Bottle Village deserving

Re: your July 25 article, "Bottle neck":

We spent $150,000 to restore an apricot shed in Simi Valley. Oh boy! The most interesting things in Strathearn Park are the restored church and the chicken coop. If you catch the right day, you can get fresh eggs.

Bottle Village is registered in the National Register of Historic Places and is a California State Historical Landmark. It is local folk art to be cherished and restored with the same respect as the old train station and Strathearn Park.

But, let Councilman Glen Becerra, Simi Valley historian Pat Havens and the San Fernando Valley swallow up our city's identity. Look at the Knolls. It is just as eclectic, with house trailers precariously propped on platforms spanning ravines. Safe? I'll take my chances with my family exploring Bottle Village, thank you.

What will be next? Paving over Crash Corrigan's movie backdrops for a park and ride? Sounds like the city has its eye on the property for other purposes, like more empty business units that litter Simi Valley.

I hope no one stubs a toe on the rusty farm implements while waiting in the long lines to view the apricot-pitting shed!

— William Comiski, Simi Valley

Danger for bicyclists

Recently, a bicycle lane was painted on Pederson Road, which has a 45 mph speed limit. The 3-foot-wide lane is next to the curb with a marked 3-foot buffer zone between the bike lane and the traffic lane, which neither the bicyclists nor cars should use. This left an 11-foot-wide traffic lane bordered on the left by a planted center median.

Saturday, I approached a group of some 20 bicycle riders, not one of them using the bike lane. They were all riding in the buffer zone. When I approached the first rider, he moved into the traffic lane to pass one of the other bicyclists. I was going about 40 mph, but the bicyclist was only going about 20 mph. Since there is a planted center median, my only option was to brake hard to avoid hitting him.

As I cautiously worked my way past the rest, two other riders performed the same maneuver and swerved in front of me without even looking. When the group reached the stop sign at Radcliff Road, not one stopped and most did not even slow down.

Pederson is lined on both sides with pine trees, and the new bike lane is covered by pine needles and pinecones and lifted up in sections by tree roots, making it dangerous to use. The majority of drivers will not know this and will expect the bicyclists to remain in the bike lane or buffer zone and will not expect them to swerve into the traffic lane.

Because of the 45 mph speed limit on Pederson and the condition of the bike lane, if the bicyclists are not both cautious and courteous, we will soon be reading another article about a collision between a bicyclist and automobile, and this time the bicyclist may not survive.

— Dennis Lane, Thousand Oaks

What will they have?

As someone who grew up during the Depression of the 1930s, learning to budget and economize has been a way of living. Our pluses have been: Families were closer, sharing home-cooked meals, playing games (which included cards, checkers, dominoes.) Dull? Hardly. The family entertainment also included sing-a-longs. Mother played the piano, an uncle the harmonica, an aunt could swing a tune rhythmically with spoons and her hand. Many evenings ended with what Grandpa called a Dutch lunch with Limburger cheese, etc. Yes, we all lived together. We walked to school (sometimes more than four miles), walked to church, library, the movie, dance class and to a friend's house. These are fond memories for all of us surviving. Our family motto still is: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." Also, my dad taught gave me some lasting advice: "If you can't pay cash for it, then you can't afford it."

What will this generation have when they are in their 80s?

— Jean Weidenfeller, Ventura

Billboard goes too far

Recently, I took my 14-year-old daughter and some of her friends to Universal Studios for a day of fun. I was shocked to look up and see a racy billboard for the teen show "Gossip Girl" and the letters "OMFG." If you don't know what that means, go ask a teen, but I'm pretty sure you can figure it out.

Today's teens have so much to worry about, so a curse word and a picture of a steamy teen sex scene may not top the list, but surely it is irresponsible, at the least.

I believe in being responsible for teaching and guiding our own children. I do not believe in blaming teachers, media, etc., when something is amiss with a child. But seeing a billboard like that just makes my job as a mother harder. It promotes and entices its intended audience — in this case, teenage girls — into thinking sex and cursing are acceptable and even desirable to fit in. In a perfect world, we would have an "it takes a village" mentality, everyone doing their part.

To my surprise, KTLA did return my call within hours and told me that The CW had been in charge of that ad campaign and that it had advised The CW in writing that it wanted the billboards down. They said they would actively follow up on having the billboard ad removed. They also apologized.

So thank you, KTLA, and shame on you, The CW and the people who created that billboard. I guess "OMG" just wasn't good enough!

