PUBLIC FORUM TRIED THAT.

Re ``Fix Mexico,'' (Public Forum, Aug. 8):

I came to the United States from El Salvador, a country that had a 10- year civil war as an effort to correct the same social problems that Mexico suffers today. However, the United States did not see it as a revolution against poverty, instead a very out-of-touch President Reagan called it a fight against communism.

With U.S. support, the war did not resolve any of the social problems, and we lost more than 250,000 people. Do you honestly think that if Mexico, a billion-dollar trade partner was to have a revolutionary war to fix its problems, it could do so without U.S. involvement?

- Juan Zepeda

Van Nuys

Border trucking

The Mexican President Vicente Fox, after having met with G.W. Bush, now seems to feel that he has the run of the candy store. Fox feels that sooner than one thinks, there will be open borders between the United States and Mexico. This, of course, is wishful thinking, but again, who knows? Random checks by the many state weighing stations keep American drivers and their contractors honest. Truck maintenance and inspection in Mexico escapes the rigid inspections required and performed on American trucks.

Some advocates of the North America Free Trade Agreement feel that the taxpayers should foot the bill in order to increase inspectors and stations near the border, so that Mexican trucks can receive the inspections needed to enable them to travel.

- Marie Parco

North Hollywood

No one is safe

None of us is safe anymore. Vicious toy poodles are running the streets in packs of two, attacking us as we take our evening walks. No wonder Shirley Anderson was carrying a stick, when dangers like three-pound poodles lurk around every corner.

Luckily, there is a leash law, protecting those of us who defend ourselves by braining the little monsters. One can only hope that the rest of the inhabitants of Palmdale understand the fear she must have felt, being attacked by not one, but two toy poodles. Horrors.

- Diane Silver

Lancaster

Aggressive little dogs

Re ``Scared neighbor kills tiny poodle with cane,'' (Aug. 8):

My friend and I have walked almost daily for nine years, and the most aggressive dogs we have encountered have been cute, little, white, furry poodles. The only dog to bite either of us in this nine-year period was a cute, little, white, furry poodle.

I now carry a cane with a heavy brass handle for such emergencies as this. Had this dog gone after me as it had done to the lady in the article, I would have sent it to dog heaven, too. That's where these aggressive dogs belong. The lady did just right. The message here is to keep these cute, little, furry animals on a leash.

- Bob Sharp

Arleta

It's a joke, right?

The fiasco of the lawsuit filed by the Markowitz family reminds me of a good Marx brothers film. Actually, I have to say, I laughed harder at the news of the 32 defendants than any Marx brothers' motion picture.

I'm sure those two police officers did all they could in their investigation, and some of the others, such as the gun manufacturer, were in no way able to ``prevent'' the sad killing. The outrageousness of such money-hungry citizens is becoming quite comical.

- Nick Castro 

Burbank

Shared responsibility

Re ``Parents sue 32 over son's death, (Aug. 9):

I hope the Markowitz family has included their eldest son as one of the 32 defendants they are suing over their younger son's death. While I have the utmost sympathy for their losing their son, Nicholas, if they are trying to hold someone accountable, it should be their son who put his family in jeopardy by becoming a drug user and associating with drug dealers.

- Kay Rosen

Granada Hills

Asian parents

Re ``LAUSD needs to educate parents on college entrance requirements,'' (Aug. 6):

The average Asian parent (Chinese and Japanese) gets involved in their children's education and schooling from grade one. They encourage, support and nudge their children from kindergarten through college. It's a small wonder then, that the number of Chinese and Japanese students entering college overwhelms their percentage of the population.

- Monroe Leung

Monterey Park 

Term limits

Regarding your Aug. 9 editorial, ``The supes relent,'' no elected official has job security because of a lack of term limits; quite the opposite. Every election cycle forces an incumbent to run on his or her record, and if they are found lacking in the voters' eyes, they are quite rightly removed from office. I defeated an entrenched incumbent known by almost every voter. Our former district attorney, Gil Garcetti, who raised millions and was also known by almost every voter, was defeated by an underfunded but qualified candidate, Steve Cooley, who mobilized grass- roots support.

Term limits do not result in fresh faces obtaining elected office, as your editorial claimed, but rather a chaotic system of political musical chairs. In Sacramento, we have seen devastating changes as a result of term limits. Experienced elected officials were termed out. Today our state government is run primarily by novice legislators.

Mandatory government term limits restrict the voters' right to choose the candidate they want to hold public office; at the same time it strengthens the career bureaucrats. Our system of government is designed to let the people, not special interests, determine who their elected representative will be.

- Michael D. Antonovich 

Los Angeles County Supervisor

New America

With the thousands of new layoffs, finally our freeways will be less crowded. Those with more spare time on their hands can enjoy our beautiful beaches as long as they don't go in the water. And finally, Alan Greenspan can exuberantly cut interest rates to zero.

Honestly speaking, after eight years of the Clinton regime, we still have a medical system that doesn't work, billions of dollars in government waste and voters who are now accustomed to politicians having affairs with interns, lying to their constituents, obstructing justice and spending millions getting re-elected. God bless this new America.

- David J. Costa

Woodland Hills

Maureen Reagan

America and the Republican Party have lost a beautiful and talented lady. During the years I was active in the party as a volunteer, Maureen Reagan spoke tirelessly and informatively at many conventions. When she was running for the Senate, she sat next to me at a Central Committee monthly meeting and gave me her card and called me by my name.

Later at a Republican Los Angeles County Women's meeting, Maureen was signing her recently published book. I have shared the book with several new citizens. When Maureen spoke at a podium her eyes shone as diamonds. My eyes are wet with tears on learning of her death, for the suffering she has been through because of her father's and her illnesses.

- Betty G. Franz

Tarzana

Devastating effect

The bill AB 1649, authored by Jackie Goldberg, if passed, could have a devastating effect on California's already heavily regulated businesses. It will mean that if one of our sales managers wishes to come to work dressed in Spandex instead of regular clothes that match our dress code, it is to be accepted. He cannot be disciplined and ordered to dress to code. If the company fails to capture a sale because customers are turned off, that's too bad.

Goldberg doesn't care about the people of California, just as she didn't care about the people of Los Angeles when she was on the City Council. What she does care about is her own agenda. What were the voters thinking when they put her in the state Assembly?

- Michael Hines

West Hills