Letters to the editor: Oct. 11, 2012

Proposition 31 bad for California

The San Diego Federation of Republican Women, and the California Federation of Republican Women disagree with the Republican Party regarding its position favoring the passage of Proposition 31. The federation has its own legislative analyst, who, along with a growing number of others including GOP leaders, finds this proposition to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing — 8,000 (doctoral level) words long. Watch out!

Initially, the language looks good, transparency, budget improvements, but don’t be misled. As you wade through the rest of the words, you’ll find “regionalism,” “redistribution” of our revenues, a new bureaucracy, questions affecting our state constitution, additional expenses, all bad for our communities and our state. If you follow it back to its funding, the man backing this proposition is Nicolas Berggruen, founder of the Berggruen Institute for Global Governance. Global governance?

Lynn Ann Reagan, Poway

Obama ‘way over his head’

After reading the Sept. 27 letters from you and Jamey Klein’s letter, I felt compelled to respond.

First, if you think you aren’t getting enough favoritism towards Barrack Obama, just start watching, CNN, MSNBC, NBC and CBS. They’ve got nothing but good to say about Obama. The national debt, unemployment, the wholesale printing of U.S. dollars, weakening our position in the world markets, absolute disregard for cutting government spending, class warfare/racist angles that Obama is spewing seemed to be non-issues I guess. They aren’t covered much by the mass media that is more “unbiased.”

When these points are brought up to the Democrats, they’re always considered attacks on a black president. They refuse to be swayed by a bunch of silly facts. After all, he’s always smiling, shaking hands or playing golf. How bad can he be?

I think people that are taken in by Obama need to consider a few things. His DNC speech where he promised to create one million new manufacturing jobs, if re-elected. That sounds great, but why hasn’t he done it over the past four years? What’s he waiting for?

Richard Pollock, Poway

Don’t be swayed by vitriol

There is an old saying in politics, “The front runner in any election always becomes the primary target of attacks and smears. Usually those attacks have little relevance to the actual facts or truth.” The events of recent weeks would indicate that Jeff Mangum is surely the front runner. The attacks on him seem to have little bearing in fact or truth. It is too bad that in today’s world it is difficult to reply or counter these misplaced attacks.

It is a shame that more people couldn’t attend the Sept. 27 forum for City Council candidates. Jeff Mangum demonstrated why he should remain the front runner even though he has been severely victimized recently by either his opponents or their surrogates.

During the forum, Jeff Mangum demonstrated he is one of the most thoughtful, sincere, and articulate candidates in the race. Not only will he represent the citizens of Poway well, he will represent the City of Poway to outside agencies and entities with whom the city must maintain dignified and respectful relationships in a very professional and businesslike manner.

I beg everyone in our community to look past the current political frenzy, to not be swayed by the rhetoric and vitriol, but embrace a long-term perspective that will benefit all Powegians now and in the future. Please cast your vote for Jeff Mangum for Poway City Council.

Rachelle Farrell, Poway

Vaus works for community

My family has lived in Poway since 1959. My business is located in Poway and my kids are in Poway’s schools. I love this community and only want the best for it. That’s why I am supporting Steve Vaus for City Council.

Steve has been tireless in his volunteer work in the community. I’ve witnessed his involvement at Painted Rock Elementary School and at Twin Peaks Middle School. His work to keep our high school kids safer has been exemplary.

Add to that his tenure as chairman of the Budget Review Committee and steadfast leadership of the recall two years ago and the result is an exceptionally qualified candidate for City Council. I will proudly cast my vote for him on Nov. 6 and I urge my friends, neighbors, business associates and all Poway residents to do the same.

Eric Matz, Poway

Mangum in ‘scandal’ from start

I nearly choked on my morning coffee when I read last week’s article “Panel to review controversial bonds” and realized it was being convened by Jeff Mangum and he was serious. I had to check the date to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day!

Mangum states his bond review panel is not a “political whitewash.” It’s laughable if it weren’t so sad. The reality is the committee members’ identities are secret and they are holding secret meetings under the direction of someone who is running for office (Mangum) and who was instrumental in the scandal from the start. What makes him think we wouldn’t believe it is a political whitewash, other than every fact about this committee?

