MAILBAG:Why don’t candidates address ordinary blokes?

Regarding Barack Obama’s recent fundraiser here in Newport Beach, it is a really sad commentary on presidential politics when candidates who are allegedly running to represent all of the people choose to spend all of their time with only some of the people — those with the big bucks.

Of course, where can you find such people but here in Newport Beach, right? It’s sad that these guys (and gal) don’t have the time to address crowds of us ordinary blokes because we can’t “fork over” enough to warrant being invited to these exclusive events in somebody’s multi-million dollar mansion high in the hills in some gated community.

Obama may be a Democrat, but he is no democrat. It is time for public financing of campaigns (coupled with media sponsorship of open debates on prime-time TV) that ban the soliciting of funds from anyone or the use of personal fortunes to buy into an election.

Until then, the only people who will ever get elected are rock stars like Obama, Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton or multi-millionaires like Mitt Romney who can raise the hundreds of millions of dollars it will take to get elected this year.

When these candidates must spend so much of their time and effort sucking up for money, I fail to see how they can truly relate to the average citizens whom they pretend to support. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, big money corrupts all of the politicians all of the time.

LENARD DAVIS

West leaves cost out of his criticism of mayor

In response to an anticipated vote on whether to proceed with a proposed study led by Costa Mesa Traffic Manager Peter Naghavi, Geoff West writes a blistering criticism of Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor (“Mansoor’s hold echoes that of a de facto dictator,” June 5).

This is nothing new. He regularly criticizes the mayor on virtually every issue that comes down the pike.

My suggestion is that if West thinks he can do a better job, he should consider seeking a seat on the council himself.

Oh, I forgot. The only voters who would support him would be those from Return to Reason, who supported the losers in the last election.

West ardently supports the guidelines laid out by Naghavi for possible traffic-calming measures. What he neglects to mention is the fact that in his presentation, the traffic manager stressed that none of the measures available for traffic calming are without considerable cost. His estimate was in the $500,000 range per neighborhood.

Problem is the questionable effectiveness of any of the available measures.

ILA JOHNSON

Argument suggests flaw in reasoning

I must take issue with Rabbi Marc Rubenstein’s erroneous notions that “people who are atheists suffer from a lack of intelligence,” and “those people who don’t believe in God have little meaning in life.” (“Why the uptick in atheism?” In Theory, June 2).

Apparently, one can be highly educated and gifted, which I believe to be true of the Rabbi, but at the same time, express blatantly unintelligent ideas. A significant indicator of one’s intelligence about issues of theology is in the recognition that blind faith is a learned discipline with no empirical evidence to support it — unlike most other bodies of knowledge which do have such support.

And to suggest that godless people lack — somewhat — a life of meaning is a stupid remark at best and suggests to me a serious flaw in reasoning and the ability to view this subject objectively.

ELLIOTT WILSON

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