PUBLIC FORUM.

Sore loser

Re ``Us or them'' (Nov. 10):

Front page article ``Us or them'' is a typical sore loser headline. To quote: ``A sweeping rejection of all eight measures. And that leaves California and its people right back in the same old quagmire and political paralysis.''

Actually, the propositions were rejected because they did not address genuine problems but were discriminatory and granted dictatorial powers to an egocentric, unqualified politician. This was an unnecessary showdown deliberately engineered by an overly ambitious individual. It is obvious that not only were the propositions rejected, but the governor received a kick in his muscle-bound gluteus maximus.

- David Pine

Northridge

Shooting off toes

Re ``Arnold losing big'' (Nov. 9):

Our government employees just spent about $165 million to shoot themselves in the foot. It never seems to have occurred to them that one of the things our governor was trying to protect was their pensions. It's not hard to see that not changing our legislators' fiscal irresponsibility will drive this state into bankruptcy.

Government union workers can have all the laws and contracts they want, but when (not if) we go bankrupt, their own pensions will be on the table. I'd also like to comment on college students who vote in favor of bonds, such as yesterday's school bond. That bond will probably take 30 years to pay off, so those students are the ones who will actually pay for it.

- Wilma Bennett

Reseda

Beyond a doubt

Re ``Arnold losing big'' (Nov. 9):

Congratulations to the teachers and politicians who have now proven beyond a doubt that dumbing down the people in California will result in their keeping their jobs no matter how incompetent they are. To add insult to injury, they are paid extra to do this through yet another property tax increase.

- Barney Klinger

Santa Clarita 

Come a cropper 

Re ``Arnold losing big'' (Nov. 9):

Our muscle-brained governor seems to have come a cropper with his ill-advised $60 million special election. The myriad film fanatics whose monumental ignorance elected him to a position that he had absolutely no qualifications for can now go back to playing video games.

- Zachary Charles

Burbank

School bond issue

It is mind-boggling that these bond issues keep passing. I can't imagine homeowners wanting to pay $540 more per year by 2009. It eventually bites renters also.

LAUSD has not been able to spend the last bond issues, except, of course, for the quarter-billion dollars spent on their Taj Mahal headquarters. No wonder people are moving to Nevada.

- Bill Rice

Winnetka

Educating owners

Re ``Mayor's animal problem'' (Nov. 8):

Until you educate more pet owners on the importance of spaying, neutering and licensing their pets, the problem of euthanizing at the city shelters will never stop. That's the bottom line. Without the education, we'll continue to have unwanted animals being killed by the thousands. And in my humble opinion, ``backyard breeding'' should be illegal. It just adds to the problem.

- Amy Laskavy

Studio City

Desires and needs

Re ``Mayor's animal problem'' (Nov. 7):

L.A. Animal Services is obligated to accept all stray and unwanted animals, many impounded because they are a threat to innocent pets and humans. Mayor Villaraigosa must balance his desire to reduce euthanasia with the mandate to ensure safety in a city where there are daily attacks by dangerous dogs and where socially responsible decisions must be made for the animals and public welfare.

Everyone wants a decrease in euthanasia of animals that are suited for adoption. However, the deceptive ``no-kill'' myth was long-ago rejected by mainstream animal-welfare organizations because it misleads the public to believe that unwanted pets can be stockpiled endlessly and that euthanasia is merely an arbitrary decision by the shelter.

- Phyllis M. Daugherty

Director

Animal Issues Movement

Casino use questioned

Re ``Sheriff's casino use questioned'' (Nov. 8):

Why did the L.A. County sheriff spend more than $4,300 tax dollars to have a management seminar at the Commerce Casino? There are plenty of places to have such meetings at a fraction of the cost - county-owned buildings, DWP facilities, schools and the sheriff's academy.

Instead of having a catered affair in a casino owned by one of Sheriff Baca's major campaign contributors, they can do as the rest of us do, bring their lunches. This is a perfect example of the arrogance of public officials and a slap in the face to the people who have to pay for it - the taxpayers. Baca has a lot of nerve asking for tax and DMV fee increases when he wastes the taxpayers' money like this.

- John R. Schlank

Granada Hills

Don't blame conservatives

Re ``Silencing opposition'' (Your Opinions, Nov. 9):

The main reason why there are lots of conservative talk shows and almost no liberal ones is simple: Conservative talk shows have high ratings while liberal talk shows don't. Sponsors want their ads heard by the most people possible.

Evidently, liberal radio talk shows don't get high enough ratings to make sponsors want to put them on the air. Instead of blaming conservatives for the problem, Irving Leemon should be either beefing up the liberal shows for ratings or beating the bushes for liberal sponsors who don't care about ratings.

- John R. Schlank

Granada Hills

Transportation wonder

Has it occurred to any one that the new Orange Line has been built to serve less than 2 percent of the Valley population at its max usage (35,000 riders per day). At its current rate of 7,500 riders per day, it is serving less than 1 percent. Anyone who is a serious student of mass transit will look at this Orange Line and laugh. Already its shortcomings are surfacing via the two accidents that have occurred injuring 12 people.

So let's see - the Orange Line serves less than 1 percent of the Valley population and it's dangerous. Who should we Valley folk thank for this wonder of wonders in transportation?

- Lawrence A. Calabro

Northridge

Life destroying lie

Re ``He's a disaster'' (Your Opinions, Nov. 9):

Thinking that President Clinton's lie only hurt his family is a fallacy. How many teenagers have destroyed their lives thinking oral sex is not sex because the president of the United States, one of the greatest role models our country has, said so?

The diseases that have been contracted because they misunderstand, the innocence lost because of such a selfish act, and the concepts of commitment, loyalty and devotion have lost their meaning in today's society because of one man's example.

- Karen Rowe

Palmdale

Would you believe?

There was a time when a personal phone conversation in a public place was a private thing. You actually stepped into a big glass booth, closed the door, and made your call. Well, I'd like to propose to all you cell phone zombies the Personal Cone of Silence. Carry it with you at all times and just place over your head whenever the urge to jabber incessantly overtakes you. Oh, and if you find that the Personal Cone of Silence performs like its famous namesake ... sorry about that.

- Bruce W. Mecchi

Panorama City