LETTERS TO THE NEWS-PRESS

12/23/05

Stop wall-to-wall city development

As a 35-year resident of Santa Barbara, I wish to express my great concerns with the data being presented to the city Planning Commission by developers re: traffic counts, both current and projected..

Why do we continue allowing and accepting at face value, the sending of lettuce by way of rabbit?

My wife and I use the Hope/State street intersection several times a week for access to the YMCA, vehicle services and professional offices. Understandably, the area is all but impossible during the winter holidays, but, ever increasingly, it is frustratingly congested at non-peak usage periods as well.

Let's stop multi-story building into the sky and, just as bad, building out to the curb in Santa Barbara. Take a long look at the Washington Mutual Bank building at the intersection of State and Victoria streets. That surely represents a statement of the original vision for our city, following in the footsteps of the courthouse.

Does no one in our local government understand the meaning of setbacks?

Both the city government and the greed of developers to fill every inch of space has caused us all to be well on the road to experiencing the destruction of this once beautiful city.

It is imperative that we mandate the cumulative environmental reports for upper State Street and do our own in-house data collection and projections.

Warren G. Wentink

Santa Barbara

In response to a recent letter writer's rant, allow my environmental credentials to have their own say.

My home was featured two years in a row for the Sustainability Project's Parade of Green Building so the public could experience first-hand the beauty and efficiency of using composting and vermiculture to eliminate waste, growing food at home organically, and preventing runoff by using permeable hardscape.

As the representative for the city of Carpinteria on the multi-jurisdictional solid waste task force, I promote market-based approaches to encourage recycling, reduction of waste at the source, and conversion to energy using innovative technologies. For over 15 years, I have been a vegetarian as part of a personal commitment to tread lightly on our planet and to lead by inspiration.

Yes, along with Fix101.org, I promote immediate freeway widening. The new freeway lane will be used by cars, carpools, vanpools and busses, many of which will be powered by alternative fuels.

Today's cars are three times more fuel-efficient and 90 percent less-polluting than cars from three decades ago. It is ludicrous to suggest that trains are green when the reality is that the overpriced commuter trains the writer promotes use excessive amounts of fossil fuel and spew nasty diesel pollution into our air.

Roadway is the most efficient use of our scarce transportation resources. While the letter writer and his friends obstruct freeway widening and workforce housing, congestion wastes valuable fuel, spews extra pollution into our air and causes $1 million a week in lost productivity that instead could be used to improve our environment.

Gregory Gandrud

Council member

City of Carpinteria

The recent article "Etheridge smoked weed during chemo" struck me with a thought about people who lie about their health situations. The article states how some patients smoke marijuana during their treatment to help ease the symptoms of the diseases they have, such as the pain caused by chemotherapy for cancer patients.

I know marijuana and other drugs need a doctor's prescription so patients can obtain their dosages since the drug in this case is illegal. Some people say they're able to easily get drugs for improper use, such as getting high. I believe these people need to be examined before being given any kind of medication, especially since this is treated with marijuana, which is a big issue for many people. These places must establish restrictions to prevent people from obtaining marijuana illegally.

Martha Munoz

Student

Santa Barbara City College

A recent letter writer proposes: "If we truly live in a democracy, then let's put the Iraq war up for a popular vote across the country."

He goes on to say: "If we can't do that, what kind of democracy do we possess?"

Black's Law Dictionary defines democracy as "That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens . . ."

According to this theory: "the legislative assembly should comprise the whole people."

Is this really what we have in America? In a nation with a population approaching 300 million, would a democracy be even remotely possible?

Yet, today, the word democracy is bandied about erroneously by politicians, the media and academia. A plethora of nations ranging from republics to oligarchies and constitutional monarchies are referred to as democracies. Small wonder then that like misconceptions prevail among the citizenry.

Let's set the record straight. No true democracy has existed since the time of the city-states of ancient Greece.

Moreover, the United States is not and never was intended to be a democracy.

Following the signing of our Constitution, when Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government we had, he sagaciously replied: "A republic -- if you can keep it."

Webster's defines a republic as "a political order in which the power is held by the elected representatives of its citizens."

This is precisely what we have under our federal Constitution and which is plainly and straightforwardly set forth therein.

Harold F. Hattier

Santa Barbara

Scrooge is alive and well. And in the form of Vice President Dick Cheney, he is flying half way around the world to break a Senate vote and assure the rich get their tax cuts, and the poor get cuts in health care, food stamps and student loan.

Merry Christmas, Tiny Tim.

Danute Handy

Santa Barbara