Politicians

A recent survey by the Pew Forum and Congressional Quarterly showed that members of Congress are much more likely than the overall public to claim to belong to a religion. Only five members of the new Congress declined to give details on their religious affiliation, but it wasn?t certain whether they were atheist or agnostic. It could be largely political as a USA Today/Gallup poll in early 2007 showed it would be harder for an atheist to be elected president, as only 45% would support a non-believer candidate, compared with 55% who would vote for someone who is gay or the 88% who would support a woman.

They are sometimes called the Millennials, a name used to describe the twentysomethings who have been turning out in record numbers to register to vote and who are voting. In the Iowa caucuses earlier this year, they represented 13% of the voters. In New Hampshire, they were a whopping 43%. According to an analysis by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland, a record 6.5 million voters younger than 30 participated in this year’s caucuses and primaries.

I found the juxtaposition of two stories in the Jan. 29 paper to be quite revealing about the current state of values in the area. One story involved politicians objecting to the home delivery of wine and beer with pizza orders, and the other involved the enthusiastic response by area congressmen to President Bush's State of the Union address pushing us ever closer to war. Why is it that local politicians object to...

Bill Turner First of all, being a developer is all about money and power. Money and power will get you everything but love, joy and peace. When you need something, those who owe you will usually come through for you. Do favors for the right people all of the time so they will be obligated to come through for you when you need them. Small little favors now will pay extremely large dividends later on. Next, give cursory monetary gifts to every charitable organization that you can find.

Re: "Lobdell: 'Who's to blame for Arizona shooting?'" (Jan. 11): Kudos to William Lobdell's piece on who is to blame for the Arizona shooting. I am sick to death of the media and politicians' needs to politicize everything, particularly liberals trying to score political points any way possible. The reporting of this tragedy has been hijacked for political gain as evidenced by The New York Times, MSNBC and the blogs. Crazy people walk among us and unfortunately do crazy things. I suggest we keep our eyes on the politicians who always jump at the chance to pass laws to try to fix random acts that will in turn have unintended consequences.

Re. "Balboa carousel told to mosey on" (July 26): Taking away the merry-go-round is taking the fun out of the Fun Zone. The loss of this 75-year-old center of the Fun Zone is a travesty. It was the merry-go-round that drew me each summer to the Fun Zone with my family for fun rides and an afternoon at the arcade. So much of that has been lost. We can't afford to lose any more. Rumor has it that nothing will be done by the ExploreOcean/Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, the landlord, until four years or more.

A recent Los Angeles Times poll finds that anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism is fading among voters, who are becoming more willing to vote for presidential candidates of those religious backgrounds. Other faiths, however, still raise road blocks for voters, Mormonism and Islam among them. Do you sense a change in people's attitudes toward politicians' religious beliefs? No matter the faith, I find it impossible to read people's minds about their attitudes toward anything. Whenever I try, I'm wrong at least 50% of the time.

In the world of representative government, there are leaders and there are politicians. In Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, we have had our share of both. We admire the leaders and appreciate the valuable community service they provide. Politicians, well, that's another story. When we suspect politicians are trying to pose as leaders, we have to call their bluff. Last week, Newport Beach Councilman Tom Thomson became the only City Council member to come out in support of the Greenlight initiative -- a measure that would require public votes on major developments in the city.

Deirdre Newman When Rick Rescorla was a platoon leader during the Vietnam War, his small platoon prevailed over a massive group of Viet Cong in a battle at Ia Drang Valley. On Sept. 11, 2001, Rescorla sacrificed his own life in an attempt to evacuate every one of the employees at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, where he was vice president in charge of security, from the south tower of the World Trade Center. Rescorla's heroic story is just one of many profiled in the book, "Modern Day Heroes: In Defense of America," co-compiled by Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins.

Ideas about solving the recent fairgrounds’ crisis come in bundles. Some are noteworthy, but a few of them are deceptive and even hilarious. A proposal to buy the fairgrounds is creative, but it is also flamboyant and out of touch with a sound economic plan. If bonds were put in the market to save the fairgrounds, you know who will line up to buy them: the same people who have lobbied Sacramento to get our land for sale. Why give them an opportunity to fatten their economic assets without an inch of real work?

Newport Beach Councilman Rush Hill on Monday endorsed Councilwoman Leslie Daigle in her bid for state Assembly and strongly criticized one of her opponents in the race, Democrat Robert "Bob" Rush. Hill stated in a press release issued by the Daigle campaign that his peer on the council is best suited to represent the 74th District, which includes Newport, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Irvine. "I've worked closely with Leslie on the most important issues facing our city - cutting our budget to live within our means, pension reform, more effective approaches to service delivery, and encouraging economic growth - and she is serious about finding solutions and effective in forging alliances on the council," he said.

