PUBLIC FORUM NOT SMILING.It's a shame that the Internal Revenue Service has resorted to using celebrities to peddle its propaganda, ``Smile while you file,'' March 16. Who in their right minds would smile over the confiscation confiscation In law, the act of seizing property without compensation and submitting it to the public treasury. Illegal items such as narcotics or firearms, or profits from the sale of illegal items, may be confiscated by the police. Additionally, government action (e.g. of their property under color of law The appearance of a legal right. The act of a state officer, regardless of whether or not the act is within the limits of his or her authority, is considered an act under color of law if the officer purports to be conducting himself or herself in the course of official ? I have been stating for years that the IRS An abbreviation for the Internal Revenue Service, a federal agency charged with the responsibility of administering and enforcing internal revenue laws. must be dismantled and forced to honor lawful, constitutional principles of taxation and collection procedures, not the lawless, out-of-control methods it has used and gotten away with for far too long. Let's insist that the IRS be dismantled forthwith before any other notables are recruited to front for it. - Celeste Celeste is a woman's first name. Celeste may also refer to: in Music
Northridge Where's the money? As I read the article ``No room for kids'' (March 21), I remembered questions raised by events of 10 to 12 years ago. 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. was selling and closing schools in the Valley. At the time the malls were full of mothers with strollers. I can remember wondering what LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) officials were thinking. After Tuesday's article, I would like to ask LAUSD two questions: What were you thinking? Where is the money from those sales? - Sharyn Robinette Woodland Hills Rampart not unique The public would be greatly disserved by any suggestion that the Rampart Division scandal is something particularly unusual. The only thing even arguably unique about the matter is the fact and extent of the revelations, not their substance. There is corruption in the laughably labeled ``criminal justice'' system all across the fruited plain, in large and in small jurisdictions, and that, at least in this state, is largely attributable to the fact that judges will sell their souls to have the coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. law enforcement endorsements emblazoned across their re-election campaign material. That is largely why they will sign any warrant affidavit put in front of them and increase bail to any amount sought by the cops, and it explains why they can never see the obvious constabular con·stab·u·lar adj. Constabulary. prevarications on witness stands virtually daily. District Attorney Gil Garcetti Gilbert "Gil" Garcetti (b. August 5, 1941) served as Los Angeles County's 39th District Attorney for two terms, from 1992 until November 7, 2000. Background Gil Garcetti received a bachelor's degree in Management from the University of Southern California and a Juris , Police Chief Bernard Parks, Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. , the City Council, many judges and other self-serving and self-righteous enablers and profiteers have to go - the easy way or the hard way. And then let's rethink and rebuild. Or revolt. - Michael Kennedy
Michael LeMoyne Kennedy (February 27, 1958 – December 31, 1997), was the sixth of eleven children of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Joshua Tree Joshua tree: see yucca. Enlightened Southerner As a transplanted, somewhat enlightened Southerner, I have to agree that the Confederate flag has no place flying over a government building or post in 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. - or anywhere else, for that matter. To be honest, a real Reb prefers that the flag not be flown over anything belonging to the ``gov'ment.'' By the way, keep up that good old secession talk: It reminds us of the old days. - Tim Duncan Timothy "Tim" Theodore Duncan (born April 25 1976 in Christiansted, St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6'11" (2. Burbank Real issue The recent furor over the Confederate flag and its meaning is misplaced mis·place tr.v. mis·placed, mis·plac·ing, mis·plac·es 1. a. To put into a wrong place: misplace punctuation in a sentence. b. . Slavery was only one of the issues leading to the secession of the Southern states. The main issue is still with us. It is states' rights states' rights, in U.S. history, doctrine based on the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. . History says the federal government was led by an arrogant and vindictive Congress and was controlled by a few big-money special interests. This Congress passed many laws onerous to the South and laughed at the will of the people. Sound familiar? Just substitute ``Los Angeles City Council'' for ``Congress'' and ``San Fernando Valley'' for ``Southern states.'' - James J. Menotti Sunland They lost We have to put this Confederate flag issue to bed once and for all. The Confederate