Death penalty nonexistent now

The governor of California ordered the death chamber to be rebuilt. He set aside nearly $399,000 to complete the task. In every governmental job, overruns have taken place that, I am told, will raise the cost of rebuilding the death chamber to over $750,000.

The anti-DP attitude of our government, by their actions not their words, won't provide the funds to complete the task. It is the opinion of a lot of people, and victims' organizations, that this problem was created so no one could be executed here in California.

With this knowledge flashed across the state, just watch the murder rate climb, as it did in the period of 1967 to 1980, when no executions took place. Can those in Sacramento be classed as a party to these murders committed in this state when the compartment is being denied completion?

George Cullins

Oceanside

Traffic light cheaper than accidents

The intersection of Dawson and Melrose is inherently dangerous due to the hill on the south side, high traffic volume and excessive speed of passing motorists. It's even worse now that Melrose Drive has been completed.

I have lived here for 10 years and am afraid to cross the road. The residents have requested a traffic light to be installed for safety reasons several times, but the mayor and City Council refuse to act. A neighbor told me she heard the council's view is that there haven't been enough dead bodies yet for them to consider it. Absurd! Would the city prefer to have the blood of children on their hands, not to mention settling costly lawsuits from the parents, VUSD and others?

In light of this horrendous accident ("Four hurt in school bus collision," May 9),I think it's time for a traffic light. Wouldn't it be cheaper? Please reconsider this request!

Nina Hall

Vista

Myth of elite superiority

Throughout history, there have been two groups of people, the masses and the elites. The elites control the fates of the masses. Supposedly it is because they are better qualified, real world thinkers who are not subject to whim and superstition the way the uneducated masses are, and are simply smarter. Who says this? The elites do!

Elites, contrary to right-wing radio, are not liberals. They are wealthy and powerful, and have different interests than the masses. For example, the public has opposed every war (something about actually having to do the fighting and dying), and polls show they are willing to trade some economic growth for a cleaner environment. Are elites smarter, or merely selfish and greedy? The only edge they have on the masses is money, which flows from these traits.

As citizens we should ask ourselves, is it smart to let good jobs leave the country? Should we be loners in the world, or should we cooperate with other countries to solve problems? Elites and the masses have different interests. Don't be fooled by the myth of elite superiority.

Paul Cavanaugh

Ramona

No call for Taser

In regard to the article "Taser fired 13 times at man who later died," May 1: There is no excuse for the cruel and unjust way the Vista sheriff's deputy handled this incident. … Martin Mendoza was hogtied and, while in the patrol car, tried to kick at the window. Aren't these windows break-proof? Why did so much violence follow?

Mr. Mendoza was not a big man, he had no weapons and was not a dangerous criminal. Three officers were involved; one did not shoot the Taser but is just as guilty because he did not stop the violence of his fellow officers. Hopefully, they will lose their badges.

Mr. Mendoza was 43 years old, a father, grandfather and a great friend. He is greatly missed. Mr. Mendoza was in a coma when taken to the hospital and was immediately put on life support, which was, sadly, turned off three days later. Mr. Mendoza called the sheriffs for help and what did they do? They killed him. …

Eleanor Lopez

Oceanside

Violence as a means of conflict resolution

In Letters, May 9, Mr. Boyd asks the questions (in reference to school shootings): "Why are there so many unstable people around now? Why the change in people?"

Unfortunately, it would take volumes to properly address this issue, but a short answer might be that it's because of our societal lack of negotiation. Negotiation, in its purest form, is a process by which two or more parties find a common ground for problem/conflict resolution. Lack of a common ground, mixed with a desire to force one's position on another, leads to an escalation of conflict between the parties.

In its most extreme form, violence solves the problem of having to concede. One can simply read the Letters section of this and other publications ññ especially Internet chat rooms ññ to understand just how fractured and polarized our society is, to understand how negotiation is failing. Just look at the debates on global warming, illegal immigration and the war, just to name a few. Vitriol du jour.

