PUBLIC FORUM : CLINTON'S CRITICS ARE `PARTISAN HYPOCRITES'.

The more the Republicans in Congress carry on their incessant demands for investigations of the president and the Democrats in general, the less inclined I am to care about these so-called ``abuses of power.''

What disgusts me about our system of justice is not, as the Republicans would tell you, Attorney General Janet Reno's refusal to appoint an independent counsel or President Clinton's ``stonewalling'' of Senate committees. I am disgusted instead by the Republicans' unending partisan tactics and their ability to tie up the government with countless hearings and calls for investigations.

Frankly, I don't care if the president and vice president made phone calls from one room or another in the White House or who had coffee with whom or not.

As far as I'm concerned people like Sen. Fred Thompson, Sen. Orrin Hatch and other Republican mavens of the law are partisan hypocrites who are interested in serving only their own party.

- Bob Loza

Burbank

Government salaries

In the past couple of months, we have seen nearly every civil service worker get more money and perks.

It makes me wonder why we have allowed this to happen. Where did it say that a person working for us should get more pay than the employee in the private sector? Where did it say that no matter what they do we have to continue to pay them? Where did it say it takes an act of Congress to fire a lousy employee.

I'll tell you where it says so: in the politicians' agenda. We have allowed the politicians on all levels of government to vote themselves their own pay raises, their own perks, their own insurance and their own retirement benefits. Until these people have to swim with the rest of us and participate in the Social Security system, using it in the same way that the private sector must, the taxpayers will continue to get shafted.

- Frank G. Carlisi

Calabasas

Almost every day the news informs us that the hierarchy in some branch of government, local, state or federal, in meetings generally after midnight or in secret, have awarded themselves very handsome pay increases. This causes the millions of lower level civil servants to feel that they are being denied their just recompense so their unions gnash their teeth, have their members march up and down, hurl epithets and threaten to shut down the government.

Since the largest group of union members in the United States today are government employees, they may one day be able to carry out that threat. That's why civil servants must not be allowed to strike.

- H.L. Bradbury

Granada Hills

Domestic content

In the Dec. 2 article concerning the issue of exactly how much material needs to be included in order to be considered USA-made I couldn't help but notice there were proposals stressing to lower the current standard of 95 percent American materials involved in a product to 75 percent.

I, as an American consumer, am extremely interested in what would motivate a so-called ``patriotic politician'' to loosen standards in order to benefit countries other than ours, especially when the products are American-bought.

- David Maynard

Woodland Hills

Gas shut-off valves

The Daily News' Dec. 12 editorial, ``Public nuisance; earthquake gas valves are an unnecessary burden on the public,'' misses the point.

What you fail to take into account when you write that the public safety issues do not justify the cost of installing gas shut-off valves in condominiums that share common walls, is the potential loss of property and lives, which may be in jeopardy if an earthquake occurs during the workday.

Hundreds of thousands of people were at home and shut off their gas valves when the Northridge Earthquake struck. Years of education had trained them to do so. That is why we suffered only 51 structural fires due to natural gas leaks.

But the Daily News left out the most crucial piece of information. When service was turned back on, 17,000 leaks were discovered. The potential of devastation is staggering and literally unimaginable.

You do make a point when you question the recent council action to retrofit all the units in a condominium complex when a single unit is sold. What this legislation should have done - and what I intend to do to correct this inequity - is to include all multiunit dwellings, regardless of whether they are condominiums, in the legislation mandating that gas shut-off valves be installed in each and every unit or multiple line within the next year.

- Hal Bernson

councilman, 12th District

Los Angeles

Girls need mentors, too

Thank you for giving such prominent space in the Daily News to the article describing the importance of mentoring, and demonstrating how an adult can be a positive role model for teen-agers and children in our community (``Giving gift of time can unlock potential of young,'' Opinions, Dec. 9).

Although the column referred to Jewish Big Brothers and the outstanding services it provides for boys, I want to point that a similar mentoring program is available for girls through Big Sisters of Los Angeles.

Currently, more than 70 percent of the girls and young women in our program and on our waiting list are of African-American, Latina and Asian-Pacific Islander backgrounds. Many live in San Fernando Valley communities. Our agency sorely needs women ages 21 and older who speak Spanish to create special friendships with these Little Sisters.

We strongly encourage Valley women who are interested in becoming a Big Sister to contact our office at [phone].

- Janet Schulman

executive director

Big Sisters of Los Angeles

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Thank you to Fred Reiner for his letter on Pearl Harbor (Public Forum, Dec. 11). I'm also a veteran of World War II and angry at Americans forgetting the young men and women who gave their lives so that many of us can live in peace and enjoy life.

- Eli Moonitz

Encino