Re. "Balboa carousel told to mosey on" (July 26): Taking away the merry-go-round is taking the fun out of the Fun Zone. The loss of this 75-year-old center of the Fun Zone is a travesty. It was the merry-go-round that drew me each summer to the Fun Zone with my family for fun rides and an afternoon at the arcade. So much of that has been lost. We can't afford to lose any more. Rumor has it that nothing will be done by the ExploreOcean/Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, the landlord, until four years or more.

COSTA MESA — Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed a labor leader embroiled in Costa Mesa's recent political conflicts to the board of directors that oversees the Orange County Fairgrounds. Nick Berardino, 62, general manager of the Orange County Employees Assn., will join the nine-member Fair Board, the governor's office announced Thursday. The move elevates Berardino's stature as he is locked in an ideological battle with a Republican Costa Mesa council majority that has challenged the city's employee unions on pensions and pay. Brown, a Democrat, has appointed a political ally to a position that his Republican predecessor essentially discarded.

A documentary on the life of Ronald Reagan will make its world premiere on the silver screen Thursday night at Newport Beach's Regency Lido Theatre. The screening of the 100-minute film, "Ronald Reagan: An American Journey," was organized by private parties independent of the city's recent approval of a project to commission a statue of the 40th president, , Councilman Keith Curry said. However, with what would have been Reagan's 100th birthday approaching Feb. 6, the screening is a way to honor him as the "iconic symbol of optimism.

Re: "Lobdell: 'Who's to blame for Arizona shooting?'" (Jan. 11): Kudos to William Lobdell's piece on who is to blame for the Arizona shooting. I am sick to death of the media and politicians' needs to politicize everything, particularly liberals trying to score political points any way possible. The reporting of this tragedy has been hijacked for political gain as evidenced by The New York Times, MSNBC and the blogs. Crazy people walk among us and unfortunately do crazy things. I suggest we keep our eyes on the politicians who always jump at the chance to pass laws to try to fix random acts that will in turn have unintended consequences.

As we enter into the second decade of the 21st century, we should pause and reflect upon probably the largest reality of human life, which is that circumstances change, and those who do not change with them generally drift into decay and irrelevance. With that in mind, here is a request to our nation's political leaders that they change their ways, and hopefully help us change ours, in light of the new realities of our times. The most fundamental thing that must be done is for our leaders to tell us the truth as they actually see it. And that should be followed by giving us their honest recommendations about what changes should be made.

NEWPORT BEACH — While waiting for her turn to speak Saturday, Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-California) shielded her eyes from the sun and looked over her shoulder, taking in the view. Between Fashion Island's towers to the left, homes to the right and commercial airliners soaring overhead, Upper Newport Bay was at high tide and full of life. If some politicians had their way years ago, this 750-acre watershed would look vastly different, probably with homes and baseball fields.

  Chuck Cassity wonders what other laws besides those regarding immigration he can break without fear of prosecution from the government and become rich in the process ("Sounding Off: Selective attention and the law," July 30). Here are some, Chuck: corporate fraud (Wall Street); willful negligence resulting in death (BP and Massey Mining); murder, rape, theft (Blackwater); war crimes, torture,perjury, ethics, conflicts of interest (Bush administration). All of these perpetrators have ignored the law and enriched themselves beyond their wildest dreams without a day spent in jail.

WESTMINSTER — As she toured Little Saigon, Ghada Said Gerges Amien, an Egyptian civil rights lawyer, was impressed with seeing the structure, order and principles of the American system up close. "There's respect, understanding, democracy and order," she said in Arabic. "People here have goals, and they succeed." Amien, a member of the High Council Al Ghad Party for human rights, was one of nine Jordanian and Egyptian politicians and political-minded visitors who found themselves in the heart of the Vietnamese-American stronghold last week as they toured Orange County with the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL)

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, former Assemblyman and Supervisor Todd Spitzer and other well-known Orange County politicians attended Iger & Associates Election Day Lunch Tuesday at the Orange County Hilton in Costa Mesa. Former Costa Mesa Mayor Peter Buffa, a columnist for the Daily Pilot, served as emcee and didn’t shy away from teasing elected officials — many of them in the room. The event began informally among friends 20 years ago and has grown into a popular event, even for those in the last hours of a campaign.