Letters to a Newspaper : March 5, 2011




LETTERS: NCT, March 5, 2011

Russian scientist discredits global warming

Does Dadla Ponizil (Feb. 20) think that the readers of Community Voices are uninformed or unaware that man-made global warming, as well as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has been discredited during the past year? How can Dadla affirm "science-based predictions for a higher carbon atmosphere" when there is no historical correlation between the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and temperature variations?

According to Habibullo Abdussamatov, the head of space research at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, who tracked sun spot activity back to the 19th Century, total sun irradiance is the primary factor responsible for causing climate variations on Earth, not carbon dioxide.

Often quoted authorities on man-made climate change, Dr. Stephen Schneider at Columbia University and Dr. James Hansen of NASA, predicted a coming Ice Age in the '70s, when temperatures were decreasing and, then switched to global warming in the '90s when temperatures were rising.

Now, of course, temperatures are falling and will continue to fall according to Habibullo Abdussamatov. Based on the correlation between total sun irradiance and temperatures, he wrote, "Future decrease in global temperature will occur even if anthropogenic ejection of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere rises to record levels."

Dennis W

Fallbrook

Moving Social Security towards solvency

There are several ways in which the Social Security system could move toward solvency. Of course, first we need to stop outsourcing jobs so that Americans could be working here and paying into the system. Then, there should be means testing and anyone who has a retirement income above a certain level would not be eligible for the benefit. Consider Social Security as insurance, not an "entitlement." ...

Then there is the "cap" on paying Social Security premiums after your income has reached a certain level each year. Every working person should pay into the system all year, even if they are lucky enough to be in a high-income group. ...

Also, if we stopped companies from outsourcing so many jobs, more money would be paid to the government through income tax and that would be a big help. These solutions would not solve all our national financial problems, but I'm sure it would help a lot. It would also increase employment here.

Oh, yes, until we have a budget in place, how about holding paychecks back for all the senators, representatives, president and cabinet members, in fact, all government workers in D.C.

Jeanette H

Oceanside

Some real leaders at last

Kudos to Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona, who have risen to the challenges of meeting fiscal responsibility and implementing immigration law, respectively. Our inept President Obama has chosen to side with the unions in Wisconsin and gone so far as to sue Gov. Brewer over the immigration debacle.

They are not only taking on the problems they face in their states, but are leading the way for many others to follow. It is beyond belief that our Calfiornia Gov. Brown is so enamored with the unions that all he can do is threaten to make big cuts in fire and police protection if we don't approve raising taxes to balance the budget.

Is it because of the unions that we spend more per student on education and come in 49th of the 50 states in performance? Is it because of the unions that pension and health care benefits for retired public "servants" are out of control?

And what is the sense of keeping illegal offenders incarcerated when they compromise 20 percent of the prison population? Wouldn't just deporting them save "mucho" millions?

Scott and Jan are leaders to be emulated. More people than they know are proud of them.

Eugenia W

Carlsbad

Unions are proving his point

Re: "CSUSM professor joins Wisconsin labor protests," Feb. 24: California has half a trillion dollars in unfunded pension obligations and bankruptcy-level debt. Unions have contributed to the problem. Now union supporters move on to Wisconsin to contribute to financial problems left by former Governor Jim Doyle.

The reputation of public-supported universities continues downward, while federal funding increases. People posing as educators push to retain political power with support from the corrupt, union-controlled White House. Unions might realize short-term success in Wisconsin with long-term consequences — like we have in this state.

I have written that a difficult challenge for the 112th Congress is to convince unions and other government predators (like Planned Parenthood) that responsible spending is essential to national survival. Unions are proving my point sooner than expected.

Murel F

Escondido

Lessons from the pig farm

As a young adult, I enjoyed visiting the pig farm owned by my Uncle Julius. These pigs were most unusual and Uncle Julius had lengthy discussions with them.

Each pig had their own personal name. Some pigs knew a lot about finances, some pigs knew a lot about foreign affairs and some pigs knew a lot about sex. One summer, I complained to Uncle Julius that I was poorly paid in my work, despite having a college education. Uncle Julius said that he would consult his top pig, Matilda. After lengthy deliberations, Matilda gave us her answer. Uncle Julius explained that we were living in war years, the Vietnam War. He repeated what Matilda had communicated: Just be happy that you have a good job.

However, government workers are a different breed. They do not want a job. They want to be adopted. They want Uncle Sam to take care of them for the rest of their life.