Facts don’t seem to bother Mangum or this group. Mangum is circulating a flier claiming he had nothing to do with the billion dollar bond. However, official PUSD documents show he approved the Authorization for Issuance for the bond in October of 2010, which included nearly every detail of the final issuance. In fact, as clerk of the Poway Unified School District Board of Trustees Mangum signed that resolution in November 2010 and sent it to the county Board of Supervisors for their approval which was given while Mangum was still a PUSD trustee.

Mangum and this “committee” must believe the voters are naive or irretrievably stupid to think we would ever trust him or anyone else associated with the bond disaster with ideas for fixing it. It makes me nervous just thinking he’s got a committee.

Clariece Tally, Poway

Vaus gets his first vote

This November, Poway voters will elect two members to the Poway City Council. They will choose from one incumbent and three newcomers.

We live in a republic, so after these seats are filled, these two new council members can make decisions based on their own judgment, regardless of campaign promises or the will of the people. So I choose my candidates based on good judgment, integrity, commitment and experience.

My choice for City Council is Steve Vaus. Steve has demonstrated good judgment and integrity as chairman of the city’s Budget Review Committee. Vaus serves as executive director of the Poway Community Leadership Institute, a successful collaboration between the City of Poway, its school district and the local Rotary Club. He is very involved in our community, and has shown leadership in bringing our high school drug problems out of the shadows.

When there is need, Steve is always there with a helping hand. He is a homeowner who champions individual property rights, and a small business owner who wants to see other small businesses flourish in Poway.

Now I need to choose one more council member. And I am looking for one with a proven track record, that has made good decisions on my behalf, and that demonstrates a willingness and ability to get things done.

David Haessig, Poway

Mangum has earned vote

I have known Poway City Council candidate Jeff Mangum for three decades. In fact, he persuaded my family to move to Poway.

I am very upset about recent mean-spirited mischaracterizations of Jeff which bear no resemblance whatsoever to the man I know. Because I know him well, I am suspicious of the motives of those who seek to tear him down, especially since Jeff wasn’t even on the school board in 2011 when it voted to issue the controversial bonds.

The Jeff Mangum I know and respect is an honorable man of unflinching integrity and one of the most intelligent, thoughtful men I have ever met. I trust him to lead the City of Poway during tough economic times just as he successfully led our prestigious school district for 16 years to a total of 15 National Blue Ribbon Schools and 27 California Distinguished Schools — all with a school budget that shrunk substantially year after year.

Jeff stepped down from the school board in 2010, honoring a promise he made to the voters not to seek re-election when he no longer had children in school. Then he immediately stepped up to serve on Poway’s Budget Review Committee for the last two years. So Jeff not only has 16 years of experience managing a $250 million budget as he did for PUSD, but he also understands our city’s budget and the economic challenges Poway faces.

Jeff Mangum has earned my vote. I strongly encourage my fellow Powegians to support him as well.

Michelle Wilson, Poway

The free market system works

Our country is in financial trouble. Two stimulus packages didn’t help. But to the public, everything’s fine — the government did something. And, we’re lulled to sleep. This action, however, only transfers wealth from one group of people to another. We’re still broke.

In fact, your dollar buys less — think $5-a-gallon gas. Likewise, when unions demand and get wages higher than free market wages, their buying power decreases. And believe it, there’s more unemployment. As a result, there’s a public outcry for government action — get full employment. We need more jobs.

More jobs should be easy. After all, in 1935 Lord John Maynard Keynes gave the answer to high unemployment. Reduce wages by increasing the money supply and lowering the dollars value — problem solved. On Keynes’ say so, politicians passed the Employment Act of 1946. It didn’t work.

Today’s popular opinion makers consider free market ideas out of date. To them, the free market didn’t work in 1929. Not so. The free market worked.

It’s now 2012. Our politicians continue to follow Keynes’ flawed theory, and expect a different result.

Don Williams, Rancho Bernardo

Related posts:

1. Four are early entrants to Poway City Council election
2. Letters to the editor: Oct. 4, 2012
3. Letters to the Editor: Sept. 13, 2012
4. City Council forum works around no-bond ruling

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Posted by Staff on Oct 11 2012. Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry