It is decision time for the families of approximately 3,300 Poway Unified School District bus riders.

The district has set a deadline of this coming Monday to see whether 85 percent of those families feel that keeping school buses on the road is worth $575 out of their pockets.

If 2,800 passes are sold by Monday, bus service will not be eliminated. Otherwise, the 3,300 elementary and middle school students will have to find other ways to get to and from classes when school resumes Sept. 8. Loss of the service will also mean that 35 bus drivers and five other transportation employees will lose their jobs.

Firl’s stance ‘fantasy’

In columnist Gerold Firl’s July 22 column where he suggests that no member of the military is financially responsible, his assumptions about what Admiral Mullin and the Pentagon “recognizes” are pure, unfounded fantasy.

Firl’s attempt to label the military as an “Evil Empire” shows his true colors. His bigoted statement, “Anybody who has ever been in the military . . .” is a pathetic attempt at denigration of the military to rationalize his failure to serve.

About Duke Cunningham: Unlike Firl, Duke Cunningham served his country as a career naval officer. Unlike Firl, Duke Cunningham is a combat veteran, a fighter ace and a genuine hero. Unlike Firl’s suggestion, Duke Cunningham never made it into the higher echelons of the naval service.

After his retirement from the Navy, Cunningham was elected as a U.S. Congressman and while serving in that capacity, he transgressed and is now in prison where he rightfully belongs. Cunningham’s behavior, however, does not validate Firl’s assertion that all or any members of the military are inherently corrupt.

In Firl’s myopic view, the military is the only problem, and he is profoundly silent about the other 76 percent of the national budget.

Firl reminds me of a fine, upstanding liberal who, while I was on active duty, told me, “Anyone stupid enough to join the military deserves to be killed.” I’m sure Firl concurs.

Perhaps in Firl’s rabidly anti-military attitude, he believes we would be better served to dissolve the military and turn the country over to the Taliban/al-Qaida.
Carl Dotson
Poway

The docents at the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center at Pauwai (KIIC) just wrapped up another successful year touring third-graders from local schools.

Seventy-seven tours were conducted that included 1,170 students and 540 adults. Every school within the City of Poway participated, plus a number from Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch, Scripps Ranch and Escondido. The study of local Native American history is included in the third-grade state curriculum and the hands-on tours provided at the local village archeological site fit perfectly into lessons planned by teachers.

If you are not familiar with this city park, it is located just off Poway Road across the street from Perry Ford. It is at 13104 Ipai Waaypuk Trail (formerly Silverlake Drive). The site is staffed by members of the “Friends of the Kumeyaay” and is open to the general public every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for guided tours.

Lowe’s should build elsewhere

To clarify my previous letter regarding the proposed Lowe’s on Poway Road: I would have preferred the headline: “No ‘big boxes’ on Poway Road,” with emphasis on “Poway Road.” I have no objection to Lowe’s other than the proposed Poway Road location.

Also, I do not oppose expansion of Walmart. In fact, I have written to this newspaper supporting expansion. My point was that the objections raised by many Powegians (impact on other businesses and increased traffic) apply even more to a big box located directly on Poway Road.
Lowe’s has stated that they do not want to be in the Business Park because of Home Depot. Lowe’s supporters assure me that Lowe’s has a loyal customer base separate from Home Depot’s and thus their effect on each other would be minimal. If that’s true, there is no reason Lowe’s couldn’t be located in the Business Park.

No one disputes that having Lowe’s – or Fry’s, Best Buy or other big box – located right on Poway Road will have a major impact on traffic. For those who live east of that location, our primary access to groceries, gas, post office, library, the Business Park, I-15 and so forth is via Poway Road. Even Lowe’s acknowledges that traffic would be increased so much that yet another stop light on Poway Road would be necessary at Gate Drive.

My hope is that Lowe’s will reconsider their location before making a difficult traffic situation even worse.

Susan C. Davis
Poway

Americans are justifiably concerned about our public debt. Government deficits have ballooned over the last decade, from the combined effect of the Bush tax cuts, invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and then the financial crash of 2008. The wars required massive deficit spending, and after the collapse of a recklessly speculative financial sector tolerated by lax, inept and disinterested regulators, massive stimulus spending was required to avert an even more disastrous economic collapse.

