Mailbag: Newport and its residents deserve underground utilities

Re: “Making homeowners pay to underground utilities is wrong,” (April 15): All is not bliss among the stalwart opponents of undergrounding activity in Newport Beach District 118.

While not really worshipping power poles, they do not want to pay to remove them, even at $3 a day. In other words, they are against taxes, an issue that was resolved, I thought, by John Dewey, who sold public education regardless of ability to pay.

Newport Beach is a beautiful city with natural and man-made assets. Give us underground utilities.

Donald Nyre

Newport Beach

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Jobs are the price of free-trade agreements

Supporters of the last three trade treaties we’ve enacted over the past 20 years claimed they would add jobs, bring money into our economy and cut into our trade deficit.

Our top “think tanks” and most of our media “experts” agreed. They, along with sitting presidents and Congress, were 100% wrong. Each trade agreement has completely failed in all three categories.

Why can’t we learn from our past mistakes? Or is it possible they were enacted at the behest of the relatively few who finance campaigns and have invested heavily in foreign manufacturing?

If that or something similar is the case, then presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and all of those in Congress who voted for the treaties, knowingly acted against the best interests of the American public. I think it’s time that people in government reevaluate themselves and remember who they serve.

Alan Remington

Costa Mesa

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Separate council politics from safety

Re: “Commentary: Preserve blackball at Wedge but not at 44th St.” (April 26):

Usually Daily Pilot discussions are non-partisan and helpful. I’d like to suggest to commentary writer Jack Wu that his reference to a “Republican-dominated” Newport Beach City Council, regarding a safety discussion, is way out of line. Safety at the beach is a non-partisan matter primarily requiring the advice of the noble lifeguards, for whom safety is a life’s work . Lives are at stake .

Al Wonders

Newport Beach