‘County’s Quality of Life’

Re “Saving County’s Quality of Life,” by Irvine City Couincilman Dave Baker (Commentary, Sept. 14):

Baker recalled Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”; FDR hadn’t seen Orange County politics. A revised quote might be, “We have nothing to fear but political contributions.” Campaign contributions have ensured favorable decisions for the growth lobby by electing a body of yes-sayers and favor-givers. The five supervisors are not the only ones indebted to their contributors; council members in many of our cities have responded to the will of those who have, relatively speaking, given so little to get so much.

Baker says the rhetoric of the slow growth advocates creates unnecessary “parochial . . . selfish fears.” His complaint reminds me of the tobacco industry. We can relate to secondhand smoke and its impact on our quality of life. The fallout from our rampant development--traffic, smog, crowded schools, jails and airports and the cost of providing the infrastructure--affects us all.

Dave Baker perceives himself as a voice of moderation in our struggle for a well-reasoned decision. Along that line of thinking, perhaps Baker would recommend the USC coaching staff to officiate the USC-UCLA football game.

For years a few people have been saying, “Gridlock is coming.” As those prophetic voices become heard, the developers can no longer do business as usual. Baker says not to worry. Should we continue to follow those leaders that allowed this mess to occur?

TONI ISEMAN

Laguna Beach