PUBLIC FORUM\Cohen displays his 'ignorance of capitalism'.

Richard Cohen's column of Jan. 17 ("With Forbes, everything but champagne will be flat"), ostensibly about Steve Forbes' proposals for tax reform, rings the old liberal bells that capitalism is good for the rich and middling or lousy for everyone else; that free-market advocacy is a screen for unscrupulous interests; and that the individual has no primary moral right to produce and trade the way he wants because "people" have "a perfect right" to interfere in the market anytime via the government.

Cohen's abysmal ignorance of capitalism may be equaled by his misunderstanding of some of the basics of the welfare state he prefers. He seems to be saying that tax deductions are government subsidies to taxpayers. Hardly. It is not a subsidy to refrain from taking from a taxpayer money that was his in the first place and that he has no legal obligation to pay.

The government subsidizes when it takes from some people and gives to others. Usually the government is encouraging certain behavior when it creates a deduction, but that is not the same as subsidizing it.

Liberals such as Cohen often believe that "society" or government has the first call on all the money anybody earns.

In truth, the first call on riches belongs, morally, to the person who produces them.

- Fred Groh

Los Angeles 

Evidently Steve Forbes is making great headway with his flat tax message as the liberal news media attack dogs are now on the prowl. Fortune magazine, a subsidiary of the Democrat-friendly Time magazine, has come out with a down-and-dirty cover story on Forbes. National newspapers and their syndicated columnists are berating the flat tax as a gift to the wealthy.

But in reality, with a $34,000 exemption off the top of gross income, approximately 50 percent of taxpayers would wind up paying no federal tax at all. In addition, the savings on hours and money spent on the current complex system would be enormous.

Finally, Steve Forbes' appeal as a presidential candidate goes beyond the flat tax proposal. He also favors term limits, a partial privatizing of the Social Security system and a balanced budget amendment. Being independently wealthy and a newcomer to politics, he certainly can't be criticized for being influenced by special interest groups. Best of all, his is an upbeat message on the future of America.

- Thomas Jebb

Camarillo

Regarding GOP presidential candidate Steve Forbes' proposed flat-tax plan: The only thing wrong with the current tax system is the unwillingness of the rich, like Forbes, to pay their fair share.

- Doris K. Reed

Los Angeles

Steve Forbes has spent millions in his campaign for Iowa's votes in the upcoming Republican presidential caucus. The other contenders, Robert Dole, Phil Gramm, Lamar Alexander and Pat Buchanan now cry "foul," that he's not a serious politician, he's just trying to buy the election!"

Where was this moral indignation when, in the 1994 California senatorial campaign, Michael Huffington, a political nonentity, spent nearly $30 million

in his attempt to defeat Dianne Feinstein, and came within a hair's breath of actually succeeding.

- L. Robins

Van Nuys

Riordan fudges on subway

I never knew that Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan was a fudge maker, too, until I read his response ("Riordan: Hayden erred in letter on transit," Public Forum, Jan. 21) to my criticisms of the proposed San Fernando Valley subway line.

The mayor says now that he supports an east-west subway through the Valley. But on Dec. 21 he was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, "I don't think we will ever build a subway beyond North Hollywood." On Jan. 10, your paper reported the mayor saying, "I don't see the subway going beyond Western (avenue)."

Here comes the fudge. After claiming to be misquoted and stoutly restating his support for the subway, the mayor goes on to say that "traditional subway construction, or deep-bore tunneling along the entire line, may not be the most cost-effective way to deliver service," and "many financially viable options need to be explored."

It seems clear that the mayor is fudging on his promise to build a subway through the Valley in light of fiscal realities.

He should stop fudging, and just stop the subway before more good money is spent after bad.

He says that I am wrong in asserting that the Hollywood Hills subway will cost $2 billion. The mayor insists it will only be $1.3 billion. I included the cost overruns; we'll see which figure is correct.

Pure fudge: the mayor claims that stopping the subway now will cost more than building it for the next five years.

