Dornan Takes Low Road With Funding

The article “Dornan Seeks Federal Funds to Finish O.C. Roadwork” (March 9) illustrates why attempts to significantly reduce the deficit will fail. They are doomed by the very Republican “conservatives” who continuously spout free-market principles, rail against unfunded mandates and then fight for local subsidies--pork.

What chutzpah to indulge in sleight-of-hand to incorporate local roads as part of the national highway system! Why should taxpayers of 49 other states pay for Orange County improvements? Multiply this shenanigan by the hundreds to account for other tricky pork insertions by other conservatives and we see why we’ll never get there.

DOVE MENKES

Fullerton

* I oppose Rep. Robert K. Dornan’s plan to use federal taxpayer money for the Eastern Corridor toll road. The public was promised that this was to be a private toll road--privately funded!

Rep. Dornan is trying to include this toll road as part of the national highway system, eligible for federal funding.

I believe we, as taxpayers, should not help build private toll roads. The public should not bail out agencies such as the Transportation Corridor Agencies.

SHARON O’HARA

Orange

* It is almost embarrassing to protest against Rep. Robert K. Dornan’s idea of bailing out the toll roads project with federal dollars . . . because it acknowledges that such a ridiculous idea exists.

What happened to the Republican principle of getting federal government out of local projects? Why should tax dollars support an ill-conceived local problem?

Bizarre!

VIRGINIA H. LADDEY

Irvine