|
|
|
|
Letters 10/9 |
|
|
Thursday, 09 October 2008 |
An extra trillion
As I watch all of this maneuvering about a financial bailout, I wonder why no one asks, “Where do we suddenly get this extra trillion or so dollars?”
I am asking. Where does it come from? Do we hit a federal “print” button, like the one on my computer, and just make more money? I guess so! Don’t we watch Congress struggle to balance a budget and send it to the President each year? If so, where’s the extra trillion coming from? It wasn’t in the last budget!! (Imagine a budget that says something like “one trillion extra, just in case.”) Wouldn’t it be nice if Mammoth could budget that way, with an extra bill or trill thrown in for “just in case” stuff.
I wish I could get an extra trillion when I need it. To me, that’s some serious money. But, in today’s atmosphere maybe some fool company would lend it to me and just figure the feds will take care of things when I can’t pay it back. And, more so, when the federal government doesn’t have a financial crisis and need to bail out mortgage lenders, insurance companies and investment banks that made very stupid decisions, why can’t we find an extra trillion for chronic and real problems like, cancer and other illnesses, hunger and poverty? At least give every child a free college education, as many smart countries are now doing.
Oops, sorry, I forgot, the federal government always seems to need that extra money for wars.
Gerald Blank
San Diego, CA
Support for Dorothy
Burdette
In thinking about the upcoming supervisor election it occurs to me that Dorothy Burdette represents everything that is good and positive in each of our political parties. I can imagine the following conversation:
Republicans for Dorothy Burdette ask: Do you want Mono County managed by the “good ole boys” from Washington and Sacramento? Or do we want an independent fiscally conservative supervisor answerable only to her constituents?
Democrats for Dorothy Burdette answer: “A vote for supervisor in Mono County should be completely nonpartisan and our local county issues should be of paramount importance.”
Independents for Dorothy Burdette say: “Vote for the person who really cares about the issues facing you and Mono County and NOT which political party or small group of individuals the incumbent actually represents.
The Green Party for Dorothy Burdette replies, “We support the candidate who truly loves the wilderness and wants responsible growth with minimum impact on the environment in Mono County. Her mindful development policy will mean that we actually get to keep the wilderness.”
The Peace and Freedom Party says “Support Dorothy who believes that all District 3 residents are entitled to fair and equitable representation.”
Elect Dorothy Burdette the Supervisor of District 3 – She’s the right candidate at the right time.
Lee Vorobyoff
June Lake, CA
Where is the Forest Service?
I was hiking in the Bishop Creek Canyon area all summer and never once saw a forest service employee, except for some fire crew people. The only thing I saw was campgrounds disintegrating under high fees and low maintenance.
This is another example where the federal government has failed in their effort to privatize our public campgrounds. Not only have the corporate concessionaires made it unaffordable for the average family to camp at $19 per night, but they are letting everything fall apart. I repeatedly saw locked bathroom doors, inoperable latches on bear proof dumpsters, crooked signs, broken toilet door handles, leaking faucets, etc. With the high cost of gas and camping these days, it is no wonder that visitor use was down this summer.
This is a pathetic situation but not surprising. The forest service will tell you that they don’t have the funding to take care of things, but in reality it comes down to plain laziness and an unwillingness to want to serve the public. These people get paid a lot of money to sit on their rear ends in the office, and their attitude is that it is beneath them to get out and do menial work. Obviously, nobody is inspecting or monitoring these recreation sites. This can only lead a reasonable person to conclude that there is no service in the forest anymore.
David McNeill
Bishop, CA
In praise of public
education
I wanted to share the truth about why teachers, parents and others dedicate time, energy and love to our Mammoth school children. This is why our policymakers need to grant federal resources for our future.
The following is reprinted from California Educator magazine with permission:
1. An educated population is the cornerstone of democracy. This nation’s well-being depends on the decisions of its educated, informed citizens.