What's scary is the thought that violence as a means of conflict resolution is slowly becoming the de facto standard. And, I fear, it's going to get worse before it gets better. There's way too many people on the edge.

Robert Salvi

Rancho Bernardo

Justice delayed is justice denied

As a parishioner in the San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese, and a member of Call To Action - San Diego County, a progressive Catholic organization, I am shocked and saddened by the bad-faith path that Bishop Brom has taken in federal court dealing with the sexual abuse lawsuits. By admitting not to have filed the correct assets of the diocese, it appears that Bishop Brom is using delay tactics. We have become used to this with our political and business leaders, but to find this attitude in our religious leaders is unacceptable.

I call on Bishop Brom to be a moral leader and to accept the responsibility he has as a bishop to resolve the alleged sexual abuse by priests. Victims of this abuse have been denied too long their day in court. Justice delayed is justice denied. We are all too aware that it is only when we speak truth on these issues that correction and healing begin and trust is restored.

Our voices must be heard in this very critical time in the Roman Catholic Church, and it is the responsibility of all of us to see that justice with transparency is restored and true compassion in deeds, not only words and prayers, is offered. After all, isn't that what Jesus' teachings were all about?

Evi Quinn

Carlsbad

Is that you, Big Brother?

Ever noticed those little cameras looking down at you while driving under those street lights? It seems they are on every corner and, if the street is long, well, they are in the middle as well. They are on main streets like Valley Parkway and Grand Avenue. They are on Washington and Mission. They are in parking lots too!

I wonder, do we really need police cars patrolling at all? If there is a robbery, could these cameras track the bad guys? If there are drunks on the road, could they follow them and record their behavior for the courts? What is their real reason for being there? Have they been in use already? Can we the public see what these things do? How come no one's telling us that we are being filmed.

Is that you, Big Brother? Are you watching me? Will I ever see me on "Funniest Home Videos"?

Nelson Norgell

Escondido

Global warming believers refuse to study history

It is utterly amazing how many people like Connie Frankowiak (Letters, May 8) are willing to believe the propaganda being put out by Al Gore and the liberal media, but refuse to study history to learn the true facts.

I wonder if Connie is aware that North America has been covered by glaciers several times. These glaciers always melted when the Earth warmed, and man did not cause warming.

If you will check the late Holocene climate change, you will find that we have experienced global warming before. During the Medieval Warm Period (800 to 1400), many parts of Earth suffered prolonged droughts, glaciers melted and the Arctic Ocean was nearly free of ice. The Vikings started farming in Greenland (so named because it was green).

The Little Ice Age occurred from 1400 to about 1850. Crops would not grow and many died from the cold. 1816 was called the "year with no summer"; temperatures fell below freezing every month of the year in northern New York state. The temperature on Mars is rising faster than on Earth. It must be the Martians that are causing it!

Frank Thurlow

Vista

Try to do one thing well

In order, Jim Wood No. 1, Rocky Chavez No. 2. Chavez forgets that and tries to jump over and take No. 1. He was a desk Marine; runs one of the city's commissions; a no-no, and does and says things that are unbecoming to Oceanside.

A one-upmanship will not play out with Oceanside. Over and over Chavez does the same dumb things. He should learn he is a councilman, and do that well.

Brenda Souza

Oceanside

Hillary won the Fallbrook Caucus

There are those who think a woman cannot win the presidency. Sen. Hillary Clinton is no ordinary woman. Like Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher and Rosa Parks, the great leaders before her, Hillary Clinton is a woman whose time has come. …

Sen. Clinton is the most qualified person to be president. She has the experience and the plan. As first lady for eight years she demonstrated strength and grace. Then as now she champions universal health care and knows it takes a village, all of us working together, to raise healthy, well-rounded, well-educated children. … She is a diplomat who will use her many relationships with world leaders to regain the image of dignity and respect to America, which has been tarnished by the Bush administration. …

Sen. Hillary Clinton is my choice to lead our country and the world from war to peace. She will mend the broken fences of our time. She will make visible the hardworking masses who have been invisible for the past six years. Hillary cares and has the experience to know how to make the changes needed now! Behind every great man is a greater woman. Join me in support of the strongest Clinton. Support Hillary Clinton for president.