— Connie Kline, Simi Valley

Bad smoking call

Re: your July 24 article, "City revises ordinance on smoking outdoors: Golfers can light up on T.O. course, council says:

Restaurant owners don't care about their patrons' health. If they did, they would applaud the ban on smoking on restaurants' outdoor dining patios, which was rescinded last Tuesday by the Thousand Oaks City Council, with the exception of Councilman Tom Glancy, who cast the dissenting voice. He is so intelligent because he believes in the harmful effects of smoking, as does the American Cancer Society.

If people want to smoke while eating, they should stay home and smoke in their own kitchens and pollute their own homes, where they eat — not where I eat, and they can enjoy their experience of dealing with lung cancer later on in their life. I know I don't want to deal with it in my life, ever. It has been proved by scientists that secondhand smoke is worse for nonsmokers than if they smoked a cigarette or cigar themselves.

I will never play golf at Los Robles Golf Course or practice at its driving range again. Why would I want to take a deep breath of smoke-filled air? I am allergic to smoke. I cough and my eyes water when smoke is in my vicinity.

Where has the common sense of the people in power gone?

Stop punishing people who want to dine out on a patio or who want to play golf in a healthful environment. I will never vote for the council members who gave in to a few whiny restaurant owners at the expense of my health and pleasure.

I am a 36-year resident of Thousand Oaks and a retired teacher of elementary school children, who, by the way, are not allowed to smoke at outside lunch tables. Smart school districts.

— Noreen Guler, Thousand Oaks

Shades of Cuba

Government control of agriculture and energy production in the United States is the same as government control of agriculture and energy production in communist Cuba. Think before you vote.

— John J. Ellington, Moorpark

Wrong on torture

Some time ago, I wrote Rep. Elton Gallegly, pleading with him to oppose torture as a form of U.S. policy. He sent me a letter saying he was against torture.

Well, it seems Gallegly either misspoke or, more likely, bought into the Vice President Dick Cheney/President Bush lie that waterboarding and other vile practices are worth it if it saves just one American life.

I agree there is a problem here, but if we Americans stoop to the level of torture, which is against every grain of our moral fiber, for a cheap and most likely untruth, then our loyal and honest men and women in the service of our country are at extreme risk of being given the same treatment. The Geneva Conventions are clear on this. Bush and his lackey, Gallegly, are in total violation of the treaty.

I must ask the people of Simi Valley: Do you want such a person to represent you for another two years? Gallegly supports torture, the same thing the extreme thugs of the world do.

— David LaTourette, Simi Valley

California is selfish

With our nation's energy woes reaching an unprecedented climax, California needs to step forward and become part of the solution, not part of the problem.

No state consumes more oil or more electricity than California, in both absolute terms and on a per-capita basis. Our governor, by his own admission, owns five Hummers, yet opposes offshore oil drilling. Hello? Why does anyone need one Hummer, let alone five?

Even the Department of Defense itself is rethinking the wisdom of the Hummer. On what basis do mere civilians feel the need to putter over to the local shopping mall in an urban assault vehicle equipped with mounting points for gun turrets? Are we completely insane?

Back to the point, our sorta-Republican governor and our decidedly Democratic Legislature oppose offshore oil drilling, coal-powered plants and nuclear power, yet, we continue to lead the nation in gluttonous lifestyle and conspicuous consumption. What do we expect, the Floridians to come to our rescue?

Even more to the point, given the nature of this crisis, when does the national interest trump the parochial interest? When do we put aside our "state's rights" in deference to our national responsibilities? At this time, to not do so is simply un-American.

As always, California has "led" the nation in this energy crisis, so to speak. It wasn't that long ago that a monumental electricity debacle led to the ouster of then-Gov. Gray Davis and the meteoric rise (in politics) of our current governor. Given the circumstances of his assumption of power, one would think he'd be more "sensitive" to the severity of our nation's current situation than any of his 49 counterparts. Yet again, I'm proved wrong. You may note that I've never mentioned our governor by name; that's because I still can't spell "Schwarzenegger."

— Edward J.A. Pope, Oak Park

Don't blame industry

Re: Russell A., Burgos' July 24 letter, "We're not Vikings":

I never indicated I wanted to live in 10th century Greenland, as Burgos said. With less subtlety, my point is that environmentalists blame every ill of our modern society — specifically, global warming — on the Industrial Revolution, with its smokestacks, autos, factories, etc. They would have us go back to a simpler lifestyle and a far lower standard of living. Although that is not the stated goal, it would be the end result of all the changes they insist must be taken to avoid the destruction of this planet.

