MAILBAG:Should we ban surfboards, too?

What is wrong with this sociological phenomena? Surfers take interest in banning Styrofoam from the beach (“Newport surfers seek Styrofoam ban,” May 25). Styrofoam is bad. Dumb fishes and birds eat it and end up like stomach-stapled, gastric-bypass humans. Surfboards are made from foam blanks. Break one and guess what? Do you think that these young activists know that surfboards originally were made from balsa wood and that wet canvas bags keep liquids cool?

THOMAS E. KOLANOSKI

Councilman’s site study plan could backfire

Because of pressure from citizens critical of the proposed passive Newport Center Park, a park which some have referred to as a non-park, the four-member majority of the City Council has proposed the addition of restrooms, picnic tables and benches. The Harbor View Hills neighbors and Stop Polluting Our Newport (who provided the conceptual design) have not wanted this to be a destination park, but that seems to be changing. At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, it was announced that they now want to add a tot lot.

Going a step further, Councilman Ed Selich, leader of the four council members supporting this park, has requested council approval to have the architect consultant who is studying the Orange County Transportation Authority bus transportation center location for the City Hall to also study the park site for the city hall location. Would this be the crowning enhancement to the park, like many people in town would like to see? No, apparently not; Councilman Selich has indicated (although it is apparently the consultant who has suggested this location) that looking at incorporating the city hall into the park will hopefully indicate that the site is not suitable. But what if the consultant finds that this location is suitable and economical? What will Mr. Selich’s next step be? Stay tuned.

RON HENDRICKSON

Community is filled with intolerance

Once again, the forum section on Wednesday bled racism, intolerance and hatred. The opinions of so many in this country, about the serious immigration issues we face, are absolutely horrifying. Little rational thought is involved. There’s much ignorance and an utter lack of concern for human rights and welfare.

How quickly we choose to forget that we took (I say stole) this country from those who live just south of our border. And when did America determine that we could abuse and exploit an entire population based on nationality?

Oh, and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is no saint. He’s the ring leader of this hateful, racist spectacle he claims is a “matter of national security.” Just how many terrorists from Mexico have been arrested anyway? How about zero.

It’s hate and intolerance, pure and simple. And it’s sickening.

And to the gun-slingin’ cabin owner who tried to make us all feel bad for him, have you ever thought about selling? (“Not all immigrants who illegally cross the border are honest,” Mailbag, May 23).

PAM LAWRENCE

Columnist’s budget numbers don’t add up

It takes a developer and a “GOP activist” to substitute a good story for the truth (“Our budget boondoggle,” Rigonomics, May 19). Approximately one-third of the lottery income goes to schools, kindergarten through college. This makes up less than 3% of the K-12 budgets. Even if a private company takes over the lottery, the schools will still get their constitutionally mandated amount. It simply removes a bureaucracy from state government.

While I seldom agree with the governor, in this case his view of the state budget is far more clear than Righeimer’s.

JACK PRICE

Illegal immigration by the numbers

Many in the Newport-Mesa community read with great interest and concern the letter by Frank Colver (“Not all immigrants who illegally cross the border are honest,” Mailbag, May 23) who courageously rebuts the “political correctness” and “conventional wisdom” generously and loosely spewed around by much of the media with respect to illegal immigrants.

In retort, Colver writes, “By our own government’s estimate, 10% of them are criminals … At 12 million estimated to be in our country illegally, that means about 1.2 million are criminals.”

It follows that 1.2 million criminals can commit a much larger number of crimes.

In fairness, scholars and nonscholars debate whether the frequency of criminals and crimes is higher in the illegal or legal groups. But perhaps that is a smokescreen.

A more important consideration, usually not spoken about, is that if the illegal immigrants were not allowed to cross the U.S. border illegally in the first place, the number of criminals (and crimes) in this country from this group would be zero or none. This is a figure that should not be scoffed at but rather taken very seriously.

Why would the 285 million of us, in this country legally, not be better off with a few million less crimes and criminals?

MICHAEL ARNOLD GLUECK

Drivers shouldn’t need threat of cameras

It is really a sad state of affairs to have to resort to punishment in the form of tickets to get the red-light runners to stop running through the traffic signals (“More cameras on the way,” May 22). The cameras that have been installed and will be installed at certain intersections to catch these people in the act are indeed working, as evidenced by a reduced number of people doing it.

Without the threat of being caught on camera, it is feasible to surmise that these red-light runners would continue to break the law at every opportunity presented to them.

Whatever happened to the good old days, when people had a conscience and a decent set of morals?

BILL SPITALNICK