Election Frustrating for South County and Democrats

Upon reading the headline of (James Flanigan’s column), “A Bullish Vote for the Future” (Nov. 16), regarding the El Toro airport conversion, I was immediately curious to see which of the pro-Measure A campaign misrepresentations you had fallen for.

One of the campaign’s most egregious lies was repeated when he wrote that John Wayne Airport “operates near capacity now and cannot be expanded.”

The Newport Beach-based perpetrators of the initiative failed to distinguish between “limit” and “capacity.” The Newport Beach-imposed “limit” on air passengers per year at John Wayne is 8 million. The actual “capacity” is 14.5 million. So at its current 7-million passenger usage, John Wayne is at less than half its capacity. Study the pro-A literature and note how deliberately this critical distinction was ignored.

In the same paragraph, it is noted that “considerable cargo” is sent through other, non-Orange County airports, when the fact is that, once again, it is Newport Beach that has prohibited cargo flights out of Orange County--not any physical limitations on the part of the facility.

In truth, merely two cargo flights a day would satisfy the current cargo needs of Orange County businesses. And guess who won’t let that happen.

The hypocrisy of Newport Beach is appalling. If an El Toro airport would create 21,000 jobs (or is it 53,000?), how dare they limit John Wayne to half its capacity while depriving local business the opportunity to ship its cargo?

It will be interesting to see taxpayers’ reactions when they are forced to foot the bill for the economic blight in south Orange County’s communities that will surely follow construction of an international airport at El Toro.

As the man said, “You can fool all of the people some of the time.”

BARBARA D. VAUGHAN

Lake Forest

* We, the people of southern Orange County, have had to put up with a lot of abuse. First there was the defeat of the slow-growth initiative, forcing southern Orange County homeowners to have to deal with rampant overdevelopment. And how was this achieved? By special interest groups telling North County voters lies about the effects it would have on them.

Then South County gets the pork barrel projects, the toll roads, shoved down our throats, which in turn continue to decimate our quality of life.

Then comes the final straw, Measure A and the international airport at El Toro. Self-interested speculators George Argyros and Buck Johns bombarded North County voters with the usual propaganda and disinformation. Through their efforts they got the North County voters to vote that it is in their interest to risk decimating southern Orange County property values.

They tell the people commercial flights are going to take off uphill with a tail wind over mountains. Yeah! And elephants are pink and have wings and can fly. They tell the people that the billion-dollar conversion of El Toro will be paid for by private funds. Where have we heard this before?

The county told us that toll roads would be paid for by developer fees and toll revenues. So far, the toll roads have been paid for by state gas tax money that is supposed to go to freeways and mass transit, and by Mello Roos money that is supposed to go for schools, libraries and fire stations.

Taxpayers, watch out for your wallets!

The people of southern Orange County have had our homes put under attack and we fully intend to fight back. If that means lawsuits, another ballot initiative on El Toro, or an initiative to create a separate southern Orange County, so be it!

Southern Orange County has been seen as just a collection of bedroom communities. Well, it is not. It is a sleeping giant and you have awakened it!

GEORGE M. GALLAGHER

Irvine

* After the national election shocker what is an Orange County Democrat to do?

What we have always done, only more so, that’s what! Our legislators, now Republicans all, never have voted our way in spite of letters and phone calls. Most of us will keep on striving to improve the Democratic Party’s effectiveness, because the alternative scares us.

Staring the immediate national wave of Republicanism in the face, we remember that in the past it has been the Democrats who have led the way out of depressions and wars. Democrats gave us Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Even though problems still exist, it was the Democrats who passed the laws that removed official sanction of racism.

And then came President Bill Clinton. Democrats can rejuvenate their spirits by recalling some important laws and executive orders signed during his first two years in office, which the majority of voters didn’t know or care about. They include: the Brady Gun Control Bill; Family and Medical Leave Act; Motor Voter Bill; Crime Bill (including its assault weapons ban); Budget Bill (which had reduced the federal deficit from $290 billion in 1992 to $167 billion in this fiscal year); $12.7-billion federal education bill as well as the creation of the National Science and Technology Council to cross-cut agencies and eliminate redundancy, and AmeriCorps, the national service program. The benefits of these actions had not yet kicked in by Nov. 8.

Democrats in Orange County must better utilize community organization techniques to gather and activate more members. We have a responsibility to provide information about issues to advance the Democratic agenda.

Yes, it is true, as The Times reported Nov. 14, that the Democratic Party keeps fighting for people who don’t vote. We wonder, along with Bill Press, chairman of the California Democratic Party, if Latinos wouldn’t turn out on Proposition 187, (only 8%) what will bring them into the political process?

And we agree with the last comment in the article, that “the first party to genuinely fight for middle-class and working-class voters wins.” So just how long do you think the Republicans will stay in power with their frightening agenda, and can we Democrats in Orange County hasten their departure?

SALLY J. ALEXANDER

Huntington Beach

* As a former Democratic congressional candidate in California’s 47th Congressional District in 1992, and a member of the Orange County and California Central Committees of the Democratic Party, I can no longer support nor continue to be affiliated with the Democratic Party; I will be switching to the Republican Party for the following reason: The Democratic Party’s total domination in California and Orange County by the Hispanic lobbies, MALDEF and LA Raza.

I believe in legal immigration, but cannot support any groups that do not believe the laws of this country or its Constitution, and that look to a foreign government for support.

JOHN F. ANWILER

Newport Beach

* As I watched local Republican candidates celebrate their victories on TV, I realized that my crossover vote recipient was missing from the festivities. Then I read that Rep. Chris Cox (R-Newport Beach), whom I had assessed as “a good man who does his job,” had returned early to Washington to tend to some House business.

MAURICE A. COOKE

Laguna Hills