Although Greenland was the agrarian society they would emulate, it was warmer in the 10th century than in our 21st, a fact that disputes the industrialized society argument.

If you are going to correct a problem, you must first define it with statistical data, and the figures do not support the current hysteria about man's influence on the Earth's warming.

— Joyce Goetz, Thousand Oaks

Beginner's pluck

Intelligent analysis of Barack Obama's speech in Berlin can be summed up simply as, "Ich bin ein beginner."

— John Moran, Thousand Oaks

Wrong priorities

Let me see here: California is in a fiscal hole so deep I can't count high enough to get to the bottom of it. The governor wants to reduce state employees' salaries to minimum wage until the Legislature passes a budget. And, of course, for the umpteenth time, the Legislature has no idea about a budget. But they do have the time to worry about trans fats in restaurant food — indeed, enough time to ban them.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a certain local city, not to be outdone by the state, is going to ban plastic bags.

Why are we letting the inmates run the asylum? Do we not have problems more serious than these to get solved? I can't take these people seriously anymore. A left-handed chimp could do as well!

— Roy W. Hogue, Newbury Park

Blame ourselves

Re: John R. Kordosh's July 23 letter, "Profiting from debt":

Since when have lending institutions begun holding a gun to the head of consumers, forcing them to purchase the latest phone, iPod, TV, vacation, etc.? Kordosh is upset because the bankruptcy law was changed, making it harder to stick the lending institution for an individual's mistake of "living beyond his means." What is wrong with us today? We blame others for just about everything that goes wrong.

Here are some other examples:

— How many times have you heard we need to stop companies from moving the good jobs overseas? Those good-paying jobs would not move overseas if we were willing to pay more for the products produced in the U.S.

— I love the way our elected officials point every which way for the current financial and housing situation. They need to point no farther than themselves. They are the ones who regulate these businesses, and they are the ones who were requiring loans to people who would not have qualified in the past. The blame should also go to those individuals who purchased bigger homes than they should have.

— What about the finger-pointing for the high price of gas? It seems like most fingers are pointed at the oil companies and speculators. We also blame the countries with oil for gouging, but if you were in their position, wouldn't you try to get the most for your product?

We can blame our elected officials for limiting drilling, oil-shale research, nuclear power and not having a good energy policy. We can blame ourselves for not conserving. But we won't because it is easier to blame Big Oil, which gets the gas to us.

— Jim Motush, Moorpark

Gas should cost less

There has been a great deal of publicity within recent months on the volatile price of gasoline and how it has begun to affect people's lives in Ventura County. For a while, it seemed like each day that we drove past a gas station, the price would be moving up. Sometimes the move was small, and other days it would be large.

The oil companies that produce their own oil are obviously making bigger and bigger profits as the price continues to rise above their production cost. Washington has held Senate hearings to determine if the oil companies are at fault in any way for the current high prices. There have been numerous proposals for levying higher taxes on the oil companies.

But during the past two weeks, we have seen a different situation that has not even yet reached the newspapers. The price of oil and gasoline has dropped, and the move has been significant, especially in the area that affects each of us on a daily basis: The wholesale price of gasoline has fallen 60 cents since July 12. The last time I checked the price of gas on my way to work, the posted price was still $4.53 a gallon, the same as it has been for nearly three weeks.

It seems we should be asking ourselves why the price of gas goes up daily as the wholesale price increases, but it lags significantly behind any decrease in the wholesale price. According to the current wholesale spot price of gasoline, we should be paying less than $4 per gallon for gas.

The big question is: Why aren't we?

If we are going to have to pay quickly for increases in the cost of gas, then we should also see the benefits of cost decreases at the same rate we see cost increases.

— Steve Sakakini, Newbury Park

Double-tax Republicans

Re: Bill O'Reilly's July 26 commentary, "Tax increase would go to support no-good layabouts":

O'Reilly need not worry that increased taxes will go to deadbeats. The money will go toward paying down the national debt that George Bush has almost doubled. This will have to be done because the Saudis now insist on it because they don't want to sell their prime oil for our subprime dollars, because it's a subprime currency, because of the subprime mortgage mess and the subprime war in Iraq started by our subprime president. The subprime mortgage mess was caused by Republican ideology, and the war was based on Republicans' lies. Therefore, I'd like to see Republicans pay twice as much in extra taxes as Democrats.

