Limits to ‘Sprawl’ Development

* As a resident of San Clemente, I commend your decision to publish opposing points of view in letters regarding the controversial final 16 miles of the Foothill toll road. We in Southern California have spent 50 years witnessing and experiencing the aftereffects of “sprawl” development.

Is history not the best teacher? Must greed always be our chauffeur on this drive to concrete over every last bit of Mother Earth? Does not our developmental cup already runneth over?

It’s time to look inward and fix what we’ve wrought and stop this blundering, plundering, bulldozing, exploitation of all remaining open land.

We, this nation of immigrants, have spent 500 years rolling across America with little regard for the earth’s flesh we so cavalierly walk over.

How much is enough? Bill Gates has achieved so much rapid wealth he’s starting to give it back. Ted Turner, Steven Spielberg, Paul Newman likewise.

Can’t we Californians, as an intelligent, collective, positive consciousness, set the same example? Here we are on the western brink; we can go no further. We are on the very edge. When on the edge, must not one use extreme caution?

Turn around. Look from whence you came and begin to fix the leaky plumbing, the shoddy construction, the mistakes. In a word, get our beautiful house in order.

JERRY COLLAMER

San Clemente