Environmentalist should butt out of this debate...

Environmentalist should butt out of this debate

So, the Earth Resource Foundation wants cities to outlaw smoking

on the beach. Pardon me, but isn’t this just the latest example of

the tyranny of the majority?

Making the use of a legal product, manufactured and sold legally,

illegal -- hello, outdoors -- is just the latest effort by fringe

wackos to steal individual freedoms from some of our citizens because

a percentage of them are slobs and carelessly discard their butts.

I’ve got an idea. Let’s stop this gradual denial of those freedoms

right now. Let’s let it all hang out. Let’s outlaw the use of tobacco

unless it’s in the “smoking zone.” And I propose we make Montana the

smoking zone.

And I, for one, am not concerned that residents of Montana may not

agree with this choice. After all, more people live in Costa Mesa,

Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Irvine than live in Montana. And

so, this can be just one more instance of the majority imposing their

will on the minority, and if they don’t like it, tough.

Of course, it could take a while to get to Montana, resulting in

huge nicotine fits among the more addicted. It could also result in

quite a few smokers giving up the habit, which would be good. Maybe a

few others would go “postal,” which would be very, very bad. But the

Earth Resource people would be happy. And to them, that’s all that

counts.

CHUCK CASSITY

Costa Mesa

City’s handling of Scheer lawsuit unprofessional

It is unfortunate to read of the fiasco of the city of Costa Mesa

versus former City Atty. Jerry Scheer. The failure of a simple act --

signing off the paperwork -- shows an amazing lack of procedure and

consensus among city management and council members. If the city has

to pay $1 to Scheer, you know that the city was just wrong.

It is simple: City management and council acted without the

professionalism expected of even the worst of municipal governments.

A sign that City Manager Alan Roeder and cronies must move on to

another city with lower expectations.

MICHAEL JOHNSON

Costa Mesa

Public opinion is shifting gears in regard to airport

The Navy’s “plan” to sell a toxic property -- the former El Toro

Marine Corps Air Station -- to the housing industry has ground to a

halt. Now it is apparently looking into asbestos and toxins in the

runways. Huge traffic loads have to be studied, annexation of the

airfield to Irvine is being challenged, and airport proponents are

going around Irvine and its captive cities.

Public opinion is shifting away from being anti-airport to being

pro-jobs and anti-housing development. No one denies we need the

planned El Toro International Airport. It is estimated to provide $19

billion in income, 134,000 jobs and serve 30 million annual

passengers. The airport is ready to use, no one is in the noise zone,

and all we have to do is turn on the lights.

DONALD NYRE

Newport Beach

County mustn’t repeat mishandling of assets

Bill Turner’s commentary “Wasting an asset at El Toro” in the Dec.

16 issue of the Pilot spells out very clearly how Orange County got

itself into the El Toro airport imbroglio and who are the winners and

the losers.

The present state of Orange County’s finances enters heavily into

any decision of the fate of El Toro. Long after Bob Citron plunged

the county into bankruptcy we are still paying off the bond issue

that is supposed to clear our financial record to the tune of

millions per year. Now we seem to be continuing the Citron tradition

by the mishandling of one of our most significant assets -- the

former El Toro Marine base.

The county was given a gift of the closed El Toro Marine base by

the U.S. government with no strings attached. Then we spent $50

million in taxpayer money to convert the existing facility into

suitable form for commercial use and published the plan in the

environmental report, which was on display at all county libraries.

However, as Turner pointed out, the city of Irvine, developers and

realtors subverted the airport plan and replaced it with the “Great

Park” alternative. The result of Irvine’s et al duplicity will be

costly to Orange County and the state of California.

The $10-billion gift and the $50 million spent on planning will be

thrown away. Orange County will not receive the $19 billion in

operating revenue, nor will it benefit from the associated taxes. And

about 134,000 jobs will not be generated. Any other El Toro

activities that will generate taxes to help Orange County and the

state budget will disappear. Without an airport at El Toro, people in

Orange County will still be forced to drive to LAX, and the horrible

traffic will continue, causing another expansion of that freeway.

Will Orange County go the Citron route or will it take the prudent

fiscal course?

WILLIAM KERNS

Costa Mesa

Another example of photojournalism at its finest

I have to congratulate your photographer Don Leach. He’s done it

again. And also your editor who picked his photograph to accompany

the story “Pomona Elementary School students get Christmas gifts” on

the front page of the Daily Pilot on Saturday.

If that doesn’t bring a smile to every person’s face -- with that

little child in the middle and that little boy behind her with such a

nice grin. It sure as heck has to warm the hearts of all those people

at Harbor View Elementary, who presented those gifts to those

children.

What a wonderful combination of things by all of you folks.

GORDON PATE

Costa Mesa