Response to letters about fire chief

[Volume 6, Issue 1 or bit.ly/1QU6f43]

The response by a writer to a farewell for a retiring fire captain turns quickly to denigrating the risk [to] firefighters. Comparisons of death rates of other occupations per 100,000 seems an innocuous exercise until we look at the context. 

True, there many dangerous jobs. But when a roofer falls off a building through accident or carelessness it is not the same as a firefighter falling through the roof of a burning building trying to save your property or your life. And we are fortunate that there are not more fatalities. But there are many less than fatal injuries suffered by police officers and firefighters whose job it is to protect us. The one thing where there is agreement with the previous writer is that, yes, perspective is important.

The second letter, same date, dovetails neatly with the first in a tag team attack on public safety employees by tossing out generalities and misinformation on their pensions. True, it doesn’t make sense for a firefighter to work past 30 years on the job, but for physical reasons mainly. The demands of the job and injuries and operations take their toll. Disability retirement is not a slam dunk, but a process involving reviews and multiple medical examinations and hearings. Easier said than done.

The last statement, “Yes most public safety workers in California are literally set for life –– without putting a dime aside for retirement on their own,” is false. Public safety workers, like other public employees, match the employer’s contribution for pension. Further, 60 to 70 percent of pension payments come from interest earned on contributions.

As Oscar Wilde said: “Truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

––Joe Flynn (not a firefighter or policeman), San Diego

 

Praise for La Mesa antique shops

[Volume 6, Issue 1 or bit.ly/1o3wWYk]

La Mesa Antique Mall is great. It’s where I go to relive my childhood and buy comics and toys from the ’80s and ’90s.

––Brett Bretterson, via Facebook

Love Park Estates!

––Wilma Ross Cadice, via Facebook

Whenever I visit my mom in San Diego, she insists that we go to her favorite shop. Nice to see La Mesa Antique Mall on the cover. Great shop, friendly staff. La Mesa Village has some very good restaurants, too. Sorry to see several other antique shops on the main street are now gone.

––James Earley, via Facebook 

Politicians not up for the game

The notion that tax-supported events are inevitably profitable is ill-conceived. There are enough savvy capitalists to seize upon a good deal if there is one; why have none stepped forward with the Chargers? Remember, it was the politicians of the 1990s that got us into this one-sided “deal” with the Chargers.

Instead of spending everyone’s tax dollars on subjective entertainment, our politicians should be fixing pot holes and preparing for another round of El Nino, which affects us all. If we have extra money solely for entertainment, why does the city need additional sales tax to provide actual government services? It would be cheaper to erect statues for these self-promoting politicians than building a new stadium. Let’s quit wasting valuable time and money on entertainment not enjoyed by all.

––Carlos Miller, La Mesa