It’s not just financially responsible citizens who are concerned about the effect of U.S. debt. Adm. Mike Mullin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “I think the biggest threat we have to our national security is our debt.” He recognizes that we’re spending too much on the military.
It is a sign of the health of the American nation that senior military leaders have interpreted their oath to the Constitution in such an intelligent manner. There is a natural tendency for any human organization to acquire increasing amounts of resources and power. It’s hard to say no to more money, but even the Pentagon recognizes that we’re over-feeding the beast. Military spending is the biggest component of government spending, and we spend more on the military than the rest of the world combined. That kind of power creates a very real risk of corruption, and the development of our own Evil Empire.

A big hip and hooray to the eight candidates who put their names on the line running for the seat vacated in June’s recall election. It was a clean campaign where the issues were discussed and no characters were assassinated. A big congratulations to the winner John Mullin who prevailed in a squeaker, over recall leader Steve Vaus. Service on the City Council is a very rewarding endeavor to which I can attest, but remember, John, it’s all about Poway and not you, something forgotten by the previous individual who occupied your seat.

It turns out that “what everyone knows” is not always right, and that is one of the debates in the current Texas schoolbook kerfuffle.

The liberals want more taught about Joe McCarthy. It has always been generally held that Joe McCarthy was an overbearing bully and was wrong about the government being full of Communists.

Half right. He was an overbearing bully. But the government was filled with high-ranking, and very successful, Communist spies.

We know this because in 1995 the U.S. finally unclassified the partial decryptions of some KGB messages from the 1940s (Venona Project), and the Moscow files of the Communist Party U.S.A. and the Communist International. A few KGB files have been made accessible.

THUMBS UP to the volunteers who organized their respective communities’ July 4 celebrations, which thousands attended and enjoyed.

Rancho Bernardo has a 41-year tradition that includes a parade, fireworks show and community fair. New this year was a free band concert on July 3 featuring members of the Marine Corps.

4S Ranch’s much younger celebration — its carnival is in its third year — is growing in popularity. For the first time, its fireworks show was held at Del Norte High. No doubt it will continue to grow in tradition as that in its neighboring community to the east.

Let us start with the obvious: Arizona is not the evil empire. Arizona is home to 6.5 million people. The majority of the 6.5 million are law-abiding citizens wanting to protect their corner of the world.

Arizona’s needs frequently mirror our own in California, with economic viability a primary concern. California must support Arizona during this challenging economy and a boycott of Arizona business and the needed tax dollars generated based on a misinterpretation of SB 1070 is fundamentally flawed and economically disingenuous.

Some politicians and mainstream media will have you believe SB 1070 is a law that violates the Equal Protection Clause; the First Amendment; the Fourth Amendment; Article II, Section 8 of the Arizona Constitution; the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. sections 1983 and 1981; the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment; the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the U.S. Constitution; the right to travel and apparently the right to just stand on a corner in Phoenix and scratch. If that is how you understand the new Arizona immigration law, you are wrong. So pocket your righteous indignation that Arizona is a police state on a witch hunt and understand what the law actually means and why a boycott is wrong.

Property owners typically start thinking about the wildfire season in the fall, when dry Santa Ana winds kick up the fire threat a notch or two.

In reality, fire is a year-round threat in San Diego County, a point driven home last week with a handful of lightning-started brush fires in San Diego County’s back country and a 3,000-acre, weapon-started blaze aboard Camp Pendleton.

Local fire officials are saying that the past wet winter has helped germinate a whole new generation of grass and weeds over land that has previously burned in the Cedar and Witch Creek wildfires. This thin, low-growing vegetation accelerates a fire’s progress, the experts say.
Other portions of our community still have 30- and 40-year-old brush growth that, if ignited, would be a serious threat to homes and businesses.

By Adam Sullivan

I think I have found a way to eliminate the City of Poway’s $1.5-million budget gap.
Tourism.

City Hall is a place similar to “The Mystery Spot” in Santa Cruz. The Mystery Spot describes itself as a “gravitational anomaly.” Marbles seem to roll uphill and everything seems to be leaning. Discriminating eyes see a cleverly built cabin that creates perspective distortions, but why spoil the fun? People who don’t look at the world critically love it and the tourist revenue helps the local economy. I think we can do the same here in Poway.

In Poway we have “governing anomalies” that are equally “mysterious.” Take the two recent investigations into the “Fire truck story” and the recall. One week the city attorney says the fire truck story is “unsubstantiated.” The next week a special counsel (hired by the same city attorney) says claims within the fire truck story were misleading and “unsubstantiated.”

