PUBLIC FORUM FOR THE KIDS.Re ``Take time off, no pay'' (June 4): The Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. board wants members who make over $100,000 to take a five-day cut in pay and those under to take a 2.5-day cut. The first thing out of the mouth of United Teachers Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. is, ``this is a strike issue.'' Have they forgotten that old mantra mantra (măn`trə, mŭn–), in Hinduism and Buddhism, mystic words used in ritual and meditation. A mantra is believed to be the sound form of reality, having the power to bring into being the reality it represents. ``it's for the children'' that is used every time they want more money? When taxpayers have to pay higher taxes for all the bonds that are for the schools, isn't that a wage cut for them? When the teachers union wants higher wages so they can hire the best people, the taxpayer hears, ``it's for the children.'' This statement is always brought out when the school leaders and teachers want something. So now it is time for them to put up or shut up. Remember, ``it's for the children.'' - Ron Roth Winnetka Regulating commerce abused Re ``House votes 282-139 to ban practice of late-term abortions'' (June 5): Partial birth abortion Abortion, Partial Birth Definition Partial birth abortion is a method of late-term (after 20 weeks) abortion that terminates a pregnancy and results in the death and intact removal of a fetus. seems to me to be a gruesome, unnecessary, and perhaps dangerous procedure. However, I oppose the proposed federal legislation banning this practice. My opposition stems from a concern for the maintenance of a federal government with powers, in James Madison's words, that are ``few and defined.'' The bill is authorized by the commerce clause of the Constitution. The abuse of this clause has been the source of reckless expansions of federal government power. As Justice Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist and has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991. He is the second African American to serve on the nation's highest court, after Justice Thurgood Marshall. said, ``It seems to me that the power to regulate `commerce' can by no means encompass authority ... to regulate marriage, littering or cruelty to animals cruelty to animals n. the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or , throughout the 50 states. Our Constitution quite properly leaves such matters to the individual states. ...'' - Nicholas Buccola Pasadena Ask a victim Re ``Four stabs in the back'' (Editorial, May 30): I was surprised by your editorial condemning the four Valley City Council members who voted to support the mayor's compromise city budget to include more police. We need more police. Response time in the Valley is a disgrace. If we don't have protection against crime and gangs, what difference does a 3 percent or 13 percent cut in other city services The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. make? Just ask a victim what they would rather have. As for the 3 percent cut in the city department funding, how about including the bureaucracy in those cuts and then require a 3 percent increase in productivity? Now wouldn't that be something different? - Ron Cook Winnetka Perception of influence Big city politics continues to infect the neighborhood empowerment struggle. The L.A. City Council is set to vote today (June 6) to give the city clerk In the United States, a City Clerk is an elected or appointed official who is responsible as the official keeper of the municipal records. In some places, the Clerk may be known as the "Village Clerk" or "Town Clerk". the power to investigate and resolve the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council election challenges. The Mayor's Office has contacted some of the stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. who presented the challenges and scheduled a meeting with them. The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment reports to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. They report to Janice Hahn Janice Hahn is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 15th district. Hahn was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005, running unopposed. The 15th District encompasses the Los Angeles communities of Watts, Wilmington, Harbor Gateway, Harbor City, Athens on the , chairwoman of the Education Committee. The Mayor's Office defended its move by stating it was only ``loaning'' staff to the City Clerk's Office due to a lack of resources. It was not going to influence the investigation or outcome. - David R. Hernandez Valley Village Driver's license Noun 1. driver's license - a license authorizing the bearer to drive a motor vehicle driver's licence, driving licence, driving license license, permit, licence - a legal document giving official permission to do something bill Re ``City, business leaders back license measure'' (May 31): Having reached age 71, I am required to take a written test to renew my privilege to drive in California. I studied the booklet and failed the test the first time and passed on the second try. I have an impeccable record of one minor citation in Glendale (circa 1962). I am not addle-brained, have an IQ near 100, am a retired engineer and considered quite sharp by others. If I had trouble with the test (some questions were pretty stupid), how in the world can people unable to sign their name pass an equivalent test? Just wondering. - Raymond Vaughn Northridge Safer now? Well, we still are waiting for evidence that Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (born April 28, 1937, Tikrit, Iraq—died Dec. 30, 2006, Baghdad) President of Iraq (1979–2003). He joined the Ba'th Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. did have weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or . After all, President Bush and Colin Powell Noun 1. Colin Powell - United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937) Colin luther Powell, Powell did tell us that he did have them and that is why we should attack him and start a war. Recently, the top marine commander in Iraq now tells us that this was not really true at all. Bush and his war hawks now have this problem: The Iraq situation is now just horrible and it will cost us billions of dollars to get things going well again, if ever. Now we have ``friends'' like Poland, Romania and Australia instead of France, Germany and Russia, who were against the war, as was most of the world. Do we feel more safe now with these new ``friends''? I sure don't. - John Mendez Los Angeles French were right Re ``Blair caught in flak over reports of Iraqi weapons'' (June 3): All those French-bashers who criticized the French for not supporting the U.S.-led invasion on Iraq, I await your apology. The French, German, Russian and the British people See :
British Overseas Territories (Blair was supportive against the will of his constituents) were right and you were wrong. There were no weapons of mass destruction on any meaningful scale to validate this illegal war. Bush knew this beforehand and that is why he called the invasion ``Operation Iraqi Freedom'' - a politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but term to get the followers followers see dairy herd. of this world on board. Now that the truth is out and the French were right, I do believe an apology is due. - Vatch Arouchian Reseda Focus on the good Jon K. Evans (``Recognizing evil,'' Your Opinions, June 5) debunks James Doyle's views in ``Glorifying evil'' (Your Opinions, June 3). Evans feels we must keep the memory of Hitler alive in order to teach our children what evil is, while Doyle feels we should, in movies, put more focus on good people. Doyle has the right idea. If moviemakers would put a spotlight on good people and good behavior Orderly and lawful action; conduct that is deemed proper for a peaceful and law-abiding individual. The definition of good behavior depends upon how the phrase is used. , children would know evil when they see it, for it would conflict with the good that has been their focus. We have seen the results of the focus on evil and the world is not as safe as it was. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a for the media to put its focus on good. - Shirley Lawrence Palmdale Mistaken assumptions Re ``Tax cuts skewed'' (Your Opinions, June 4): Stephen Walton's concerns are based on mistaken assumptions. In his example, the tax cut is unfair because an executive getting dividends pays less tax (on the dividends) than a middle class worker pays on his earnings. Well, what happens if the worker gets stock dividends and the executive just salary? It happens all the time. The tax cut on dividends does not just help the rich, it helps everyone who gets dividends. By the way, I'm not rich nor have I ever received dividends. I'm just an American who believes in fairness. And making one man work five or six months out of the year as a slave to federal and state taxes while another contributes little or nothing doesn't strike me as fair. - Peter Marlow Granada Hills Equal access All things being equal, the car-pool lanes are not. Isn't democracy supposed to mean that each person is to be treated equally as individuals, and individually treated with equality? How, then, can a democratic government enforce equality at the place of work, but not enforce equality on the drive to work? And how can a democratic government enforce equal pay (user fees) at the gas pump, but not enforce equal access on the freeway? Could it be that we no longer live under a democratic government? Isn't it time that all motorists be treated equally as individuals and each individual motorist be treated with equality? Gov. Davis, tear down these car-pool signs. - Robert L. Rosebrock Brentwood |
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