Christine Assad

Fallbrook

All CO2 is not the same

Conservative radio personalities and Fox News hosts tell us global warming is a hoax. They use the following false argument. "We all breathe out CO2. Since CO2 is the greenhouse gas problem that the environmental wackos whine about, then they must want us to all stop breathing." Keep breathing. The CO2 you exhale is part of the normal carbon cycle. You remember the carbon cycle from elementary school. Animals breathe out CO2; then plants, in the presence of sunlight, absorb and combine it with water to make carbohydrates (food). Animals then eat those plants, converting the carbohydrates back to CO2 to be breathed back into the atmosphere. …

At least that was the case until about 150 years ago, when we started burning fossil sources of carbon. First coal was burned and then oil. Today fossil carbon is being released into the atmosphere in massive, unprecedented quantities. This fossil carbon from coal and oil has been sequestered in deposits in the Earth since the Carboniferous age that ended 280 million years ago. …

The only CO2 to be worried about is the CO2 produced from this long-buried fossil carbon. It is adding huge new amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere. It is the culprit in the global warming problem.

Peter Welch

former science teacher

Vista

VA surgery wait disgusting

A recent headline stated that there was up to an 18-month backlog for elective orthopedic surgery("Doctor says VA hospital has 18-month backlog on some surgeries," May 7). Wonder what's happening with trauma and other terrible wounds inflicted by insurgents?

In the cases of our country taking care of Americans that our president put in harm's way, it is pitiful at best. Many VA and military hospitals and clinics have been shut down, and others are just overwhelmed.

We have wounded men and women returning home seriously disabled. Some for the rest of their lives. We can afford to send more troops to Iraq, why can't we afford care at some of the finest hospitals in the world? Scripps, Cedars Sinai, UC San Francisco, Stanford, the Mayo Clinic and many more private facilities across the country. Some very close to where these injured people are living. We don't pay our troops or veterans enough now, let alone take care of their medical problems. Start using private medical facilities now!

Don Frate

Oceanside

When is enough enough?

Bush, Cheney, Rice and Gonzales must be impeached as soon as possible because they all have committed treasonous acts, and so has Rove, and he must be put in jail as soon as possible too (why does he still have a high security clearance?).

The Constitution demands that a president and all civil officers of the U.S. shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

America, look in the mirror. We have allowed this to happen to our beloved country. When is enough enough?

Yolanda Polanco

Fallbrook

Letter about the goodness in people

On April 9, my two boys and I were in a rollover accident on Highway 78 by the College Avenue exit. Several people stopped to help us, but then had to leave.

Two young Marines stopped and waited with us until the paramedics arrived. That day I didn't have my wits about me enough to thank them. One man got my 8-year-old out, another helped me get my toddler out of his car seat. A lady with a nose ring called the paramedics, another man used his SUV to block the middle lane, thereby preventing anyone else from running over scattered car parts as he picked them up.

Every day you hear about bad things happening, but it's only once in a while that you hear about the goodness in people. I'd like this letter to be one of those instances where people see the kindness of others. I hope you'll print this letter so that maybe the wonderful people who stopped and helped will know how grateful I am for what they did, that we're all OK and that, even though I may not recognize them on the street, they've not been forgotten.

Khristina Martin

Escondido

Make last wish come true for 7-year-old boy

It has never been so easy to make a difference in a child's life, especially one so far away from our community who suffers from a terminal illness. Shane Bernier, a 7-year-old from Ontario, Canada, has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His last wish is to break the world record for the most birthday cards received. His birthday is May 30, and you can read more information about him at www.shanewish.com.

