PUBLIC FORUM THANKSGIVING.

I would like to express my thanks to America during this Thanksgiving season. I'm thankful that my hard-earned tax dollars help build, nurture and maintain the most respected and envied nation on Earth. I'm also thankful that my tax dollars helped build the mightiest military machine the world has ever known. Never in the history of man has a single solitary nation attained such overwhelming omnipotence and unchallenged dominance.

Today, America stands head and shoulders over all, politically, economically and militarily. Most important, I'm thankful that my loved ones and I can revel, make merry and wallow in the security, prodigality and hedonism that is the quintessence of the United States of America.

- Monroe Leung

Monterey Park 

The expendables

I noticed there was no wait to see whether a justice might die before closing down the Supreme Court. The move to evacuate Sen. Tom Daschle's building was pretty quick, too. Every time there's a threat, Dick Cheney is taken off and hidden someplace; Bush is evidently more expendable.

But in the case of the ordinary workers at the post office, the policy was ``wait and see.'' Postal Service management allowed them to continue to be exposed to deadly anthrax. They let those people die. As an ordinary working person, retired, I don't find that very reassuring about my own safety. Heaven and the union help the working person, because no one else will.

- Myrna Hill

Sylmar

It's my life

It is my opinion that Attorney General John Ashcroft, in light of his decision to renounce the Oregon voters will, should be shuttled from deathbed to deathbed. Let him witness the prolonged agony and suffering that he has visited upon the dying.

No one man, religion or government should interfere in so personal a matter as choosing one's own time to die. I watched my father die slowly in prolonged agony from cancer. This man would have me do the same should this disease befall me. My life is my own, Ashcroft, not yours or the state's. You weren't there when I came to be, and when I face my end, be it natural or by my own hand, rest assured that you are uninvited, and any law you pass against me will be duly ignored.

- Daniel F. Taylor

Tujunga

What are they hiding?

President Bush is counting on the diversion of the war and Thanksgiving and Christmas recesses to assure that Congress won't override his executive order to destroy the last vestiges of accountability - the cornerstone of representative democracy - by withholding presidential papers at the whim of a president or past president or his family.

Since Bill Clinton has expressed his objection to the measure, it would apply only to himself, Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. What is it they wish to hide?

- Ashley Melline

Panorama City

Who pays taxes?

I enjoy reading the statements by civic and public individuals in your Forum, but invariably I find myself reading illogical or misleading statements. For example, James Hahn stating that illegal aliens pay taxes. That is not true.

In order for an employer to withhold payroll taxes from an employee, the employer must have a valid Social Security number issued by the Social Security Administration. And the Social Security Administration normally needs proof of birth and residency to issue a card. The information system cannot give credit to an invalid, fictitious Social Security number.

- Michael Campos

West Hills

Difficult concept

What part of the word illegal is giving Mayor James Hahn trouble? Maybe we should just throw that word out of the dictionary. Then the car thieves, muggers, drug dealers and a whole cornucopia of other criminals can be left to do what they do best.

Illegal is illegal, aliens or bank robbers. There is no such thing as being a little bit pregnant.

- Tom Hodges

Reseda

It's dirty and ugly

I have been challenged to defend my ``just go in there and get the job done'' comment and I will. ``Just go in there'' means ground troops, not butter knives, but troops that use modern weapons, equipment and technology, and don't rely on donkeys for transport. ``Get the job done'' referred to finding bin Laden and bringing him to justice.

My ``secret intelligence'' on finding his hiding place is merely the ``common sense'' that you can't find that cave from 30,000 feet. War is not just hell, it is a dirty and ugly business. We will make deals with factions and governments we don't like; we will bribe or force people to turn against their friends, neighbors and family; we will infiltrate opposition forces; military personnel will be killed; civilians will die. That is the nature of war. We must accept that fact if we are at war.

- Eric Ronald

Simi Valley

Right of dissent

We must protect our right of dissent. Without it, we have fascism. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights were thoughtfully written to protect the civil and human rights of our citizenry. Untold numbers of people struggled and even gave their lives to protect and strengthen the right of dissent. At this time of crisis it is most important we use reason in our decision as a nation and not be governed by hysteria.

Of course the Taliban and Osama bin Laden must be brought to justice, preferably by the U.N. and the World Court. However, terrorism will not be deterred by the violence we are now inflicting on Afghanistan's people. We are simply encouraging more retaliation. The Northern Alliance is hardly an improvement over the Taliban and forming a coalition with them and supplying them with military weapons will come back to haunt us.

- Ceil Sorensen

Granada Hills

Secure borders?

California legislators continue to push AB 60, a bill that would allow illegal aliens to receive California drivers' licenses with practically no documentation. Orange County police chiefs have unanimously approved ID cards issued by the Mexican consulate, without other American ID. Wells Fargo announced it will require only ID cards issued by the Mexican consulate for illegals opening an account - U.S. Bankcorp and Union Bank also accept these.

Gov. Gray Davis has signed into law AB 540, allowing illegal alien students a tuition far less than for other American students. Of the 19 hijackers responsible for the Sept. 11 tragedy, 14 had obtained false or forged Social Security numbers and other IDs. L.A.'s City Council continues to protect illegal aliens with Special Order 40, enacted in 1979, which bars police from enforcing immigration laws.

- Jack Strelioff

Woodland Hills

Hospital ERs

The story ``Hospital ERs on financial critical list,'' Nov. 7, really hit home for me. Two months ago, I fractured my elbow in a bicycle fall and sought treatment at Encino Hospital's emergency room. The work performed by the ER consisted of two X-rays, the doctor's interpretation of those X-rays and a sling for my arm.

I was aghast when, a month later, I received a bill in excess of $2,000. I am of the opinion that ERs routinely bill their patients for sums generally 10 times what would be considered a reasonable figure. Clearly, our local hospital system has been plagued by what I can only categorize as mismanagement. Luckily for them, I didn't charge them for the 3-plus hours I sat in their waiting room awaiting treatment.

- Thomas R. Atkins

Sherman Oaks

Work smarter

Re ``Hospital ERs on financial critical list,'' Nov. 7:

Perhaps hospitals may make money someday if doctors at emergency rooms started to examine more than one patient an hour, instead of letting patients wait for several hours. Anyone who has been to an emergency room easily sees that a hospital would never break even, let alone make money, by treating one patient an hour.

- Julian T. Nguyen

Reseda