PUBLIC FORUM OSAMA IMPERSONATOR.

Re ``Osama's vow'' (Oct. 30):

Now we have No. 3 in the series ``America's Phoniest Homeland Videos.'' This Osama is not as obviously an impersonator as the one on the ``Taliban Home Video'' or the al-Zarqawi impostor, but he has a number of small physical differences and mannerisms unlike the historical Osama bin Laden. Perhaps all of those years hiding in a cave with his dialysis machine have changed the man.

The real Osama bin Laden repeatedly denied any involvement in, or prior knowledge of, the 9-11 events. He said they were contrary to the teachings of Islam. The money trail from Mohammed Atta and his flying circus leads directly back to the U.S. ``intelligence'' community, as does the aroma of this latest video, however they created it.

- William O. West

Reseda

And loving it

Re ``Osama's vow'' (Oct. 30):

I can't believe how ignorant this country can be by publicizing Osama bin Laden and his followers. You think he's not loving all this attention he's getting? This is like hand-feeding a rattlesnake.

- Jay Myerly

Shadow Hills

Deaton at DWP 

Re ``Deaton DWP appointment should cause few ripples'' (Oct. 29):

The incompetent Ron Deaton who has been milking the taxpayers for decades as the great, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing consultant to our brain-dead L.A. City Council, who can't seem to go to the bathroom without Ron Deaton to ``advise'' them, is about to take over the DWP. Everybody better start drilling water wells.

He has ``a deep love and feel for the DWP''? No, he has a deep love and feel for the over $300,000 a year in salary he's going to scam us taxpayers out of thanks to Jimmy ``Give it away'' Hahn, who can't wait to replace Deaton with Cindy ``Yes-girl'' Miscikowski. Give us a break. Time to stop playing musical offices downtown and flush these deadbeats down the nearest DWP drain.

- Jim Rowe 

Chatsworth

City immigrant office

Re ``City immigrant office opening'' (Nov. 1):

It isn't bad enough that our hospitals are closing due to free services to illegals. Good grief. Now we have Mayor Hahn forming a new office called Immigrant Affairs, which will not distinguish between legal or illegal. And guess who pays for this service also? The same idiots that are paying for high insurance premiums and high taxation due to illegals, that being us - the legal taxpayers. Wise up, people. Use your vote to rid us of this burden.

- Richard Detanna

Granada Hills

Schools miss targets

Re ``More schools miss targets on API exam'' (Oct 29):

Superintendent Roy Romer just doesn't get it: This year only 52 percent of L.A. Unified schools met or exceeded state Academic Performance Index targets versus 85 percent last year. Meanwhile, Conejo Valley and Las Virgenes unified schools, just to mention two districts, had 78 percent and 92 percent, respectively, of their schools meet or exceed state API targets.

Has it occurred to Romer that many families have moved and continue to move to the better school districts? Perhaps Romer could help establish a consortium of principals from these superior schools to give some insight as to what really works and what doesn't so that Romer can finally start taking action instead of just shaking his head.

- Aron Celnik

Woodland Hills

Busway a start

Re ``$1 million busway bonus proposed'' (Oct. 28):

I am absolutely amazed that the chairwoman for COST, Realtor Diana Lipari, calls the continued construction of the Valley Busway illogical and irrational. Her group has chosen a very appropriate acronym since it has caused the loss of almost $1 million to us taxpayers with their illogical and irrational demand that the project be stopped.

Little do they realize that prompt, efficient and cleaner transportation is needed in the San Fernando Valley. The busway is the start of a true rapid transit system and should be finished as soon as possible.

- Carlos Ferreyra

Valley Glen

Sloppy dump road

Re ``Sloppy dump road diverts trash'' (Oct. 29):

As usual, BFI tries to avoid responsibility for the poor road by blaming the city. They hope to avoid any potential liability, and while they are at it, to pressure the city to reach agreements with the county in the current Joint Powers Agreement over the expanded cityside operations.

This is a county dump and BFI is required to maintain a wet-weather deck and paved roads according to their Report of Site Disposal Information, which governs their operations. The official start of the wet-weather season was Oct. 15 and the series of storms was no surprise to anyone, including BFI. BFI is putting all its resources into the cityside expansion and ignoring the needed maintenance on the county side.

- Kim Thompson

Granada Hills

Casual attitude

Re ``Tipoff'' column (Nov. 1):

It appears that John Miller, LAPD terrorism expert and newsperson, wants to become a reserve officer to carry a gun and play policeman. This man committed a cardinal sin by bringing a weapon through the gate to board a plane.

``I forgot it was there.'' A person who has a weapon must accept the responsibility for the weapon. This casual attitude seems to be protected by Chief Bratton. Long live cronyism. Will it ever cease to exist?

- Ira Kaplan

Woodland Hills

Light in morning

How pleasant it is to wake up and start my day with the sun. It is so much easier than having to get up while the sky is still dark. Light in the morning is so much safer for joggers and for kids walking to school. Finally, six weeks after the autumn equinox, we've changed back to standard time.

The changing of our clocks should happen at the equinoxes, when the daytime and nighttime are of equal duration. I hope readers will request that Congress correct the dates for changing our time system.

- Bruce Joffe

Piedmont

Rental housing

While the Daily News' Oct. 31 ``Spare change'' editorial asks a valid question - ``Will it (the business tax reform) be enough to make the city appealing again?'' - the editorial did not recognize the elimination of the tax for businesses with gross revenue of $100,000 or less per year and the tax-cut benefit to the entertainment industry.

On the other hand, the editorial is in the right direction regarding rental housing. There is no other industry in Los Angeles to which City Hall has been more antagonistic. Because confiscatory city ordinances prevent improvement and rehabilitation of over 500,000 rental units (mostly affordable), City Hall squanders taxpayer funds on a $100 million (a year) ``Affordable Housing Trust Fund'' and promoted an inclusionary zoning scheme.

- Victor N. Viereck

Valley Village

Let's fix it

Now that we are demonstrating to the world that after 200 years we still don't know how to run a democratic election, it's time to make the concept of electoral votes meaningful. We can do this simply and efficiently by doing away with the electoral college, dividing the electoral votes proportionately based on each candidate's percentage of the popular vote, naming the winner based on the number of electoral votes garnered even when the top represents only, say, 34 percent of the total. Have a runoff election between the top electoral vote-getters in the event of a tie for first place.

Our democracy is too precious to be controlled by two presently unchallengeable parties.

- Jim Baer

Woodland Hills