Special recognition of marriage

There is lately a lot of talk about allowing gay people to marry. Despite all the legalistic arguments about rights that the proponents like to use, and all the religion-based arguments that the opponents like, there is a vastly more important reason not to allow this.

The union of a man and a woman is very special, and only such a union can create the next generation by producing children, on which the future of any civilization depends. Since the male/female union makes such a vital contribution to the future of our country, we must recognize such unions as special. …

If, as a society, we lose the ability to recognize how special marriage is between a man and a woman, we will be ignoring that which has made us great, and instead will be rewarding those who make a much-less vital contribution. …

Of course, this does not imply that same-sex couples should have any of their civil rights abridged, or even that they would be unfit for parenthood. It only recognizes that their contributions to society are not as vital as those who create the next generation. Reserving the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is at least some special recognition.

Barry Mc Elmurry

Vista

Why do we reward fiscal irresponsibility?

Are you as confused as I am? The rescue plan is not a panacea and deserves to be looked at in detail. One of the areas that concerns me the most is the apparent bailout of homeowners who appear to be in default.

One hears talk of a general bailout, which would entail the actual takeover of the mortgage by a government agency, the rewriting of the original mortgage to a lesser amount more accurately reflecting the current value of the home and the resulting write-off by the lender.

One individual living in his own home, and continuing to make payments on his mortgage, irrespective of the home's value, would not be affected, except for the lower comparable just created down the street. But if you are in default, you will get help. Will this apply to second homes? Investors? Speculators? If so, who will determine this? Are there any tax implications on this gift? Why do we reward fiscal irresponsibility?

G. William Jacoby

San Marcos

Voter registration deadline approaching

The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election is Monday, Oct. 20. Verify your voter registration status by going to www.sdvote.com and click on the flashing icon. It's easy and you will know for sure if you are registered.

If you are not registered, you may do so at the city clerk's office, Republican or Democrat headquarters or the local library. It is your responsibility as a citizen of the United States to vote.

Escondido City Hall (Council Chamber foyer) will be open until midnight on Oct. 20 to register voters.

Jeanne Bunch

former Escondido

City Clerk

Escondido

Chavez needs a long break

It's time for Oceanside residents to elect City Council members not by political party, but voting for those who truly work for our city's interests.

Jack Feller and Rocky Chavez, two of a kind, need to go. They represent projects that continually cheapen our city's appearance and support major developers at your cost. They have been there too long … opposing what is right for Oceanside. We do not need career politicians ruining our city with cement plants on our few east/west street corridors, or supporting Morro Hills road development that weakens and burdens our financial and city services. …

We have an effective city manager who runs the city. Leave the civil servants and service providers out of our politics, because they financially spoil it for the rest of us by burdening our city with added costs. Do not elect a former Vista Unified School District representative who partners with Feller. … We don't need more screw-ups on our City Council. Vote intelligently, and break with corruption machines governing our city.

Edgar Towers

Oceanside

Snake-oil politicians

The snake oil salesman was usually depicted using the words "my friends," while selling himself and his panacea to the public.

I cringed every time candidate McCain said them while trying to sell himself and his panacea to the voters.

Shirly Fletcher

Carlsbad

Sam Abed is deserving of our support

Sam Abed is deserving of our support for re-election this November. He has worked hard to make Escondido a better place, making the tough decisions that will benefit all citizens in the long run. His support of the gang injunctions and police checkpoints has made Escondido a safer place for those who follow the laws.

Sam has also been active in support of the code enforcement sweeps that make our city a cleaner, healthier place to live. Voters should support such a leader with a real vision for our community.

Frank Lorey

Escondido

Unpatriotic Obama supporters

As the mother of two elementary school children, I'm using this election to teach them some of our country's core values, including the importance of voting and freedom of speech.

We put up a McCain/Palin sign in our yard to exercise our right to free speech by expressing support of a political candidate. Two mornings later, the kids found the sign on the ground, ripped in two. What does that teach them? That Obama supporters are hoodlums and vandals? I asked my kids what they felt at seeing the destruction of our property. My 9-year-old said that Obama supporters seemed unpatriotic. What does it say about our country if this man is elected? That people who have opposing views will be intimidated and discouraged from expressing them?

I know several people afraid to put a McCain bumper sticker on their cars for fear of having their tires slashed. The political left, supposedly a champion of free speech, is out to intimidate and stifle any speech they do not agree with, and our family got a taste of it. It wasn't the lesson I intended to teach the kids, but it is a teachable moment.

Tonya Jamois

San Marcos

Blessing finds solutions to problems

Mike Blessing will be an asset to the Oceanside school board. He has more than three decades of service to our community. He and his wife, Sandi, have been friends all these many years, and I have always admired his ability to get along with just about everyone with whom he comes into contact with.

His even-handed demeanor and desire to find practical and financially sound solutions to problems, and sometimes politically charged situations, qualifies him to continue his service to, and for, us as a member of the Oceanside school board. Please join me in supporting him.

Nancy Boyer

Oceanside

Bush has destroyed the United States

It has only taken George Bush 7 1/2 years to do what the Soviet Union couldn't do in 70-plus years: Destroy the economic vitality of the United States.

The folly of George Bush's globalism mania is bearing the worst possible fruit. You cannot maintain a vital economy when you ship the manufacturing jobs overseas and then import items made with slave labor from China and other Third World countries. The trade deficit is unsustainable.

The greed of Bush's Wall Street pals is beyond belief, and he worked to get them every possible tax break while exporting the wealth of the middle class. It is all coming down like a house of cards.

I have voted Republican for over 35-plus years. I deeply regret my last two votes for president. This year I will not make the same mistake. We do not need another George Bush term. We do not need McBush. This year I will be voting for Barack Obama. There is no other choice. Things cannot continue as they have been under Bush and the Republican lack of leadership and their gross incompetence. I hope our country can survive the next three months until Bush leaves the office he never deserved.

Christine Carrick

San Marcos

Palomar airport could be safer for residents

According to the North County Times ("Coastal airport poses challenges, official says," Oct. 5), Ian Gregor of the FAA stated his agency would not consider a mandatory flight pattern requiring pilots to avoid low flyovers of residences after takeoff, which currently occur frequently, unless it was requested by airport officials. Gregor wrote that, if asked, the FAA "would evaluate any request."

In the same article, Willie Vasquez, the airport manager, said Palomar has no authority to make the flight path mandatory, but the airport "does what it can to discourage pilots cutting north or south over neighborhoods right after takeoff."

Well, it sounds like there is another thing Mr. Vasquez can do. To avoid residential flyovers, and thus reduce exposure to a crash in more densely populated areas, he can request that the FAA change the flight path out to the ocean after takeoff from voluntary to mandatory.

Let's hope he makes this request soon so that the recent tragic crashes don't repeat in a residential area! (To report flyovers in your neighborhood, go to www.loudairport.com or call 760-431-4646.)

Robert Billmeyer

Carlsbad

McCain is not putting country first

If John McCain professes "country first," why would he pick Sarah Palin as vice president? Is she supposed to take over the office of president if anything happened to him?

This proves how much he really cares about our country, and that is not a darn thing, I betcha!

Judith Bunin

Rancho Bernardo

Wrong to accept money from dump promoters

Reading the article in the North County Times about the mayoral race in Oceanside, any reasonable person would think that as a city of Oceanside Councilman, Rocky Chavez would be well aware that his city is part of a lawsuit to stop the Gregory Canyon Landfill ("Wood knocks rival's donation from landfill partnership," Oct. 9). If he doesn't know, he's out of touch of what's good for his city. …

Oceanside spent millions of dollars of taxpayers' money for a plant to purify the water from the San Luis Rey river, which threatens to be polluted by a garbage dump at its edge. Accepting money for his campaign from the promoters of this terrible project and then sitting in meetings with attorneys discussing a strategy against the dump not only seems revolting, but doesn't seem quite kosher to me. …

I am not an Oceanside resident, but have been fighting this dump for 20 years. I'll be happy to explain to Mr. Chavez the facts about water quality and the dangers the dump poses to Oceanside if he is so uninformed about it and is willing to risk the health of his constituents by ignoring the facts and accepting money from the promoters of the dump.

Ruth Harber

Valley Center

Point fingers Clinton's way

Regarding G. Lance Johanssen's letter of Oct. 5 blaming Phil Graham for the repeal of the Glass-Steagal Act of 1933: The repeal of the Glass-Steagal passed in 1999. The final bipartisan bill was passed in the Senate 90-8-1 and in the House 362-57-15. And signed into law by President Bill Clinton on Nov. 12, 1999.

The Clinton administration in 1999 pressured Fannie Mae to expand mortgage loans among low- and moderate-income people of whom many were not solvent and had no resources to pay them back. Hence, the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after nine years of bad loans. If we need to point fingers, point that way!

Ed DeCanniere

Oceanside

Blackburn for Carlsbad Council

I was elected to the Carlsbad City Council in 2004. I regret that, because of illness, I had to resign.

After much thought and knowledge of other candidates, I have endorsed Keith Blackburn for one of the two council positions now available. Keith has been a policeman in Carlsbad for 20 years. He was one of the original owners of the Carlsbad Company Stores and is involved in other successful business ventures. Because of his business expertise, he would be a great asset to our council.

Keith is the chairman of the Blackburn Charitable Foundation and, as such, he plans to donate his council salary to charity. Keith is intelligent, hard-working, devoted to Carlsbad and our citizens, and his character is above reproach. He will bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the job of city councilman.

I hope everyone will join me in voting for Keith Blackburn. He is a great choice for Carlsbad City Council.

Norine Sigafoose

Carlsbad

Investigation needed into financial crisis

Ever wonder why there has been no suggestion or call for a congressional investigation or even a committee hearing to see who is behind the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression? We spend untold taxpayer dollars investigating the impact of cow flatulence and e-mails sent by Congressman Foley, yet not a mention of investigating as to why and how our economy has lost trillions, now a new burden for taxpayers.

Does anyone doubt that if the president, those in his administration or congressional Republicans had any trail of direct responsibility in all of this, there would be investigations to dwarf all investigations?

Yet an eerie silence from our Democrat-led Congress to this point â€"â€" surely a thought to ponder!

Wayne Parkola

Fallbrook

Politician against a statesman

Tuesday night's vice presidential debate presented, for the second time, a politician against a statesman. If you don't know the difference, you must be an Obama supporter.

David Engel

Escondido

Community loses

In this era of political freedom, political signage is a First Amendment right that is commonly abused by many people including, at times, the press.

What I am talking about is when signs go up, there are people who take them down because they don't know the law regarding public land and the First Amendment. I am talking about all of the Anderson, Fernandez and Guffanti signs that have gone missing. … It is only a matter of time until they are silenced altogether.

In the end, it is the community that loses.

Jill Parvin

Vista

Prop. 2 would end barbaric practices

Why you should vote "yes" on Proposition 2: Let's be clear what this proposition says, and why it will not infringe on anybody's rights. Prop. 2 requires that "enclosures confining farm animals allow the animals to fully extend their limbs or wings, lie down, stand up and turn around." Imagine that.

This was not written for the average family farmers who treat their animals with respect. It was written because many, if not most, farm animals (livestock) today are kept in factory farms, farms that are owned and managed by big corporations, where the only considerations are efficiency and profit. Making money.

The unfortunate animals spend their existence in such places in pain and torture their entire short, miserable lives, unable to do even these most basic functions. They are treated not as living beings, but as machines.

These animals have no voice, so it is up to humans to speak for them. We must decide whether we are such a barbaric society that we don't care about other beings, or if it really is all about money. Please vote "yes" on Prop. 2.

Knud Pedersen

Oceanside

We need to be able to trust our elected officials

Lately, all that I have been hearing is how we have to know all about Sarah Palin and what is she hiding? I haven't heard anything about what Barack Obama is concealing about his time at Harvard and Columbia.

He has touted his being on the Harvard Law Review, but refuses to allow the information about his time on the Law Review and what he did or wrote while he was there. He further does not allow any release of his records at either institution, such as how he paid for his education. … It seems that the lives of McCain and Biden are both open books from years of inquiry, and Palin's is under such scrutiny by those reported 30 lawyers in Alaska.

We can argue all we want about what the candidates will do when they get into office, but above all is integrity and honesty. Without those two qualities, how can we believe what they will do if elected?

Barack Obama chose to be in the public service, and it is the public's right to know everything in his past. Without his releasing all the facts of his life, he has neither honesty or integrity and is not fit to be elected to anything.

John Donohue

Escondido