Those who want war should see...
Those who want war should see its effects
I’m a veteran of World War II. Your letter writers and readers who
want a war with Iraq should be required to visit a veterans’
hospital. My leg was broken in 1945, and I put in some time in the
naval hospital near Pearl Harbor.
People who want war should have to see the results of a war. I did
not see combat duty, but I saw men and women who were suffering. A
nurse told me that a high percentage of the patients had died. Some
asked her to end their suffering.
If President Bush kills Saddam Hussein, will he also kill all of
the other dictators?
I’m proud of serving my country during World War II, and I’m proud
of what I did to help end the Vietnam War.
RICHARD ARTHUR
Huntington Beach
Save money. Don’t fund the art center
Maybe someone should look at the Art Center on Main Street. It was
to be self-funding years ago, and the city is still pouring money
into it.
TOM WOOD
Huntington Beach
It’s time to examine coastal commission
The coastal commission has evolved into a no-growth agency that is
nothing more than a mouthpiece for whatever fringe environmental
group (usually just a bunch of neighbors who don’t want their views
blocked) pops up on the horizon.
It is shocking that we have an agency of this kind that does not
answer to voters, but virtually controls the economic health of our
state. We should all be grateful to the Marine Forests Society for
exhibiting the heart and soul of true environmentalists and besting
this too-powerful commission at their own game.
Now would be a good time to thoroughly examine the workings of the
coastal commission and what they are costing the state of California.
In this time of extreme budget problems, the commission staff should
be cut to a minimum, especially its legal department, which obviously
either doesn’t have the knowledge to understand what is
unconstitutional or whose questionable code of ethics allowed them to
overlook that fact in order to continue to feed at the public trough.
FRANK SALVINO
Huntington Beach
Hyatt looks like a cheap strip mall
The photo of the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa on
the front page of the Independent looks like just another 1990s strip
mall.
Beige stucco, arches and a red tile roof. Yawn. Sixteen
cheap-looking, water-spouting fish surrounding a bare concrete pond.
Tacky. The design is so ... yesterday. What was the architect
thinking? My first impression reminded me of the front of my
dentist’s office building. Didn’t the Waterfront Hilton wind up in
bankruptcy? My guess is, the Hyatt will find it difficult to avoid a
similar fate.
What is the attraction worth, $350 to $3,500 per night? A building
with all the ambience of a strip mall? A beach with recent high
bacteria warnings? The limited Main Street shopping is definitely not
a Fashion Island. There is no golf course, which most high-end
resorts must have today.
We are truly whistling in the dark. I sure hope the city doesn’t
have a financial backing stake in this turkey.
JAMES MUNRO
Huntington Beach
Taxpayers shouldn’t bail out the state
Over the past three years, Gov. Gray Davis and Democrats in the
legislature have been on a wild spending spree, increasing the state
government by more than one-third. Now, as the state faces an
estimated $34.8 billion budget deficit, they want you to pay higher
taxes. Hard working Californians did not create this budget deficit,
and they shouldn’t be forced to solve it by handing over more of
their hard-earned money.
When families face tough economic times, they cut back on
expenses. When California was faced with tough economic times,
Democrats spent more. Even a sixth-grader knows you can’t spend your
way out of debt.
As lawmakers struggle to balance the state’s yawning budget
deficit, Californians must demand the same kind of fiscal discipline
in state government that they practice in their own households.
TOM HARMAN
Assemblyman, 67th District
Huntington Beach
MoveOn movement is not a political one
I was disappointed in the presentation of the meeting of many
citizens of the area who had an appointment with Congressman [Dana
Rohrabacher] on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Your paper tried to make it a political gathering, when in
reality, politics were never a part of why we were there. We were
trying to tell our representative (who, incidentally, didn’t show up)
that we wanted our country to give the inspectors more time. What is
the rush to war?
Please don’t denigrate the MoveOn movement. We are a nonpolitical
group who love our country and want only the best for all the people
of the world.
EILEEN MURPHY
Huntington Beach
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