MAILBAG:

Nice of you to give Flat Earth Society member Chuck Cassity space to vent on cap-and-trade scams, but he didn’t do his homework.

Pollution credits have been traded nationally on the Chicago Board of Trade since the 1990s, made possible by the tree huggers who wanted to use market mechanisms rather than punitive fines to help solve environmental problems (1990 amendment to 1977 Clean Air Act).

Many credit the system for major progress in solving the acid rain problem. The idea is to make it expensive to pollute so there is an economic incentive to behave responsibly. As to global warming, perhaps Pollyanna Cassity should be more worried about what his children will inherit if we keep our collective head in the sand.

BOB SCHMIDT

Newport Beach

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We’re great, so spend our funds elsewhere

Regarding the article on benchmarking (“Newport will measure self against other U.S. cities,” Sept. 12) why are we doing this when a customer satisfaction survey indicated high satisfaction with city services, except for departments involved with building permit delays (of which the city is aware and has been working on improvements)?

We have a city manager form of government, and a well-paid city manager; so why does the council find it necessary to micromanage?

Councilman Don Webb has repeatedly expressed concern for the expense of this effort, and has pointed out the significant amounts of costly staff time required in this measurement process.

Why do we care how we compare with Bellevue, Wash., or how the city’s public relations program compares with Austin, Phoenix, Carlsbad or Ventura?

Our city has a highly competent, well-paid staff to provide our services, and the survey indicates they’re doing a good job. We who live here already know we live in the best city in the country. Rather than wasting funds to measure employee efforts, why don’t we spend these funds to accelerate needed traffic, road, sewer and water improvements, or on the next stage of how to control and minimize drug and alcohol rehab homes, which are proliferating in our community.

At the Aug. 12 council hearing, not one person from the public commented on this. Is it possible the City Council is spending all these funds in an effort to posture themselves for election campaigns?

Newport Beach