Mailbag: Plenty of reasons to oppose Reagan statue

As a tax-paying homeowner and resident in Ocean Heights, Newport Coast, I strongly object to and protest a proposed statue being placed in the public grounds of Newport Beach to honor President Ronald Reagan. In my opinion, he was the worst president during the entire 20th century.

First of all, he was the first president in the last 30 years who seriously proposed and set in motion the significant deregulation of the U.S. economy that directly contributed to the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Second, he left as a legacy one of the largest deficits in peacetime history.

Third, he engaged in significant illegal war activities related to the illegal war against Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Fourth, his war against labor in this country, initiated by his unfair dealings with the air traffic controllers, has so diminished the economic status of labor in this country as to be an attack on the middle-class status.

Fifth, Reagan was so weak mentally and needed to be programmed, that his advisors even had to draw chalk lines on the floor directing him where to stand prior to delivering a speech.

This is not a “hate Reagan” person writing to you. This is a responsible businessman and millionaire, with a different, legitimate point of view living in Newport Beach, writing in protest against a statue in honor of such a lightweight president.

I believe Reagan caused much more long-term damage to the U.S. and our economy than any other president in the 20th century, and he is not deserving of any statue in this community.

Harry Sauberman

Newport Coast

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Choose one the area’s unsung heroes

Why not consider choosing someone to represent all the unsung heroes who work hard every day to benefit the city and its residents without public recognition? The city could pick a dedicated teacher who went above and beyond the call to duty to educate our children, or someone who worked tirelessly to help better the lives of the unfortunate around us. Or perhaps without using a particular person, the statue could depict a nameless volunteer in a role of service to the community.

Nora Etter

Newport Beach

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I marvel at the excellent reasoning of the Newport Beach city managers: If you have a large, expensive police department and almost no crime, the way you get it back in balance is self evident: create more crime! Deciding to make trash-can scavenging a target for a law enforcement crackdown was an embarrassment.

Dick Taylor

Newport Beach

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Define what ‘offensive’ comments are

Do you think the Daily Pilot should continue to screen comments for potentially offensive material before publication or allow readers to post their comments immediately? (Letters From The Editor: Wild West or the very model of civility?, Feb. 1). It depends on your definition of offensive. What is offensive to one person are facts for another person.

August Lightfoot

Newport Beach