Please send him a card and let him know that the world offers him courage and love during such a difficult time in his life. Encourage your friends, family and social groups to do the same. A small gesture will warm his heart (and probably yours even more). His address is: Shane Bernier, P.O. Box 484, Lancaster, Ontario, K0C 1N0, Canada.

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference in a child#'s life.

Josephine Lewis

Carlsbad

Act to impeach Cheney

The most patriotic thing Americans can do at this time is to support impeachment proceedings of Dick Cheney. Once this is accomplished, then support impeachment of our president. It is imperative that we act quickly on this matter. The very well-being of our country is at stake. Please support the American public on this action.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich has started impeachment proceedings; let us all support him. The Democratic Party must stand up and be bold. The future of our country is in your hands. Please act on this impeachment proceeding.

Jack Doxey

San Diego

Tenet's book makes case for impeachment

While I have no respect for the clearly sycophantic George Tenet, information revealed in his recently published book, and statements made on television interviews, should make Cheney's impeachment a slam-dunk.

Doug Hunt

Vista

No more dead and maimed

How many maimed and dead Americans and Iraqis do you consider an acceptable level of doing business so that this man in the White House can prolong this occupation so he can say the Democratic president lost Iraq? For me the number is zero.

Margaret Lawrence

San Diego

Not learning from history

Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force (90 percent U.S. troops) in Iraq, has said many, many times to Congress and the news media: "This war cannot be won by military force only. It can be won by political involvement only!" The joint chiefs of staff and their commander in chief are not at all happy with him making this statement. He is now under great pressure from the president and the joint chiefs to declare progress is being made in this third surge into Iraq.

It is very interesting that when Hitler was losing WWII, he replaced any military commander that did not agree with his assessment of how the war was going and, in doing so, he created a situation that would not allow peace to be made between the fighting factions of WWII. This was a direct cause of the destruction of the German war machine and the nation's economy.

Does anyone see the past and present relationship with the Bush administration and the Nazi administration under Hitler?

Gary Myers

Oceanside

Holding our troops hostage

Bush vetoed the war funding bill. So what does it mean? Many say it means Bush doesn't give a damn about the troops on the front line. "The president of the United States is holding our soldiers hostage to his ego," said Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton after the veto.

Some say it doesn't mean diddly squat. The Pentagon has so many billions already in the pipeline, and squirreled away in secret accounts, that they can go for many months without new funding. For one thing, they could discharge the 129,000 profiteering mercenaries in Iraq, such as Blackwater, Halliburton and KBR. These corporate mercenaries make over $30,000 a month at taxpayer expense, over 10 times what a young Pendleton Marine is paid.

I, and many others, say we should not spend another dime on Bush's immoral and despicable war of aggression. We are warring against a nation that never attacked us, never even threatened to attack us and had no realistic way of fighting us until we invaded and occupied their country. The wisest way for Congress to deal with Bush at this point is to do nothing. Appeasement of tyrants is always a losing tactic.

J. Howard Crews

Fallbrook

Not drunk on the military Kool Aid

Unlike these conservatives, I do not believe in torturing anyone, even John McCain. Even though it is well-known that the Iraq war is based on lies, McCain wants to keep it going. So my point is that since McCain likes war so much, then let him stay in the Hanoi Hilton and not put him in a position to send our children off to die in order to create more bloodshed for which the United States is well-known.

John Murtha is trying to do the right thing and bring the troops home, whereas William Ficere is drunk on the Marine Corps Kool Aid. The United States supports terrorism throughout the world as long as it suits our purposes, and of all of those people killed by our military in Iraq, not one was a prewar terrorist.

Right now Bush is protecting a terrorist (Luis Posada Carriles) who blew up a Cuban airliner killing more than 70 Cuban athletes, and don't forget the Contras.

The U.S. military is the problem. … I am tired of the military bunch that just wants us to throw more money at them while they go around terrorizing the rest of the world with these awful weapons they have thanks to the taxpayer and calling us who are not drunk on the Kool Aid terrorist supporters.

