PUBLIC FORUM.Dark mornings Re ``Extended daylight'' (April 23): I believe daylight-saving time should be extended, but the plan presented is severely flawed. The proposal would end daylight-saving time at the end of November and start it again the start of March. This would create dark November mornings for schoolchildren schoolchildren school npl → écoliers mpl; (at secondary school) → collégiens mpl; lycéens mpl schoolchildren school . To better balance the daylight hours, daylight-saving time should end as it does currently at the end of October, but start again the end of February. This would balance the daylight hours around the shortest day of the year, Dec. 21. Also this would prevent daylight-saving time from starting on Easter or Palm Sunday Palm Sunday, in the Christian calendar, the Sunday before Easter, sixth and last Sunday in Lent, and the first day of Holy Week. It recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem riding upon an ass, when his followers shouted "Hosanna" and scattered palms in his path. . - Rick Roome 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. More sense Re ``Extended daylight'' (April 23): The proposal for daylight-saving time now before Congress will extend the time change in the fall to within a month of the Winter Solstice winter solstice n. In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice that occurs on or about December 22. winter solstice Noun . At that time sunrise would be at 8 o'clock. What makes more sense is to begin daylight-saving time the last Sunday in February, when the days are already longer than they are when daylight-saving time currently ends the last Sunday in October. - Thomas E. Locke North Hollywood Doesn't make sense Re ``Extended daylight'' (April 23): To extend daylight-saving time doesn't make sense. It should be reversed for the summer hours to fall back; therefore we would save energy in the evening by not using our air conditioners as it will get dark earlier and cool down quicker. Kids and hormones? Geez geez interj. Used to express mild surprise, delight, dissatisfaction, or annoyance. [Shortening and alteration of Jesus1.] , we all went through this as teenagers and we managed just fine. They'll get over it. As far as updating computer hardware? Maybe this could create part-time work to process the new change. After all we live in a fast-paced world and we can almost do anything when it comes to changes. - Jamie Jenney Sylmar Taxing the rich Re ``Reiner plan for preschool iffy if·fy adj. if·fi·er, if·fi·est Informal Doubtful; uncertain: an iffy proposition. [From if. at best'' (Their Opinions, April 20): Rob Reiner Robert "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, children's advocate and political activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie Bunker's and Edith Baines-Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on wants millionaires to pay 2 percent of their income, if as a couple they make over $800,000, for preschool. This is the same man who got through a 25-cent tax on cigarettes. I'm sure next year Reiner will go after an alcohol tax or some such other tax to pay for another program that the state can't afford. When you aren't affected directly by a tax, it's easy to vote for it, but remember rich people open businesses, employ workers, pay taxes but most of all contribute to all the other small businesses in society. Don't drive them out of California with pet projects. - Maxine Flam North Hollywood As it turned out Re ``L.A.'s 'Baghdad Bob''' (Your Opinions, April 25): If I recall correctly from my prewar TV interview watching, ``Baghdad Bob,'' Iraq's then-information minister, clearly warned his American interviewer (and by extension all of us) that an invasion would be a very bad idea: ``Many American boys will be killed,'' he said, on camera, ``and all for nothing because we have no 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 .'' Out of the mouths of propagandists ... . - Harvey Pearson Los Feliz Waste of time Re ``Railing against MTA'' (April 25): Being a high school senior and frequent bus rider, I feel that the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. is doing a good job, contrary to the other bus riders in this article. I have taken the bus for four years and have memorized the time schedule for certain buses like the 167. They are always on time and have no problem with the buses. I think this is wasting the MTA's time. Instead of dealing with these people's complaints, the time and money could be used to organize the MTA system better. - John Santos North Hollywood No real evidence Re ``Wake-up call'' (Your Opinions, April 25): Erik Weinberger wonders why former President Clinton was ``investigated at taxpayer