Untrue about Congress pay
I appreciated last week’s letter from Bill Thomas paying homage to active duty soldiers. Knowing what they must endure puts many of our daily problems and hassles into perspective.
However, his letter unfortunately segued into the world of false Internet memes and requires a response. He repeats a common falsehood that has been popping up on the Internet since the year 2000. It is not true that members of congress get full pay upon retirement after just one term.
Also, there is no 28th Amendment to the Constitution at this time. The one he quotes is more of a “proposal” that also started on the Internet.
In fact, members of congress are NOT exempt from the laws of the U.S. making this proposal redundant. Rather than use letter space here to provide details, I encourage readers to check out the excellent and highly regarded investigative website – snopes.com – and search under “congressional pensions” and “the 28th amendment.”
Cathy Goldberg
Seal Beach
Offended by athiest group’s complaints
I came home from the State of the Los Alamitos City Luncheon to see the schools attacked by a National Atheist Group for having a school graduation at a church, a church that has a room large enough to hold all of the people. I am sure if the Atheists were to build a facility in Los Alamitos large enough for the graduation and rent at the same price, the school district would be happy to rent it from them.
This has nothing to do with religion.
It is what they can afford nearby.
If one of these atheists had a medical problem and Loma Linda was the best place to go, would they say NO it is a religious hospital? Thank God we have people of faith that develop hospitals and halls large enough to serve the community.
I am not a member of Cottonwood Church but I thank God we have them and their members in our community. They work to solve problems, not make them. Atheists seldom offer a real solution. How many schools or hospitals have they built?
Theresa Sherrin was long time (1964) resident of Los Alamitos and retired to Cypress
The Bay Theater Dilemma
It seems that there is a basic problem in regard to the Bay theater:
Many people get great pleasure from seeing the exterior of the Bay, with its iconic marquee, ticket booth, and the posters in display cases; but not enough patrons have actually gone inside the theater to make it a profitable business.
Maybe the solution would be a redo similar to that of the old Uniroyal tire factory alongside the 5 freeway. Its distinctive wall, with the Egyptian-themed adornments, was kept; however, behind the wall, a commercial complex replaced the factory. And the new entity was given a catchy name: The Citadel.
So, the exterior of the Bay would be maintained, or duplicated, while behind this façade a commercial building or an arcade of shops and offices could be developed.
Locals as well as tourists could then enjoy the appearance of an old-fashioned movie house—with its capacity to evoke a flood of warm memories and good feelings—and yet at the same time support businesses to make the project economically viable for an owner.
In any event, the time to save the Bay as a theater was in the past—with paid admissions, not sentiment.
Richard Hollis
Los Alamitos
