Colin Flaherty fan, Meg Burns booster

Cruelty in the captions?

The photograph of a “granny cottage” in Del Mar (“Affordable housing laws descend on Del Mar”, Neighborhood News, Jan 10) was captioned “Why would you ever ruin such an adorable addition by making it low-income housing.” Is it author Sharon Pell who holds the poor in such disdain, or Reader editors? Who there is certain low-income people are trash? Who among your readers agree?

People who qualify for low income housing are often tidy, pleasant people in need of a tidy, pleasant home. Some low-income people’s lives have been devastated by disabling injuries or long illnesses. The family racks up massive medical debt. Reduced to Social Security Disability income, all their savings cannot stop the slide into poverty. Then there are those living paycheck to paycheck who have been laid off, students scraping every penny to push through college, parents who chose poverty over abuse — people just as good, just as worthwhile as the typical Del Mar resident. Del Mar mayor Dwight Worden insistence that providing homes for those struggling to move out of poverty “doesn’t feel right”, as he said. It feels like the worst kind of NIMBY. Cruelty based on ignorance.

• Lynn Nielsen
• Kensington

Reader photo caption editor responds: A thousand pardons, Ms. Nielsen. The caption was an attempt at mordant humor, criticizing the practice noted in the article of installing ADUs and then using them as extra bedrooms or offices.

Flaherty fan, Burns booster

What a fantastic send-off story about Colin Flaherty (“Colin Flaherty gets sent off with a song”, Cover Story, Jan 26) who gave the best days of his life to San Diego as a creative journalist and as son-in-law to our U.S. Congressman Lionel Van Deerlin. I know most all of those mentioned, being a political junkie (San Diego Councilman and State Board of Equalization officer) myself over an ongoing span of some 60 years and ongoing. An outstanding gathering of family and friends in Pennsylvania for him.

It is not only the Fair Political Practices Commission that terrorizes us with threats to seize our lottery winnings (ha!), all agencies of Cal. can and do this and wonder why the IRS has not chimed in. They already go after our casino winnings over a certain amount. Colin did the Lord's work in rescue of Kelvin Wiley from false imprisonment, and the Lord remembers such things we do for others in need. Amused he knew so many of our notables and had unvarnished opinions on some of them.

Colin and I were both hitchhikers. He would have saluted that. My thumb carried me all over Europe as a UC Berkeley student, and even today, while catching a flight to Sacramento as a Board of Equalization member, I’ve parked free at Liberty Station for a few days, walked across the street to catch the morning-bus direct to the nearby airport; and then, well dressed, bared my thumb with a $5 bill to attract uber or good citizen to share the morning for a few minutes and a few blocks. About half the time the bus arrives first. The other half it’s a curious local and when they find I am an ex-Councilman off to Sacramento they seem pleased to host and anxious to share the moment. Locals are nice.

For decades I have enjoyed San Diego Reader and a prime reason is stories like Meg Burns writes. May we see more of her.

• Mike Schaefer
• La Jolla