Gas tax, Bauder retirement, Duncan Hunter, Mike Schaefer, Matthew Philbin

Gas tax invasion

In connection with gas tax initiatives on ballots (“GOP gov. candidate Cox was major donor of gas tax repeal,” News Ticker, July 13), who recalls the time when California had a multi-billion dollar reserve in the highway fund, and everyone and his kid brother was flooding the legislature with bills to get their hands on it? They eventually did, of course, and this is where we are. There oughta be a law that prevents the invasion of funds for any other purpose than the reserve was intended for; if we had it, all our roads and bridges would always have been in tiptop shape. Then there’s multi-topic initiatives, like #9, and legislation designed to hide the many true purposes of the bill for its many beneficiaries. What a circus this is with both sides pitching bull.

• Saul Harmon Gritz
• Hillcrest

When a tree falls without Bauder

If there were a way to grant one person in San Diego County immortality, I’d nominate Don Bauder, the brilliant and incorruptible financial columnist, now retiring, who has spent some forty years exposing and opposing the plans of the local fat cats to get fatter at our expense (“Farewell to a professional love,” News Ticker, September 17). What will we do without him? How will we know stuff? Thanks to the Reader for providing a home for him when his independence made his job at the U -T impossible. Wishing him a health miracle, and many happy retirement years to come.

• Lynnette Perkes
• Poway

Dunking Hunter

As a conservative, I cannot vote to re-elect my Republican Congressman, Duncan Hunter, who is now under indictment for misusing campaign funds and has been stripped of his Congressional committee assignments(“Hunter, Chavez mailers scrutinized,” News Ticker, August 24). Evidence shows Hunter used hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal expenses including vacations to Italy, video games, etc.

• Karen Grube
• Escondido

Joel zapping

Today it’s David v. Goliath.Mike Schaefer, the former city councilman, city prosecutor, returned home after travels through Nevada and Maryland, and Texas, sprang from retirement to seize the Board of Equalization seat for our five counties, San Diego-Orange-Riverside-Imperial-San Bernardino, for a four-year job reviewing the real estate assessments of our homes and business property by 58 county assessors for a bloated pay of $142,000 a year and just one day a month hearing (“Mike Schaefer, 80, running for office again,” News Ticker, May 3). Mike’s outreach to over 100 known donors has resulted in zero, zilch, donations except Home Depot gave him $100 worth of zip ties and staple guns for his 3000 signs and he has staff in each county assisting him. His only opponent, Joel Anderson, has raised and spent well over $100,000.

• Mike Schaefer
• Ocean Beach

Rental troubles

I was recently told of this article about the new owner of 637 E. 2nd St. in National City where I currently live and am about to be evicted from (“Matthew Philbin — landlord to the homeless,” Neighborhood News, March 26). I’m a 60-year-old, Navy veteran of over 12 years service, Honorably discharged and am disabled from a Non-service related injury with an Extremely Rare and PAINFUL medical condition. I did the Appalachian Trail, end to end, solo but lately I’m in too much pain to walk much farther than the mailbox. You wrote about Matt as if he were a saint, going out of his way to help the homeless and the Vets down on their luck, but since buying the property I’ve lived in for going on five years, all I have seen has been the removal of all shade producing trees, a solar collection eyesore in the back yard, a fence that’s somewhere between industrial and a stalag without access to the alley and the ever present insect and rodent infestations. Oh, I forgot to mention that one of the first things Matt did was to find out how much the residents were paid and the frequency of the paychecks then increased the rent to the point that a person can exist there IF there is no other bills to pay.

• Curtis R Miller
• National City