PUBLIC FORUM.Books or medicine? Re ``Universal preschool
Jerri Hemsworth believes we should fund universal preschool for all California children. Using her figures, this would cost $855 million for L.A. County and more than $3 billion statewide. This same Thursday edition reports our streets and buildings need billions to repair; a Letter to the Editor complains about veterans' hospital benefits being cut; indeed, countless L.A. children are sick and possibly even dying due to our overburdened health care system. But for Jerri, preschool trumps them all. There's never enough tax money, and politics is about choices. Should we save a sick child's life, or teach kids to read a year earlier? - Kelli McAllister Van Nuys Controlling the oil Re ``Former secretaries of state, defense meet at White House'' (Jan. 6): I am puzzled why Bush had all those past secretaries of state at a meeting at the White House. Did he expect full support for his ``staying the course''? How many more Iraqi civilians and our fine American men and women will be killed so that, as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated on ``Meet the Press'' in spring 2003, we can ``control the oil fields''? - Jean Strauber Encino It's not working Re ``Warplanes take out 9 members of family'' (Jan. 4): Brain-dead. That is the only term that can describe green lighting an F-14 to drop a bomb on a building in Basri that three insurgents Insurgents, in U.S. history, the Republican Senators and Representatives who in 1909–10 rose against the Republican standpatters controlling Congress, to oppose the Payne-Aldrich tariff and the dictatorial power of House speaker Joseph G. Cannon. had run into, but missing and instead blowing up an innocent family, including four children. Could anyone reading this ever forgive a country if they did that to your family, your friends or your neighbors? You would not. You would hate them for generations. Even the most rabid neocon ne·o·con n. Informal A neoconservative: "The neocons and hard-liners have long felt that no Soviet leader could be trusted" New York Times. must see that this will backfire and is backfiring on us. The solution: Send in an Iraqi commando unit. If there are none, build them. Enough of this bull feathers. - Chuck Heinold West Hills New watchdogs With all of the news about Jack Abramoff Jack Abramoff (born February 28, 1959) is a former American political lobbyist, a Republican political activist and businessman who was a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals. and members of Congress, it's not hard to understand why voters are disgusted with politicians. They supposedly work for us, but it seems as though they are in it for themselves. I think I have a way of making Congress accountable to the people. Let's see Let's See was a Canadian television series broadcast on CBC Television between September 6, 1952 to July 4, 1953. The segment, which had a running time of 15 minutes, was a puppet show with a character named Uncle Chichimus (voice of John Conway), which presented each someone in Congress write a law that puts ordinary citizens in charge of the ethics committees, in both houses. I think politicians would be more apt to worry about lapses in judgment if they knew they would be held accountable by ordinary citizens instead of their congressional colleagues. - Robert Gardner Sylmar Abramoff scandal If his actions helped legislation pass, then all that legislation should be overturned. All of it. - Stuart Locascio Panorama City Fat-wallet effects? With the Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. (born April 1, 1950) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Educated at Princeton University and Yale Law School, Alito served as a United States attorney and a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit thing heating up, it comes as no surprise to see the Armstrong Williams Armstrong Williams (born February 5, 1959) is a political commentator who writes a conservative newspaper column, hosts a nationally syndicated TV program called The Right Side types hawking the latest Bush line. The effects of fattened wallet must be suspected in view of their evident short memory. Their siding with Alito calls for a reminder that it was the Democrats who literally gave up the red-state solid South to advance civil-rights legislation that the Republicans fought tooth and nail. If those Armstrong-type sellouts think ``Big Business Court'' packing is going to help more than 1 percent of minorities they will have another think coming. - Bill Pratt Northridge Return the pictures To the kids on school vacation that broke into my house yesterday and stole my camera and computer equipment; can you please drop off the pictures I took of my family this holiday season? These are priceless and impossible to replace. You can keep the rest. - Scott Waters Scott Waters is an American