Santa Cruz Sentinel

The voters of this state have clearly expressed their total dissatisfaction with being given a "choice" between Davis and Simon. Already, over 13 percent of them have decided to vote for someone else. They want to hear from the alternatives, they deserve to hear from the alternatives.

I, and the voters of California, say to the Los Angeles Times and to all other debate presenters, "Let Peter in!"

THOMAS LEAVITT

SANTA CRUZ

Can county afford it?
Knowing what management gave themselves in salary increases, most people agree the county’s general work force was entitled to an increase.

Most will go to sleep believing that the county workers got something like 3 percent or so, plus parity and will leave it at that, not really knowing what it means. Increases vary for different groups. The following are a few examples taken from the summary of their tentative agreement.

Total effective wage increase over a three-year period:

Cashier-disposal site: 26.79 percent.

Accounting technician: 26.79 percent.

Community health worker: 40.13 percent.

Mental health worker: 32.9 percent.

Public works worker: 33.58 percent.

Buyer: 39.62 percent.

With the huge projected increases in medical premiums plus a few other costly items, these raises are probably going to cost an additional $23 million or so. Isn’t it interesting that the county could find all this money when it and the union predicted the sky would fall if they lost that $9 million in utility tax money.

One can’t help but wonder if the city of Santa Cruz will also be able to unearth some surplus if they lose their utility-tax goodies? Will the city union workers get their big guns to dig into this one as was done with the county?

ED MAZENKO

SANTA CRUZ

Saudis aren’t our friends
I’m trying to understand the relationship of the United States and the two-faced Saudi Arabians.

On one hand, they claim to be our friends, and on the other hand they support thousands of Wahhabi religious schools in many countries, including Western Europe and the U.S. Wahhabism called for the destruction of the U.S., Israel and Western values, and replace them with Islamic regimes similar to the Taliban.

Is it coincidental that most of the terrorists of Sept. 11 were Saudis and most of the prisoners at Guantanamo are Saudis?

Saudi Arabia is a totalitarian regime, oil-rich and denies basic freedom to its citizens, no rights for women, no free speech, no private property, no religious tolerance and no equal justice.

Women cannot drive and are treated like chattel. They still practice public execution and dismemberment.

If the U.S. government would get its head out of its derrier, it would recognize the Saudis as our enemy and not our friends. The Saudi-supported press praises terrorist action against the U.S. and gives cash rewards to families of suicide bombers.

HARRY SHIPLACOFF

SANTA CRUZ

Land-use hearings illegal
The administrative hearings the county of Santa Cruz uses to find people guilty of alleged land-use violations are illegal. On Sept. 27, a Superior Court judge stated in open court that these county administrative hearings used to extract large civil penalties are nothing but ad hoc trials constructed to find in favor of the county against property owners.

The judge dismissed a large civil penalty, but stated that he was unable to rule against the county’s administrative court since the action brought before him did not permit him to do what he would have liked to do. Had the action filed against the county been a motion for declaratory relief, injunction or mandamus, it would have resulted in a ruling invalidating the county’s court. And a court without validity is nothing but a kangaroo court. Any attorneys out there who want to close the circle?

DAVID SMITH

MOUNT HERMON

Remember Vietnam
"Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them." The most divisive, disastrous decision the United States has made since the Civil War was the decision to go to war in Vietnam.

Those who oppose the precipitate rush to go to war in Iraq should unite behind the slogan, "Remember Vietnam."

IDA HILLS

APTOS

We’re not united behind Bush
I can’t believe that Bush is saying America is "one" behind attacking Iraq. I just read Congressman Ron Paul’s speech calling for peace. Ron Paul is a Texas Republican who sees that this is not a war to protect Americans, but a war to enhance the world power of the people who control America’s military and economic might. I am not one of these people.

The people who control our government do not want Iraq to be democratic. They supported Saddam as he destroyed all democratic parties in his country. Where did he get his chemical weapons from? Us. Iraq has 45 billion barrels of oil. Forty-five billion times $25 a barrel is over $1 trillion. Bush is an oil man. Does he really want democracy or does he want all that oil to be controlled by U.S. interests?

Why did Iraq invade Kuwait? I thought it was because they were illegally drilling for oil into an Iraqi oil field and not letting Iraq use their air space. Did we restore Kuwait to a democracy? No, and we won’t in Iraq.

ERIC KAHL

SANTA CRUZ

Hey, they’ll listen. Really
The Santa Cruz City Council needs to follow up its letter to Bush asking him to not attack Iraq with a letter to Saddam Hussein asking him to allow the weapons inspectors in and stop all the other nasty stuff he is doing.

Certainly, when both sides read letters from such a prestigious and highly regarded international body as the Santa Cruz City Council, signed by no less than the mayor himself, they will see the light of day and hostilities will cease.

I wonder why no one thought of this before.

DON STEINY

SANTA CRUZ

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