Objection overruled, apparently

If you have not heard some horror story about the Ventura County courts, you must live in a cave. But when one who sits on the bench as a pro tem judge crosses the line, things have gone too far. If you think that these things only happen to the “bad guy,” just wait until it happens to you.

Years ago, I hired an attorney to help resolve a real estate issue. Turns out, creative billing is the only thing he cares about. Bottom line is, I would have been much further ahead had he not ever been involved. Add to that massive invoicing, refinancing my home twice to pay him and you get the idea. OK, so I was taken to the cleaners by my own attorney. Now, years later, he decides that was not good enough. He wants even more money! Of course, he knows how to work the courts (having sat in as a pro tem himself) and is able to get a huge undeserved judgment. He told me on several occasions that if I did not go along with what he was doing that he would make it even worse. Now, this is money he did not earn and does not deserve, so I explained this matter to the district attorney. His response just floors me.

“Our office stands ready to file and prosecute criminal cases that have been investigated to the point that the evidence will convince a jury of the suspect’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. However, as with most offenses reported in this county, the district attorney must rely on local law enforcement agencies to fully investigate any such schemes prior to the filing of criminal charges.”

Now law enforcement tells me, “This is a civil matter.” So what am I supposed to do now? Hire an attorney? And then what? Go before the same courts that allowed one of their own to do this in the first place? Here is the rub. Mr. Attorney told me, “If it will cost more to defend yourself than what I am suing for, you will pay it.”

Is this what has become of “justice” in the Ventura County courts? Twenty years ago, this was a great place to live, but I’m afraid that is a thing of the past. Does it come as any surprise that people and companies are packing up and leaving Ventura County?

Anonymous, Ojai

Stupak amendment is unfair
The Stupak Amendment has no business in the Health Reform Bill and will do a lot of harm.

Conservatives — face the facts:
Abortion is a legal medical procedure (thanks to Roe v. Wade) that has been and should continue to be covered by insurance.

Outlawing this coverage is discriminatory and unfair, compromising a woman’s right to choose. Perhaps men should be unable to have vasectomies covered by their insurance, too? Please! Keep your laws off our bodies.

Wendy Stroud, Oak View

Treasurer qualifications politically motivated
I read with much interest Ventura County Supervisors Kathy Long’s and Steve Bennett’s recent comments about making the qualifications more stringent for the elected position of county treasurer-tax collector.  It is interesting to note that these comments come on the heels of Assemblywoman Audra Strickland’s recent announcement that she will be running for this office. Coincidence? I think not.

Kathy Long has been on the Board of Supervisors for 12 years and Steve Bennett has been a Supervisor for nine years, and this is the first time either one of them has made an issue about the qualifications for treasurer-tax collector.  In fact, neither one of them made a peep when the scandalous news broke in 2005 that employees in current Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Matheney’s office had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from the accounts of citizens who had entrusted this office with managing their personal assets.

No, they decided to wait until Strickland, a Republican, announced her candidacy for this nonpartisan position before making their move. The political motivations of these two, both Democrats, is more than obvious here.

I believe the voters and taxpayers should have the opportunity to decide for themselves if Audra Strickland possesses the qualifications and ethics to run this office. To allow these two partisan politicians to rig the process before it even begins is akin to giving the foxes the key to the hen house.

Mike Gibson, Ventura

The right road to decline
Mr. Mize has once again launched a factually challenged, historical revisionist, hysterical rant. Nationalization of banks — see Henry Paulson forcing Morgan Chase to guarantee Bear Stearns transactions while conducting a shotgun marriage to save Goldman Sachs $10 billion in transactions losses; see Henry Paulson’s federal acquisition of AIG to save Goldman Sachs from $15 billion in losses on credit default swap losses due to Lehman Brothers bankruptcy; see Henry Paulson guaranteeing Bank of America against losses in the shotgun marriage with Merrill Lynch; see Henry Paulson guaranteeing $40 billion in a Lehman Brothers asset pool to allow Barclays Bank to acquire Lehman Brothers trading arm and Wall Street offices; see Henry Paulson providing deep discount loans to Goldman Sachs for $25 billion to save their shareholders and bond holders any embarrassment. Did I mention Henry Paulson, treasury secretary under George W. Bush, was CEO of Goldman Sachs from 1999 to 2005?

Mr. Mize expresses the anger of many Americans, but like him they don’t understand why America is fading. It started with the deathbed economic policies (live off the principal, don’t invest in the future) of Ronald Reagan and has been pursued by both parties ever since. In 1980, the top 10 CEO’s in the U. S earned between $800,000 and $8 million, and eight of the 10 were from manufacturing firms. In 2001, the top 10 CEOs earned between $100,000 and $800 million, with only one from a manufacturing company, and that was Dennis Kozlowski, imprisoned for fraud! In 1980, the United States was the largest creditor nation in the world, the largest importer of raw materials in the world, the largest producer of manufactured goods in the world, the largest exporter of finished goods in the world. Today, we are the largest debtor nation in the world, the largest importer of finished goods in the world and one of the largest exporters of raw materials in the world.

From 1945 to 1979, the average income increased and the median income increased annually at rates that exceeded the inflation rate. America got richer and most Americans also got richer. From 1981 to today, the average income has annually exceeded the inflation rate, America has continued to get richer, but the median income exceeded the inflation rate only in 1998, 1999 and 2000. While America has gotten richer, most Americans have gotten poorer. In 2007, the Wall Street Journal noted a “disturbing” trend in the preceding two quarters: for the first time in history, American corporations paid more in interest and dividends to foreign investors than they earned in profits from overseas operations. America is dying economically from the Reagan/Bush tax cuts, military excesses and trade policies, which gut American workers’ incomes. Ever since that warm summer day in France in 1980, when Bill Casey agreed  to sell Iranians arms in exchange for their not releasing the embassy hostages until after the election, thereby assuring Carter’s re-election defeat, America has been on a road of decline and fading into history. Mr. Mize’s rant is but a symptom of this painful death.

Norman Rodewald, Moorpark

Frank Parong remembered
David Cotner (“All that jazz,” Music, 11/19) needs to do some homework on the recent history of jazz in Ventura. The standard for “serious manifestation of jazz in Ventura County” was set by Frank Parong in his late lamented restaurant/bar called the 66 California, which presented the best of West Coast jazz for more than 10 years in downtown Ventura, a fantastic run that ended, as I recall, on New Year’s Eve of 2002. Ten years would be an impressive run for any jazz club, even in Los Angeles or New York, and Frank’s taste was impeccable — every week, he featured the best of mainstream jazz, always, with no concessions to fads and funk beats. Jeff Kaiser deserves the praise Cotner gives him for his jazz salons — certainly a serious contribution — but those of us who remember “the 66” I’m sure will agree that there has never been a more “serious manifestation of jazz” in Ventura, either before or since: the continuous presence of those many years will be hard to beat.

Thanks, Frank, wherever you are.

Philip Pastras, Ventura