Chris Pulse

Vista

Jaded citizens

I am shocked that no one cares that Congress steals $2 billion a year for free perks and $1 million for each 500 members of Congress to play with each year for home state office! Have all citizens become so jaded they elect people like Bush?

Keith Manigold

Encinitas

Stress can be hard to control

Nelson Norgell's letter (Letters, April 29) has to be a joke. Cho had a high kill ratio because no one was trying to kill him. He didn't need skill, he had proximity. His captives (not assailants) were pretty much shot at close range with little or no resistance. Duh!

Cops, on the other hand, have to deal with unknown, violent offenders/assailants who commonly train while in prison to defeat law enforcement when they get out. Obviously, Mr. Norgell has never been shot at or had to fight while fearing for his own life. If he had, he'd understand the effect that kind of stress has on marksmanship. Yes, I hear about the stray rounds that fail to impact the intended target. They are every officers' nightmare. But, be advised, it is not necessarily out of negligence or lack of skill. It could be the target moved. Ever think of that?

Stress does things to us that are hard to control. If you can do it better, Mr. Norgell, sign up. SDPD, SDSO, OPD and the CHP are hiring.

Laurence Renner

Oceanside

Put a light on Melrose at Dawson

Well, Vista, it finally happened. The accident with a school bus and car at South Melrose Ave and Dawson Drive was bound to happen("Four hurt in school bus collision," May 9). South Melrose had become a racetrack for speeders way before Melrose was open to Carlsbad. Now it has increased tenfold.

There are presently two members of the Vista City Council, particularly one of them, that I have continuously written e-mails asking that some type of traffic control be set up around the Dawson intersection with Melrose. Nothing has been done. Periodically you will see a motorcycle cop sitting in a driveway north of Dawson, and once in a while, you may see the traffic counter cables across Melrose, but that is it. …

Let's get something working out there. In my e-mails to the Vista council member I asked several times about putting a light at Melrose but was informed that it could not be done. Yet, when Home Depot was put in they found it very convenient to place two lights within a block on Melrose. Those two, with the one light at Sycamore, make three traffic lights within a two-block area of Melrose. The rest of South Melrose becomes a speedway, right through to the courthouse.

Edward Gomeau

Vista

Grateful for a helping hand

I recently had the good luck and pleasure of receiving a helping hand from the Kiwanis Club of Escondido, as well as some local high school Key Club members. On a beautiful Saturday, this group of young and older (OK, mostly older) volunteered their time to help brighten up one little piece of our community, putting new life into a place where many children spend a good part of their day. Not only did they work hard, but they also provided an abundance of wonderful food and good company. This is a group with huge hearts and I'm forever grateful to the bunch. Did I mention the good food?

Stacy Karno-Palcic

Valley Center

Crows are disease-spreading rodents

Pete Kraeger's letter (Letters, May 7) romanticizing crows … is just too hard to ignore. While mosquitoes are the main source of West Nile, it is the ravens that are spreading it to livestock and other birds, and at my 200-acre ranch in the Sierras, we are careful to keep the ravens nonexistent to greatly reduce loss of horses and buffalo that ravens are well-known to cause.

Also, ravens do more damage to our crops than any other animal, including rabbits and deer. What in the world do you think scarecrows are for, besides showing Dorothy the way to Oz, for Pete's sake? My 200 acres are surrounded by millions of acres of wilderness, no shortage of bird habitat there, yet the ravens are constantly killing the native birds and especially devouring baby hawks and eagles.

Ravens are definitely intelligent birds, they have an incredible knack of disappearing when the pellet guns come out. So, in reality … ravens, or crows, if you insist, are disease-spreading, livestock-threatening, crop-decimating rodents that fly and are doing far more damage than good, and reproducing far too fast, and "terror eyes" is close, but the defining word is actually "terrorize."

