Letters to the editor

Editor,

Thanks for the excellent story about housing rentals. During the late ’90s the same thing happened as the NASDAQ took a nose dive. The sales of homes also went south but the rental housing market had gone through the roof. In ’99, on a Sunday as I had my morning walk, there were cars lined up near my home. When I asked what was going on, I was astonished to discover there was an open house for a rental property. I later found out that the new tenants actually bided up to get the home. About three years later we had a housing boom.

With all the gloomy news about the housing market, my smug friends who are renting, love to give me a bad time. They think they are smart for not buying during the last few years. Trying to explain that one market affects another is futile. The fact is this rental boom is a natural course. Low sales = High rents.

Phyllis Ann McArthur

Foster City

There is wisdom

and common sense,

or everything but

Editor,

What ever happened to wisdom and common sense?

All wetlands are not equal. The wetland in Half Moon Bay that threatens to bankrupt the city is nothing special. It is not a critical habitat of an endangered species. It was created by accident in recent years as a result of construction in the area.

The landowner was given a judgment against the city of almost $40 million. Wisdom and common sense prevailed for a time when the parties to the litigation reached an agreement to resolve it. It prevailed again when the legislators agreed to seek legislation that would allow the agreement to occur.

Then it flew out of the window when the environmental extremists opposed it and shockingly, state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, withdrew his support. I don’t expect a rational explanation from the environmental zealots, but Sen. Yee should explain how this marginal wetland is worth $18 million, the fall-back figure in the compromise agreement (This lower figure seems a remarkable concession from the holder of the $40 million judgment).

If this is an example of the wisdom and common sense that is directing our state government, then I can understand why the budget can’t be balanced, why the schools are going to hell, why the highways are deteriorating, etc., etc.

T. Jack Foster, Jr.

San Mateo

Foti is narrow

minded on abortion

Editor,

I really take offense to people like Ross Foti who feel that they have the right to push their beliefs and opinions on other people, but do not allow others to have their own beliefs.

He thinks that women should not have the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies. Is he going to take care of all the babies? What is with men who get the women pregnant and then skip out on their responsibilities, leaving the women to face the situation by themselves, only to have a man tell them they cannot choose what to do? Why don’t they go after the men and tell them to keep their hands to themselves? I find this extremely hypocritical. I thank my higher power that I did have the choice at age 16 after being sweet talked by a 19-year-old man who then was never to be seen again. People like Foti try to convince others that Planned Parenthood only provide abortions. Not true. They give women many choices on how to handle their pregnancy. They also provide contraceptives to prevent pregnancies, and other health issues. Foti is very narrow minded. Women need to have the right to choose what they want, and the men should butt out.

Tina Palmer

San Bruno

Pope, ducks and recipes

Editor,

I was reading the April 18 edition of The Daily Journal and noticed everything seemed to have a more than usual leftward "tilt.” The reporter writing about the pope could only explain that Americans are bad people because we don’t treat illegal aliens more compassionately. This, out of all the things, the holy father said was the only thing deemed by the paper "news worthy,” Balderdash.

The second item was a letter by some "dingbat” that stopped in the middle of morning rush hour to chase some ducks. I thank God that he watches over fools and nothing disastrous happened. There is no moral equivalency between ducks and humans. The only good thing I found in today's paper were the recipes. Thanks for that.

John Parry

San Mateo

Two birds with one stone

Editor,

Here is a partial solution to both the fuel crisis, and our part of the food crisis. It is said that the use of corn in the manufacture of ethanol is causing the United States to divert 25 percent of its corn to that use.

Why not use sugar? To quote Wikipedia, "Brazil supports ... ethanol-burning automobiles with large national infrastructure that produces ethanol from domestically grown sugar cane. Sugar cane not only has a greater concentration of sucrose than corn (by about 30 percent), but is also much easier to extract. The bagasse generated by the process is not wasted, but is utilized in power plants as a surprisingly efficient fuel to produce electricity.”

Sir Richard Branson, in a recent TV appearance, says we’re swimming in sugar cane; and it’s not a food crop, per se, more of a condiment.

The problem I see isn’t lack of money (or food stock so much), it’s lack of foresight! This issue was initially raised back in 1973, when we were all waiting in gas lines!

Martin R. Flick

San Mateo

Our American dollar

Editor,

Around the world our dollar has fallen because of the Iraq war.

Invest in America.

Steve Kelleher

San Bruno