Cox missed an El Toro opportunity In...

Cox missed an El Toro opportunity

In the Pilot’s Community Commentary on Thursday (“Congressman

focuses on city, despite ‘national issues’”) Newport’s Congressman

Chris Cox self-righteously toots his horn regarding what he’s done

for us in getting passage of some $30 million in authorizations for

Newport Bay and for writing a bill -- not passed yet -- to authorize

$20 million more.

This is an absolute drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of

billions in our federal budget, and doesn’t compare with what many

other congressmen come up with for their constituents.

However, the towering truth regarding Cox’s concern for us in

Newport Beach is his consummate lack of support and inaction

regarding what we want most -- the addition of an El Toro airport to

relieve the ever-increasing congestion, noise, traffic and burden of

the John Wayne facility. Early on and later, he could easily have

thwarted special agenda politicos and developers’ money that faked

out voters into going against their best interests for transportation

needs, jobs and the local economy. By his silence, a wonderful

opportunity to keep us from drowning in airport congestion throughout

the southland appears lost -- a gift facility with an unbelievably

huge buffer area surrounding it. Developers are licking their chops

as this very area goes to auctions.

Representative Cox’s district includes Newport, but he surely

didn’t come through for us.

KEN KVAMMEN

Newport Beach

Think about how ‘Jane Doe’ must feel

Regarding Tuesday’s Pilot story, “Judge keeps Haidl in jail until

retrial,” the Haidl family doctor says Greg Haidl is suffering from

major clinical depression, a serious anxiety disorder and

post-traumatic stress disorder. One can only imagine what Jane Doe’s

list of “sufferings” must look like. Can a feeling of guilt cause

post-traumatic stress disorder?

SUSAN MERRIHEW

Balboa Island