Regarding your Sept. 8 commentary, “Flee the temples of consumerism”:

Not buying stuff from China is not going to save Americans from poverty or provide more jobs. It is a novel idea, and many believe it is an answer. But nature has it that no matter where you go, people want more. If you look around you at animals, you will see the same. Ever see a squirrel stop getting more nuts? And the reality is that all of us are “right” in our own mind. It is the middle ground that brings answers.

The truth is there is no one to blame. People like to blame Walmart and McDonald’s or even coffee or Mercury in retrograde. And then, of course, are those “lazy welfare folks” or even those “greedy rich people.”

But the truth is we need to wake up to listening to one another. Every individual story is different. And for that matter, we can make a movie out of everyone’s story and find some truth. My platform for less poverty is fixing the housing in our country. A 30-year mortgage is ridiculous. Why so many codes? There is no reason for us not to be able to live in a house or build a house for less than $5000. People all over the world are living in all kinds of houses. Why not us?

Being green does not have to be an elite way of life, either. The Native Americans did not have a “green house” that cost them a million dollars.

And for all those people knocking the De Vaul Ranch: Everyone has an addict in his or her bloodline. So the judgment is not just for the poor. Mental illness has no favorites.

-- Gina Turley - San Luis Obispo

-- Gina Turley - San Luis Obispo