Richard H

Oceanside

The definition of a parasite

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines parasite as this: "parasite: an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the hosts expense. Special usage: derogatory, a person who habitually relies on or exploits others and gives nothing in return."

How can any person be so dumb as to equate an unborn child to a parasite? Even after a child is born, it takes years before that child can survive on its own. So after a child is born, are they moved to the other category of ectoparasites? It takes an act of propagation to create a child (parasite).

Perhaps "parasite" is more closely related to the federal, state and local government who continue make promises they can't keep and continue to feed off the host (we, the taxpayers).

Robert Tanner

Escondido

Oceanside's politics hit all-time low

I was sorry to read that Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood has been dealing with health problems, but I was absolutely astounded to learn that he blames those problems on his fellow council members ("Mayor recovering from what may have been minor stroke," March 1).

That takes the city's politics to an all-time low, and it takes Mayor Wood to even greater depths.

Charles Z

Oceanside

Some ideas on how to save our country

How to save our bankrupt country:

1. Give our president the authority of a budget line-item veto, except no school funding shall be cut. Education is what makes the U.S. great.

2. Cancel all free-trade agreements and place a 20 percent import duty on all imports, including oil and gas.

3. Change the income tax. For example, no tax on (earned or unearned) income, up to $40,000 with no deductions, per person (man, woman or child). All income above this figure, tax at 8 percent. Corporations pay 10 percent on all income before paying dividends. No deductions.

4. Put a moratorium on all new federal employees, except the military, and require all federal employees, including the military, to take a 10 percent cut in salary. This includes all pensions, including Social Security.

5. For all oil leases of over two years where no drilling has been accomplished, said leases shall be canceled effectively immediately, either on federal or private land.

6. Under the law, the federal reserve authority shall be eliminated. Only the U.S. government can print our currency.

Charles G

Oceanside


Questions about public employee unions

Why do public employees need to belong to a union? What form of exploitation have public employers suffered that would require union protection?

Taxpayer money pays for public employees' salaries and benefits. Public employees have a portion of their pay deducted as union dues, a portion of which is sent to the Democratic party as a political donation. Doesn't the Legislature determine public employees' benefits? Isn't this a conflict of interest?

It's nice to establish legislative benefits, but who gets the short end of the stick when there are insufficent funds to pay for them — the union member, the legislator or the taxpayer? Just asking.

Edwin T

Fallbrook

Raspberry for Issa story

A fat raspberry goes to the front-page piece titled, "Issa staff has close ties to industry," Feb. 28. Many stories holding negative tones against Congressman Darrell Issa are circulating around the country today. Sadly, the hometown newspaper is standing in the same negative line about one of their own.

Joe P

Escondido

Illegal immigrant parents are victimizing their children

Re: "The path of Arizona," Feb. 26: Maria Hinojosa misrepresents fact in her assertion that a pending Arizona bill would prevent a child without a birth certificate from receiving emergency room care. The provision regarding medical care doesn't apply to emergencies.

Implying Arizona is racist because it was the last to ratify a national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. has nothing to do with illegal immigration.

Illegal immigrants bear their children here and poof, they're U.S. citizens. This constitutional loophole, originally intended to grant citizenship to slaves after the Civil War, has inspired Arizona to challenge its modern consequences.

What is wrong with requiring parents to produce a birth certificate to enroll children in school? My mother had to do it for me in the '50s. Illegal immigrant parents, not the Arizona legislature, are victimizing their children.

Maria, our country is not being overrun by 12 million illegal immigrants from Ireland. And by the way, if all the illegal immigrants in Arizona went home, there are still plenty of us Latinos left who trace our roots there back to when it was Mexico, along with those there lawfully.

Michael F

Carlsbad

A Middle East revolt is imminent

For many years, I traveled the world, often to oil-producing states that sell crude to America. Some entire states are poster-child examples of extreme poverty, with rats running over piles of garbage in the streets, homes made out of scrap wood and little way for the average person to make a living.

I would travel with an armed guard and stay in compounds with tall concrete walls and a high-voltage electric fence on top. In place after place, I wondered how long these people would put up with the poverty, and why wasn't America doing something now to help these people before the whole place blows up?

Then I would read about how our government was sending military advisers to such places to help them deal with what we called "terrorists" or "insurgents," but who in actuality were often nationals who had had enough. Even today, I marvel at the number of Americans driving huge vehicles, totally unaware of how our wasteful consumption is literally killing our fellow humans.

The oppressed people of Asia, Africa and South America may soon revolt as well, and when they do, we will pay big-time. I hope we are ready.

Dave P

Ramona

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