some board members, delaying discussion until the Sept. 25 board meeting and again until Oct. 22.

Further, I did some research regarding HAZUS (and extension of deadline 1953 to 2030), and called OSHA, only to learn that unfinished follow-up procedural information by the administration was lacking. Keep transparency and the board appropriately apprised.

RoseMarie Reno

Tri-City Health District board member

Oceanside

Cruisin' Grand numbers down

What alternate universe was Debra Rosen on when she reported "The Best of Cruisin' Grand" in the latest Downtown Escondido Magazine? … She only had to walk up and down Grand Avenue during the events to see that the numbers of people were down â€"â€" way down â€"â€" from prior successful years. She only has to talk to the business owners to find out that their business was down â€"â€" way down â€"â€" from prior successful years.

She only has to talk to people who have attended prior years' Cruisin' Grand and who have sworn off going back to the way it is now. They say it's just not fun anymore, that it's not a place where families can go and have a really good time.

I have read all of the Letters to the Editor that have appeared in North County Times regarding Cruisin' Grand, and I have hesitated to write my own opinion until I read Rosen's report, and then nothing could stop me. This town is deluding itself if they believe her.

Let's go back to the way it was â€"â€" including getting the Downtown Business Association out of this and putting Steve Waldron back at the helm of running this event.

E. Diane Beyer

Escondido

We all love America

If we learn nothing else from this election, please let us learn this one thing: The incredible energy and enthusiasm displayed nationwide over these past few months proves once and for all that we are a nation of passionate America-lovers, not haters.

It's time to stop ranking patriotism. We may have differing opinions as to how we think this country is best served and protected, but make no mistake about it, we all love her equally, and the sooner this argument stops, the stronger we will be.

Kim Perl

Carmel Valley

State is in the business of marriage

Re: "Prop. 8 and the churches," Nov. 2: I know this is too late to be of use to the elections, which was, I'm sure, the intention of Scott Harris when he wrote his article this past weekend in the North County Times.

It was interesting to note his opinion that "the state should be in the civil union business and churches should handle marriages." That would be great if the state weren't the one to demand buying a state license before getting married.

Also, the state is the instrument that demands that the person performing the ceremony of marriage have either permanent or temporary authorization to carry out same. Most people would like to see less of any government control in their lives.

Ruth Frost

San Marcos

Did Republican change his tactics?

About a dozen years ago, Republicans held a meeting in San Diego headed by now Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour who, after Katrina, gave a clean-up job contract to his biggest contributor, who did nothing, and the Army Corps of Engineers completed the job at taxpayers' expense.

During the San Diego get-together, Barbour made a trip to Hong Kong with some other Republican high-ups and met with a Chinese billionaire. [As a result of that meeting, Barbour was accused of accepting a bribe] … and Barbour was forced to step down.

During the San Diego meeting, I received a large packet of official-looking documents and photos suitable for framing, machine-signed by Barbour, and a letter stating my peers had reported I was a "person of influence," and as a fellow Republican, I should join their group. He also asked for $1,000. I enclosed a note saying I was a proud liberal Democrat, returned the postage-prepaid packet and said someone must be playing a joke on them.

Since Barbour's shenanigans got so much publicity during Katrina, I wonder how he handled the aftermath of Ike.

Joseph Grant

Oceanside

Cruising about much more than food

Re: "You haven't lived until you've dined on a ship," Letters, Oct. 31: I, too, just returned from a Mexican cruise and want to say, there is so much more about cruising than the food (though it's wonderful). There are the Broadway shows with professional singers and dancers, the daily passenger games and the great care given by the staff. We were really pampered.

By the time you return home, you're already planning your next cruise. What a life! By the way, I'm 88 years old and can't wait until my next cruise.

June Razzano

Oceanside

Ignorance on display

I was driving down Harding Street on Monday morning and I saw a swastika with the words "White Power" spray-painted on a fence. First I thought, wow. But, after giving it more thought, I was happy to think that we live in a country where we can say such things (although destroying property is never OK!) when we please. Even though it's not OK to do so, it is legal.

So to the person who decided to voice their ignorant opinion, congratulations on letting us all know you are an idiot, and keep up the good work. And just so you can keep spouting stupidity, this Hispanic soldier will carry on, and fight for your right to be ignorant.

You should join the military some time; it will really open your eyes as to what we do for the freedom of the land. Never mind; I wouldn't want to share a foxhole with a coward who hides behind anonymity. Never mind the fact that people who do such things are ignorant racists.

Sinuhe Montoya

Escondido

Obama victory is win for the country

President-elect Obama's victory is a win for all Americans. I have great confidence he will lead us out of the recession and a responsible exit out of Iraq. Sen. McCain is an honorable man; maybe he can run in 2012 or 2016. He says he still in great shape.

Vice President-elect Biden will be fantastic. I was an intern in his office in the early 1990s and I am originally from Delaware. He is known for his integrity. We are in great hands.

John Ramirez

Rancho Bernardo

You can keep your check

Will you please release a special edition North County Times issue bearing the names and addresses of all the current San Diego families making over $250k a year? I and several million other proud Americans will be forwarding the money President Obama sends us back to the people who rightfully earned it.

