PUBLIC FORUM.

Neutered laws

Re ``Border disorder'' (Editorial, April 8):

Your position on immigration reminds me of the left-wing position on gun control. Rather than enforcing existing laws, you would just make more. The Daily News seems to think that an increased number of immigration officers and enforcement at the border will not deter illegal immigration. It this is true, then how is the presence of 1,000 more cops going to deter or reduce crime in Los Angeles?

The Daily News is wrong in its opinion that our immigration policy is broken or failed. Our immigration laws are just not being enforced. Our lawmakers and law enforcement officials have made laws and pursued policies that neuter immigration laws.

- Eric Dresser

Burbank

Eating at us

Re ``California munchies'' (Editorial, April 7):

One reason stout is beating out slim is because when we drive to, say a gym, we spend half our would-be calories-burning time sitting in the car or bus in a traffic jam. Our emotions get exercised, all right. Then too, when under stress - which is steadily increasing as we get ever more overcrowded - people tend to compensate by overeating.

Until our congressional representatives, plus the president, reduce not only overpopulation from illegal immigration, but the way-too-much-of- a-good-thing legal variety as well (300,000 in California alone) our beloved City of Angels' derivative problems (traffic jams, housing crises, overcrowded schools, hospital closings, etc.) are only going to get worse.

- Harvey Pearson

Los Feliz

Getting the message

Regarding Patrick O'Connor's April 5 cartoon and the pope's message concerning violence and weapons. It's regrettable that his holiness was unable to get that message through to President Bush and his part of death and destruction.

- Frank Johnson

Hollywood

Nonalliance

It is infuriating to read how this administration actively spins its alliance with the recently deceased pontiff. Pope John Paul II, a great man, who in death can not defend himself, vehemently disagreed with our administration over its going to war in Iraq, as well as President Bush's active support of the death penalty.

- Jesse Albert

Los Angeles

Bad proposal

After doing my taxes ,I was thinking: Why not do away with the box you can check to donate $3 for the presidential campaign fund and replace it with a donation to something like the Minuteman fund? After all, didn't President Bush encourage all to donate time and money to good causes?

We could also rework the charitable-donations rules. We could soon see commercials on TV: Give me your car, truck or used rusty old gun. We also need to go after the people and businesses that hire illegals. Look at the proposal to start a guest-worker program. It's just a program to promote cheaper labor. Instead of hiring a guest worker, people that come here illegally will then be asked: How much less will they work for? Did we not do away with slavery?

- Mike Hoblinski

Burbank

Can't be true

Re ``Illegals subsidize Social Security'' (April 5):

Unless the laws have changed recently, the article is incorrect. Employers do not just send in Social Security deductions to the government. They also have to provide the Social Security numbers for the money. Social Security will not just accept money without a number to credit it to. Illegals cannot get a Social Security number.

I suspect that the employer is taking the deductions and keeping them.

- Leonard E. McGinnis

Granada Hills

IRA shield

Re ``IRAs get bankruptcy protection'' (April 5):

Justice Clarence Thomas must know that IRAs, just like savings accounts, can be withdrawn without age-based penalty. At 59.5 years or under, withdrawals used to pay health insurance premiums during unemployment of at least 12 weeks and medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income are not penalized.

Avoidance of the penalty (but not taxes) is available if the owner takes substantial equal periodic payments over their life expectancy for at least five years. Education expenses and up to $10,000 for a principal residence of a first-time home buyer is allowed. With all of these exceptions, why not one to pay a legitimate creditor?

- Barrie Bartulski

Cayucos

Simple solution

Re ``Low turnout'' (Your Opinions, April 6):

Have you ever heard of absentee voting? You get your ballot in the mail. You fill it out in your home and you mail it back. What a concept. I have been doing this for years and it works just fine. Give some thought to trying that. It does work. The plus is: You don't have to be concerned where the polling place is. It is in your home. Just don't forget to complete it and mail it in.

- Patricia Meiner

Canoga Park

The people's choice

Many citizens want to vote ``none of the above'' on May 17, but there is nothing on the ballot except ``mayor.'' I feel as they do, but I have voted in every election for the last 54 years and I intend to vote in this one. When I moved to Atlanta, Georgia, many years ago, I learned that instead of ``none of the above,'' many citizens cast write-in votes for the gorilla in the zoo. The gorilla received votes in every election, sometimes thousands. The total was reported in the local newspapers.

I called the Los Angeles Zoo and was told they don't have a gorilla, but they have four adult chimpanzees. I plan to cast one vote for Toto, the unisex chimpanzee, to make my displeasure with the candidates clear.

- Sinclair Buckstaff

Northridge

Jerks that own them

Re ``Pit bulls'' (Your Opinions, April 6):

I am so incensed over people that have a reaction every time you mention pit bulls, Rottweilers, etc. These dogs are very loving with very sweet temperaments. It's the jerks that own them that should be blamed.

They train them to fight, keep them hungry and do many atrocious acts to make these precious animals react. Just as with children, train them to behave, give lots and lots of love, feed and house them properly and you will have a wonderful pet.

- Sandy Friedman

Northridge

Look no further

Re ``Bilingual country'' (Your Opinions, April 6):

Look no further than the paramount of neutrality - Switzerland - to find a country that has survived with three major official languages (German, French and Italian). Belgium also has three official languages - Dutch, French and German. I would hope that the U.S. could achieve stability even under the ``threat'' of just one other language.

- Brian Sandoval

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Talk about lying

Re ``Clinton was a liar'' and ``Rewarding incompetence'' (Your Opinions, April 5):

Talk of rewarding. Talk of liars. The whole Bush Cabinet would be impeached if ``lying'' was the reason for impeachment. I would (and have) taken Clinton's lie about his indiscretion over the lies that have brought this country to war any day.

- Joy Moos

Los Angeles

Yup, he lied

Re ``Clinton was a liar'' (Your opinions April 5):

Yes, Bill Clinton lied. He lied about the reasons he took us to war with the wrong enemy. Our country slaughtered innocent human beings because of his lies. He forced the CIA to lie to him so he could bomb the wrong country. Woops. Sorry about that, wrong president. Clinton lied about sex and it was Bush who lied about the war. Sex trumps evil, immoral incompetence. Right, Gillies Brooks?

- Dick Denne

Toluca Lake