- Tom Hayden

State Senate

23rd District

West Los Angeles 

Government shutdowns

The election coming up this year may be a little easier this time around. We may not know much about some of the candidates who will be running but we sure know a lot about the officials who are holding offices now.

After those government shutdowns and the hardships visited to thousands of workers, I will refuse to vote for one incumbent. We have proof that those people don't give a hoot about U.S. citizens. Why should we bother to care about them? We were stupid enough to believe their campaign speeches but no more.

- Barbara Talbert

Santa Clarita

Saving democracy

The president's budget plan is balanced, including moderate tax cuts for the middle class. However, the Republicans are holding out for a substantial tax cut, not for the middle class, but for those fortunates who make $300,000-plus a year.

They want to do this at the expense of significantly lowering or eliminating funds to aid our grandparents, the disabled and handicapped, the environment and education. It is absolutely clear that it is less expensive to educate our children so they will grow up to be productive members of society than to deny them educational opportunities and pay for housing them in prison. Why don't people understand? The Democrats are trying to save our democracy.

- Sarah Backus

Newbury Park

'Council refuses to listen'

Re "City may accept bids to run sewer," Daily News, Jan. 16. It reports that the Los Angeles City Council has opened hearings on the idea of turning the city's sewer system over to a private operator.

Councilman Joel Wachs thinks that this would be a good idea, allowing the city to reduce sewer rates that have become unbearable for many people. Big deal: The city has already proposed a system that would rectify most of the inequities prevalent for the past 15 years, but the council refuses to listen to reason and has consistently sent the proposal back to committee to delay any vote on the subject.

As long as council members sit on their hands and do nothing, it wouldn't make any difference who is operating the sewer system. Grid-lock prevails.

If the council wants to privatize anything, how about privatizing the Mayor's Office as well as the City Council and initiating City Charter amendments to change to a city-manager system? This would allow L.A. to become a whole city, not 15 political districts, each fighting for its own turf to the detriment of the city as a whole.

- Ivan E. Shinkle

North Hollywood

Death penalty opposed

Your Jan. 23 editorial on capital-punishment appeals ("A mockery of justice") speaks of a process that "appears to hold the will of the people in contempt."

This assertion may indeed be correct. Nonetheless, constitutional guarantees are not, nor should they be, subject to the will of the people. Those guarantees, I am sure you would agree, become all the more important when the state decides to take a life. None of us wants to see this power abused, and it is up to the courts of this nation to see to it that such exercises are carried out in accordance with due process.

I would further encourage you to re-evaluate your position on the morality of capital punishment. Its continued employment in this nation only serves as a tool of revenge and cruelty, not justice. I long for the day when basic human rights principles, such as "thou shalt not kill," are applied without hypocrisy and duplicity throughout the world.

- Fabio Escobar

Granada Hills

He's baaack

Just when you think it's safe to view TV without seeing O.J. Simpson, he slithers out of the woodwork once again.

Please, Mr. Simpson, either give testimony under oath while hooked up to a lie detector or just go away. We need to heal our racial hurts. All you do, just for money, is to rub more salt on this national wound. Go away

- P.L. Waters

Van Nuys

How to be friendly

Let's see: Gov. Pete Wilson wants to make California friendlier for residents and businesses.

The feds just passed a law preventing "source taxing" of non-resident pensions.

Do you think someone in the California Legislature will draw the obvious conclusion to submit a bill not to tax any pension income? Not only would this encourage people to stay in California after they retire, it may encourage retirees to move here from other states.

- Walter J. Grosskopf

Simi Valley

Germany vs. Scientology

In response to "German official urges close surveillance of Scientologists" (Daily News, Jan. 11): The German government is desperate and trying to silence the church. The church has just released a booklet that exposes the German government's promotion of violence and hatred against minorities and compares it to the treatment of the Jews during the 1930s.

German government attempts to discriminate against Scientology have gone nowhere. As proof of this, more than 25 courts throughout Germany have ruled that Scientology is a religion, as have courts in many other countries.

- Pam Shannon

Public Affairs Director

Church of Scientology 

Burbank

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Photo (1) Pete Wilson (2) Steve Forbes