Steven Press

Carlsbad

Bigger, greedier government is on the way

I keep underestimating the stupidity of America. Every time I think we'll get out of a mess we got ourselves in, we dug a little deeper. …

We're in a financial mess because of greed, and we hand over the reins to the Democrats, who are known to love our money and think we're too stupid to handle it ourselves. Well, America, by a 2-to-1 ratio, you elected another pretty face into the White House. Too bad that's not part of the qualifications. And too bad, unlike our Hollywood people, I don't have enough money to move out of the country. Unlike actors such as Alec Baldwin, I would make good on the promise.

Enjoy your bigger, greedier government. I'll be hiding under the bed with my gun â€"â€" loaded.

Don Snyder

Oceanside

Times are changing for our nation

California went for President Barack Obama by a decisive 24 percent. Newspapers in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles endorsed Obama for president, as did most major newspapers throughout the country, but not here in San Diego County.

Recall that the Southern states were Democratic prior to the 1970s. But after the civil rights law was passed during the Johnson presidency, ensuring minorities had the right to vote, the South became Republican. Many white people were opposed to letting "those people" have the right to vote.

Less than 90 years ago, women were not allowed to vote. At one time, only white males who owned property were allowed to vote. Those in power want to retain power.

The North County Times editorial board represents the same viewpoint as found in states like South Carolina and other parts of the former segregated South. Times are changing. Most of us do not earn over $250,000 a year. There are really more so-called middle-class people.

By the way, Barack Obama's grandmother's grandfather came from Ireland. Barack is not a black president. He is the U.S. president.

Daniel Lynch

Vista

Is this what God really wants?

The Christianity that I learned as a child was about tolerance, that God and Jesus loved everyone, that one atoned for whatever sins were accumulated in life to God. I gave up that fairy tale a long time ago when I realized it really was a nightmare story concocted to enable the few to hold power over the masses through fear â€"â€" fear that people different from you might change the status quo, rock the boat, take from you what you had acquired, your place in society, your material goods.

All you Christians with your "Yes on 8" signs and fear and enthusiastic intolerance, is that really what your god wanted from you, or is it what your church leaders psyched you up to do? What are you so afraid of? My children have gay friends. It didn't make them gay. My husband and I have been married 32 years; I cannot imagine how a gay couple's marriage would have any effect on our union.

Let people who are doing you no harm live their lives with all the benefits you have â€"â€" and if there are sins to be accounted for in an afterlife, let your god take care of it.

Cheryl Arney

Vista

A small victory indeed

Re: Proposition 8's passing: Winning the right to discriminate is a small victory indeed.

Jennifer Jones

Del Mar

Congratulations President Barack Obama!

Congratulations to Barack Obama! He is our new president, and I hope he does particularly well. If he does well, our country does well and each of us as individuals does well.

In my lifetime, the country survived FDR, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. The Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances whereby it is extremely difficult not to do well. President Barack Obama has proved it. With malice for none; with charity for all â€"â€" A. Lincoln.

Proud to be an American.

Fred Schnaubelt

Rancho Bernardo

Government hiding facts on Vietnam POWs

There was an article in The Nation from Oct. 6 by Sydney H. Schanberg that talked about how John McCain was involved in hiding the fact that there were POWs left in Vietnam.

After the signing of the peace treaty in January 1973, the Vietnamese released 591 POWs, and one of them was John McCain. North Vietnamese Gen. Tran Van Quang told the members of the Hanoi Politburo four months before the 1973 peace accords that Hanoi was holding 1,205 Americans prisoner, but would keep many of them at war's end as leverage to ensure getting reparations from Washington. This was discovered by an American scholar in the 1990s. The reparations were never paid, and the POWs never came home.

After much evidence and public pressure, a Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA was set up in 1991. The chairman was John Kerry, but McCain was its most pivotal member. McCain and our government suppressed or tried to discredit this information. … This just shows how much our government cares about we the people. They don't give a damn about out military personnel, and John McCain is no different. … There is so much to this report, so check it out. The name of the article is "Why has John McCain blocked info on MIAs?"

Chris Pulse

Vista

Night of the living dead

Nov. 4 marked the end of objective politics in America. The American electorate, completely dumbed down by the liberal media (most newspapers, all major TV stations and public schools) has elected a troika of three dysfunctional politicians (Reid, Pelosi, Hussein Obama) to steer this country â€"â€" those who believe in them are mightily mistaken.

The Republicans, not learning from the mishap of Sen. Dole, picked another elderly, slightly handicapped nominee who was sure to lose in our cosmetic, shallow and easily deceived electorate. Groups who vote 90 percent to 10 percent in favor of a candidate, and the immature and emotional who think they can change the nature of the world with a peace sign and an assuage of guilt, will soon learn they are living in fantasyland â€"â€" socialism is here, now you'll have to deal with it!

P.S. Congratulations to the 8 percent of this group and 47,000,000 who were not bamboozled by this fraud!

Richard Cole

Encinitas

Participation in democracy applauded

In my 36 years of living in Encinitas, I witnessed a seldom-seen phenomenon this past weekend and Election Day. Dozens of women â€"â€" primarily very young women â€"â€"- out on the streets (four corners of Leucadia Boulevard and El Camino Real) of Encinitas. They were standing in the rain, holding handmade signs and urging passing motorists to vote "no" on Proposition 8.

In an age of cynicism, when pundits say the young are not involved in the election process, I was jazzed to see their enthusiastic participation in the democratic process.

Carol Swift

Encinitas