Letter to the editor: Bill Horn's arrogant beliefs

Supervisor Bill Horn bemoans the water shortage, which has caused growers to cut down orchards, while at the same time voting in favor of massive new residential developments that will further deplete the shrinking supply ("Water shortage triggers search for new sources," March 1).

He also criticizes state water officials for turning off the pumps "for a little 2-inch fish that has no value ... " His comment reveals an ignorance of ecology, as small creatures are part of a food chain that supports larger species that Horn might like to maintain. He also displays an arrogant belief that human beings should not think twice about eradicating a species if it interferes with their golf courses and lawns.

Sadly, he also expresses a value system in which the worth of living things is measured only in dollars. In this morality, the only value of a forest is in lumber, so why not cut it down? These are the kinds of attitudes that are visible in the ongoing destruction of so many species and ecosystems on our planet, and it as appalling that an elected official in this day and age would voice them. Voters should remember it at election time.

Andrew Crane

Encinitas