MAILBAG - Feb. 18, 2007

Thanks to columnist for the memoriesJoe Bell’s column (“Teacher, police pay speaks to priorities,” Feb. 8) was one of his most enjoyable columns. As a native of Chicago, I grew up on “Gasoline Alley,” “Orphan Annie,” et al. In later years I came to appreciate the nuances of good old Bertie (as Bell described him in his piece so eloquently). No one in Chicago could understand how such an Anglophobe as Bertie could build an office with flying buttresses thereby emulating the British architecture.

But the best was still Bell bringing back memories of those comics. Thank you ever so much.

ALLAN RAFF

Newport Beach

Administrators to blame in schoolsIn response to Steve Smith’s column “Board ignores schools’ failings” (Feb. 10), it is about time.

For all of us so frustrated with our schools here in Costa Mesa, and for those of us who deride the inept administration only to be told that, “We have excellent teachers” and how much they care, it is about time.

No one was being critical of the hard-pressed teaching staff, only the myopic administration.

I wont elaborate on the manufactured problems here in our fair city’s school’s except on two topics:

This problem could be resolved overnight by busing students between Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, reducing that imbalance while providing a better education. After all, isn’t that what the whole thing was about in the first place.

Oh, by the way, when this happens, and it eventually will, let’s all of us Costa Mesa families prepare a list of acceptable private schools for our Newport neighbors to evaluate.

We should realize by now that “equal but separate” has another name, and it is not acceptable, in Costa Mesa or South Africa.

MIKE BERRY

Costa Mesa

Mixed up priorities in Costa MesaI believe Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor has missed a higher calling — that of being an FBI agent and rooting out abusers of the Medicare system whose well-planned acts of fraud against the Medicare system are for their own personal greed, not simply to work to support themselves and family members in another country.

Richard May wants the streets to be safer and to take the criminals off the streets (“Keep up the good work of keeping people safe,” Mailbag, Thursday). And that is exactly what happened to Dr. Paul Arnold Lessler, a resident of Corona del Mar (a legal resident I presume), when indictments were handed down from a federal grand jury (“Local doctor indicted in fraud case,” Thursday). Lessler faces two counts of conspiracy, 10 counts of healthcare fraud, and two counts of money laundering.

I agree with May. We need to get criminals off our streets, especially those who want more money and will place the health and safety of human beings below their own greed. These are the people in our society who defraud the government. It is sickening to know that Lessler was living in the lap of luxury while authorities say he was committing his illegal act — as opposed to sharing a residence with multiple families and having to send money to family members so they can exist.

The illegal immigrants in our country are not bribing board and care facilities and ordering therapies that are not needed. I can’t think of anything any lower to do to a mentally ill, elderly or sick person than to involve them unknowingly in this type of scam.

Jaywalking and biking on the wrong side of the road pale in comparison with the acts allegedly committed by legal citizens. Fraudulent doctors bring shame to all the good doctors who abide by the Medicare rules.

PAT SWAN

Newport Beach