Gallegly, China and Farmers

Re “Grower Groups Split Over Gallegly, Case,” Nov. 5.

It is a shame that some of the growers are so parochial and narrow minded in their interests that they overlook the larger issues for our area, state and country. In the long term, it is not in our interest to have an overwhelming trade imbalance with China. We also need to have a reasonable approach to immigration and undocumented workers. The growers only see their short-term profits as the main issue.

We can thank Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) for his ability to see the bigger picture.

LARRY ZINI

Camarillo

* How clear the distinction is between growers who perceive their best interest to be served by opposing a nationally sanctioned U.S. trade policy with Red China, and also by fostering an amnesty program for foreign interlopers in spite of the negative impact the glut of illegal immigrants hath imposed on the rest of the states of California, Arizona, Texas and Florida, and those growers who support the tried and proven Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), a man who has faithfully served the best interests of Ventura County growers and the nation at large throughout his terms in office.

How interesting that Mr. Gallegly’s potential political opponent, the Democrat Michael Case, faults Mr. Gallegly’s stand in seeking to control the flood of immigrants, referring to such efforts as “stringent, excessive and counterproductive attacks on traditional labor supplies.”

Do tell Mr. Case that other than perhaps some Santa Paula lemon growers, there are hordes of United States citizens who credit Mr. Gallegly and other rational statesmen with the ability to improve on what Mr. Case may term for the lemon growers their traditional labor supplies.

Rep. Gallegly, acting as a Ventura County representative with his own country’s (and county’s) best interest at heart, is eager to help the impatient lemon growers but is statesman enough to seek solutions not so fraught with problems concerning immigration and those arising from unbalanced foreign trade with a powerful, devious and avowedly antagonistic nation as represented by Communist China.

Thank you, Mr. Gallegly, for your continued efforts to bring order out of what has historically been painful and costly (to the rest of us), haphazard, directionless “traditional labor supplies” and to further the best national interests with respect to our trade policies with Communist China.

We suspect too that Mr. Gallegly will have the continued support of the Ventura County growers, the great bulk of whom appreciate what he does for us all.

T. BRUCE GRAHAM

Port Hueneme