Letter to the editor
What is democracy? I am not going to answer this elementary question
that anyone who has attended basic civics can answer. There is no
question that our government envied throughout the world is, yes, a
democracy; but an article in the Huntington Beach Independent (“Support
for wetlands inlet rising,” Aug. 2) is either out of step with the
democratic principles of our state, or it is a gross misprint.
If support to flood this mud flat at the expense of destroying a
pristine beach that is now a state park owned by every taxpayer in
California is rising, who are the proponents that supposedly are causing
this swell of support?
I doubt if any of the inland residents know that a small self-serving
group is using the media to imply that they are the champions of all of
us that have reveled in the beauty of Bolsa Chica State Beach. This small
group would have us believe that dredging out bone-dry land, destroying a
large swatch of the beach to allow an inlet to this created mud hole,
building a bridge over Pacific Coast Highway and creating an impassable
block from one side of the dredged inlet to the other is the way
democracy works in our state.
Have these self-styled champions of democracy, both elected and
appointed by the elected, canvassed the people that own this beautiful
beach? Of course not. They obviously think they know what is best for
everyone. Whatever happened to the axiom that elected officials and those
appointed by them are to do, as a group, what the individual taxpayer
cannot do as an individual? Isn’t this a paraphrase of President
Lincoln’s definition of democracy?
Unfortunately we have a few small, well-organized groups that ignore
the established democratic principle and believe space now used by the
human species should be sacrificed to create a mud pond for the birds and
a likely source of contamination of our beaches; and, what galls me, is
that they will probably get away with it because the average taxpayer has
been lulled by politicians with the help of the media to accept their
judgment instead of representing our best interests.
As for me, I say fill in that contaminated mud hole, there are plenty
of natural wetlands to the north and south of Huntington Beach to satisfy
the needs of the birds that these small groups think deserve more use of
tax money than those that pay it. Let’s convert this ill-used land to a
park for the human species and as a result see some long-range positive
results for all generations, not just a muddy wading pond for a few
birds. Leave our beaches alone.
A park across from Bolsa Chica State Beach with some strategically
planted shade trees would soon be the envy of our entire coast and not
become an albatross hanging from the neck of the taxpayers.
BOB POLKOW
Huntington Beach
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