Bob Hayward

Fallbrook

Wouldn't wish this on anyone

Having recently returned from a visit to Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio, where I lived until I was 19) ññ the only county that had a river that caught fire ññ I was saddened to read in J. Howard Crews' Letter to the Editor of April 29 that Michael Vu, who Mr. Crews said was discharged, forced out as "… top election official in Cuyahoga County," because of malfeasance and two felony convictions, was hired as assistant registrar of voters by San Diego County. I assume that since the NCT published this letter, then the items stated in Mr. Crews' were checked out and they are true. What really got to me (if you ever had lived in Cleveland you would know) is how awful I felt when I read "SD County to become the next Cuyahoga County." Even though I am a Democrat, I believe that even Republicans from Cleveland would not wish this on San Diego County, or any other county.

Anthony Abbott

Escondido

Nuclear power and global warming

I am heartened to read so many recent articles regarding the need for nuclear power in our battle to combat global warming. All of these have cited the problem of waste disposal. ??

In fact, the lack of a repository for nuclear waste led to a 1976 moratorium on nuclear power in California. The problem lies not in how to dispose of it but rather where. Thanks to Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada the selected site of the Nuclear Waste Repository in Yucca Mountain, Nevada, has encountered numerous delays and inadequate funding. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 mandated that the Department of Energy had the responsibility to "design, license, construct and operate a repository for the disposal of high-level waste." Yucca Mountain was selected after years of study to be the site for this repository.

The time has come to dispense with political games and get on with finishing the job at Yucca Mountain. As Sen. Alexander of Tennessee stated, "If you care about global warming and clean air, it is hard not to be for nuclear power."

Tom Mintun

Fallbrook

Build a trolley to downtown

It's 7:30 a.m. on the corner of El Norte Parkway and Nordahl Drive and I have to decide whether I should take Nordahl and go four miles out of my way through city traffic, or should I get on the freeway and spend 15 minutes on Interstate 15 to go one exit. All this to get to work one-and-a-half miles away.

With a large increase in the population of Temecula and of other developments along the northern part of I-15, the work traffic has quickly become too much for the 15 to handle. The installation of a train/trolley would be a welcome and cost-efficient way to lower traffic, decrease road rage and allow people to do work on the train instead of at home.

Most people who live in North County work a good hour's drive from home. I didn't say they work 60 miles from home, but one hour from home. Two hours lost every day driving to and from work, plus gas and wear on the car. Imagine what people could do if they were free to do what they wanted with the time they had to spend going to and from work. They could eat breakfast without having to think about the road. They could do work on a laptop or safely make phone calls.

Please, if for no other reason than the sanity of the people of San Diego, build a trolley from Riverside to downtown.

Matt Gruning

Escondido

Clinton will end no-bid contracting

Hillary Clinton's agenda for government reform includes ending no-bid contracting (saving us billions of dollars a year); making the government live within its means again (creating millions of jobs); appointing the most qualified, dedicated, public-minded people to serve in government; putting a stop to substituting ideology for science and evidence; and reforming our election system.

The people of this country need Hillary Clinton for president because of her agenda for government reform and her history of Democratic leadership.

From her speech on government reform in April: "Today, there has been an explosion in no-bid contracting, with almost half of the $329 billion spent on federal contracts being done now on a no-bid basis. The result is fraud waste, and abuse everywhere from Afghanistan and Iraq to the Gulf Coast. … In the rare case where noncompetitive contracts might be appropriate, we'll make sure they have close oversight."

Maureen Christian

Murrieta

A huge challenge

My heart goes to the parents of Amy Kortlang, who died in October after her car was hit by a drunken driver in Ramona. I know the feeling all too well. I also lost a child to a drunken driver. Jonathon was 14 when he was struck and killed.

I started an organization which provides free transportation (1-877-JON-BOYS) to anyone that chooses not to drive after consuming alcohol. Since 2003 we have responded to 243 calls, and have transported approximately 843 responsible citizens.

