Letters 

Dumping on Pozo
 
When did Pozo Road become a dumping ground for mountains of dirt and rocks, broken pieces of asphalt and concrete and all kinds of garbage that people want to dispose of but are too, er, ethically challenged to haul away themselves? There have been old broken-down travel trailers, cars etc., and right now there is a truck loaded with garbage that someone has dumped just off the road.

Pozo Road is one of the most beautiful in existence, in my opinion.  So why do the slobs among us have to choose it as their way of giving a finger to the world?  C'mon people, grow up!

Fred Hadley
Santa Margarita

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 Library money
 
I’ve sure been reading a lot lately about the travails of the San Luis Obispo library.  Lots of woes about funding.  Since the failure of their latest measure seeking more money they’ve begun closing the library on Mondays. Kind of a, "Oh yeah then take that!" response. 
 
But I suspect that things are not as bad as they are being painted.  You see, I know someone on the inside, who tells me that just before the vote on the measure, the library held an all-staff day wherein a confident Library Director stated that he was going to get a "much need pay raise."  Now I also understand that this particular director is already making a fat paycheck as it is so....
 
Don’t get me wrong. I love the library. It is a useful and valuable institution. And certain library people are doing an outstanding job. Some librarians are really good at their job while others are just plain lazy.  Certain staff are really obnoxious—what I call “unpleasant people.� I’ve seen unbelievable pettiness and downright meanness time and time again from library personnel.  So director and librarians, how about first telling us what you are already being paid ?

John Franks
Pismo Beach

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 Dalidio “Development Impact Fee�?
 
Now that the Dalidio project is getting closer to a design that would be acceptable to most people, I am disappointed, but not surprised, by Dalidio’s obstinate decision to circumvent established development procedures with the Countywide initiative vote.
 
If the citizens of the City are going to be impacted by the traffic congestion, causing delays to our emergency response, increased road maintenance, detrimental impacts on our legally-established businesses in that area (causing lost revenue to the City), then someone will have to pay.
 
With most of our City Council  in cahoots with the Dalidio camp. I  propose an initiative for City voters that would charge a Development Impact Fee on any County-approved development that exits directly onto City roadways. In the case of the Dalidio project, the money would be earmarked exclusively for the remake of the Los Osos Valley interchange and the roads directly impacted by this project. Forever eliminating the need for a Prado interchange.

Terry Mohan
San Luis Obispo

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Meatout, you meatheads!
 
This week marks the advent of Spring, bringing sunshine, flowers and the Great American Meatout! Yes, The Great American Meatout. Fashioned after The Great American Smokeout, Meatout is a fantastic excuse to "kick the meat habit" and begin Spring with a fresh, compassionate start.
 
Indeed, Meatout provides all of us an opportunity to examine the impacts of our diet on the health and well-being of our family, our planet, and the billions of animals who needlessly suffer in factory farms and slaughterhouses. I'm celebrating by distributing free Veg Starter Kits, and I want your readers to know they can request a FREE Kit (with delicious recipes and advice) by visiting www.meatout.org or by calling 800-MEATOUT. Thanks and Happy Spring!

Samuel Brandon
(City not given)

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V for vicissitudes
 
When you look at the movie V for Vendetta, it is amazingly like looking at our current presidency. From false propaganda to start a war we don't need, to the abuses of civil and private liberties, we are living the message of V for Vendetta.
 
While I'm not advocating terrorism as a solution, it seems to be what we are offering the people of Iraq, in the name of "democracy and freedom." While Cheney and others line their pockets off the profits of war, Bush continues to wage a private war on the environment, and the future of our country's economic and environmental health. How DISCOURAGING!!!
 
The main character in the movie said it best: "People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people." We all need to look long and hard at what kind of message this Iraqi war is conveying to the rest of the world, and the costs it means for America, not only in lives, but in lies, deceit, and the insidious bankruptcy of our freedoms that our forefathers fought so hard to establish.

Meg Turner
Grover Beach

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Morro mansion views blues
 
At the March 13 Morro Bay City Council Meeting, Mayor Peters, in conjunction with Councilwomen Betty Winholtz and Melody DeMeritt, suggested that the rights of Morro Bay property owners to develop their real property must be limited in such a way as to protect existing homeowners “view� corridors, and they voted to form an ad-hoc committee to explore ways to accomplish this goal. If this ad-hoc committee becomes stacked with like-minded people, then the results are a forgone conclusion.
 
