PUBLIC FORUM WHY SHOULD SHE WORRY?

Re ``L.A. city workers are not the problem'' (Their Opinions, June 3):

Julie Butcher's column made me want to reach for my Kleenex box. This lady has no idea of how our economy works. Why should she worry? Government union jobs can't be outsourced to India. She treats anti-tax sentiments as a fad (``current fashion''), as though they're something frivolous that will blow over soon.

She believes that government workers should earn more than the people who pay their salaries. She even acknowledges that taxpayers don't have the money to pay higher taxes, but thinks we should pay higher taxes anyway. Let me suggest this: Since government workers should be the model, why don't they all volunteer to donate more of their salary to taxes, so they can have the benefits they want? Leave the rest of us and our wallets alone.

- Wilma Bennett

Reseda

UTLA and school board

Re ``Union made'' (Editorial, June 2):

In the past 12 years, I received an average annual pay increase of 2.4 percent as an LAUSD teacher. This figure does not factor in the 10 percent pay cut I received in 1993 and 1994. I have an average increase of five additional students per class since 1991. My medical benefits package isn't as good as it was before my union seized control of education decisions.

I wonder what the pay increase and working conditions would have looked like if my union didn't control the L.A. Board of Education.

- Ed Kaz

Reseda High School

`Old Rugged Cross'

Re ``County seal may be altered'' (June 3):

Well, here we go again, the ACLU is up to their old tricks, God love 'em, 'cause no one else will. Probably the most insignificant piece of artwork on the county seal itself is that little tiny cross (I had to look hard to find it). How that can bring so much controversy as to possibly even go as high as the Supreme Court is intriguing.

I for one am glad the ACLU is bringing this up because it keeps the cross in perspective, especially in the light of the recent release of Mel Gibson's film ``The Passion.'' I wonder, shouldn't the success of the film give the ACLU a clue as to where people are in respect to this little tiny symbol?

- Wayne Wolaver

Northridge

Never laid a glove ...

Re ``County seal may be altered'' (June 3):

I haven't seen anyone take a dive like the L.A. County supervisors did over the county seal issue since Muhammad Ali's ``phantom punch'' floored Sonny Liston in 1965.

- Bruce Jones

Eagle Rock

Feeling betrayed

Re ``For grads, a raw deal'' (Their Opinions, June 3):

Assemblyman Dario Frommer bemoans the fact that 11,400 students will be denied access to our CSU and UC systems this fall. He places the blame on Arnold Schwarzenegger, yet it was Frommer, state Sen. Gil Cedillo, and those of their ilk who doomed these poor grads a mere year and a half ago with their ill-conceived legislation allowing illegal aliens to pay reduced fees to attend these same universities.

We, the parents of children born and raised in California, feel betrayedwhen illegal aliens in this country occupy valuable space in our universities at a reduced cost while our own highly qualified children are denied access to the very institutes of higher learning our tax dollarssupport. What an irony.

- Cris E. Jones

Palmdale

Insidious bill

Re ``New license bill proposed'' (June 2):

It looks like state Sem. Gil Cedillo is at it again. Another push to award illegal immigrants with legal U.S. privileges. His proposal for illegal alien driver's licenses includes mandatory citizenship classes. Hmm. I thought illegal immigrants were barred from obtaining legal citizenship. Why would they possibly need classes teaching citizenship? Sounds like a backdoor amnesty plan to me.

Let's all remember: Any foreigner here legally is eligible for a driver's license. This includes legal immigrants from Mexico. Cedillo's bill is not needed and circumvents federal law. It makes border enforcement more difficult and poses a greater risk to American security.

- Michael Miller

Thousand Oaks

Spending our money

Re ``A grand gamble'' (Editorial, June 3):

Yes, we can be sure that, as you say, ``The taxpayers and their money will soon be parted'' for the downtown L.A.'s renovation. That's because Democrats and Republicans alike just love to spend our money for their pet projects for their ``friends.'' It will always be that way until we vote in some Libertarians instead.

- Bradley Bobbs

Calabasas

Moral relativism

As a veteran, I was outraged when I saw the recent political cartoon titled ``Remembering the dead'' (May 30) drawn by Patrick O'Connor. It consisted of a split panel with one side showing tombstones with the inscription ``Us'' and the other panel, tombstones with the title ``Them.''

On a weekend when we honor the brave men and women who have given their lives to secure our freedom and way of life, I think O'Connor's work is a particularly despicable example of the politically correct concept of moral relativism. Why should we place dead Nazis, Imperial Japanese, assorted communist thugs, Baathists and al-Qaida in the same category as our own fallen heroes? These are the folks who fought for tyranny and oppression. We fight for freedom and democracy.

- Bill Wentz

Northridge

MTA sectors OK

Re ``Small victory'' (Editorial, June 7):

The MTA board never expressed a desire to cut funds for the five Sector Governance Council meeting schedules. Rather, we reacted to a proposal that came forward from the MTA administration as part of its agency-wide budget cutting effort.

As soon as the proposal was clarified, widespread opposition to it broke out, not only among Sector Governance Council members and supporters, but also among board members. A motion by Director John Fasana (of Duarte) and myself prevailed, supporting restoration of the full 12-meeting-per-year schedule but accepting modest cuts in the council members' annual travel budgets.

The dominant sentiment on the MTA Board of Directors is completely in agreement with your contention that ``picking up a few bucks at the cost of community empowerment is not worth the savings.''

- Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Councilman

MTA Board of Directors

Comparisons are odious

Re ``Memorial very late'' (Your Opinions, June 3):

I feel that Jason Miranda-Levi should do a little research about how the World War II vets were treated after they came home before he bad-mouths Vietnam vets. America opened her heart to every warrior in too many ways to mention here. Does the GI Bill ring a bell?

I feel sad that you believe Vietnam vets are whining, self-pitying finger-pointers. After all, we were the willing, doing the unnecessary for the ungrateful. On our memorial are the names of our finest, who died in vain thanks in part to ``The Greatest Generation'' who, sadly, sat on their hands and did nothing to stop the bright and shinning lie, which is now known as the Vietnam War.

- Dick Denne

Toluca Lake

Foolish cynicism

Regarding Art Haendiges' June 3 letter about Pat Tillman being a duped fool: What a disrespectful, cheap-shot letter. First of all, Pat Tillman was fighting in Afghanistan; I guess the writer was against the removal of the Taliban and attempts to dislodge and eliminate the terrorists behind the 9-11 attacks.

Obviously Haendiges does not hesitate to call someone else a fool. It is because there are still those who believe in what the U.S. stands for that we have not had any terrorist attacks on our soil in the last 2 1/2 years. Maybe anyone with any ideals at all is a ``duped fool'' to the cynical Haendiges.

- Brenda Vasquez

Sylmar

Priorities

Re ``Friendly fire'' (Your Opinions, June 3):

Pat Tillman a duped fool? Why is it if you're a patriot, and fight for your country when it's attacked, you're a duped fool? Is it because people think money is more important then responsibility?

- Gary Truax

Santa Clarita