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It always goes back to economics, or money. Airport opponents would have you think that it’s not important. But think about this situation: San Diego sits on the edge of the Pacific Rim, the fastest growing economic region in the world with the fastest growing economies in Asia. 21st Century commerce moves quickly, demanding speed in the delivery of goods and services. If your region doesn’t have an airport, you can’t compete.
Imagine if San Diego had no freeways and had not been part of the nationwide interstate highway system, which was the key to expanding commerce in the 20th Century. Imagine how towns suffered in the 19th Century when the railroad passed them by. 
Economic growth may not be a pleasant term to some people. But the economy is the foundation for our high standard of living – it provides the tax base to support our government and to provide for many of those items that contribute to our quality of life. Balboa Park and clean water aren’t free.
Airport opponents who don’t want to participate in helping the region solve this airport problem are basically saying to everyone, “We want you to sacrifice the growth of your business by supporting an inadequate airport. It’s too bad if it hurts the tourism industry. And high technology companies don’t need to travel, they can teleconference.” Is this how good neighbors act towards each other?
There are many options to solve this problem. Unfortunately, there is only one airport site that works for San Diego, and there are many options for relocating the military operations without degrading their training or readiness.