PUBLIC FORUM : GOOD OL' DAYS.

Once upon a time, the political leaders of a country became military leaders in time of war and led their armies into battle.

If we could reinstitute that practice, we Americans could all relax and stop worrying about Willie starting World War III.

- Cleo Ritchey

Mojave

Here's the plan

How to start a ground war (and make your constituents love it).

First: Station three very young soldiers in rough terrain on a disputed border with no backup.

Second: When they get captured, say, ``Waal, dang

Now we'll have to get ourselves in there to rescue our brave young 'uns.''

And everyone thought our courageous knight-errant in the Oval Office had no follow-up plans.

Will we never learn?

- Mary Westman

Mojave

Polls, cameras, action

When you have a president who predicates his domestic policies entirely on polls, it follows that Clinton would formulate his foreign policy based solely on where CNN sets up its cameras.

- Burt Prelutsky

Van Nuys

Obscene act

War is a four-letter word.

- Steve Morsa

Thousand Oaks 

Unionizing charter schools

I taught for the LAUSD as a fully credentialed inner-city high school English teacher. I left in disgust after my fourth year. Before leaving, however, I gained extensive firsthand knowledge of the working relationship between the LAUSD and my union.

I believe that education-linked unions are active participants in the LAUSD's failure to teach their students. Even school administrators - annually making anywhere between $80,000 and $120,000 a year - have their own distinct union, making it virtually impossible to hold these bureaucrats accountable.

The reason unions and school districts are partners in crime revolves around power. The larger a union's membership, the greater its degree of political power. Therefore, the degree of political power here in L.A., Sacramento and Washington held by the LAUSD and its respective unions is virtually unparalleled throughout the nation.

Charter schools are a direct threat to the power structure of the LAUSD and its unions because unions and districts need each other so as to maintain their collective power.

To force unionization upon a truly innovative program may be the first example of the Legislature shooting itself in the foot along the way to education reform.

- Bryan Steele

Los Angeles 

Schools as caregivers

After reading the LAUSD and Zev Yaroslavsky's plan to provide health care for the many children who attend our public schools, a thought came to me. We educate, feed and provide preschool care and after-school care - why don't parents just drop off the children at age 5 and pick them up at 18?

When are parents going to take on the responsibilities of parenting? Just producing offspring is not parenthood.

Children who would qualify for these services are in families already on public assistance of some kind, which includes medical.

When people have children, it is their responsibility to provide for them, not the LAUSD's.

If a service provided with public funds is available, it should be available to all children, not only a special group. The people paying the taxes should not be excluded because they are employed - just providing funds and not receiving any of the benefits of their tax dollar. Am I wrong?

If health care is needed, provide a full-time nurse in every school, not one who is there only three times a month.

Finally, salary is not the issue for a good teacher. You could pay them $100 an hour, but without additional aide help and parent backing at home, the best of teachers have a difficult time preparing our future adults.

- Rosemary Ontman

Granada Hills

No reason not to

How dare City Attorney James Hahn impose sanctions on the Langdon Street gang? Civil Libertarians should be outraged. These young people are working hard to . . . no, that's not it. The young men and women are going to school so they can become . . . well, no. These youths are trying to help their community to . . . darn. Maybe Hahn's idea is right after all. Maybe those gangsters don't have anything to offer the rest of us and should be put out of operation.

- Max C. Yost

Northridge

Leave time alone

What is wrong with the gradual, natural lengthening and shortening of daylight hours that we have to ``fix'' by changing the clocks?

There are 24 hours in a day - no more, no less - whether the clock is changed or not. In the spring, daylight gradually increases; in the fall it gradually decreases.

What do we gain by this sudden time change? Get up when you're asleep, eat when you're not hungry, go to bed wide awake. Cut off one end of the blanket and sew it on the other end. Big deal

what do we do this for? Why create this stupid, unnecessary, irritating nuisance? Leave the doggone clocks alone!

- Laverna Hoisington

North Hollywood

Guns and beerguts

In response to John and Jean Halvorson's ``It can happen here'' (Public Forum, April 8).

First let me say that I am a ``gun lover,'' addicted to reloading and target shooting. So I support the right to keep sporting arms in private hands and for a lot of reasons. Yes, I suppose that Kosovo could happen here, John and Jean. However, to believe that defense of our country against a domestic or foreign army is a reason to ``keep and bear arms'' is absurd. In fact, it's stupid. The thought of a trained, organized and heavily armed military force with heavy automatic weapons, tanks and air support being opposed by a group of middle-aged persons with their beergut hanging over their camo belts is way beyond laughable.

Let's get serious. The days of hiding behind trees and logs and taking pot-shots at guys in red coats standing together in the open are gone.

- Gary D. Cunial

Agoura Hills