Letters to the Editor Week of November 11, 2011

Blatant disregard
I was at the Nov. 2 Encinitas City Council meeting.  At the meeting not one person clapped when Mark Muir was nominated to take Maggie Houlihan’s place on the city council.  In fact, of the several citizens who spoke at the podium that night, not one of them supported Mr. Muir.
      Ian Thompson, Maggie’s husband, and Bruce Ehlers both gave valid reasons as to why Mark Muir should not be nominated.
      By nominating Mr. Muir, I feel that Stocks, Bond, and Gaspar were blatantly disregarding and insulting all the citizens of Encinitas who attended that meeting and also any citizen who wants a fair and balanced city council and government.                                                                                     
Kimberly Patten
Encinitas
Go to credit unions
We must stop keeping our heads in the sand — the financial woes of America are due to rampant financial deregulation. If you want the scare of your life and also educate yourself, please read this exposé about banking and Big Finance — “Which Bank is the Worst for America?” at truth-out.org/which-bank-worst-america-5-behemoths-hold-our-political-system-hostage/1319299908.
Of course I realize the 1 percenters and the tea baggers, who continue to vote against their self-interest while collecting Social Security and Medicare, will scoff at this lengthy piece as nothing more than hysteria, innuendo, or will narrowly focus on some of the more dramatic words.  However the 99 percent should read this carefully and take heed. It reads like a Hollywood disaster film: Secret bank loans, bailouts, derivatives that were knowingly marketed as junk, and the ‘revolving door’ of financial insiders turned lobbyists.
The economic crash, rising poverty and unemployment is the direct result of Big Finance decimating regulatory protections and hoarding cash.  Further cuts to governmental budgets will do nothing but impoverish more consumers and create a tidal wave of unemployment while the rich get richer.  Do large businesses not get that consumers are a gigantic, enormous, huge portion of revenue for this country? Without them, things will continue to crash around everyone’s head forever!
You can do one thing to help yourselves — put your money in a credit union. They are well-regulated to protect you, owned by members/depositors, don’t charge outrageous fees and keep their money local. There are plenty to choose from in this area. Find one, put your hard-earned money in it and know that you’re fighting back against Big Finance.  It’s the least you can do.
You don’t have to take it anymore!
Nadine L. Scott
Oceanside