The fire truck story is false when it implicates city employees and council members for furnishing misappropriated city assets and services (which would be in violation of U.S. law if true). The fire truck story is true when used to gather recall petition signatures (which would be in violation of Poway Municipal Code if the story is false). So the fire truck story is both true and false at City Hall!

The Palomar Community College District should be applauded for making a long-term commitment to education in our region by spending $38.3 million in voter-approved bond money to purchase property in Rancho Bernardo.

The new four-story, 110,000-square-foot building is on a 27-acre hilltop lot that includes a parking structure and enough room to add up to two more buildings.

The purchase, which closed escrow on June 30, ends more than two decades of fruitless searches for a site for an education center (not a full campus) to service the southern portion of the sprawling college district. That portion includes Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs and Rancho Penasquitos.

Given our current state of politics, two local developments have me scratching my head on the one hand, and feeling a teensie bit hopeful on the other.

The first is Steve Vaus deciding not to challenge John Mullin’s razor-thin margin of victory in Poway’s City Council election. Vaus’ concession saved taxpayers thousands of dollars and allows for the business of the city to go on uninterrupted.

The other is San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio deciding not to challenge the registrar of voter’s ruling that not enough signatures were gathered for a ballot initiative he proposed to make it easier for the city to outsource jobs. The only way DeMaio can challenge the decision is to sue the city, and he doesn’t want to waste the taxpayer’s money it would take for the city to defend itself.

RB readers offended by begging letter

Jeannie Winton’s July 8 letter (“No begging in RB”) was appalling and did not deserve space in your otherwise fine newspaper.

We are living in an unprecedented time of economic perils — and uncertainty. I am always ever grateful for

the opportunity to give to those on our street corners in Rancho Bernardo. No, I am not an Obama liberal. I prefer to see these people on our street corners as people asking and reaching out for help, rather than the writer’s use of the word, “begging.” Contrary to what Ms. Winton writes, I feel that in this fine little town it is “classy and sophisticated” — and Judeo-Christian — to give to those less fortunate. And yes, I gladly gave to the elderly gentleman with the little dog, in the hopes that he would have enough for his pup as well.

Ms. Winton may better serve our community and country by going after the liberal politicians who are bankrupting our country with trillion-dollar bailouts and unearned entitlements to the illegal immigrants who are a drain on our economy. We the taxpayers are forced to pay taxes for these handouts that for the most serve only the insatiable politicians.

There are also illegals here on our RB street corners. Have you seen them, Ms. Winton? They are here illegally, using taxpayers’ money for entitlements to which they are not entitled. Why not go after them?

In the meantime, let’s continue to help our own citizenry less fortunate than ourselves whenever and wherever we can.
Marie Woodruff
Rancho Bernardo

No begging in RB

I have written before, and will continue to write, until I see something done to stop the begging on the street corners of Rancho Bernardo.

This is a beautiful little town, it’s classy and sophisticated, professionals and/or their spouses have chosen to make this their home. It’s degrading to have to see these panhandlers “working” the street and it should be stopped. You don’t see this in Escondido, or most other cities in San Diego County. The man with the little dog, the girl with the sign saying that her family needs help ... it’s a blight on our city and I don’t understand why it is tolerated.

There are so many organizations that they could go to for help if they sincerely wanted help — not just tax-free cash in hand.

RB is lovely, let’s consider the image this pathetic rouse creates.

Jeannie Winton
Rancho Bernardo

Yes, the July 4th holiday is a splendid time to enjoy fireworks, bands, parades and family picnics.
It is also time to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and, as importantly, to reflect on our obligations to ensure those privileges will be passed on to future generations.

A new book, “The Handbook for Americans,” (Hatherleigh, 2010) outlines 11 steps we believe every American should take to participate in the precious process called democracy. With the permission of the publisher, here are those steps:

• Vote. By participating in elections at the local, state and national level, we make our opinions heard. Understand the issues. Learn as much as you can about the candidates. Vote responsibly.

• Stay informed. Read newspapers, magazines, blogs. Talk to your friends, co-workers, neighbors. Go online and read current bills before Congress. An educated American is an empowered citizen.

• Exercise your right to free speech. When we articulately and intelligently state our opinions, popular or not, we truly live up to the hopes and dreams of the Founding Fathers. Freedom of speech is an extraordinary right.