We have a huge challenge: Over 16,000 people will die this year in alcohol-related collisions.

Edward J. Varela

Temecula

Bush just wanted to command

I wonder where Bonnie Parsley (Letters, May 6) has been living the last four years -- in a cave? The Iraq war is a result of Bush's desire to be commander-in-chief. He even stated before he sent our troops to war that he wanted to be commander-in-chief. Now that is a need for power.

He lied about the reason to invade and occupy Iraq, then sent the troops without proper armament, gear and training. When they returned home with horrific wounds he did not provide the needed medical care.

He not only kept changing the reasons for going to Iraq, he keeps changing what constitutes victory. We destroyed Saddam's regime, executed Saddam and Iraq has held three elections. It has now become a civil war, which means it can not be solved by the military, it must be by diplomacy.

The worst part of her tirade against the Democrats was her comment "Should we have brought our troops home when the first 3,000 were killed in the Second World War?" To trivialize the deaths of our soldiers and Marines is unconscionable. Does she have a son, daughter, spouse or close relative fighting in Iraq? Has she served in the military? What sacrifice has she made?

Arlene Christensen

Murrieta

Pay Mexico to house alien prisoners

Recent articles have discussed early release of prisoners due to overcrowding, and the building of more prisons. Neither of these are necessary.

What California needs to do is send all illegal alien prisoners back to Mexico to serve out their terms in a Mexican prison. California should offer Mexico their cost to pay for the prisoners, which will be substantially less than the $50,000 per year that California pays for each prisoner. This will result in a huge saving to the state of California, income for Mexico and we will not need to build any more prisons. The inmates will not be released early to cause more havoc among us.

Mikki Kelly

Menifee

Democrats pushing big tax increases

Did you know the Democratic Party is seriously considering a series of sweeping tax increases? The proposal calls for elimination of every tax cut in the last seven years, totaling $400 billion, the largest tax increase in U.S. history.

It would slash the child tax credit in half, death taxes would rise to the highest level ever and tax brackets would increase substantially in every bracket, even for low-income families. Then there is the proposal of the reimposition of the "marriage penalty."

And what would the Democrats do with the revenue they generate? In March, the House and Senate tacked $20 billion and $18 billion in spending onto the bill to fund our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Expenditures included: $25 million for spinach growers, $120 million for the shrimp industry, $74 million for peanut storage, $5 million to shellfish, oyster and clam producers, $640 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, $425 million for education grants for rural areas, $24 million for sugar beet producers, $22.8 million for geothermal research and development, $254 million for asbestos abatement at the Capitol Power Plant, $20 million in reimbursements to Nevada for insect damage, $75 million in salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency, $3.5 million for guided tours of the Capitol, $283 million for the Milk Income Loss Contract program, $6.4 million for House of Representative salaries and expense accounts.

So what and where do you think the taxes would go?

Marilyn Uecke

Wildomar

Evolutionists resorting to mud-slinging

You know the theory of evolution is in big trouble when its staunchest defenders resort to name-calling, mud-slinging, and putting words in the mouths of people who don't accept Darwin's interpretation of life's origin.

In his column ("Evolution questions show GOP depths, May 9), Tom Teepen pulled no punches when he lambasted those who can't accept Darwin's theory on scientific grounds. Perhaps he is unaware of a recent Associated Press poll that shows that people who believe in creation outnumber those who believe in non-theistic evolution by a 4-to-1 margin.

Teepen would like to think we are a pitiful minority who believe in "ghosts, fairies and calorie-free doughnuts," and that we have a broad contempt for science. If he hopes to win converts to his way of thinking by misrepresenting the beliefs of those he disagrees with, he will be disappointed.

What really makes him so bitter, though he won't admit it, is the fact that evolution theory is losing ground, not only among the public, but in the scientific community as well. If it weren't for the hate-filled rhetoric of Teepen and those who think like he does, it might happen more peacefully

Rick Kellogg

Wildomar

Fresh from the Web

House hands toll road a setback

Readers respond to our May 11 story about proponents of a six-lane toll road running through San Onofre State Beach saying they were handed a severe a setback when a U.S. House committee voted in favor of an amendment requiring the project to adhere to more restrictive state regulations.

