Government spending â€"â€" stimulus or not?

Josef Horowitz (Letters, May 16) continues the neocon historical rewrite about Franklin Delano Roosevelt's government spending for domestic programs prolonging the Great Depression, while FDR's government spending for military expenses, which divert and destroy wealth, ended it. Domestic government spending impedes employment, while military government spending enhances it? Huh?

Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show that, when FDR was inaugurated in 1933, the unemployment rate was 24.9 percent. By 1937, in just four short years, it had plummeted more than 10 points, to 14.3 percent.

Only when FDR relaxed his aggressive domestic agenda in response to conservative demands, and Americans were feeling some economic jitters as war clouds threatened Europe (but prior to our own buildup), was there a small uptick that conservatives exaggerate.

Horowitz further perpetuates the repeatedly discredited mythology that cutting taxes for rich people creates jobs. Jobs result from broad-based consumer demand. If taxes are cut for the rich, but there is no demand for consumer goods, those rich will not invest, no matter how low their taxes. But if demand is strong, investors will invest, even if they don't have the money â€"â€" they will borrow it or attract venture capital.

Douglas Dunn

Escondido

The event horizon

What do infinite wars, peak oil and economic crisis hold in common? Oil equals energy equals electricity equals production! The U.S. and the world have reached peak oil, where the decreased production and increased consumption curves have intersected, causing U.S./Middle East conflicts to proliferate. The orgy of narcissistic entitlement and hyper-consumption are doomed. Civil unrest is likely. China is currently converting its near-worthless U.S. Treasuries to vast amounts of gold.

Because the manipulative media, corporate and political worlds have been complicit in keeping material facts from Americans, our Constitution, Republic and California (whose 3 million-plus illegal aliens cost taxpayers $13 billion a year!), are hanging by a thread. The approaching storm of hyperinflation will transform class structure more than revolution ever could!

The American people are being conned, scammed and screwed at virtually every turn. Political honor is all but dead! Talk about change we can believe in! With a dastardly dearth of perspicacity and a superabundance of audacity, Socialista Obama will break many hearts with his political chicanery, in the land where myths and neologisms abound and reality redounds.

Sinister forces are shoving our nation over the "event horizon" and into a massive black hole. 2009-15 will be this epoch's most momentous!

Gary Walker

Escondido

True location of Mount Carmel High

There was a letter Tuesday called "Get Adam Lambert's school right," complaining everyone was saying Mt. Carmel High is in San Diego when she says it is in Poway. Mt. Carmel is indeed in San Diego, as are Westview High, Rancho Bernardo High and the new Del Norte High. They are all in Poway Unified School District, but they are in the city of San Diego.

Mike Landreth

Escondido

Response missed the point of first letter

One of the things that is satisfying to people like me about having a public forum such a this newspaper to voice one's opinions are the occasional responses based purely on ignorance and emotion that follow from our fellow locals. Recently, I again pushed the "hate and fear" button in the conservative Christian community when I labeled the Miss USA runner-up as "mindless" after crowing about being all-inclusive to life's diversities and raising my grown children to think freely.

Predictably and completely missing my point, a letter from a Ms. Duda appeared (May 14), which actually was the epitome of mindlessness, insulting someone with their own words. Plagiarism is the perfect example of a complete lack of intelligent thought. Admit it, Ms. Duda, your anger towards me wasn't about my being "mindless" or even about the failed Miss USA contestant. It was about my taking a rightful shot at one of America's largest and most organized and discriminating groups, conservative Christians.

But don't despair and pray very hard for my soul because I'll be happy to write a glowing letter to Santa Claus this year on behalf of you believers, so we'll all be even.

Carl Desserich

Vista

It's payback time for unions, ACORN

ACORN and the unions spent millions of dollars for the Obama campaign, and they were successful in their endeavor. ACORN was the organization that tutored Obama to be a "political activist." What that really means is a "political rabble-rouser."

Now it is payback time for Obama, so he has designated $1 billion in his so-called stimulus package to train more political rabble-rousers. There will be hundreds of thousands of them all over the United States. They will be registering persons to vote, and ACORN has the reputation for fraudulent registrations.

It's payback time for unions, as well. They want to ban secret ballot voting! This means all those union members who have been paying their dues will not be able to vote on a secret ballot. …

President Obama and his so-called stimulus package must delete the $1 billion for ACORN, along with other unnecessary stimuli and all the earmarks (i.e., does Nancy Pelosi have a million-dollar earmark?). These deletions would take billions off the trillions in the budget. #…

Those unnecessary trillions of dollars in the so-called stimulus package must be deleted, or our children and grandchildren will never be able to enjoy their lives as we have. #…

Dorothy McAllister

Escondido

What is governor thinking on spending?

First, I'm not a racist. Second, I don't belong to a political party. Got it?

OK, would someone please help me understand our governor's mindset? Let's see, illegal aliens cost California $11.5 billion per year, so what's he do? Raise our taxes! Now, I'm no genius, but if you made all students in our public school system bring their parents' Social Security cards to school for registration, that would not only alleviate overcrowding, but would reduce the number of illegal Mexicans.

