Misplaced Municipal Priorities

It was with a bit of sadness that I read the article “New Soccer Center Ready for Action (Sept. 12),” about the new soccer center that opened in our city. It is great to encourage sports of all varieties among our youth. However, in the big picture it is more important that we also encourage scholarship and a love of knowledge.

Hosting a world-class soccer team will not forward our country’s position in the world. Remember the recent information about the standing of our students on a world-wise basis? Abysmal is almost too kind a word. The students are not to blame. They are given no examples of love of learning or the necessity of the hard work required to achieve.

For example, our community was not able to build a new library, which is sorely needed considering the population growth. Apparently, Mission Viejo has parents and others who are willing to subsidize a magnificent athletic compound but will not subsidize learning. The results of this shortsightedness will be apparent in the not too distant future. We will be a Third World country.

HELEN M. MUES

Mission Viejo

* It seems like we see the headlines nearly every week. Our neighbors in Tustin, Anaheim, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo and elsewhere in the county are opening brand-new youth sports facilities in their parks. City-owned fields, city-school district partnerships, cooperation with local developers and plain citizen demand are making these needed facilities a reality for kids who live all around us.

And here sits the Huntington Beach City Council and staff considering a new park facility for dogs! Where are our priorities?

If only a fraction of the time, money and limited resources we waste in this town arguing about birds, plants and now dogs were invested in providing healthy athletic outlets for our own children, we might not have had a Marine View School near disaster last week. Those boys might have been playing team sports instead of watching cop shows on TV.

When are our leaders going to wake up and get in touch with reality? The community will support an investment in our kids because they are our future. Our neighbors sure do. Why can’t our own City Council do the same?

TOM DUCHENE

Huntington Beach