Letters to the Editor: May 7, 2008

A recent report to the Planning Commission did in response to a variance request by Cedar Fair for a massive roller coaster, listed over fifteen separate variances granted over the years for the Great America theme park. As a former planning commissioner and city council member, I always felt that when a long set of variances were being granted for the same property, year after year, there should be an in depth look at planning requirements for the property and the entire area, in the form of something we call a specific plan.

There are dozens of issues that could be resolved by a specific plan for the North of the Bayshore area. Santa Clara has a long history of good, thoughtful planning for a city rich in personal and economic diversity. I’m proud to have been part of that effort as my colleagues and I, working with residents spent many long hours developing plans for our city. It is time to start doing that again so that we fully integrate Great America with the rest of our entertainment district, our business and industrial districts, and our residential districts. We should do this for the future of our Mission City.

Sirs:

I appreciate very much Mr. Barber's column on political correctness.

This subject is not seen enough in newspapers today. The "self-anointed elites," as Thomas Sowell describes them, seem to dictate what people think and say these days. I am sure Mr. Barber has read a number of books on this general subject but I have listed a number below* that I have found enlightening. As for immigrants and English, I understand that to be a "citizen" who can vote, one has to pass an English proficiency test.

Yet, ballots are printed in any number of languages - how does this comport?   As for the issue of "legal" immigration, I suggest people review the "Rule of Naturalization" in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution combined with "Federalist Papers" number 42 and 43 by James Madison. Every sovereign nation has the inherent power to determine its own membership - failure to do so will lead to its ruination.

With respect to O.L. Gilbert's letter re: the AARP, few people seem to not know that this is just a huge money making business that sells insurance and mutual funds (while denouncing proposals to allow workers to invest up to 4% of their Social Security tax money in the same type of vehicles) with "fees" double those of Vanguard and Fidelity mutual funds. Meanwhile, the AARP has received over "one billion dollars" in taxpayer dollars from the federal government. At the same time, the AARP promotes numerous left wing causes and politicians and features people like radical Harry Belafonte as its "Person of the Year" rarely, if ever, featuring conservatives.

*"The Vision of the Anointed" by Thomas Sowell
  "The Dictatorship of Virtue" by Richard Bernstein
  "Diversity: The Invention of a Concept" by Prof. Peter Wood
  "The Menace of Multiculturalism" by Prof. Alvin J. Schmidt
  "Surviving the P.C. University" by Peter Collier & David Horowitz
  "The Long March" and "Tenured Radicals" by Roger Kimball
  "The Revolt of the Primitive" by Prof. Howard S. Schultz

Thank you.

Ronald Brackney
Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara and former Caserta supporter, I watched Caserta reveal himself as the worst kind of corrupt politician when he lied to get reelected, then changed his promised vote. He's a smiling, pleasant guy who will sell your votes to the highest corporate bidder for his own advancement. He has shown me and thousands of voters that his word as a politician is worthless. Vote for Paul Fong who is endorsed by Sierra Club for his integrity.