They suggested that homeowners with million dollar views have pre-eminence over the property rights of other citizens, or developers, who also want to build their dream homes in Morro Bay, just because they built here first. This “collective thinking� must not preempt or prevent any citizen his right to develop his real property. Why should any one person sacrifice his real property rights for the alleged good of a few who already have their million dollar views?
 
These councilpersons also complain that the “quaint� little beach cabins of the 50s and 60s are being torn down and replaced by larger two story homes. This council is about 30 years too late to change that now!

Roy Kline
Morro Bay

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Clear and present danger?
 
Within SLO County, good cause for issuing a license to carry a weapon exists "if there is convincing evidence of a clear and present danger to life or of great bodily harm to the applicant, his (or her) spouse, or dependent child, which cannot be adequately dealt with by existing law enforcement resources, and which danger cannot be reasonably avoided by alternative measures, and which danger would be significantly mitigated by the applicant's carrying of a concealed firearm."
 
This sounds exactly like what happened in Pismo! (And on many prior occasions around the county.)

Kevin P. Rice
San Luis Obispo

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Sweet dreams, baby
 
I really enjoyed Glen Starkey’s writeup of the Little Theatre’s show on Roy Orbison; I've been following it for a few months now since reading of it coming last fall. (Although I’m a long way from my California home and San Luis Obispo now, I appreciate being able to "visit" online via your paper.)
 
It sounds quite similar to the original British production of "Only The Lonely" that ran in the mid 90's in London, and is still being performed occasionally over there. That was a solid, long-running, rousing success, and I have no doubt your local show will be as good a draw here as similar adaptations in the UK and Canada have been.
 
An additional pleasure was reading a piece a knowing and sincere fan of Orbison. I knew Roy many years ago and we still keep in touch with some of his family, and friends and fans from all over the world. I consider my husband and myself very, very fortunate that we are able to help keep Roy's memories and music in the public eye. If you like, drop a note to a fellow devotee of the "Big "O": www.BrianMcCulloughShow.biz

Jean McCullough,
On behalf of Brian McCullough

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Save the dunes

As a tourist staying in your area, I had the pleasure today of spending six glorious hours out and about on the Nipomo sand dunes. Such peacefulness is hard to find in today’s modern world, and the beauty of the place was such that I took away lasting memories—and hundreds of photos. 
 
I was shocked, then, to discover that an area of the state beach has been turned over for the use of “off-roaders.� I feel that any such activity that jeopardizes the wildlife, nature and eco-system of an area of outstanding natural beauty should not be allowed. Thank of all the people who could enjoy the peaceful sanctuary of the beach and dunes, compared to the few who want to drive vehicles on the beach?
 
Ultimately, though, the blame lies not with the off-road enthusiasts, but with the State Parks Department for allowing this kind of activity in the first place.

Luke Genower
Surrey, England

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 Taxes, schmaxes
 
I bet New Times receives a lot of letters from people bitching about something they think is wrong. I see and hear a lot about what our government does. At my age (21), there isn’t a lot I can do about a horrible new policy or regulation, a new tax or blatant corruption, and we all know too well how much the popular vote means in an election. But for me one issue, taxes, tops them all.
 
I was trying to buy my company stock options that I received on my last job; I figured I should start saving for retirement early, since I have the feeling that Social Security isn’t going to be around in 40 years. Then I found out that the government planned on taking 42% in taxes on my options. This job had paid me a handsome $10 an hour, and come payday, after lots of rough days at work, I’d have about 40% taken out for health benefits, the stock purchase plan, and of course taxes. At the end of a month of 40-hour weeks, I’d end up with about $640. That’s pretty depressing.
 
But wait, we aren’t done there. With this money that’s “all mine,� I then get to pay sales tax on almost every item I buy, the usual CRV, the surcharges and taxes on my cell phone, and let’s not even get into automobiles or buying/renting a house. I guess the idea of spending already-taxed income on more taxes for necessary living expenses just makes me sick.
 
My high school history books taught me that taxes were the beginning of our war for independence. In those days people felt they were getting ripped off by illegitimate taxes without any sort of representation. It is pretty difficult not to catch the similarities between the time of British rule and our current “democracy� regarding the amount of taxes we pay, with no genuine representation. I guess it’s all part of the giant ant farm we live in, and those hours and hours of working to pay for the queen bee is what being an American is all about.
 
Oh well, I think we can all agree one one thing—Bush sucks.

J. Rice
Arroyo Grande

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