2. Education reduces costs to taxpayers. For every dollar spent to keep a child in school, the future costs of welfare, prison and intervention services are reduced. It can cost less to educate a child now than to support a teenage parent or a repeat offender in the future. Education money helps to secure the future of all citizens.
3. Public schools are the only schools that must meet the needs of all students. They do not turn children or families away. Public schools serve children with physical, emotional and mental disabilities, those who are extremely gifted and those who are learning challenged, right along with children without special needs.
4. Public schools foster interaction and understanding among people of different ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
5. “Education is the best provision for old age.” – Aristotle. The future support of our aging population depends on strong public schools, In 1954, there were 17 workers to pay the social security cost for each retiree. By 1995, there were only three for each retiree. It is likely that the productivity of these three workers will depend on the strength of our public school systems.
6. More than 95 percent of our future jobs will require at least a high school education. There is no question about the need for an educated workforce.
7. The nation pays a high price for poorly educated workers. When retraining and remediation are needed to prepare a worker to do even simple tasks, the cost is paid by both employers and consumers. This process raises the price of American products and makes it more difficult for this nation to compete in the world marketplace.
8. The cost of school dropouts affects us all. This nation loses more than $240 billion per year in earnings and taxes that dropouts would have generated over their lifetimes. Well-supported public schools can engage all students in learning and graduate productive and competent citizens.
9. Children are our nation’s future. Their development affects all of us. Good education is not cheap, but ignorance costs far more.
10. Public education is a worthy investment for public funds. We can invest now... or we can pay later.
Laurie Tanner
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Hospital history
My attention has been called to the article covering the 30th anniversary of the Mammoth Hospital. The article is not bad but has inaccuracies. Any account of the beginnings of the hospital should have input from Irene Maron who still resides in Long Valley. Mrs Maron was an original board member of the Southern Mono Hospital District from its formation until after the hospital was in operation. She was one of the first two public school teachers in the Mammoth Lakes/ Long Valley area.
The Auxiliary, as I remember it, was largely put together by Florence Sharp. I understood it was made up principally of members of the Mammoth Women’s Club. The Auxiliary has been invaluable in its support of the Hospital but has not been central to its development and operation.
I was one of the initial half dozen or so physicians that opened the hospital and attended many of the District board meetings. I remember well hearing Dave McCoy pay tribute to Bill Murphy of the Forest Service for his help in getting property for the hospital, and also for Bill’s role in helping Dave start the Mammoth Ski area.
Members of my family have had a presence in Mammoth Lakes/Long Valley for over a century and I have been in and out of the area since 1920. My wife Pat and our children lived there from the early 1970s until 2001, when we followed some of our children to the Pacific Northwest.
John H. Eaton
Colton, OR
Paul Newman
The passing of Paul Newman is an end of an era. His political activism and philanthropy would garnish him as a true, blue liberal (before the word became demonized by a certain very active modern American political movement). Today his philanthropy would generalize him as “a do-gooder.” His desire to leave the campground a tad nicer than was found by assisting the underserved, ie., children, women, and civil rights causes, would brand him today as a “socialist.” His political activism for Democratic causes would denigrate him as a “bad American.” His anti-war efforts most certainly would reward him with a “peacenik” or the more hated “traitor” moniker. His support of gay rights, and in particular, same-sex marriage, would condemn him as “immoral.” Even his final performance as a priest helping to organize sugar cane workers struggling under inhumane conditions would finger him as a “communist.”
Paul Newman is an American icon and will be remembered as a likable renegade, the imperfect, flawed hero, and using his own unscripted words, “We need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out” – a man who knew how to do the right thing.
Dennis Kostecki
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Editor’s note: The Times is eager to print reader opinions on matters of general interest in its Letters column. Letters should be submitted exclusively to the editor at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, express one opinion per letter, and be as succinct as possible – 500 words or less. Writers should avoid personal attacks. Deadline: 3 p.m. Friday.
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 October 2008 )
|
|
|
|
