Santa Monica There’s no shame in cutting losses Editor:
By Liz Koers Ocean Park City got its fair market share Editor: Linda Morris Doug Long Rio Rancho, NM
I always enjoy Kevin Herrera’s (articles), and found the ones in the March 17-18 issue of SMDP to be even more interesting than most (“Trading parking spaces at market,” page 1).
First, I’d like to tell you that I almost never drive here in Santa Monica because of the parking and the many complaints I hear about the traffic. The traffic doesn’t bother me because I walk and take the bus, except when I go to Trader Joe’s. Then, I buy so much stuff that I’d have to make 10 trips to get it all home (if I had walked). I do most of my other food shopping at Albertson’s, which is only a block from where I live, and I walk.
When I go to Pasadena, I always stop at the Trader Joe’s on South Lake Avenue. It is at the top of a building with a parking structure attached that serves not only Trader Joe’s, but also a department store and other stores. When you are done shopping, you take the cart to your car, unload it and take it back to the elevator, where there is a storage place for carts. Trader Joe’s employees come and get the carts to take them back up to the store. It is so relaxing to visit that Trader Joe’s and so easy to park. It is wonderful. I wish that our Santa Monica Place could have a Trader Joe’s in it, but of course, then there might be even more traffic to and from the Place. Actually, I would think that they would want to have a lot of visitors, the more the better, to do more business. In my own case, since I am at the Santa Monica mall at least once a week, I would stop in Trader Joe’s and carry off what I could on the bus. (Re: “Trading parking spaces at market,” March 17-18) One thing I never understood is that the city of Santa Monica knew Trader Joe’s was going into that location when they put in that “traffic calming” strip of landscaping and Jacaranda trees, instead of a (westbound) left turn lane in the middle of Pico (Boulevard) at 33rd (Street).
That should never have happened and it should be changed now, as far as I’m concerned.
The Iraq war has staggered on for four years now, in defiance of America’s disapproval, and there is no end in sight to the bloodshed. Now, the minority who insist that our troops should keep dying there are pandering to a childish machismo by claiming that leaving Iraq would be “surrender.”
But look at what Bush has needlessly surrendered — over 3,200 American lives, our security, our world leadership, our honor and almost $2 billion of our tax dollars every week that are spent on his war. Think of the families who are devastated every day that the war continues.
Now is the time to stop surrendering those things that make America great. America should no longer be sacrificed to Bush’s failure. It is time to get out of Iraq’s civil war and Bush’s deadly mess. Our only chance to make that happen is to keep telling our members of Congress to get us out of Iraq.
Please contact your members of Congress. If we want to support the troops, we should help save their lives.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 20, 2007. Read the original PDF.