PUBLIC FORUM THERE IS A LIMIT.Re ``Public payroll soars'' (March 14): Make this comparison and you'll understand why retired people have to leave California. After an accident with one of our uninsured drivers, I had to take early retirement because of my injuries. Twenty-eight years gave me about 28 percent of the average for my last three years. This was 1992. Since then, we have received two pension increases, 1 percent and 2 percent. On top of that, we started paying part of our medical insurance last June. Most of my career was with Pacific Bell, now SBC (1) (SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, www.sbc.com) A large, national telecommunications company that grew from a multitude of local and regional companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell, into a single, unified brand by 2002. , which is not doing very well in any department. So how do the government agencies that are giving these huge pay increases, which will give larger pensions, expect the public to keep paying? - Gene Hardy Gene Hardy is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. He performs on saxophone, violin, musical saw and theremin. Career Hardy's early music training began in Victoria, British Columbia—first on violin at age 9, then on saxophone a year later. Valley Glen To have and have not To Have and Have Not is a 1937 novel by Ernest Hemingway about Harry Morgan, a fishing boat captain who runs contraband between Cuba and Florida. The novel depicts Harry as an essentially good man who is forced into blackmarket activity by economic forces beyond his control. Re ``Kids learn hard LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) lesson'' (Their Opinions, March 18): This is just another example of why parents in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. don't want to be part of LAUSD anymore. We are constantly hearing about employees who forgot why all those kids are spending their days in those rooms. They think it's to support their paychecks and don't realize that these children are going to be running our society when we are retired, with or without a good education. I hope Victor Lamkay remembers the old saying, ``What goes around, comes around.'' - Peggy Jacobs West Hills Osama's deputy Re ``Osama deputy trapped?'' (March 19): If Ayman al-Zawahri is captured alive, he should be squeezed for all the information he can provide and then shipped off to Egypt where he awaits a prompt execution for murder and treason. It would be criminal to keep him under arrest in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. or any other site since his fate has been sealed and he deserves what awaits him back home. Besides, we cannot execute him more than once - so sooner is better. - Sol Taylor Sherman Oaks What's the difference? Re ``Opposing viewpoints of Iraq war Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. splitting the Valley'' (March 15): What is the difference between the intelligence Clinton had, when he bombed Iraq, and the intelligence President Bush got that led to the invasion? None. Clinton knew about weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or , and so did the rest of the world. You people with signs that say ``Bush lied, troops died'' are so ridiculously stupid, you deserve John Kerry  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. . Don't you even
want to know where those weapons were shipped off to? And if you care so
much for the military, why didn't you protest Clinton for doing
nothing while our troops were being blown up by terrorists all
throughout the '90s? Wake up people, from Chamberlain to Carter to
Clinton, don't you see the trend?
- Scott Brossard Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. Vote in Spain Isn't it interesting that al-Qaida supposedly has punished Spain for supporting the United States in the Iraq war? Why would al-Qaida do that if there were no link between Iraq and al-Qaida? It's shades of Noun 1. shades of - something that reminds you of someone or something; "aren't there shades of 1948 here?" reminder - an experience that causes you to remember something World War II appeasement appeasement Foreign policy of pacifying an aggrieved nation through negotiation in order to prevent war. The prime example is Britain's policy toward Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in the 1930s. all over again. I guess history repeats itself, especially when you've flunked it twice, as much of Europe seems to be doing. Appeasing the enemy is like feeding meat to a tiger in hopes of converting it to vegetarianism vegetarianism, theory and practice of eating only fruits and vegetables, thus excluding animal flesh, fish, or fowl and often butter, eggs, and milk. In a strict vegetarian, or vegan, diet (i.e. . Never worked before, and won't work now. It's up to Bush to hold the line on terrorism since few others seem to have the backbone to do it. - Thomas