Fire the narcs

If the San Francisco Police Department can find nothing better to do than arrest marijuana growers ["Waiting to Inhale," 6/9/04], then I have a suggestion for helping fix the budget deficit: cut funding for the department's "narcotics" unit. Perhaps some of the funds saved could be used to start a city-run pot farm.

Jon Silverman
San Francisco

Planet of the apes

Neither humans nor bonobos are mere monkeys ["Strangers in the Night," 6/9/04]. We're apes!

Humans are closest to bonobos and chimps, genetically 98.5 percent human. Yet our brothers and sisters are being systematically murdered so their butchered flesh can be sold in the "bushmeat" trade to be eaten in big cities as a delicacy.

Within the past century, this butchering has moved at least one immuno-deficiency virus from chimps to humans, where it rapidly evolved into AIDS viruses. Please help stop these atrocities by visiting www.bushmeat.org today.

Tortuga Bi LIBERTY
San Francisco

How Kerry helps Bush

Isn't it really John Kerry who is helping George W. Bush win the election ["How Nader Helps Bush," Opinion, 6/9/04]? To blame the shortcomings of Kerry on Ralph Nader is ridiculous. How can it be Nader's fault that Kerry looks unappealing? If Kerry wants to win those voters back, it'd be easy – he could offer a real alternative. Is that going to happen? Not a chance.

The Democratic Party has spent so much of its time and energy trying to appeal to the Republican swing voters that they have abandoned their progressive constituency, and they have also abandoned all those that feel that there is no reason to vote. That's more than half of the eligible voters that they've abandoned. I am one of those who feel betrayed by the Democrats. Kucinich gave me hope, as does Nader. But Kerry doesn't.

Bill Noertker
San Francisco

The Nader nightmare

John Pearce's opinion piece "How Nader Helps Bush" is right on the mark. The only conservative support Nader receives will be monetary contributions, not votes, to keep his foolhardy campaign going because everyone on the right knows Nader hurts Kerry and therefore helps Bush.

On November 2 we face only one choice: yes or no on George W. Bush. Every possible voting option will in effect be either in support of or opposition to four more years of the Bush regime. Voting for Nader diminishes the opposition because Ralph, of course, has no chance whatsoever of actually unseating Bush. Staying home and not voting is one less opposition vote that Bush has to overcome. Voting for John Kerry, as flawed and uninspiring as he is, is the only way to register your opposition to the Bush regime.

Richard Marracq
Redwood City

Presidio's funny money

The Bay Guardian had it essentially right in its perceptive report on the first public budget meeting held by the Presidio Trust ["Buildings Grow, Trees Die," 5/19/04]. Interesting that the material was presented by the executive director, Craig Middleton, assisted by the general counsel and public affairs director. No one from the trust budget or finance staff was present.

The Bay Guardian noted that the National Academy of Public Administration, in its recent report, found the trust financial outlook has a slim margin for error in meeting the self-sufficiency goal by 2013. This isn't quite right.

NAPA reported that the trust board is convinced it will meet its financial goal. It will easily cover the necessary operating and maintenance expenses of $40 million a year, and NAPA expects at least $25 million surplus each year for capital expenses to rehabilitate the remaining buildings and pay for natural area improvements. While NAPA did point out some potential risks of a downturn in rental income, it also provided a series of steps the trust could take to reduce risks, control costs, and increase income.

As for the 70 percent larger alternative preferred by the trust for the PHS [Public Health Service Hospital] project, the additional revenue is estimated at $600,000 a year, or 2 percent of projected capital expenses. This amount can easily be managed within the trust financial plan. There is no financial justification for choosing the larger project, which would have significant negative impacts on the neighborhood, the historical integrity of the building and landscaping, and environmental costs.

Both the Planning Association for the Richmond and the Sierra Club asked when the trust would provide the public with their 18-year financial forecast and capital budget they are using in the analysis for the PHS site. Without that forecast, the public cannot examine real alternatives available to meet trust financial goals that would make the larger project at PHS unnecessary. We have not received an answer.

Donald Green Sierra Club, Presidio Committee
San Francisco