FITZ IS A BUM

As a lifelong resident of MoCo, I think I have something to say about outsiders and reformers thinking “they” know what is best for “the Valley” and the rest of us.

Let’s begin with the cover story on Chris Fitz [“Sprawl Buster,” Sept.29-Oct. 5]. According to him, he is concerned that “the Valley is being paved over.” Well, yes, I guess Salinas, Greenfield, Soledad, Gonzales, and King City have a right to grow don’t you think? But hey, he has his piece of paradise in Marina, just before he opposed the Armstrong Ranch project. Nothing wrong with protecting one’s investment by means of a little social conscience, eh?

Fitz says he is for “the environment and social equity.” What the hell is that? We all love the environment, that is a no brainer, but there is no such thing as “social equity.” Our society exists and prospers by social progression. Some people lead and risk capital, while others work inside that framework.

Some people are innovators and some people are workers. Some are paid more than others based on that contribution. How can we create “equity” between Oprah, Donald Trump, a union worker, Paris Hilton, and a coffee server at Starbucks? Or the owners of Pebble Beach and their non-union workers?

Fitz was a college dropout. He admits not being able to “get along with artists.” As he traveled the USA, he admits to being a bum, living off of others. He failed as a writer. He joined the Army to “get out of Manhattan.” He graduates from MIIS at age 39. Wow, congratulations.

Finally, he finds his “dream job.” Grass Roots Community Activist. What grassroots? Did we demand LandWatch?

So, let’s see if I have this straight. The Salinas Valley is the major revenue generator for all of Monterey County, producing more with less land than ever before. The Monterey Peninsula is static in its tourist value and can’t grow any further. The Board of Supervisors is available to the next highest bidder, and Mr. Fitz is gonna fix it. Wow...can’t wait. —CB Maxwell | Pacific Grove

FITZ IS A HERO

What a wonderful profile of Chris Fitz by Jessica Lyons! A pleasure to read your writing, Jessica.

And to know more about Chris. Much more than I had known from the intermittent contact I’ve had with him since the mid-’80s. What a rich life!

Thank you, Weekly, Jessica and Chris! —Courtney Childs | Carmel Valley

BUSH IS A BUM

Where do Americans get the idea that George W. Bush has ever been a strong leader? There is no evidence of such in his personal history, unless you view his lackluster trek through the Texas statehouse as exhibiting such. Even there, he arrived to a healthy fiscal surplus and left office with a black hole of indebtedness.

His résumé prior to government is replete with a string of business failures using other people’s money, a record which has followed him to the White House. Despite his Ivy League education, which included a Yale history major and a Harvard MBA, neither subject appears to have had any significant influence on his thinking or actions.

In place of effective leadership, the highest tier of government has been functioning on a teetertotter of ill-defined right wing ideology. The sad results are there for all to see. —William D. Cox, Ph.D. | Marina