Out of Cali

freetrader: "Finally, the federal government is going to get out of a state's rights issue and let California use its own greener environmental standards for constructing this toll road. I don't like D.C. telling me how dirty my air should be. It's a local issue and should never have become federal, except for the conniving developers who wanted to take the most beautiful coastline land we have for the sake of money."

Surf's up!

scott: "This is great news. This toll road threatens land that is better served by public use and should be preserved as one of the last open coastal areas for camping and surfing left in Southern California. Trestles and San O are treasures that should be preserved no matter what the traffic looks like."

Vrrroom

John: "Issa, the car alarm-manufacturing congressman, is a supporter of a toll road. What surprise! More cars, more car alarms."

Keep it green

Concerned-1: "As concerned as I am about better transportation systems, building a road through this particular area absolutely irks me. And, yes, keep the feds out of our business. After bilking Californians out of billions in gas taxes, they have no right to tell us how and where we should build roads. San Onofre is a special place in California … let's keep it that way."

Former prof pleads guilty in MiraCosta palm tree flap

Readers respond to our May 11 story about former MiraCosta professor, Alleen Texeira, pleading guilty to felony grand theft for her role in a scheme to grow palm trees in the college horticulture department. She was sentenced to probation, community service and will pay a fine.

Don't stick a fork in

It's not over: "All this proves is that one person did something wrong and that the DA handled the case properly. Sadly, the president and board used this to get rid of her enemies and cost the taxpayers. No civil suit will bring back all that money - that is a clear smoke screen. And there are still several lawsuits against the college for their sad mishandling of the public's trust and money. And these same people talk about a bond? Time to recall them and get some officials who have actually been elected to serve."

Who do you trust?

Count on: "Count on the trustees and Richart to keep spending taxpayer dollars to save their own pride. Attorneys gain and Richart keeps the drama going to attempt to show her moral high ground. More lawsuits? The taxpayers should be suing Richart! Wake up, trustees - you've been duped. Hopefully taxpayers can use their math skills to add up the cost of all the lawsuits, and oust Richart and her board of trustees majority. Will any of the trustees take a stand?"

MC roses

tomtaxpayer: "A rose to the MC President and the MC board for their fortitude. A big raspberry to the faculty and senate at MC for failing to admit they were wrong. What part of felony don't you understand? A no confidence vote to MC faculty. Classic case of the tail wagging the dog."

Time to depoliticize Oceanside airport

Readers respond to our May 11 commentary by Oceanside Airport Association member and Carlsbad-based attorney Ronald J. Cozad who says in order for the Oceanside Airport to reach its high-altitude potential, the city's political infighting over it needs to be grounded.

Up to us

O'side Resident: "The runways are too short. They cannot be lengthened. The airport is restricted by military and air defense zones. It is built in the middle of private homes. Let's have the people vote on leasing or expanding this expensive and irritating playground for non-Oceanside rich citizens and their toys. The council is too easily effected by their money to think and act for us."

Back to Earth

Twinkie: "Hey, Cozad! Where do you get off telling the city how to do things? The airport is a loss and always will be. Who will come here from north and south to sit on the patio and watch planes? We need money for services. Spending money on burgers and a coke won't do it. The people who use the airport should pay for it. No free lunches!"

Fly with me

Navion Driver: "Multiple Oceanside polls conducted prior to the last election showed that an overwhelming majority of voters favor keeping and finishing the Oceanside Municipal Airport. Parties on both sides of the airport issue ran polls and all indicated the same fact - Oceanside citizens want their airport!"

Bargain

Eta: "Will the developer who leases the airport land be willing to pay fair market value price? If not, then the citizens of Oceanside can subsidize the remainder. What a deal!"