Mailbag: Stop toll-lane proposal for the 405 Freeway

Re. “405 plan may be amended,” (Aug. 7):

Oh boy, here we go again. Those money-hungry public agencies never give up, from the Orange County Transportation Authority up through the ranks to Sacramento.

Your front-page article failed to clearly define what the proposed Alternative “3-A” was really all about: not just requiring bridges be torn down, but, greedily protecting the other ingredient that citizens and cities disliked about Alternate 3 — toll lanes.

California’s freeways are our vital arteries to everything and everywhere: work, pleasure, shopping, vacations, the rest of the world, everything. And they were so named because they were “free.” Whether you were rich or poor, you could live a functional life. If they were converted to toll roads, only the rich could afford to even get to work, to even earn a living.

So don’t be fooled by these slick-talking schemers. Say no to this sneak attack too. Keep our freeways free.

Gordon Glass

Newport Beach

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Keep an eye on bridge developers

As we’ve said in previous letters to the Daily Pilot, politicians come and go over the years, and support for the bridges will ebb and flow, depending on who is in office. But, as long as there is money to be made by building these bridges, developers will pursue their quest to push them through.

Developers are a patient lot; they will bide their time, support the right candidates, and quietly work toward their goals while the public is looking the other way.

Because I live on Gisler Avenue, I appreciate the Pilot’s role in keeping the public informed about every new attempt to build the 19th Street and Gisler bridges. I will continue to oppose attempts to build these bridges every time the subject is revived. And I will continue to write letters to the Pilot expressing my opposition.

Jon and Patricia Rowe

Costa Mesa

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Bush tax cuts should continue

The House Republicans are threatening to defeat a proposal to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class unless the rich get the tax break also. It’s common sense to extend the tax breaks for the middle class right now. Let’s hold the Republicans accountable in November for their failure to support this common-sense approach.

John Gulsby

Huntington Beach

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Republicans keep lying

Re.: “Cassity: Sorry, Mr. President, but we did build that” (Aug. 3):

And now we have Chuck Cassity, commissioned by our own Daily Pilot, to write columns based on utter fabrication.

His long harangue is based on deliberately misconstruing words, because he has no logical or factual argument against the truth: businesses do benefit from taxpayer-financed infrastructure.

During the last presidential election cycle, the RepubLiars tried to foist on our nation, a vice presidential candidate of very questionable ability, with the cynical slogan: “Country First.” They were roundly defeated.

This election cycle, they are doubling down on their cynicism and they are touting an individual with absolutely zero conviction on any issue, a veritable chameleon, a Massachusetts liberal who now calls himself a severe conservative. His main claim to fame is that he has enriched himself by using every legal tax dodge in the book (we have to take his word about the legality until he shows us his tax returns) while selling out his country and its working force to China and India.

Shouldn’t, we the people, disbar the RepubLiars from any active participation in our political arena for at least four years, like Penn State?

Jamshed Dastur

Balboa Island