— Alexander Freeman, Thousand Oaks

Waiting for the beef

Re: Ann McFeatters' July 19 essay, "Obama's great adventure":

Although one can certainly agree with several of the issues raised by McFeatters' observations, it seems to me that by her very commentary, she, too, has bought into the hype and hoopla surrounding Barack Obama's excellent adventure.

Her entire column only reinforces that idea that the media, of which she is a part, are consumed with dissecting anything and everything the senator does, whether one agrees with it or not.

It reminds me of all the media excitement that once surrounded the old Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier fights. It seemed that the event itself was always threatened by the buildup. Depending on your point of view, the contests themselves actually lived up to the frenzy. This type of outcome is what we must hope for once the nominating conventions are concluded.

What I am looking forward to is the meat and potatoes of the contest. I want to see who has selected the more appropriate running mate. I want to watch, listen and learn from the debates, where we can take the full measure of each man sans sound bites. They must meet face to face and discuss their strategies, and the consequences thereof, that will affect all Americans for years to come.

What we are seeing now is simple political posturing — just trying to feel out the opponent before the actual engagement. By the time either one of them occupies the White House, the political landscape here and abroad undoubtedly will have shifted again. Come the end of August, the real games begin; therefore, what is going on now is really much ado about nothing.

— Rodney K. Boswell, Thousand Oaks

What will they have?

As someone who grew up during the Depression of the 1930s, learning to budget and economize has been a way of living. Our pluses have been: Families were closer, sharing home-cooked meals, playing games (which included cards, checkers, dominoes.) Dull? Hardly. The family entertainment also included sing-a-longs. Mother played the piano, an uncle the harmonica, an aunt could swing a tune rhythmically with spoons and her hand. Many evenings ended with what Grandpa called a Dutch lunch with Limburger cheese, etc. Yes, we all lived together. We walked to school (sometimes more than four miles), walked to church, library, the movie, dance class and to a friend's house. These are fond memories for all of us surviving. Our family motto still is: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." Also, my dad taught gave me some lasting advice: "If you can't pay cash for it, then you can't afford it."

What will this generation have when they are in their 80s?

— Jean Weidenfeller, Ventura

Freezer not impressed

July 27, more than 100 houses in Camarillo suffered a 14-hour power outage. During this time, the only telephone message Southern California Edison was able to provide was, "We're working on it" and "We don't know when it will be repaired." Neither remark impressed my freezer or refrigerator.

At this point I would like to commend the technicians who were working very hard to correct the problem. I feel these gentlemen are very dedicated, hard-working and well-trained. They are indeed a great asset to SCE and the public they serve.

My quarrel is not with these folks, it is with the management of SCE. The problem was with power cables that had been in the ground for more than 30 years. It would seem to me that the prudent thing would have been to conduct periodic line checks over the years to discover weak points and make the indicated repairs to avoid emergencies. It is much easier and cheaper to schedule a repair than to be surprised in the middle of the night on a weekend that you have a problem. This avoids calling in crews from all over and the horrendous overtime costs. Avoiding these costs would make this affordable, not to mention it would avoid generating the ill will that customers would feel and the attendant economic damage.

In summary, the SCE technicians are truly wonderful. Management is at fault here. Periodic maintenance and trouble-shooting should identify these incipient problems before they become bothersome.

As a public utility, SCE is charged with providing electric power 24 hours a day, period. The Public Utilities Commission understands this basic concept. Why doesn't the management of SCE? This sure makes me feel good about paying a 30 percent increase in the fall.

— Kenneth B. Coolidge, Camarillo

Keep The Springs pretty

Re: your July 17 editorial, "Stepford HOAs go way too far":

After two years of search and research, we chose The Springs as our home for the remainder of our lives. We find it a lovely and loving community with quaint narrow streets that often have deer meandering along them. A major deciding factor in buying our home here was that the homes are well-tended and the streets and driveways uncluttered by vehicles. With mountain views, it seems pastoral.

It is painful to read in The Star how unkind we seem to be in wishing to retain the home and idyllic setting that we originally purchased.

Much misinformation was printed in four recent articles in The Star. It seems the only attempt to balance the article was to call the president who, together with the rest of the board, cannot discuss what happens at an executive meeting in order to protect the homeowner. Only a disgruntled homeowner can talk about it with others.