Mexicans are no different from any other parents; they want their children educated. Can't do it here? They go home. Oh, yes, the cards would be validated. Will the governor do it?

I should be a comedian, right? Is this thing on?

Russ Coletti

Carlsbad

Make water companies private industries

For months we have been listening to the Metropolitan Water District tell us that we are facing a water shortage that has been three years in the making. If it has known of this water shortage for three years, why haven't the Metropolitan Water District and our politicians taken actions to provide more water?

In the 10 years before 2006, the people of California approved $11 billion in water bonds. Less than two years ago, voters approved Propositions E and 84 authorizing $9.5 billion in water bonds. This totals $20.5 billion in water bonds and we still do not have water.

I would like to know whether these water bonds were sold to raise the money, and if so, where is the money?

Droughts are a recurring problem, but our politicians and water companies do nothing to solve the problem. When water is scarce, the water companies ration water, then they raise their fees so their income remains the same. Only a quasi-government agency can charge more and deliver less. Private industry could never do that.

Maybe it is time to turn our water companies over to private industry.

Frank Thurlow

Vista

Kern glad-handing was inappropriate

Recently I attended the funeral for Betty Harding. It was a lovely service, and the church was filled with friends and relatives who came to say good-bye and pay their respects to her family.

On the way out of the church, there was Jerry Kern and his wife … glad-handing. Really, Jerry â€"â€" at a funeral? In my opinion, that is beyond tacky.

Loretta Ames

Oceanside

Nursing students need two degree offerings

It is beneficial to have two degree offerings for nursing students so they feel empowered to contemplate their future academic needs in pursuance of higher education. One degree would facilitate the graduation of much-needed nursing students. The other nursing degree will prepare the students to seek higher education at the baccalaureate and masters level of education.

Accreditation of a nursing program ensures that the curriculum exceeds standards that are the norm, addresses self-assessment and accountability to public needs, and graduates nurses who can meet the complexity of health care issues that are faced in our community.

As a former proud graduate of the nursing program and currently a master's level nursing student, I realize the importance of accreditation and that it fosters improved outcomes for the specified field that is over seen.

Therefore, I implore the board at Palomar College to make the right choice for the future of qualified nursing students.

Vincent Valentino, RN

Vista

More important: unions or jobs?

What do you think is more important? Killing some birds or killing jobs? The crazy ladies of Oceanside are back! You know them, the maniacs of obstructionism. They have been hitting the North County Times letters page hard. The ladies, which include failed politician Professor Mike Byron, are out to save these precious little fowl that Jerry Kern has sportingly ordered up a "locked and loaded, kill it to grill it" fundraiser. The ladies are against developers and business, which Kern supports.

This whole recall effort is a shill for the phony police and fire unions, who, with the direction of Mayor Jim Wood, want to unseat Kern's 2010 re-election bid. Make no mistake, the unions are playing "fowl." What is more important to Oceanside, firemen making 100K a year with 100K yearly pension for life, or good paying jobs and tourist tax dollars for schools and roads?

Support Jerry Kern.

Larry Barry

Oceanside

Fluoridation causes higher water bills

Fluorides are like the Patty Hearsts of chemicals. William Randolph's daughter was harmless in normal surroundings. When kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, she became a criminal. Likewise, natural fluoride, in the ocean at 1 parts per million surrounded with calcium, is harmless. But when extracted from calcium, it's poisonous, like a kidnapped Patty.

Extracted fluorides are rat poisons/insecticides, nearly as toxic as arsenic (Merck Index). Hazardous waste fluosilicic acid, injected into fresh water by Metropolitan Water to 1 ppm total fluoride, isn't approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is not a "small amount" for fresh water.

The Environmental Protection Agency, allowing 4 ppm total fluoride, didn't understand that sufficient calcium must accompany it. Increased cancer deaths occur long-term in artificially fluoridated cities where most fresh water isn't hard enough to counter the injected form that water districts presume "is natural" ("Fluoride, the Aging Factor," by John Yiamouyiannis, 1993, p. 75).

Contact the District Attorney's office about this; we've lost too many to cancer. Incredibly, water bills are going up, partly to pay for this, which violates the AB 733 fluoride law that insists taxpayers and ratepayers not be charged for something nonessential (http://www.nofluoride.com/cal_cities_say_no.htm#4).

Please TEA-party against this to fight such burgeoning waste.

Richard Sauerheber

San Marcos

Who's paying for college speeches?

I have been asking this question of local elected officials, radio and television, but no one will respond, so maybe you can help.

The first lady is invited by UC Merced to give a speech. The president is invited by Notre Dame to give a speech. What is the bottom line total cost of each?

Transportation, fuel costs, security, insurance, both local and federal, lodging, food, etc., for all involved, staff, down to the last penny. Who pays for this photo op?

The state of California cannot do it; they are raising taxes. The UC system cannot afford it; they are raising tuitions. The U.S. taxpayers cannot afford it; the government is raising taxes to pay the deficit.

So who is paying the bill?

Bob Crowell

Oceanside