Letters for December 14, 2006

Crunch deficit numbers
Re: “Checkbook balancing” (Letters, by Tim Edwards, CN&R, Dec. 7):

I like the ideas that Tim Edwards shared in his letter. But if my memory serves me well (and it doesn’t always), didn’t Reagan’s similar trickle-down theory (of cutting upper-level taxes), started in 1982, run our national debt from about $1 trillion to nearly $3 trillion by 1989? If our present $8 trillion-plus debt is tripled again, things will really get scary.

I would be pleased to know the sources of the information that led to the writer’s several conclusions. Perhaps others would like to know, too, so maybe another letter to the editor would help many of us.


Charles Mueller
Chico

‘I feel safer already’
Re: “Impending doom?” (Letters, by Loretta Ann Torres, CN&R, Dec. 7):

Shame on the News & Review for printing such propaganda. This type of Republican fear mongering has lost its efficacy in our society, and the proof is in the very election Ms. Torres examines: the Democratic sweep of Congress.

To insinuate that the United States is at a greater risk of terrorist attacks now under Democratic authority is not only absurd and without merit, it is utterly contrary to any empirical evidence we possess. The largest act of terror ever committed on U.S. soil took place on Sept. 11, 2001, under the watchful eye of … none other than a Republican House, Senate and presidency.

I feel safer already.


Mat Bacior
Chico

Caveat about condoms
Re: “Play it safe” (Sifter, CN&R, Dec. 7):

It’s commendable to remind people that using condoms is necessary, and that they’re “cool.” But readers should know that condoms DO NOT protect anyone against the HPV virus, whether it’s the strain that causes cervical cancer or not.

The best option for everyone, especially women, is to avoid having sex stupidly, drunkenly, or whimsically—and never, ever without a condom.


Anna Blackmon Moore
Chico

Bikers’ leafy lament
Re: “Ask Answerman” (In My Eyes, by Evan Tuchinsky, CN&R, Dec. 7):

Hey Answerman, and everyone else for that matter: Yeah, parking is tight with all the leaves laying about so maybe we should all just ride bikes … oh wait, most of those leaves are IN the bike lanes! Which is great for those of us still biking; the real fun begins when said leaves that haven’t been picked up clog the storm drains and create massive puddles with the oncoming rains.

Hey Chicoans, instead of watering the piss out of your lawn all summer and then raking all the leaves into the gutters in the fall, let Mother Nature take its course.


Ben Elwell
Chico

He affirms our motion
Re: “50 years of fairness” (Editorial, CN&R, Nov. 30):

Legal Services of Northern California deserves our praise. The gap between the legal needs of low-income populations and the resources available to meet those needs is widening.

LSNC is often the provider of last resort. In a fair justice system, such a resource should get everything it needs to fulfill its mission of providing access to the courts to those without means. Sadly, this isn’t the case. Resource constraints and restrictions on the sorts of cases LSNC can undertake hamper its best efforts to level the legal playing field.

Therefore, fairness is still a ways off for low-income folks seeking comprehensive access to justice. Some say a minimal level of assistance is better than none at all. But I’d urge those in public and private practice to build partnerships with their local LSNC offices and help bridge the gap between here and “fair.”


Paul Meidus
Redding

Fore!
I have enjoyed playing disc golf numerous times on the Highway 32 course in Upper Park. It is a beautiful spot with wildlife, plant life, and a spectacular view of Bidwell Park and the city of Chico. I am concerned about the future of the disc golf course.

There are many who support the Highway 32 course. Unfortunately for disc golfers all over the Chico area, there is one particular group, the Friends of Bidwell Park, that is opposed to the course. Believing that Upper Park should remain a wildlife sanctuary is all well and good, but is that really how Bidwell Park should be used? Making it into such a sanctuary would limit its accessibility and make most people unable to enjoy or use it in any way.

There is currently a golf course in Upper Park. Why should regular golf be allowed, and disc golf restricted?

Golf is expensive, and thus it is a sport reserved only for upper- and upper-middle-class people. Disc golf is low-cost; all you need is a frisbee! A disc golf course, especially a developed one, has far less environmental impact than a classic golf course. Just compare one to the other—many small hills of carefully trimmed and maintained grass, with artificial sandpits and little flags, compared to a few concrete squares, which cut down erosion significantly, and some metal poles amidst natural grasses and trees.

The course, according to an environmental review done in 1999, does not have a significant environmental impact, and was in fact approved to be developed by the City Council. All that stands in the way is a handful of people who feel the park should be preserved for wildlife and people should keep their nose out unless studying that wildlife.


Lyle Nelson
Chico

Act on the report
The Iraq Study Group has issued its recommendations. It is now up to our Congress and President Bush to see that they are taken seriously.

Diplomacy is not foreign to the United States. It just seems that way since the Bush Administration. There is much at stake at this time.

My greatest concern is that the killing should stop. I get sick every time I see how many of our young people have died. We must put our best effort forward to end this debacle.


Barbara Sweeney
Paradise

The dirty lowdown
Well, Britney Spears makes headlines again with another stunning performance (as it were), except this time it’s to revive her waning career. It was the old pantyless exit of a car, popularized by fellow “Brit Pack” vixens Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

I suppose it’s fair to say that if one celeb will stoop this low to get attention, we can expect the next to stoop to the same level, or even lower. But in her defense, Britney was just using the same formula for success proven by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc and many other business people: Take a procedure that works and duplicate it.

The sad thing is that I think these people actually know their market and how to exploit it. I also think that they’re desperately trying to provide a supply of such behavior to satisfy the voracious demand of a hyperstimulated society that continually needs to up the dosage for its next fix to have any effect.

So, what does that say about our culture?

We are driven to consume. But when the Britneys and the Lindsays and the Parises have been devoured, where will our appetites turn?


Aaron Pico
Chico

Corrections
Re: “African dreams” (Cover Story, CN&R, Dec. 7): One of the medical treatments listed for buruli ulcers was incorrect. There is no immunization for this disease.

Re: “Having their way with words” (Cover Story, CN&R, Nov. 30): Because of a typographic error, a word got dropped in a quote from Ali Ataman. The quote should have read: “I want to tell the world how beautiful and loving people are everywhere.”

Both corrections were made online.