Dental van making impressive difference in kids’ self-worth

I have been working with families and children in our community for almost 30 years and have witnessed some phenomenal transformations of self-worth, when our children receive services from the various agencies committed to improving children’s lives, but nothing like the transformations I have witnessed in the past two weeks.

These transformations are made possible by the mobile Dental Van (aka “Tooth Fairy”). My school has been the recipient of  Tooth Fairy services and the smiles are making a difference. I have students who are literally smiling for the first time in a long while.

Council’s choice for empty seat defies understanding

It is a commonplace that five observers of an intersection collision will report five different observations. Even with that in mind, it seems a near impossibility that an attendee of last Monday’s so-called interviews of candidates for appointment to replace Charles Slert could come away with any conviction other than that the cookie-cutter had already been used.

The fast-forwarding of candidates was little more than a charade with cameo snippets of a candidate’s view. How might it be possible to gain insight into a person’s potential for the position applied for with the use of a stop watch? Would America be better off using that criteria for a Republican presidential candidate, one wonders?

Cutting waste and fraud, not raising taxes, is the solution

Why more taxes to balance the budget? Why is it that when California wants more of our money because it’s “broke,” it wants to raise taxes? The first thing it does is tell us cops, firefighters and teachers will have to be laid off if we don’t raise taxes.

Really? What about getting rid of all the wasteful spending in other areas instead? Like getting rid of the Coastal Commission and its dictatorial staff? Or how about stop spending taxes on highway beautification? Stopping welfare payments to recipients who spend the money at casinos? Dumping new schoolbooks in the trash instead of giving them to a county that could use them? Paying for most, if not all, of a college education for an inmate who will never see the outside of a prison?

Liberals oppose Constitution, Declaration of Independence

There are several major differences between conservatives and liberals (all Democrats may not fit the liberal mold, nor all Republicans the conservative mold).

Here are some of the most notable differences: Liberals want a large federal government and to do away with our Constitution. Conservatives want a small federal government as directed by our Constitution.

Liberals want to make/keep people dependent on the federal government while conservatives want to help all people to become self-sufficient.

Liberals believe America should not develop our own energy, yet complain when conservatives suggest drilling for petroleum. Liberals want “clean energy” but never tell how much the infrastructure will cost or where all the windmills/sun collectors will be placed.

Liberals will not explain where our asphalt, tires, fertilizers, and thousands of other products we get from petroleum will be made.

Liberals support “a woman’s right to choose.” Notice they always use an incomplete sentence because they cannot bring themselves to say “to kill her unborn child.”

In the Declaration of Independence our Founding Fathers specified three unalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Every time our elected officials vote to abort a child they are going against the very oath of office they have taken; yet that oath means nothing to them.

I can go on, but the point is made that liberals are more prone to hurt America and Americans than conservatives.

Marlowe Thompson

Crescent City

Look at hidden costs before deciding against CC Airport

Regarding the cost of flying out of Crescent City, while it might seem to be more expensive to fly out of our little airport that is not necessarily true. I did a bit of research and determined it is actually more cost-effective to fly out of here.

The two other closest airports are in Arcata and Medford. Arcata is about a 90-minute drive and Medford is more than two hours. So there you have up to a five-hour round-trip. I don’t know about you but my time is worth something.

Then there is parking. Medford charges about $7 a day and I believe Arcata does too. So if you go on a one-week vacation you will spend an additional $49 for parking along with the cost of gas for driving to these places.

City Council needs people who, unlike Gitlin, are forward-looking

I was a bit surprised when I read the Jan. 14 Triplicate article, “”Seven apply for empty council seat,” and saw that Roger Gitlin was one of the candidates applying for the vacant City Council seat.  It was just recently when I read Gitlin’s Jan. 7 Coastal Voices piece, “Too late to save Golden State,” letting us know that he was not going to stop trying to save California.

At that time I wondered where a 65-year-old guy gets the energy and stamina to save this state all by himself. And I also wondered if one needed an ego as big as our coast redwoods to think he (or she) had all the answers or needed no help in accomplishing such an enormous task. Now I am wondering if Gitlin has rethought his previous announcement to save the state and has downsized to saving the city, or if he plans to do both.

The problem with flying local

Regarding the Jan. 10 article, “Flying local,” the problem with our airport is not a lack of knowledge, it’s the cost of a ticket.

Michael Levezow

Crescent City

Cutting back on Medicare why I won’t vote for Obama

I’ve been a Democrat all my life and grew up hearing how the Democrats help the low- and middle-class people.

Obama believes he should have a second term since he’s done so much for us. I have to agree, he’s done too much from my point of view such as cutting back on our Medicare benefits, putting the squeeze on the House of Representatives to cut back more so now my monthly, secondary medical expense has gone up.

The cost of living has increased so badly that when I walk into my bank to purchase cashier’s checks, I have to pay $5 for each check when they used to be free.

Allowing co-ed access to sports in schools would wreak havoc

Short of designating the machinations of the “progressive” mind as unstable, I’m bereft of any explanation even approaching logic. Just when I think I’ve heard the absolutely zaniest reports on actions and new laws proposed by elected officials in Sacramento by which we, the citizens, will be impacted, I am floored by the devolving direction in which California is being led, pushed and bullied.

A recent proposed amendment to the California Education Code under section 221.5 is one such example of which I am astounded.