This month we celebrate the 98th birthday of Ronald Reagan.

Ventura County is proud to be the final resting place of the 40th president, and we will honor the fifth anniversary of his passing on June 5.

Just like when Ronald Reagan became president, we are in the throes of an economic recession.

President Reagan would say government is the problem if the Thousand Oaks City Council fails to approve a plan that replaces an abandoned building with new jobs.

The facts are simple: a derelict property has sat at the gateway to our neighborhood, generating no value to our community. Failing the city's positive response to Home Depot's request for a wellplanned project, no sales tax revenue and no new jobs will contribute to a budget gap that must be made up by all taxpayers.

President Reagan would just shake his head at such inaction.

Fact: The city staff report, replete with exceptional analysis, was developed over the years since the president's death, a long time ago. It states that the new store is consistent with the city's General Plan and zoning, and will be an attractive improvement to the site with no significant impact on traffic, noise and air quality.

After all, the area has been a shopping center for decades, not a meadow covered by flowers.

Another fact is the threat to a safe neighborhood. Imagine the existing old building engulfed in flames in a fire like the one that scorched our hillsides two years ago. Vandalism is another worry that an abandoned building like the closed Kmart attracts.

President Reagan would spin in his grave if the government of Thousand Oaks accepts the arguments of antibusiness and anticompetitive forces against Home Depot's offer to bring 150 jobs, $400K in sales tax revenue and a new building to our neighborhood.

Let's keep the Reagan Revolution alive on March 31 and encourage Thousand Oaks City Council to do the right thing. Jay Stephen Whitney Westlake Village