Lacking resources to fight fires

Re “1,155 homes -- and counting,” Oct. 24

Now that we see what can happen -- and not what just might happen -- when we cut governmental services to the bone and our fire departments are unable to cope with an emergency, all I can say is: Thank you, Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann and selfish voters of California for Proposition 13, which gutted our fire and police departments and strapped local communities and thus the state. Penny-wise and pound-foolish.

David G. Porter

Anaheim

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It’s ironic that the United States spends billions of dollars building and maintaining warplanes so Americans can kill people all over the world, but we have very limited aircraft for fighting wildfires.

Michael Hahn

Highland, Calif.

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Remember Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $45-million tax break for yacht owners? I wonder how many firefighting airplanes it could have bought?

Joel Pressman

Los Angeles

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Why is it that every time a natural disaster occurs, people blame the government instead of looking at themselves? Let’s take these fires, for example. Our local government allows contractors to make millions building homes in areas they shouldn’t be built in. These areas, known to be fire prone, are a dollar sign to developers and to politicians, who did not complain when these homes were built.

Developers are running amok in our hills and in our politicians’ pocketbooks and not providing the proper clearance, taking the homes right up to the edge of destruction. Stop counting on the feds to clean up the mess you made.

Paul Ruiz

Brea

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Re “Thousands relive a disaster,” Oct. 23

So San Diego faces another inferno after voters refuse to pay for new fire stations and equipment? I bet those morons are crying big, fire-quenching tears about now.

Laura Kaufman

Pasadena

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Re “Ex-San Diego fire chief won’t say, ‘I told you so. . . ‘ “ column, Oct. 24

It seems that the San Diego Republican Party has reaped the results of its political philosophy. Working to get rid of big government shorted the county of firefighters and equipment.

Removing government bureaucracy, and in particular those intrusive government regulations for fire prevention, enabled county residents to live in and build homes susceptible to fire.

To be true to Republican values, federal welfare and assistance must be denied. Only those with sufficient private funds should be rebuilding. Somehow, I don’t think that will happen though. The same people who disparage government aid for the unfortunate are already on the news demanding help.

How many fires will it take before San Diego County faces up to its responsibilities and hires enough firefighters and purchases enough equipment?

Kathryn Pisaro

Valencia