states banded together to secede from the rest of the USA in order to form their own country. A horrendous war was fought, and they lost. In future years the USA fought major wars against Germany and Japan, and Germany and Japan lost. We do not honor their fallen soldiers by flying their flags. We have plenty of our own war dead to honor. Case closed. - Albert Cohen Sherman Oaks Don't do it The Confederate flag must not be flown at any city hall. Although the men who died for that flag died fighting for something they believed in, flying that flag would honor the cause their flag stood for. The cause that flag stood for - the cause those men fought for - was to maintain the right to subjugate sub·ju·gate tr.v. sub·ju·gat·ed, sub·ju·gat·ing, sub·ju·gates 1. To bring under control; conquer. See Synonyms at defeat. 2. To make subservient; enslave. other human beings and the right to declare that some human beings were not created equal, even though the Declaration of Independence said they were. The cause the Southerners fought and died for was the cause of nearly tearing our country apart. The cause they fought and died for still divides our country. Flying the Confederate flag would celebrate that terrible cause and that terrible division. - Elaine Madsen Van Nuys High-tech solution Your article ``Medicare lost billions,'' March 16, shows just how ill-managed this government has become. The article stated that pay-outs to dead people were caused by computer problems. I have a highly technical, extremely sophisticated way to avoid this. Why not make the person collecting the benefit show up to sign for the check? In the case of bedridden bed·rid·den or bed·rid adj. Confined to bed because of illness or infirmity. patients, a designated family member with proper identification and proof of power of attorney would do nicely and wouldn't cost a dime to taxpayers. But, hey, who needs to worry about a few billion dollars? They can just raise taxes to pay for it. - Laurien Dutremble North Hills Keep it there Re Betty Barrett's letter ``See it again'' (Public Forum, March 17) about the movie ``American Beauty'': She says the things that happened in the movie happen behind a lot of closed doors. It's life, so we should see it again with that in mind. Diarrhea behind closed doors is life. Do I have to pay to see it? - Rosemary Cullen Granada Hills It isn't there The First Amendment was written to keep government out of religion and not establish a church. The term ``separation of church and state'' is not in the Constitution but comes from a letter written by President Thomas Jefferson to the Baptists. The American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. has school administrations running scared. It's a travesty when schools teach our children that ``alternative lifestyles'' are normal, that the human body evolved and that truth is relative, but God and prayer are taboo in our schools. What children need is some moral direction. - Kim Cartwright Burbank Union benefits Re ``Unions and politics,'' (Public Forum, March 20): It is obvious that Brian McGinnis has little knowledge about unionism. Otherwise he would know that the reason for supporting a particular candidate depends on that candidate's pro-labor record. These candidates are partners of the labor movement. He may not know this, but the pension, medical and other benefits he now enjoys were fought for by his union. His employers wouldn't have given him all these out of the goodness of their hearts. - Boysie Cabrera Panorama City Problem of Job Re ``The big picture'' (Viewpoint, March 12): Skeptics who ask why God allows horrible things to happen, if God is real, seem to ignore the fact we not only have free will but an evil satanic force that has been at work in the world down through the ages. But I challenge anyone who sincerely wants to know if God really exists simply to ask: God, if you are real, reveal yourself to me and come into my life. If you are truly seeking, believe me, he will. This may sound too simplistic sim·plism n. The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications. [French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple , but, before you claim there is no God, try it. - Margaret Oakes Burbank A little compassion After reading the article about the fight to get the gym rebuilt at the medical center for veterans at Sepulveda, I feel outraged that the Department of Veterans Affairs has again broken the promise to rebuild the VA gym. The veterans need the gym and deserve no less than to have it soon. I am an American Gold Star Mother, having lost our precious son in Vietnam. He received the Bronze Star for his bravery in helping save his comrades during an attack in battle. He showed concern and love for his fellow comrades, and if he had lived he would care about those who are suffering disabilities now. - Nora J. Golsh La Crescenta CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Jayne Meadows, left, and her husband, Steve Allen, kick off the ``Smile While You File'' campaign at the Van Nuys Post Office on March 16. Charlotte Schmidt-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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