J. Reilly Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. Fear has its way Terrorism seems to have got its way in Spain. People have voted out a government that opposed terrorism and fought against it. It now has one that seems willing to succumb to it. Al-Qaida was fought in Afghanistan - not Iraq. Al-Qaida attacked us before the war in Iraq. Fear has its way of gripping people - the primary goal of terrorism. I hope and pray this country never falls prey or is ruled by fear. - Daniel Jankalns Winnetka Empty space When Bush's campaign rhetoric announced that Sen. John Kerry was going to raise taxes to the tune of $900 billion and he said it with a straight face, it really made me laugh. Sometimes I wish we could inject something into the empty space between Bush's ears so he doesn't sound like such a simpleton sim·ple·ton n. A person who is felt to be deficient in judgment, good sense, or intelligence; a fool. [simple + -ton (as in surnames such as Chesterton, Singleton). . - Cindy Rutherford La Crescenta The insignificant one Re ``Secret `endorsements' by foreign leaders ridiculed'' (March 16): It's simple subtraction subtraction, fundamental operation of arithmetic; the inverse of addition. If a and b are real numbers (see number), then the number a−b is that number (called the difference) which when added to b (the subtractor) equals . The insignificant nine have now been reduced to the insignificant one. And John Kerry has now revealed his ignorance, his duplicitousness, and his greater affinity for the ungrateful ``Old Europe,'' which the United States had now saved twice, than for his own native land. When challenged to name any of those nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non foreign ``leaders'' who are in his corner, he arrogantly snaps, ``That's my business.'' Adding these sad weaknesses to his impressive military record which, it should be noted, includes throwing medals and ribbons, bought at a surplus store, over the White House wall while claiming they were his, and while heading a scurrilous group called Vietnam Veterans Against The War Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) is a tax-exempt non-profit organization and corporation, originally created to oppose the Vietnam War. VVAW describes itself as a national veterans' organization that campaigns for peace, justice, and the rights of all United States military . - Jack Schlicht North Hills What if ... Wouldn't it be something if American-trained Iraqi troops came to Washington and ousted the Bush administration? And then discovered that it was we who had the weapons of mass destruction? Finally, they could take over the Bush ranch in Texas, and discover it had oil. Hey - just dreaming, but turnabout is fair play, right? - Frank Barron Van Nuys What's really vicious Re Roger Greenwood's March 9 letter concerning the March 7 ``View from the Valley,'' cartoon: What's really ``disgustingly vicious,'' Roger, is Bush's stonewalling stone·wall v. stone·walled, stone·wall·ing, stone·walls v.intr. 1. Informal a. of the 9-11 commission investigation. It was only after the families of the 9-11 victims raised holy hell that Bush ``allowed'' the commission to go forward. And to date, Bush has refused to testify before the commission. What's also ``disgustingly vicious'' is Bush's deception and outright lie trying to link Saddam Hussein with 9-11 in order to invade Iraq, even though there is not one shred of evidence that any connection ever existed. Just one of the many lies Bush told in order to pre-emptively attack Iraq. - Joyce Yovannone Woodland Hills See the real world Re ``View from the Valley'' cartoon on March 18: If Patrick O'Connor would get his head up from the drawing board once in a while to see the real world, he might realize that he could have done an anniversary of Iraq war cartoon showing open schools, new government, freedom for the Iraq people from tyranny, rape and torture. The terrorists are blowing up buildings and trains, O'Connor, because they know that if democracy takes hold in Iraq it will spread throughout the Middle East, and the fundamentalist religious fanatics will lose their stranglehold on the poor suppressed people of those countries. O'Connor's hatred of President Bush has blinded him to the reality of the situation in the Middle East and the rest of the world. - Margo Morrison Van Nuys Same old lies It appears to me that our politicians have not taken the hint. Voter turnout has progressively lessened in the past few years. And it will get lower until the pols realize that the public is sick and tired of the same old lies and b.s. Now we hear Bush and Kerry trying to dig up as much dirt and lies about each other and it's only just begun. Truth and honesty in politics is an illusion. Evidently, the voters have finally thrown up their hands and said no to the ballot box. - Earl Horwitz North Hills |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion