Attendance at council shows he cares
Regarding Mr. Aboulsaad's letter and his conclusions ("Growing
pains evident in city, at council meetings," Oct. 20 Leader):
The mere notion that he would compare citizens' opinions of City
Council decisions to those of persons who sit on juries trying
murderers, rapists, terrorists and other criminals is just offensive.
The claim that the two are even remotely similar in scope is
outrageous. Every citizen has a right to criticize, defend or
otherwise opine on the government we elect.
There are a select group of people who would benefit from a larger
airport, and I'm guessing from his opinion, Mr. Aboulsaad is one of
them. Some people who take two trips to New York every month might
benefit from a larger airport, this is true. But the number of people
who would be harmed by a larger airport surpasses that immensely.
A bigger airport would mean bigger planes and more of them. That
means more noise, more pollution, lower property values, more
environmental erosion, human detriment in the way of lung problems,
headaches, sleep disorders -- all things that cause serious and
long-term societal dangers. This is a case of the needs of the many
outweighing the needs of the few.
As far as abandoned storefronts and businesses in downtown go,
it's a difficult choice to make, but rather than give several million
of our dollars to an already profitable multi-million dollar
corporation, I think most people would prefer to let citizens keep
their money.
Or maybe have the money go to useful things -- schools, police and
firefighters, anything besides another clothing store selling hip,
retro clothes that will be out of style next week and discarded in
the trash bin or the Salvation Army thrift store. But maybe that's
just me.
To criticize someone for not wanting to go through the nightmare
of running for a public office is just ludicrous. Simply because
someone doesn't want a title does not mean they don't have the
community's best interest in mind.
There is a reason those good people go the meetings every Tuesday,
and there is a reason I am writing this letter. We care. We care
about this city and her people, her children and her future. And what
the City Council is doing now and has been doing for a long time is
wrong. It's the wrong mind set and decisions for the city. If no one
stands up and says it, no one is going to know, no one's going to
care, no one will stop it.
If you think that we don't care, or that I personally don't care,