expense, and punished'' for lies, but not President Bush. There were eyewitness allegations and physical evidence to warrant Clinton's investigation and punishment. For all their crying of ``liar,'' from the anti-Bush crowd, there has been no real evidence that Bush has lied. Anecdotal and cause-and-effect evidence is no evidence at all. Being wrong and relying on less than dependable advisers does not make a person a liar. If there was real evidence of Bush's lying or misconduct, the anti-Bush zealots Zealots (zĕl`əts), Jewish faction traced back to the revolt of the Maccabees (2d cent. B.C.). The name was first recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus as a designation for the Jewish resistance fighters of the war of A.D. 66–73. would have no reason to sit on it and we would have seen it by now. - John R. Schlank Granada Hills Too tempting Re ``Hurting the right'' (Your Opinions, April 24): I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. which part of Zachary Charles' diatribe di·a·tribe n. A bitter, abusive denunciation. [Latin diatriba, learned discourse, from Greek diatrib concerning Tom DeLay is more ludicrous: Unearthing the 50-year-old ghost of Joe McCarthy, referring to the GOP as ``God on Parade'' or his asinine alliteration alliteration (əlĭt'ərā`shən), the repetition of the same starting sound in several words of a sentence. Probably the most powerful rhythmic and thematic uses of alliteration are contained in Beowulf, (sorry, I couldn't resist) at the end of his letter. Lighten up, Zachary, the Tom DeLay ``controversy'' is not the most pressing national issue. - Dennis Erkel Burbank Constant interference Re ``Rights violations'' (Your Opinions, April 24): I agree with Greg Beckman regarding the ACLU's curtailment of the security of LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) (and all) schools. The ACLU ACLU: see American Civil Liberties Union. is guilty of hypocrisy and putting people in danger. I teach elementary school elementary school: see school. in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , and I can oftentimes see the teachers' and administrators' hands tied with respect to discipline and keeping the campus safer. If only organizations like the ACLU would let people proceed with their daily jobs without constant interferences and lawsuits. - Ari J. Kaufman Los Angeles Exemption outrage State and federal government employees can exempt themselves from the Social Security system, which means I am getting hosed. Why can't I opt out of this junk program? Am I the only one that has a problem with government workers giving themselves fat pensions, guaranteed by the private sector, while the private sector has to settle for the pathetic Social Security system? I am very supportive of private Social Security accounts that I control, even if the government restricts my investment choices. I know I can invest 8 (percent) to 15 percent of my money better than the politicians. The current Social Security recipients should be ashamed of burdening our children and grandchildren with such a horrible program. - Mark Bradley
West Hills Due influence Re ``California minority'' (Your Opinions, April 24): Karen Bohanan claims that ``(T)he Republican majority in the Senate represents fewer Americans than the Democratic minority.'' That is a very interesting statement given that when you multiply each state population by the number of Republican and Democratic senators elected by that state, you find that 56 percent of the population elected Republican senators. That percentage is very close to the 55-44 Republican majority in the Senate. She also feels that ``the vast minority of California deserves a voice.'' Well, as we were supposed to have learned in school, populous states are given their due influence in the House of Representatives, not the Senate. - Todd Barry Todd Andrew Barry (born March 26, 1964 in The Bronx, New York, is a Jewish American stand-up comedian, actor and voice actor, known for his "laid-back" stage manner. In 1999, his Comedy Central Presents special aired. La Crescenta Fonda remark Re ``Spitting mad'' (Your Opinions, April 25): Barney Klinger writes in his letter regarding Michael Smith spitting in the face of Jane Fonda, ``The Democrats stopped Jane Fonda from going to prison as a traitor.'' He makes this statement, but offers no proof. Perhaps he will share his evidence with us to support this wild claim. - Edward D. Gaddis Lancaster Time DeLayed ``Hurting the right'' (Your Opinions, April 24): Tom DeLay's dealings have no effect on your life, any more than mine, even if he did do something wrong. Your time can be better spent. - Don Lanpher Woodland Hills |
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