The cause of our economic crisis

Our economy and our government are probably in the worst condition that they have ever been. This was caused by the greed of business corporations and individuals. The practice of taking whatever they can and disregarding what problems it creates for other individuals has always been present but never to the extent that it currently prevails.

Taking jobs away from hard-working American citizens and giving them to cheaper foreign workers is not only acceptable but it is also condoned and promoted by the current administration. This is done by every means that is possible including the increasing of foreign imports, the relocation of manufacturing facilities to foreign countries, visa programs to bring in foreign workers, outsourcing of U.S. jobs to foreign countries like India and fostering illegal immigration.

There is a lot of profit involved in switching to cheaper foreign labor but it denies American workers a job with a fair living wage.

Reducing the federal interest rates or giving money to Wall Street will not correct the situation. The only permanent solution is to provide more jobs to the citizens of this country. Unfortunately, politicians cannot make money by bringing our jobs back to the United States, so there is no incentive to do this.

Herbert Pairitz

Carlsbad

Global warming no crisis; it's beyond control

Global warming is essentially beyond our control and is certainly not a crisis. So it would be really stupid to totally destroy our ailing economy with disastrous and futile CO2 restrictions.

Dr. Roy Spencer of NASA is responsible for collection and analysis of all NASA's satellite temperature data. In testimony in July before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he observes that the climate is really dominated by negative feedbacks, not positive feedbacks as assumed in the IPCC computer models.

He predicts that "there will be a growing realization among the global warming research community that most of the climate change we have observed is natural, and that mankind's role is relatively minor … it is largely out of our control, and is likely to end â€"â€" if it has not ended already, since satellite-measured temperatures have not warmed for at least seven years now" (http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=e12b56cb-4c7b-4c21-bd4a-7afbc4ee72f3).

Ralph Peters

Encinitas

Gays are out to take his rights away

Robert DeRieux (Letters, Dec. 13) is terrified because gays are out to take his rights away. We understand his very rational fear. How devastating if Robert's traditional marriage were declared illegal and his children taken from him!

Robert fears discharge from the military as an undesirable for being heterosexual, a lifelong stigma for employment. He could be fired from his job or club or excommunicated by his church. What about his constitutional rights?

Robert fears the crash of a beer bottle on the back of his head for demonstrating "straight tendencies" for walking down Fallbrook's Main Street holding hands with his sister. As Robert walks, he hears catcalls from thugs shouting: "Breeder" or "pervert" â€"â€" just because he's perceived as heterosexual.

Or worse yet, Robert is actually gay, but bashed merely because he was perceived to be straight because of the stiff way he walks. And what if Robert stopped off in a singles bar on the way home, and the gay Gestapo raided the bar and hauled him off to the slammer for public indecency?

Poor Robert. Loss of one's civil and constitutional rights is a terrible thing. We understand your fears completely. The gays are out to get you.

J. Howard Crews

Fallbrook

Strange letters on Tuesday

Ray Erler (Letters, Dec. 16), I am glad you don't support our new President Barack Obama. With "friends" like you, who needs enemies? Also, the acrid stench that comes from the White House is from the corrupt regime that has occupied this house for eight years. This stench will be cleaned by the new administration.

Your statement that you are shaking your head in disbelief that Obama will soon occupy our "sacred White House" sounds racist to me. Also, it seems to me that you are threatening the security of the president when you promise that he will not finish his first term. A similar statement was made in 2000 by Rush "the comedian" Limbaugh when he assured one of his dittoheads that Clinton would not make it to the White House.

To Murel Fisk (Letters, Dec. 16), first, the pipeline you are talking about is not even started. To say the highly educated Sloan was a Chicago teacher of the year in a city best known for political corruption means you apparently are saying she must also be corrupt. Now I am shaking my head in disbelief at how deep the right-wingers have sunk.

Ted Smit

Oceanside

Get off the phone and drive

I am writing to you because of traffic problems on Stephan Street in Oceanside. On this street, a lot of people are driving and talking on the phone. Because people are driving and talking, a lot of accidents are happening. I cannot even go outside anymore to play because of that.

One problem that could happen is that someone could get hit or hurt. Another problem is that they are running a lot of stop signs because they are talking. One solution is that people should be driving with two hands at all times and put on a hands-free headset. I want it to stop because some people are scared to cross the street due to the fact that people drive and talk. I hope it stops because I want to go play outside.

Eric Maldonado

student, Cesar Chavez Middle School

Oceanside

More work needed on water situation

I would like to expand on the commentary by my colleague, Encinitas Councilman Jim Bond, concerning the current water situation ("Fixing bay-delta key to improving water supply outlook," Dec. 14).

Aside from the immediate impact of court rulings restricting water delivery to Southern California, myriad other issues also contribute to the unstable condition of the delta.

Impacts from municipal and industrial discharges, agricultural and urban runoff and failing levees are a significant part of the problem and cannot be ignored. The entire delta infrastructure could collapse should the region experience a significant earthquake.

In Southern California, water availability and land use decisions can no longer be viewed as two separate issues. We cannot continue with business as usual.

