PUBLIC FORUM SUBSIDIZED PONY RIDES?

Re ``Attack of the NIMBYs'' (Editorial, Aug. 5):

There has never been, and possibly never will be, an environmental impact report that some judges, somewhere, cannot call inadequate. So there's no end to the tax dollars that can be thrown away researching dozens of travel options - some good, some bad, some impossible. Possibly the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should have studied individual helicopters, Star Trek-style teleportation or subsidized pony rides across the Valley.

Instead, the MTA chose a dedicated busway as a workable, economically attractive system that can be up and running soon - one that's perhaps less than perfect for the Valley's long-term future, but one that's clearly better than stuffing more people into more buses onto streets already overloaded.

- James E. Foy

North Hollywood

MTA failure

Re ``Attack of the NIMBYs'' (Editorial, Aug. 5):

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority never would have had to stop a project in midconstruction if it had done its job properly to begin with. The complaint of Citizens Organized for Smart Transit or COST against the MTA is that it did not produce a proper environmental impact report, ignored public comment about major safety issues and went about its own agenda, which it is now paying for. Shame on the MTA.

- Petra Durnin

Van Nuys

Traffic gets worse

Re ``Busway stopper'' (Aug. 5):

Tom Rubin feels that more buses are better than the Orange Line. Has he ever been on Ventura Boulevard? The traffic is quite heavy, and I fail to see any improvement by increasing the number of buses. Traffic seems to be getting worse, not better.

So, if the east-west bus line takes some traffic off Ventura Boulevard and moves it to the new Orange Line, is this not an improvement? It sure sounds like a winning solution to me. Rubin also made note that the MTA lacks adult supervision. Isn't, I might ask, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky an adult?

- Ken Montsinger

Reseda

Can this be real?

Re ``Busway stopper'' (Aug. 5):

Has Tom Rubin driven along the works in progress? This includes work on the former rail right of way on Topham and Oxnard streets. Each street is a very narrow, two-lane, heavily used roadway. Each is all dug up and a big mess. The Daily News article tells us the delay may go into months. Please, Rubin and all others who are stopping this project, drive the proposed busway streets, especially the Topham-Oxnard area between Reseda Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue. It's a mess. Also, we learn the delay is costing MTA about $70,000 a day. Can all this be real?

- Melba A. Simms

Woodland Hills

The best

Re ``Elway & Forever'' (Aug. 9):

As a die-hard fan of the Denver Broncos and John Elway, I was absolutely thrilled to see his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was arguably not only the greatest quarterback of all time, but also the most valuable in a clutch.

He provided me with my all-time greatest sports moment when he helped guide my beloved Broncos to victory in Super Bowl 32 and then, of course, was MVP of our second Super Bowl championship the following year - in his final game, no less. Talk about going out on top. I just wanted to say thank you, John, for all the great moments and thrills that you provided for me - and other Denver Broncos fans - throughout your incredible career.

- Michael Lipofsky

Simi Valley 

Not Animal Services' fault

Re ``Gone to the dogs'' (Editorial, Aug. 5):

To lay the blame for failing to collect an estimated $10 million in dog license fees at the doorstep of Animal Services Department is akin to blaming the banished relative living in the attic every time trouble arises. Only $2 of every license fee goes back to the Department of Animal Services, and this is solely for essential sterilization services - not for more manpower, better equipment or even greatly needed educational purposes. The rest goes to the general fund to be used for all city services.

It was not until recently that the City Council approved the department's repeated request for hiring its own licensing canvassers, instead of contracting the services out. And don't kid yourself. It wasn't because city officials wanted to better serve animal guardians. They simply saw an untapped source of money to shore up lost revenue.

- Susan Taylor

Executive Director

Actors and Others for Animals

Look at the ditch

Re ``Grants used to dress up street'' (Aug. 6):

I witnessed the ribbon-cutting ceremony. I wanted to scream out the window, ``Hey, Mr. Padilla, what about the ditch!'' Alex Padilla, the City Council president, stood not more then 20 feet from a drainage ditch that we have been complaining about to various city agencies for years.

Padilla, did you even look at that disgusting, smelly, bug-infested swamp and think anything needed to be done there? My daughter tried, through one of your field officers, only to be told it would be looked into. She finally gave up. City staff people say it's the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' problem. Corps representatives say it's leased to the city and is city government's problem. As a result, no one takes responsibility for the mess.

- Roberta Collins

Pacoima

Further proof

Re ``City Council casts opinion on distant labor dispute'' (Aug. 4):

Just further proof that the City Council members, along with every other public elected official, are beholden to the unions - and the taxpayers be damned.

- Virginia Taylor

Woodland Hills

Renaming Delano Park

Re ``Tipoff'' (July 26):

It was Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski who initiated the renovation for Delano Park, which included starting and sponsoring a soccer league for kids and lobbying hard for additional funding to replace the old Delano Park gym.

We feel so strongly that Cindy should be publicly rewarded, even if it only means that her name would be placed on the soon-to-be-completed Delano Park gym. Many longtime residents of Van Nuys are proud of the improved appearance of Van Nuys Boulevard, the new Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center building and the soon-to-be-completed Delano Park Recreation Center.

None of those improvements to our community would have been accomplished without the tenacity and constant dedication exhibited by our former councilwoman, Cindy Miscikowski.

- Don Schultz and Candido Marez

Members

Van Nuys Targeted Neighborhood Initiative

Dead-end street 

Re ``Job growth stalls; stocks hit '04 lows'' (Aug. 7):

Somebody better tell President George W. Bush that slogans like ``We've turned the corner on the economy'' just won't do it when you've run into a dead-end street - this time, Wall Street and the economy. A paraphrased statement, with apologies to Ronald Reagan, might be more appropriate for the current situation: ``Mr. Bush, tear off your rose-colored glasses!''

- Jerold Drucker

Tarzana

They do it better

Re ``Kerry and Bush'' (Your Opinions, Aug 8):

What high underemployment? In 1996, under President Clinton in the so-called ``great'' economy, the unemployment was 5.5 percent. Today, under President George W. Bush, unemployment is 5.5 percent. How much has our population grown in the last eight years?

High levels of violence (urban criminal activity) are down overall - not because of not wanting anyone to take responsibility for one's own action. As for Halliburton: Please, what company is better, and what country does it come from, to compete with Halliburton?. Why did Clinton use Halliburton in Kosovo? Because Halliburton people are the best at what they do.

- Doug Anderson

Simi Valley