Letters to the editor Letters to the editor (May 06, 2005)

Perry is holding firm on his convictions

Editor:

Thanks to the Voice for last week's editorial, "BART critic deserves better."

I liken what is happening to Councilman Greg Perry to what happened to Councilman Angelo Frosolone in the 1980's.

That was a period when I was personally involved against the city of Mountain View regarding family property on the 400 block of Bryant Street, and frequently attended council meetings as a result.

Councilman Frosolone walked the walk, (neighborhoods) listening to his constituents, and at meetings, he talked the talk. He was laughed at, and ridiculed by his colleagues, yet kept his cool and sense of humor.

He was his own man, stood fast to his own convictions, did not allow himself to be swayed in decision making, and did not follow the mainstream.

At one point he was even passed up for the mayor's position.

Regarding Greg Perry, I like and voted for him and would do so again. I think he is a man with foresight and values, and sets his priorities on what he believes is best for the public in general. Frances Trimmer S. Rengstorff Avenue

BART Magic

Editor:

The only people who are against putting BART around the Bay are folks who haven't had to use much public transportation. Having in the last two months been forced by cruel dental necessity to get to Oakland from Mountain View twice a week, I am here to tell you that BART is wonderful. The only thing wrong with BART is that it does not go all the way around the Bay.

We would be wise to begin getting BART as many places as possible. Gas prices are going to escalate to $3-to-$4 a gallon and the clamor for great public transportation will escalate too. In a decade we will wish desperately that the folks in 2005 had been far-sighted and smart. Let us begin the necessary building process now.

Call 511 and wonderful friendly people will help you plan your public transportation trip precisely. (Remember to have enough quarters for bus fares.) In 20 years I have never driven to San Francisco. I call my transit pals, tell them where I'm going, and they give me a public transportation itinerary. It's magic. I beg us to be smart enough to extend BART. Wendy Fleet Velarde St

Lawsuits show why absentee landlords should not get to vote

Editor:

Aaron Katz, a Saratoga lawyer, has filed several lawsuits seeking to block recently approved property taxes for hospital and public school improvements based on his "lack of representation" as a non-resident property owner.

His refusal to act in the best interests of the community clearly demonstrates why absentee landlords should not have a vote in the process. Katz is only concerned with his own bottom line, and not with what is in the best interests of the community.

Katz's tenants will surely appreciate having a functional hospital after a natural disaster, and their kids appreciate attending modern schools.

It appears as though Katz is not only selfish, but also vindictive. Rather than just increasing his tenants' rent to cover the additional taxes, he stops the entire process dead in its tracks, putting the citizens of the whole community at risk in the event of a major earthquake. I suggest Katz vote with his feet, and sell his property in Mountain View if he doesn't like the process. Charlie Amsden Cuesta Drive

Decline and fall of the United States

Editor:

Some think that the reason for the fall of the Roman Empire was the loss of Roman civic ideals and a consequent drift into cynicism, despair and decay.

The radical attacks of right-wing Republicans on the very foundations of the United States (respect for the rights of the minority; a willingness to limit corporate greed in the interest of the common good) threaten to destroy the nation that has sheltered us for the last 200 years.

I urge my fellow Americans to learn about the ongoing assault on our freedoms and help defeat the radical agenda under development in Congress. Ed Taub Devoto Street

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