heavy metal singer, best known for his work as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist in the Christian metal band Ultimatum. He was also the lead vocalist in the reformed version of Vengeance Rising known as Once Dead. West Hills Sold out again Re ``Crimes of opportunity'' (Editorial, Jan. 5): I faintly remember a few years ago when George W. Bush said, ``not on my watch.'' I thought he meant terrorism, but as it turns out, like Nixon, he meant democracy. Once again the Republican Party sold us out to the ``Military-Industrial Complex mil·i·tar·y-in·dus·tri·al complex n. The aggregate of a nation's armed forces and the industries that supply their equipment, materials, and armaments. Noun 1. ,'' while the Democratic Party slept. It was a Republican president, Dwight Eisenhower, who warned us - or was I having a progressive independent dream. If we had a parliamentary democracy parliamentary democracy Democratic form of government in which the party (or a coalition of parties) with the greatest representation in the parliament (legislature) forms the government, its leader becoming prime minister or chancellor. , we could vote these criminals out of office. - Bob A. Greene West Hollywood West Hollywood A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. Patriot Act-ivists It is one of the traits of our modern American capitalism that business and politics are so thoroughly interdependent that it is impossible to separate the interests they represent. Today, we must guard against a president attempting to turn the state to his own ends. If given free rein, thugs and miscreants operating in the FBI and CIA CIA: see Central Intelligence Agency. (1) (Confidentiality Integrity Authentication) The three important concerns with regards to information security. Encryption is used to provide confidentiality (privacy, secrecy). , cloaked behind the Patriot Act Patriot Act: see USA PATRIOT Act. , may trample American liberties and tear asunder a·sun·der adv. 1. Into separate parts or pieces: broken asunder. 2. Apart from each other either in position or in direction: The curtains had been drawn asunder. American freedom by the act's warrantless domestic surveillance that allows wiretapping A form of eavesdropping involving physical connection to the communications channels to breach the confidentiality of communications. For example, many poorly-secured buildings have unprotected telephone wiring closets where intruders may connect unauthorized wires to listen in on phone by investigators who ``think'' they are acting for the right causes. Two hundred and thirty years ago Americans stood up to King George King George has referred to many kings throughout history. When used, by Americans, without further reference it most often means George III of the United Kingdom, against whom the Whigs of the American Revolution rebelled. of England and said, ``You shall no longer be our king.'' Americans should again muster the courage to say to George, ``You are not our king.'' - Adam Platts Northridge Distrust of people Re ``News media hatred of Bush is dangerous'' (Viewpoint, Jan. 1): I disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" Bill O'Reilly Bill O'Reilly may refer to:
In large part, this is because of his and this administration's stealth, deceit and, one must conclude, dislike and distrust of we the people. - Hal Rothberg Calabasas Won fair and square Re ``Not part of Israel'' (Your Opinions, Jan. 5): David Holland states, ``The occupied territories are not part of Israel.'' Have you forgotten that the West Bank was won fair and square from Jordan? If this is your definition of occupied territories then we should give back to American Indians what was taken from them. Are there two standards, one for America and another for Israel? The Balfour Declaration gave Israel all of the land including Jordan, until the British caved in to the Arab pressure and ignored the declaration. Please be fair before you say ``restoration of Palestinian land to its rightful owner.'' Who is the rightful owner? Jordan? I doubt that they want it back because of the poor population with many problems. - Claire Berke Sherman Oaks Unfunny cartoons Maybe I don't understand the reasoning behind political cartoons, but I find myself offended by them more often than I find myself amused. If a thoughtful, constructive social statement were being made, I could tolerate them a little more, but frequently they are just slaps in the faces of certain segments of our society. I keep forgetting that this is the era of rude and crude. I hope I live long enough to see empathy, kindness and intelligence surface again. It sure would be a pleasant change. - Marilyn Dalrymple Lancaster Fast rise, slow fall The oil companies have been saying that they are not gouging Gouging can be:
- Gene Goodwein Van Nuys |
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