New developments must be required to be water-demand-neutral through the implementation of all possible water efficiencies, use of recycled/reclaimed water and project offsets to reduce water use at other locations.

As elected officials, we cannot ask residents to reduce their water use and simultaneously approve new impacts on that same limited water source.

The challenges before us are great, but the opportunity to create a realistic approach to water use will ensure not only economic and environmental sustainability, but the quality of life for all residents.

Teresa Barth

council member

Encinitas

Why stop at banning smoking in parks?

Dawn Durbin wrote that "it is imperative that Escondido pass an ordinance that bans smoking in parks" (Letters, Dec. 14). I am not a smoker and therefore believe that secondhand smoke will hunt me down and murder me in my sleep. Since, according to Dawn, all that it takes to make something true is for enough people to believe it.

I don't think a ban on smoking goes far enough. First off, we should definitely ban any transportation device that could aid in someone running me over. Playgrounds should definitely be banned. They carry deadly diseases, after all. As a matter of fact, children should be banned as well since they are the ones who bring the diseases to the playgrounds. We should also ban sneezing and coughing. Those things carry horrible diseases that are much more likely to be harmful to you than even second-hand smoke.

Actually, just ban all people. Because I'm a shut-in and have never seen a park, I know people are very dangerous. Since we are banning all people, we should also ban animals. They bite and claw, not to mention rabies. Also, trees and grass should go since people with allergies could start sneezing!

Steven Holman

Escondido

Slow down for stop signs

People on Oleander Drive are going too fast and are not stopping at the stop signs. They are not letting people cross the street. This is not safe. One solution is if cars could slow down and stop at the stop signs. People will cross the street safely. So if you can put this letter in the paper, it will make life easier.

Thank you.

Henry Luna

student, Cesar Chavez Middle School

Oceanside

No 'merry Christmas' for Fallbrook thieves

To the person or persons who "borrowed" the inflatable snowman from my outdoor Christmas display last night, may the Christmas Grinch visit you for the rest of this Christmas season.

John Hampton

Fallbrook

Can oxygen help with autistic children?

Two weeks ago, my autistic son suffered a severe seizure and stayed three days in the hospital. During this time, he received Ativan and was given oxygen through a mask. Why the oxygen is interesting is because after arriving home, he was different. Here's what I observed:

For 48 hours after release from hospital, my son was the calmest and happiest I've seen him in 17 years. Nonstop laughing. Direct eye contact. Wanting to be hugged. Displaying increased agility and coordination. Also, displayed zero self-injurious behavior, despite having a blister on his foot, which for the past decade, is a guaranteed trigger to savage self-injurious episodes. Likewise, there were no petit mal seizures, which are common presentations.

Because my son has taken Ativan before with no remarkable change, I think his dramatic shift was linked to receiving oxygen. Doctors tell me it was just a fluke. This was no fluke. My son was incredibly medically and behaviorally stable after this release. We're talking about a boy who, for 17 years, hasn't been stable. This should be a critical clue! Could it be certain autistic children require extra oxygen to activate otherwise inactive brains?

Kim Oakley

Valley Center

Sarah Palin has class and value

Referencing Peggy Sloan's letter from Dec. 11: What snobbery; how shallow. Education doesn't give one class, which she lacks, nor does traveling abroad. It just broadens your world.

Gov. Palin has a very important job and a bright future. Jealous? She's doing things with her life and would never write a letter such as yours. She really has class and real value. And, by the way, a very wonderful husband. And five children! Have you ever read the National Review? I have to agree with Fidel Jiron (Letters, Dec. 9)!

Bettie Heldring

Escondido

Pick and choose laws to obey?

I would like to address a question to the people who quote Scripture to justify their support of illegal immigration: Would Jesus tell us to obey the laws of our country, or would he suggest it's OK to pick and choose the laws that we wish to obey or disobey?

I certainly can't speak for Jesus, but picking and choosing doesn't seem to make sense to me. Why bother to even have laws if everyone can pick and choose? I guess some folks think that it's OK for them to pick and choose as long as everyone else obeys the law.

Martin Giavelli

Escondido

Common sense and management

A funny thing happened Monday morning, Dec. 15. It rained cats and dogs. And you know what? The city sent out their water-brushing crew, together with their ticket-writing truck, to actually cite those poor car owners. Now I find this absolutely silly! … The palm trees were shedding their leaves and the water was a running river on both sides of Horne Street (south). Dollars to doughnuts, the city was watering on schedule as well! A little common sense and perhaps tighter management in such situations!

Ben Scott

Oceanside

Kudos to anti-gang volunteer

Re: "Volunteers can help deter gangs," Community Forum, Dec. 16: Kudos to you, Pat Braendel! Naturally, anyone who stands up and is willing to put themselves out there to help others will be pilloried by a certain part of the population â€"â€" usually those who are doing things they should not be doing!

You should be an example to others in all communities to do the same. Maybe your mentors can train mentors in other cities and towns around. …

Carol Derbis

Oceanside