Publication Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Letters
Letters
(August 31, 2005)
Profit and policy
Editor,
Nancy McGaraghan is half right (Weekly, Aug. 17). Why should a merchant or landlord double his profit but not share in the expense that increases the property value? Why should anybody sell his house for a million-dollar profit when the increase in value has been paid for by others?
This unfairness should be addressed by a two-tier assessment policy, by having the residential tax break limited to one property per owner, and by recouping the entire tax differential when the property is sold. These improvements would be acceptable to any fair-minded person, especially if they also included extending the Prop. 58 tax break to grandchildren and siblings.
Public policy is more benign than when the counties transferred property by handing the formerly Mexican owners tax bills they couldn't pay, and holding tax sales so Anglo newcomers could own it.
We recognize that a town dominated by rich people is going to spend millions on amenities that ordinary folk don't need, for instance, undergrounding utilities, avant-garde public art, huge administrative salaries and demolition of serviceable buildings.
The part of "affordable housing" most of us understand is that we expect to be able to afford to live in our homes that we've saved and sacrificed and paid for and worked on for all our lives. We don't understand why anybody, however much he paid for his house, objects to paying one percent of it a year in tax, and getting a guarantee that his taxes will not rise proportionately to inflation.
Stephanie Munoz
Alma Street
Palo Alto
Eichler protection
Editor,
Thanks to the Weekly for a very interesting article on the importance of protecting the Eichler heritage in Palo Alto (Aug. 17). It is heartening to know that Green Gables, as well as Green Meadow, has been honored with the National Register of Historic Places distinction.
I am also very pleased that the author noted that Green Gables and Edgewood residential subdivisions, together with Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center, comprise a unified, planned community with Edgewood Plaza as the centerpiece. Designed by renowned architect and leader of California modernism, A. Quincy Jones, Edgewood Plaza is the only known shopping center built by Eichler as an integral part of a residential community.
Alan Hess, a distinguished author and architecture critic, used the following words regarding this Eichler neighborhood: "There is nothing quite like this complex anywhere else in the country." He repeatedly emphasized that this neighborhood is of national significance.
Recently, in response to concerns about the future of Edgewood Plaza, a large number of neighborhood residents signed a petition stating their support for preserving and restoring the shopping center.
We are hoping that far-sighted business and civic leaders will also understand and appreciate the historical, social, cultural and financial benefits that will come from the careful preservation of Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center.
Diane Sekimura
Sandalwood Court
Palo Alto
Freidenrich isolationist
Editor,
Denny Freidenrich (Guest Opinion, Aug. 24) claims to be deeply impressed by the loss of life the U.S. military is experiencing in Iraq. He invokes the phrase "right-to-life" with total detachment from the wanton losses of life occurring before U.S. intervention and very likely to follow any premature departure of coalition troops.
Primary opposition to a constitutional government is from a minority community that would impose its will by mass murder, as did the predecessor regime.
Mr. Freidenrich dismisses our goals in Vietnam as unworthy of the loss of American lives, with no consideration of the million refugees who had fled North Vietnam, no mention of the million-plus who have fled South Vietnam, no respect for the tens of thousands of drowned boat people, and amnesia of the millions of Cambodians who died when the domino fell.
How has he avoided meeting any of the victims the tyrannies we have opposed?
I see Mr. Freidenrich as self-absorbed and isolationist. He seems to think that lack of human rights abroad is OK, and certainly not worth risking Palo Alto or Laguna Beach residents in an effort to repair that lack. He does not seem to offer the kind of progressive, positive, self-sacrificing attitude that will support improvement of this world.
Raymond R. White
Mayview Avenue
Palo Alto
Vacation confusion
Editor,
I don't have a problem with shortening summer vacation -- it's very long relative to other countries. I'm from England, where summer vacation is from mid-July to early September.
There is some evidence that kids lose the context of their work because the vacation is so long.
What I do have a problem with is going back to school before Labor Day. It's just a truly stupid idea, because having a holiday weekend so soon after school starts interrupts the flow just as the kids are getting back into school habits. Plus, it's ingrained that summer doesn't end until Labor Day.
What is wrong with extending into June instead?
Mick Jordan, Gunn parent
Josina Avenue
Palo Alto
School daze
Editor,
In response to the ReaderWire question: "Are Palo Alto schools cutting summer vacation too short?"
Yes.
Why must Palo Alto schools rob us of the end of summer? Not just the last few days, but a full two weeks of August? And to add insult to injury, they set the start date on a Monday -- a very difficult way to start. And worse, they have already set next year's calendar to start on Monday, Aug. 21.
Counting up the number of days off between Aug. 22 and June 15, I came up with a whopping 34 -- almost seven weeks. Of that 34, only about eight are official holidays. The other 26 (more than five weeks) are "staff development days" (three), undefined "local holidays" (eight, including an entire week in February), a winter break in December (nine), semester break (one) in January, and spring break (five) in April.
With all these days off, there should be a way to get the PAUSD calendar out of everyone's summer break. Will parents and teachers be included to help work this out?
What does it take to find a way to change this? Let's start by changing the 06-07 calendar rather than letting it stand as planned.
Diana Darcy
Harker Avenue
Palo Alto
Basis for base closures?
Editor,
You don't have to be a genius to figure out why American bases are closing. The ones in "blue" states are getting dumped, while "red" states increase in size (Ft. Bliss in Texas is tripling in size).
It's all political and gives the Bush Chickenhawks the grand opportunity to spread democracy, building military bases throughout the world all the while raping the resources from every country we invade. The only winners are Halliburton, Cheney and his cronies, and other major corporations -- not the people who work, sacrifice and die.
Whatever happened to "homeland security" -- here at home, not abroad? What are we protecting -- corporation takeovers?
We stopped living in a true democracy (for the people, by the people) when we the people allowed Bush to steal the 2000 election. By definition, fascism is a government controlled by corporations, for corporations and supported by the masses (the people) who have no rights.
So who's for impeaching Bush for lying? When Clinton lied, no one died. We had a balanced budget, good education and jobs.
Donnasue Jacobi
Haight Street
Menlo Park
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