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Letters
Political science
Dear ER:
I’ve been following with interest the new measure proposed by Redondo Beach
District 4 Councilman Bob Pinzler that will take financial oversight responsibility
away from the City Clerk. Is this the same Councilman Pinzler who would not
certify the City Clerk election in 1999 unless the winner had the Charter required
15 units in accounting?
Councilman Pinzler now wants to take these 15 units out of the City Charter and hand over the budget responsibility to a city manager who may or may not possess these all-necessary accounting units. The budget is then approved by councilmen who may or may not have backgrounds in accounting. Does this make sense to you? It seems like regression not progression to me.
Come on Councilman Pinzler. What’s behind all this? Let’s leave things alone. If it ain’t broke — don’t fix it.
William J. Rhodie
Redondo Beach
House of fools
I'm not surprised that the number of entries is so low in the essay contest
for the Manhattan Beach home ("Only 25 people try for $195 MB home,"
ER Dec. 14, 2000). What are the chances of winning a contest that ends April
31, the true April Fools Day?
Karen Pearson
Manhattan Beach
Tree trimming
Dear ER:
I wonder just how many Manhattan Beach residents are going to give thanks this
holiday season for being alive? Whether hundreds of residents realize it or
not, they were granted a miracle and given a pass so to speak, a few Thursdays
ago when at exactly midnight a jetliner apparently struggling to gain altitude
barely missed hitting an ancient pine tree in my backyard. All who witnessed
this terrifying sight will never forget it. As the gigantic aircraft roared
overhead even a Manhattan Beach police officer thought that the plane was going
to crash.
Imagine such a disaster striking slumbering neighborhoods. That night ground zero was the area between Aviation and Herron, and between Third Street and Fifth Street. The devastation would have been horrific. Is it going to take a catastrophe to halt the jetliners from endangering our very lives?
Perhaps Jane Harman, our newly re-elected Representative, can get the FAA to stop menacing the beach cities residents. My complaints have only resulted in an increase in roaring airplanes and screaming helicopters. She’s our only hope to stop the nighttime madness.
Dawn Clifton
Manhattan Beach
Law of political consequences
Dear ER:
Listening to the complaints about noise and crowds in Hermosa, one is struck
by the unintended consequences of policymaking. The city can’t use parking
and access to ward off the July 4 invasion of undesirables because of the coastal
commission, though the louts we want to keep out have no interest in the ocean.
The noise from the downtown bars comes largely from people who must stand outside to smoke. The taxis to deter drinking and driving are now detested because they are hailed by shouting revelers.
It would be amusing if it weren’t so…loud.
Tim Ferguson
Hermosa Beach
Neighborly neighborhood
Dear ER:
We live at 213 South Aviation Boulevard in Manhattan Beach. We think that "East
Hills" has a nice sound to it. We like our neighborhood and find that our neighbors
are helpful. They take our empty trash cans in from the street, watch our property
when we are out of town, knock on our door when they see that we forgot to turn
off our car lights... There are often car accidents on Aviation Boulevard. Neighbors
help victims by calling 911 and offering first aid, and comfort.
Charles and Joyce Golden
Manhattan Beach
Health warning
Dear ER:
In everyone in the beach cities a corporate flunky? No sooner do we finally
have letter writer David Wachtfogel shed his All Authority Figures Are Gods
propaganda and display one human value in his critique of BCHD, than letter
writer Mary Lackides poses a smoke screen of base diversionary rhetoric.
For Lackides info, at one point, when we were a good deal saner, the entire raison d’etre for such operations as BCHD (formerly known as "hospitals") was to be constantly prepared to aid people in life-threatening and series conditions. After that, they attended to other lesser medical problems but usually left such to a GP. This was known as ‘prioritization.’
Then came businesses disguised as medical concerns, calling themselves HMO’s. The entire arena began transforming into profit-only, zero output (care), maximum input (monies) embarrassments, as witness the sad short history of HMO’s, which have been the dismantlers of hospitals.
BCHD is one such corporation, presently gobbling up real estate at a horrific rate (something hospitals would never do) for speculation purposes and elaborate, long-term, immensely profitable buy-back schemes with cities like Manhattan Beach.
The bells-and-whistles dumbshows BCHD puts on are all profit-only activities thoroughly unrelated to a hospital’s primary purpose. Almost every single "health enhancement" patty-cake exercise is something the target clients could do on their own or through reading a book on exercise/nutrition/whatever for guidance.
The area media rarely publishes any criticism in business conglomerates like BCHD.
So it would behoove citizens to pay attention to Wachtfogel’s needed but lukewarm criticisms and ignore the flak-catching of Lackides. Residents have no idea how much they’re losing with bloodless automatons like BCHD.
Steven Francis
Hermosa Beach
Holiday driving tips
Dear ER:
I have some more driving tips for you. It’s ok to get angry while you read
my letters, telling the truth always gets people upset. I’ll try to only
use little words, since we’re in LA.
Go THROUGH the GREEN lights. DO NOT BRAKE. I know you bought an automatic because you can’t figure how to drive stick, but taking one’s foot OFF the gas will reduce the velocity of the car adequately for going through an intersection in a straight line. (sorry big words, my bad)
Make COMPLETE STOPS at the STOP signs. You know, those red things with S.T.O.P. at just about every corner? You should be able to see them out of the corner of your right eye, even with your head titled to hold the cell phone.
Do NOT stop, however at the entrance to stores, or while turning onto another street, when someone behind you is turning too, or trying to continue on their route. Yes Virginia, there are other cars on the street. It’s fun to think the whole world revolves around YOU, but I am here to burst that bubble, with wit sharper than any straight pin.
Particularly our West LA friends: WHEN the road narrows to ONE lane, if you are BEHIND someone, then merge BEHIND them. Do not pass them on the RIGHT or you invite intense road rage and potential rear ending. I know you think you are more important, but face it, you’re not. You’re one luxury car payment from homeless and you’re pretentiousness can’t compensate for your incompetence.
My brilliant freeway driving tips: Instead of accelerating then slamming on the brakes: TRY going at a lower rate of speed, the average of the difference between the two. It never ceases to amaze me how people freak because the freeways curve here and there. Just go with the curve, take your foot off the gas, DON’T brake and you’ll be fine. You’ve lowered the car anyway.
Consider: ACTUALLY DRIVING: yes, driving. Look at the road, not your rearview, invest the price of four cups of coffee into a hands free earpiece, and by all means buy an extra battery. Who are these IDIOTS who drive with the cell phone still plugged into the cigarette lighter? Ever wonder why the cord gets tangled when you make a turn? And we let you people have kids.
HUSBANDS — STOP buying your wives SUV’s too big for them to drive.
That’s all I have to share for now, I have to correct more people’s incompetence.
Mark Hopkins
Redondo Beach