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