ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : VOICES

Many Orange County residents reacted with frustration and anger at the county’s financial crisis. here is a sampling of comments received from readers invited to telephone the newspaper’s TimesLine number with their comments.

Would Robert Citron or Supervisor Riley have mortgaged their homes to bet at the horse races? Probably not, but they borrowed and used other people’s money to do that same thing. I think it is a failure of Orange County management. I hope that other people besides Robert Citron are called to account for this so that is not put solely on his shoulders.

DWIGHT STREIT, SEAL BEACH

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I’m an elementary school teacher, and I feel that the school districts are being placed in great jeopardy when they are mandated by the state to put their funds in county investment situations. I don’t feel that school districts should be punished for that when they have no choice in the matter.

LINDA SCHLEIGER, ANAHEIM

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I feel very concerned about the situation in Orange County, and I think taxpayers will end up having to pay for this mess. Robert Citron, as the person in charge of this fund, is very responsible, and my question is: Why wasn’t there a system of checks and balances for somebody who had so much responsibility with so much money?

PENNEY RIZZO

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I don’t know quite what Citron had in his mind except that he evidently was greedy. But I’m thinking of the county controllers elsewhere in the country who said, “I would never invest in any type of instrument I don’t understand.”

TOM HEPPENHEIMER, FOUNTAIN VALLEY

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There have been several warning signs in the last year about the fund that the county invested in. When interest rates first turned around and started to rise, that was a warning shot across the bow. Then in six weeks to eight weeks, another shot was fired and rates went up again. After that point, no one that I know could understand why the county didn’t start to take preventive measures.

BILL SHEPHERD, DANA POINT