PUBLIC FORUM REAL CULPRIT.

Re ``It's not the food'' (Your Opinions, March 16):

Although many people claim their obesity is a result of low metabolism or hormones, the real culprit is the fork.

- Steve Beach

Reseda

LAUSD, Mexico

Re ``Mexico joins hands with LAUSD'' (March 18):

Does the fact that the Mexican government will now be involved in running schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District not shock anyone? Does the news that it will be providing Spanish-language books to the district not get anyone's attention? Or, how about the biggest shocker of them all - that Mexico is building a pool of Spanish-speaking teachers to be credentialed in Mexico and sent here to teach in our schools?

As a home-schooling parent, it would be easy for me to turn my back on this, but as an American citizen, I cannot. It's not so much a matter of Mexico joining hands with the LAUSD, it's a matter of Mexico getting its hands on anything having to do with the education of children in America! That this is happening should not just be headline news, it should be shouted from every rooftop.

- Vicki Van Camp

Sylmar

We're selfish

How can we expect gas prices to go down when we are so in love with our cars? The fact that we will pay $2.20 per gallon and still continue to wait 10 minutes in the drive-through at McDonald's shows how selfish and self-centered we are. The issue of gas prices is clarifying the values of our society. We complain about gas prices, but clearly place more value on our personal convenience.

- Jennah Thompson

Northridge

All wet

There may be no argument about the Department of Water and Power's need for additional funds to pay for water system improvements, but the questions as to how much is required, when it is needed and how it will be paid for should be answered to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders and elected officials throughout Los Angeles. The DWP presentations made to community groups do not sufficiently answer these questions. For starters, Valley homeowners will again be paying more than their fair share of the proposed 18 percent water rate surcharge. Also, DWP cost estimates indicate further increases will be necessary.

What is particularly upsetting is the response to the question of DWP pay raises that General Manager David Wiggs offered in 2003. Then, he assured the City Council, ``We can afford this,'' and insisted rates would not be going up for several years.

Hmm, I have this bridge in Brooklyn ...

- Joe Vitti

President, Valley VOTE

Granada Hills

Get the facts

Re ``Study a bit more'' (Your Opinions, March 18):

Caroline Malloy doesn't have all the facts. I'm a student at CSUN and I receive a loan. But it does not even cover tuition. They have raised tuition twice in the past 18 months but have failed to raise the amount of loans. FAFSA determines that my family is able to afford half of my tuition - it's not true. My family has other responsibilities and tuition puts a strain on our financial situation. I would much rather pay $150 once a year for my car (not to mention, not all students have cars) than $600 a year for tuition.

- Katherine Lacabe

Chatsworth

Better schooling?

Re ``Academic heroes''(Our Opinion, March 16):

It seems funny that the majority of the schools mentioned are public high schools. Having graduated from a private school, it's odd that the schools that are valued and envied so much have no acknowledgment for their academic success. Why, then, are these private institutions so hard to get into? If these schools expect success in academic achievement prior to high school, shouldn't they provide a stable academic foundation?

It seems that the expectations of students supersedes the value of knowledge that is provided at these private schools. So are these academic heroes really heroes, or are they just products of a stronger foundation of learning?

- Brian Restivo

Valley Village

Rules are rules

Re ``Kids learn LAUSD's hard lesson'' (Their Opinions, March 18):

Steve Young questions the standards that have been set by participating teachers over the 17-year history of the Video in the Classroom Awards. It is unfortunate that he could not understand that allowing one entrant to break the long-standing entry-form rule, ``no entries can be accepted after the deadline,'' would be a disservice to all of the teachers who got their entries in on time, and all those who decided not to enter because they felt they could not meet the deadline.

We have always adhered to our agreements with teachers as stated in the guidelines - agreements that teachers accept and depend on for fairness.

Of course we find this situation unfortunate for all involved, and hope that this can be viewed as a learning opportunity.

- Victor Lamkay

Director of classroom instructional television and coordinator of the VIC Awards at KLCS-TV

About Islam

Re ``Not about Islam'' (Your Opinion, March 18):

Chris Runco chastises the Daily News headline ``Spain bombs tied to Islam.'' He writes, ``It would be like writing 'Oklahoma City bombing tied to Christianity.''' What Mr. Runco fails to understand is that Timothy McVeigh did not commit his terrorist act on behalf of Christianity, whereas today's Islamic terrorism is committed on behalf of Islam and ``Allah.'' The Daily News used the correct headline.

- Shari Seaman Goodman

Calabasas

Bad economics

Re ``Protectionism is not what's needed'' (Their Opinions, March 18):

Thomas Sowell raises many valid points, but his fundamental argument is flawed. He claims outsourcing of jobs is good for our economy. This is certainly correct, in the short term, for our corporations and for our stockholders. Outsourcing raises the standard of living for those off-shore people and their countries, but at the expense of our working class and gross national product.

Of course, the countering argument is that we will become a service nation as opposed to a manufacturing nation, and our working class will become service-oriented (but at a much lower pay scale). Who will be able to buy American goods in the near future? Certainly not the off-shore people who are being paid one-tenth of our salaries. What will happen to our ``service'' jobs when our corporate goods become too expensive for us to buy, and what will happen to our corporations? Where will our most qualified people find comparable jobs?

- Donald Bilinski

Northridge

See the real world

Re ``L.A. officials admit they passed phony false alarm ban'' (March 17):

The city's false-alarm policy is bogus. The problem lies with the alarm industry. Every time the alarm companies call the police about a false alarm, who gets penalized? The customer. The way to get rid of false alarms is to charge the alarm companies. Only then will false alarms decrease!

- Todd Holmberg

Castaic

Blame Canada

Re ``Don't blame Canada for runaways'' (March 17):

I have a production/postproduction company in Burbank. For over 30 years, I have hired Canadians as cameramen, editors and special effects artists. I cannot work in Canada as cameraman, editor or special effects artist. American stuntmen cannot work in Canada, but Canadian stuntmen can work here. As a production company, I cannot compete with the deals that the Canadian government gives to the studios and television companies to work in Canada. The playing field should be level. Until it is, ``Don't blame Canada for runaways'' is misleading.

- Bruce Austin

Burbank