PUBLIC FORUM VOTING WITH FEET.

After reading ``Lights out, L.A.'' (Editorial, March 30) the question occurred to me: Why does the Daily News even bother to write editorials criticizing city government waste, fraud and excessive employee pay and benefits?

I have lived here for 20 years, and nothing has changed. The city government does as it pleases: It spends and wastes tax dollars as it pleases. Then it asks for more taxes. Voters never get genuinely outraged by this status quo. They just pay more money. The only area where a person can take decisive action is to vote with their feet.

- Isaac Martin 

Sherman Oaks

Not a major

Re ``L.A.: City of few lights'' (March 29):

Los Angeles likes to pride itself as being one of the major cities in the country. Until it conducts itself as a major city should, no one will take its claim seriously. The major cities of the United States provide adequately lit streets for their citizens. A city that allows one-third of its streets to remain dark and a hazard to its citizenry has a ways to go to consider itself major anything.

- Lawrence Anthony Calabro

Northridge

Fire Dept. overtime

Re ``Burning through funds'' (March 21):

The headline implies a haphazard, careless approach to the city's budget. I would hardly agree with you that staffing fire stations to their required capacity is ``burning'' through funds. I think that everyone who may criticize how much firefighters make should spend a day doing their job. What do you think is fair compensation for running into a burning building, spending, at the minimum, 24 hours away from home and be called away from your food, sleep, etc., at a moment's notice?

If anything, question the salaries of movie stars and athletes, truly ridiculous sums, not our everyday heroes. Don't insult the people you will need one day. Believe me, in your hour of need you, too, will think they are underpaid.

- Rebekah Child

Santa Clarita 

Comfort our enemies

Re ``Don't trail appeasers'' (March 25):

Thomas Sowell was right on target and should be read by every American. I was a victim of Nazi violence and prayed every day for proactive intervention by Western democracies who instead encouraged the Nazis by pacifist appeasements that ended in disastrous consequences. Forceful and timely intervention would have avoided the tragic events of World War II, the loss of over 50 million lives and the Holocaust.

Our country is divided during a crisis of unimaginable perilous consequences. Political character assassinations comfort our enemies and destroy the fiber of democracy. Remember: ``United we stand, divided we fall.''

- Vernon L. Rusheen

Woodland Hills

Impound the vehicle

Regarding the handicapped parking permit abuse, if a picture of the handicapped/disabled person were to be attached to the parking permit, the abuse would stop. If the person pictured on the permit was not riding in the vehicle when parked or being picked up immediately, impound the vehicle and assess a hefty fine.

- Michael Schnitzius

Burbank

Foreign concept

Re ``Gloves off in Latino immigration debate'' (Their Opinions, March 30):

How can Joe Rodriquez write a column concerning Mexican immigration and never use the words ``legal'' or ``illegal?'' He just goes about pooh-poohing what many Americans feel are legitimate concerns about illegal, as opposed to, legal immigration.

He is certainly entitled to try this intellectually dishonest ploy, but Rodriquez should be reminded that the economic, cultural, educational, religious, lingual, medical, level of immigration, etc. factors are addressed in U.S. immigration policy, a policy devised to lessen the impact and facilitate the assimilation of all (not just Mexican) immigration through lawful regulation. Although this may be a ``foreign'' concept to Rodriquez, it isn't to most Americans.

- Michael G. Miller

Los Angeles

Not an invasion

Re ``It's a Mexican invasion'' (Your Opinions, March 29):

As I recall, the United States fought Mexico and almost took over all of it over a minor border dispute because many Americans, including President James K. Polk, endorsed manifest destiny. So, I don't think it's fair to say that Mexicans should go back to Mexico. California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and part of Utah used to be Mexico.

I really don't think Mexicans are ``invading,'' as Darene Sutherland said in her letter to the editor.

- Trevor Witt

Sylmar

Relentless persuasion

Re ``Teen voting ploy'' (Your Opinions, March 29):

I completely agree with your belief about the school system's effect on teenagers' opinions. Being a student myself, I witness firsthand the close- minded views of teachers.

They continually impose their liberal beliefs on the students and faculty, unrelentingly persuading them to conform to the Democratic principles. For example, one teacher at my school has posted a flier reading, ``Hail to the Thief'' with a picture of George Bush.

- Brendan O'Rourke

Sherman Oaks

Ghoulish humor

Those who defend President Bush's tasteless ``joke'' about searching for nonexistent weapons of mass destruction entirely miss the point of why the remarks were inappropriate. Bush conned the nation into an unnecessary war that has killed nearly 600 of our soldiers, and now he expects everyone to laugh along with him over his utterly amoral shamelessness. Bush's ghoulish mockery of his own mendacity is appalling.

- James Dawson

Tarzana

Enough blame

For months, America has listened to the Democratic candidates run down each other, run down their country and run down their president. When at last the rhetoric became so vicious the president finally responded, and it was immediately called attacking and the whining began. So it is with the 9-11 commission.

It is so partisan that you can close your eyes and know which party is doing the questioning. I will tell you that as an American, I want to know answers such as how we can do even more to keep this nation safe. Stop trying to play ``gotcha'' as there is enough blame to go around to both parties and even though it is an election year I am not interested in another Bush-bashing book.

- Jeanne Hovland

Northridge

Don't be fooled

You keep hearing these liberals whining about how horrible this economy is, the outsourcing of jobs and no good-paying jobs being created. Then you read that more Americans than ever before, almost 70 percent, now own their own homes. With the price of homes at record levels, I ask how are Americans, in this worst economy, loss of jobs overseas and fewer good-paying jobs, buying all these high-priced homes at record levels?

The answer, of course, it that these liberals are just resorting to their scare tactics to regain power so that they can again raise our taxes, and crush our blossoming economy. Remember, you voters, don't be fooled by the liberals, because you shouldn't try to fix something that isn't broke.

- Bob Tanabe

La Canada

They all do it

It really makes my blood boil when I read about how much in the hole every medical service, school district and everything else is millions in debt. Then I read about the millions and millions of funds raised to elect people and serve us in government.

How about fund-raisers to fund our debts? George Bush started raising re-election funds with his first trip as our ``president.'' Everywhere he went, there was a fund-raiser. But he is not alone. They all do it, for their own benefit, why not ours?

- Mary Lou Mullins

Sun Valley