Those who live in The Springs cannot park vehicles on the streets: Camarillo city code does not allow it because there are no sidewalks and the streets are quite narrow. Parking in the driveways is all right. Homeowner-owned commercial vehicles are not. They must be garaged.

RV storage is available at no cost to homeowners. Trucks larger than standard garages are a problem in that 5.12 of the CC&Rs states: "No truck larger than a pickup shall be kept, maintained, placed, constructed, remodeled or repaired on any Lot or street in such manner as will be visible from any other Lot."

Until recently, most folks put their autos in the garage most of the time, and certainly overnight.

New neighbors are most welcome and even needed. Please appreciate what brought you here in the first place and help us keep it as pretty as it is.

— Marilyn Beman, Camarillo

Stay out of jail

Re: Albert Gallegos' July 24 letter, "Too many jails":

I, too, feel that it's unfortunate that a 21-year-old guy has to be in jail. I, however, feel that it's more unfortunate for Gallegos' victim, whoever or whatever it may be, than for him.

I, like he, don't care for the thought of overcrowded and unsafe facilities, and I really think that he and his fellow inmates hold the answer to those problems. They shouldn't put themselves back in the position to be incarcerated again, and, just like that, these problems will disappear.

The Ventura County court system does know how to spend those millions of dollars he refers to. I can assure him that those in the court system, like most citizens of Ventura County, would much rather spend them on educational and medical facilities than giving Gallegos and others room and board at correctional facilities.

While Gallegos' idea to shorten sentences may seem like a proper solution to him, it might just sound a little self-serving to the people living outside of correctional facilities. It may shock Gallegos to learn that many people feel that most jail sentences are not long enough. Virtually everyone who read Gallegos' letter saw where he was coming from, and it didn't fool any of us.

Ventura County is a collection of several beautiful cities and towns. Perhaps someday Gallegos might visit each of them with the thought in mind that each already has some opportunities in education for his children and that he himself can help to establish others just by the simple act of staying out of jail.

I hope this assists him in making better choices in the future.

— Bob Knudsen, Camarillo

Had to share

Re: Starshine Roshell's July 26 column, "He found the sound can bring the fury":

When I finally stopped laughing, I had to share. Our oldest daughter, now a grandma of two, spoke early and well. When she was about 18 or 19 months old, she was sitting in her "car seat," nothing even close to what we use today. It hooked over the front seat and had a little wheel for "baby" to play. This little chubby girl put both hands on the little wheel and started saying, "Left turn, right turn, s.o.b." She said the entire phrase. Seems she had been listening to her daddy, who was fairly new out of the service and had retained his "potty mouth."

I'm happy to say that it is curable. She is a college graduate with a job in the field of business and finance and education.

— Phyllis (Grandma Cookie) Dimant, Oxnard

Fair disappointment

Re: your July 21 article, "Hundreds of hopefuls enter their projects at County Fair":

I was one of those hopefuls. I had labored for almost two years on an oil painting of the Lower Falls at Yellowstone National Park.

I looked forward to entering the painting in the Ventura County Fair. I found that it had a limit on the size of amateur entries. I wondered if there was a size limit in the professional division. I called a woman in charge who told me there was not, and the only downside to my entering my painting in the professional division was that I would not be able to enter as an amateur in the future.

I was elated. I was told I could enter my painting July 18 without having submitted my entry form by the July 14 deadline.

July 18, I reported to the fairgrounds and submitted my painting, paid the entry fee and delivered the painting.

I was so excited to have my work on display and told my family and friends to be sure to check it out.

July 21, I was contacted by someone from the fair office and told to come to the fairgrounds July 22 to pick up my painting. I was told it was rejected by someone chosen to judge the entries. When I asked for a reason, I was told there was "no way the judge would be able to explain each individual rejection."

How do I plan to enter future projects/paintings if I don't know the reason for the rejection of this painting?

What was supposed to be a wonderful experience at the Ventura County Fair has turned into a very disappointing and negative experience. This is not what the Ventura County Fair is supposed to be to Ventura County residents.

— James L. Tucker, Ventura

Use isn't abuse

Re: your July 28 article, "Prescription medication teen's drug of choice":

This headline was on Page 1 above the fold. In paragraph five of the story, though, we learn that, well, "Nationwide, more teens are now abusing prescription medications than any drug except marijuana."

And I'll bet $50 that in the U.S. in general and Ventura County in particular, more teens use and abuse alcohol than any other drug.

We have a couple of problems here in the American words "use" and "abuse."

The first shows up in the reference to "Patrick Zarate, who manages alcohol and drug problems." That's like saying someone manages an apple and fruit stand. We mean "alcohol and other drugs," or, if we don't, we should argue upfront that ethyl alcohol imbibed for pleasure or to avoid pain is something other than a drug.

The second problem is more subtle. People who take drugs now and then for pleasure, in moderation, and in such a way that they are not harmed and don't harm others are "using" drugs. In the United States, though, the legal definition has any use of illegal drugs as drug abuse, and that screws up statistics and reporting.

Teenage alcoholics not doing schoolwork, brawling and urinating on your lawn are drug abusers; some kid popping a Tylenol 3 now and then is far from a role model but just a user and a cause for concern, not for another panic.

— Richard D. Erlich, Port Hueneme

Pollinate the pot

Re: your July 17 article, "68,000 pot plants found in Los Padres forest":

With the condition California's economy is in, it seems ridiculous for our county sheriff to conduct pot raids with 40-plus officers, trucks, helicopters, etc., wasting our money and resources. I can't see burning $306 million in marijuana plants when we have legal dispensaries of cannabis in this state that could dispose of it and return the money to the state. Or is the reality that the pot is worth nothing and, therefore, they are fighting a useless battle? I'll give you a hint. If you want to save money and destroy the pot, all the authorities would have to do is aerial pollination. Once the flower is pollinated, it has no value.

— Kenneth Gonzalez, Ventura

No thanks to them

The words "the surge has been very successful" will not escape the lips of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

What is every politician's dream is a credit situation on the horizon. The troops will be coming home not because of any timetable deal, but because we went through the pain and hardship of injecting more troops. I remember quite clearly that both Pelosi and Reid were against this surge and even went so far as to call it a failure before the final troops even arrived.

Now that the surge has succeeded, both Reid and Pelosi are jumping on the bandwagon to make it look like each is the one responsible for bringing the troops home and for ending the Iraq war. Under their previous guidelines, this would not have been the case. We would have withdrawn the troops early. The Iraq government would not have become strong enough to become self-supportive, and it would have been a total nightmare and a failure.

We can debate if we should have ever gone, but, once there, success was important. Let's give kudos to the politicians who endured the political beatings of getting the job done right once we were there — not Reid or Pelosi. Their guidance was truly flawed in a very difficult situation.

— William F. Klepper, Simi Valley

Body language misread

Re your June 28 article, "In Unity, Obama and Clinton urge solidarity":

When Sen. Hillary Clinton spoke, Sen. Barack Obama at different times (a) folded his arms (b) looked at his wristwatch (shades of ex President Bush) and (c) bit his lip (shades of ex President Clinton). In spite of all this, the body-language experts on TV, by selecting other parts of the video, concluded their relationship was warm and sincere.

I suppose it is too close to the election to expect objectivity.

— George Adelman, Newbury Park

Who is Obama?

Who is this guy? We know very little and much of it is not very positive. He has spent most of his adult life as a member of a church that hates Caucasians as well as his own country. The company he keeps includes a convicted terrorist, the architect of the Marc Rich pardons, and more than one racist, anti-American clergyman. Yet, he is the darling of the mainstream news media.

He claims that he will not raise taxes on the middle class, yet favors the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, which will be the largest across-the-board tax increase in the history of this nation. He also wants to establish national healthcare, which he states will cost $90 billion per year, but most experts feel it will be that much per month when you factor in coverage for illegal immigrants. He also favors income redistribution and open borders. He claims to have campaigned in 57 states.

He opposes increased drilling for oil domestically and wants to significantly tax alternative energy such as coal. He also opposes nuclear energy. Is this a well thought out energy policy?

His prospective first lady is on record stating that for the first time in her adult life she is proud of her country. She also said that America is a "mean-spirited" nation. Is this the lady we want representing this country around the world? Of course the news media are currently doing a remake of her in an attempt to sell her to the public.

By Sen. Barack Obama's own admission he has recently fallen of the wagon and resumed smoking cigarettes. Just what we need — a president who lacks willpower.

So, I ask again: Who is this guy and why the news media fascination with him?

— Ronald E. Kelly, Thousand Oaks