PUBLIC FORUM : READERS OFFER ADVICE ON USING TAX MONEY.

For today's Public Forum, readers were asked to comment on what should be done with the added government revenue generated by the rebounding economy - spend it or return it by cutting taxes.

Why should there be any questions of what should happen to surplus government revenues? The money belongs to the people, not the government bureaucracy.

California has one of the highest income tax rates in the country. What the public should be demanding is a reduction of income tax rates, not new ways to spend added revenues. As proved at the local level, such as by the Los Angeles Unified School District, elected officials cannot be trusted with money. What the state government has now is not spent wisely. Why should we let it have more?

Many of our elected officials want to use these additional revenues to shore up the state's educational system. What has additional money done over the past several decades? Pouring more money into a bad system will not fix the system. The system needs an overhaul, not additional funding.

The Legislature should do the right thing. Reduce the tax burden of the common man and woman. Let the producers reap the spoils.

- Patrick M. Salter 

Burbank

The current federal budget surplus is not actually a surplus since it includes money that was collected for specific purposes and simply wasn't spent yet. This includes Social Security and the tax on offshore oil drilling, which was set aside to offset the risks to the environment and can be spent only on nature.

Social Security and the offshore oil drilling tax should not be included in the money used to balance the budget because it implies that it is OK to continue spending the money that is currently spent on the military and on other forms of corporate welfare.

They could reinstate all the welfare to the poor that was cut if they cut corporate welfare or if they built one less bomber. There is still enormous waste in the government, much of it in the most unjust sectors.

- Theresa Brady

Chatsworth

I think state Sen. Cathie Wright has great insight to suggest thorough investigation into each department to determine what is working and eliminate what is not. Tax dollars could be saved.

Also, Assemblyman Tony Cardenas made a simple, yet profound statement: ``Award tax credit to every two-parent family in which one parent stays home and takes care of the children.''

Teachers and churches definitely have influence on the lives of children. However, parents have more. Let's encourage them to do a better job.

- Martha Akin

Reseda

If you think our elected state Legislators have ideas of giving you back any surplus tax money, or using it to cut next year's taxes, forget it.

These pitchmen, who have conned us more than once by getting themselves elected time and time again, eating at the public trough and raising their salaries to the heights of ballplayers, now are drooling over this surplus tax money. You can bet your last bottom dollar that they are ready with their special-interest groups to waste this money.

We don't need any more bilingual education that never worked, or that real waste of tax money, English as a Second Language.

What we do need is a much stronger penal system. Start paying jurors more than $5 a day. Clean up the unsightly blight that has taken over our cities and get the homeless off the streets and back into our society again.

- Benjamin R. Laufer

Sherman Oaks

Your paper has run articles by local politicians in Opinions to discuss what they would do with the surplus in the state. All but one of the Republicans mentioned some form of tax cut, while only one or two Democrats offered any type of minor tax cut. These Democrats had no problems in finding more ways to spend our tax dollars.

When there is a budget shortfall, the politicians, especially the Democrats, are quick to raise our taxes. When there is a surplus they should be reducing taxes just as fast. This state already has one of the highest tax rates. We need significant tax cuts for the middle class, which pays the bulk of the taxes.

Besides cutting income taxes, there are other taxes such as Department of Motor Vehicle fees that need to be reduced. Our DMV fees are probably the highest in the nation and are a primary reason that many people, including myself, have put off buying a new car.

Now is the time for real tax reform and tax cuts. People should be able to keep more of what they earn.

- Ron Dacher

Pasadena

Cut taxes. Amend the tax code to eliminate all taxes other than a consumption tax.

We have too many layers of government.

County taxes on real estate are the worst. Even if you do not have 10 cents of equity in your home, you pay taxes on the full value.

Eliminate taxes on homes.

- May Marlow

Santa Clarita 

Clinton under fire

I would like to respond to Roger Nicodemus' questions, which appeared in Public Forum on Jan. 27.

Q: Just what does a sexual liaison between two consulting adults have to do with the allegations of Paula Jones?

A: It demonstrates that President Clinton has no respect for his position, or the people working for him. If he had an affair with Monica Lewinsky or the other women subpoenaed, then there can be little doubt that he tried to proposition Paula Jones and others.

Q: Why should our so-called system of justice require such a divulsion resulting in the embarrassment and humiliation of innocent victims for fodder for the courts and public?

A: President Clinton was asked, under oath, by Paula Jones' lawyers if he had sex with Monica Lewinsky, and he said no. Lewinsky was asked, under oath, by Jones' lawyers if she had sex with President Clinton and she said no.

If they did in fact have sex, then they committed perjury, which is against the law even if you happen to be the president of the United States, the economy is doing well, the stock market is doing well and nobody cares if you are an adulterer.

If Clinton convinced Lewinsky to lie under oath, then he is guilty of suborning perjury, which is also against the law. These are the charges Kenneth Starr is investigating, not whether the President Clinton committed adultery.

I think everyone wants to protect the innocent victims, but we should also want to convict the guilty victimizer.

- Doug Jorissen

California City

After reading some of the letters in Public Forum on Jan. 25, I felt that if the situation were reversed and a Republican president was in the same situation as our Democratic president, all hell would be unleashed against him.

It seems that the liberals can do no wrong - they walk on the side of the angels and their sins have halos.

Never in the history of this country have we had an administration so blatantly crooked and immoral.

- Adelle Sternberg

Sherman Oaks

Regarding the president's troubles:

Now, assuming the allegations are true: I don't in any way approve of his behavior, and, yes, I agree that he has only himself to blame for all that has happened over these past weeks.

However, the fact remains that nothing has been proved as of yet.

He is, after all, only human. As far as asking Lewinsky to lie under oath, who is to say that is the truth? Recent news reports have stated that this woman was forced out of the White House and then began working at the Pentagon. Why was she forced out? Could she want revenge? There is no real evidence to prove either side.

Resign from office? Let's think about that for a moment. If we push Clinton out of the White House, who do you suppose will take over? That's right, Al Gore. I'm sure not too many people out there have given that too much thought. I, for one, am not too comfortable with the thought of Gore running this country.

I feel that the media, to no one's surprise, has blown everything out of proportion and should leave well enough alone. Let the court case come to a close and let our president do his job.

- Amy Kalish

Woodland Hills