Bureaucrats are a lonely bunch. They spend endless days in study sessions, dealing
with irate citizens, lobbyists and elected egos “gone wild”! It is a terrible job
for longevity…if you really wanted to get anything done! Even if you come up
with a great idea…it takes months, years and sometimes decades to reach anything
called fruition. Today, with the advent of the internet….the processes would seem
to be easily accelerated. But that is just what it is: Perception! The realities
are sadly similar to the 1960’s. “Is the process open to the public?”, “Will the
developers and moneyed people buy off?”, “Can we get the public to vote for some
stupid boondoggle….that will take 20 years to get started and ensure that the
bureaucrats retire with a higher pay grade?”. An ugly process to be sure! Nothing
straight-forward, nothing obvious, nothing efficient, nothing that doesn’t cost
an arm and a leg to accomplish – Welcome to Government!
So, when these little baby policy issues pop up, you have to kind of “feel their
pain!” Like, let’s just change the name of our County! Let’s make it “Apple
Butter County”…rather than Orange County for example! Hey, maybe Smuckers or
one of those big jam and jelly companies will pay for another Stadium in our
county, if all we have to do is just: “Change the name!” The scary part of this
process is….that they may not even have to ask for a vote of the people to get
that done! These guys can retire in 15 years and say: “Hey, we changed the name
of Orange County to “Apple Butter County” way back in 2008! All it took was a
quick vote of five Supervisors who were just following the suggestion of perhaps
an array of County professional bureaucrats! The Supervisors can claim that it
wasn’t even “their idea”, but once brought to them – “What could they do?”
Well, fast forward to John Wayne Airport, Orange County Airport, Santa Ana Airport, Tom Reilly Terminal and the fact that the true name should have been: Eddie Martin Airport! People forget sometimes the roots…of things….like the fact that in the 1950’s Eddie Martin had to rent out a runway on Sundays to Drag Racers..just to make
ends meet! Hey, Test Pilot Paul Mantz died in a homemade plane built for “Flight of the Phoenix” with James Stewart. Orange County Airport was designated such..because it was surrounded by Orange Trees…if you can believe it. The FAA(Federal Aviation Administration) was pretty flexible about names in those days. There was even a Tustin Blimp Hanger Base….now a shopping center called “The District”. Odd name for those of us that thought they should have called it “The Blimp Hangers”! Rich people and electeds all around the county have spent years erecting pieces of metal and cement which adds their names and tells people: “I was there way back then – and we did that!” A little too self aggrandizing for the average person to relate to! But those bureaucrats know how to “pander to the electeds” and get them all excited. It starts with basic “Citizen Proclamations”…and goes downhill from there!
So, what do they want to call our beloved John Wayne Airport…that should have
been Eddie Martin Airport? Oh, “The OC”? Aren’t we then supposed to have some health
drink called “The OC” first? Something that is a combo or Red Bull and Orange
Juice? Aren’t we supposed to have a variety of T-Shirts that say: “I’d rather be in
the OC!” (They already have those in the SNA Gift Shop!) before we run out in the heat of the day and start changing major FAA transportation designations? Who knows? But to now take away the John Wayne Statue…which was our first clue….and now to completely blot the name of John Wayne from the Orange County lexicon…..is sort of unseemly! The concept is that “John Wayne Aiport” is yesterday’s news! We need a Mischa Barton, or an Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton Airport…..more up to date get it? Actually, we think the expansion should be tied to that of Christina Aguilera instead. Much more fitting…with all the additions of parking and added gates and
Customs area…ya think?
It is nice that John Wayne’s relatives…(Ethan in particular!) have stepped up to
the plate and are letting people know: “This is wrong!” We agree: totally! We
think Pilar, Patrick, Aissa, Marisa, Michael, Toni and Melinda should all let people know what they think! We also believe we need to give credit to those Supervisors and non-elected bureaucrats that want to demean John Wayne’s memory..let them step up and be counted, if they dare!!!!
Some things are just best left alone – and John Wayne Airport is one them!
Well said. Very little is still left of the John Wayne legacy to Orange County. Newport Beach has demolished about all that was connected to the actor only taking notice of the star during his last birthday. As Ethan Wayne said everyone knows where JFK airport is and everyone knows where John Wayne airport is. Leave well enough alone.
Sometimes it is easy to think the local elected officials were born without brains.
When the only thoughts bouncing around between their ears in their empty skulls, is what they heard from a lobbyist or snake oil salesman.
I think a prerequisite for most, if not all, elected officials should be a degree in History. How can our elected officials know which direction to take the country, state, county or city, if they have no idea where we came from.
Maybe it is term limits? Since the job is a short term position it precludes any long term thinking.
Ron.
There is an irony in play here.
Correct me if I am mistaken but didn’t John Wayne detest commercial aircraft flying over his home yet after his death we name the airport in his honor and place a huge statue of Duke out front.
Mr. Gilbert. As I recall the entire city of Newport and surrounding communities had a problem with the airport which is why today pilots still have to use low power to fly out of the location. The fact John Wayne was part of that community may be ironic but so what? Naming the airport after a film icon that lived there helped put the OC on the map.
*All great comments….but in
response to Dr. Gilbert….our
dear contrarian: Level 1 aircraft
during John Wayne’s time, had decibel readings of over 120 decibels every time a plane took off! If “The Duke” didn’t hate that…he probably needed a good hearing aid. The fact was…for those of us around then: Every boater in Newport Harbor was very upset trying to entertain their VIP guests with such sounds going over head…..Thank goodness today
we’re going with Phase 4 planes with decibel readings around
55-65…depending on the type
of aircraft. “The Duke” put Newport Beach and the Balboa Bay Club into the national spotlight along with Barry Goldwater! Barry was not only a General Aviation
pilot but an Air Force General
who flew every known aircraft in the American arsenal. At any rate, Barry hated those 120 decibel aircraft going overhead too!
We want John Wayne’s Statue back on the JWA property – right in front of the JWA airport, where
it was! Who gave the approval to
move “The Duke” Statue….the
Airport Manager? Who else?
*One last thought..120 decibels
is equivalent to a Fire Engine
Siren….going full blast. Or
a Fire Horn going off.
65 decibels is equivalent to
hearing the neighbor’s music
for next door or two doors over.
Big difference and we can thank
the Airlines and the FAA for
changing the rules and getting
more efficient and sound
restrictive commercial aircraft
since the 1960’s!
Ron,
Where is the proof Jack Croul is a developer?