PUBLIC FORUM.

DWP work

Re ``OT flows like water at DWP'' (March 20):

The next time my boyfriend's boss calls in the middle of the night because someone's electricity is off, I'll tell him to stay in bed. The next time there is an earthquake or disaster, I'll tell him forget it. When deregulation went into effect, did our lights go out? No. Did we have rolling blackouts? No. Did our bills double or triple? No.

My boyfriend has worked for DWP for over 20 years and he works hard for his money. Why do you think they work so much? A few years ago DWP offered anybody who wanted to retire an early buyout. Unfortunately too many people left. They can 3/8t find enough people to do the work. I get so tired of reading the paper about how they cheat this city. Every day he goes to work, he takes the risk of not coming home at all.

- Christine Martinson

West Hills

Honest elections

Re ``Counties sued to prevent use of Diebold voting machines'' (March 22):

Secretary of State Bruce McPherson vowed to get rid of these easily hackable voting machines when he was appointed - and now what? He is going back on his word.Why are we, the voters, forced to sue our own state in order to obtain honest elections? Was former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley just pushed out of office because he stood for fair elections, and getting rid of these easily hackable Diebold machines?

- Mary Altmann

Agoura

Hue and cry 

Re ``The real threat'' (Editorials, March 16):

In your editorial of March 16 on the new proposed port security bill, you say that ``no one's raised a hue or cry that we haven't been doing these simple things already.'' Weren't you listening during the three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate in 2000? I certainly recall that these were main issues brought up by the Democratic candidates.

Democrats in Congress have raised the issue on numerous occasions since then, and have been overruled by the Republican majority. Perhaps you meant to say that Republicans haven't raise a hue or cry before now!

- Doris Dent

Studio City

The L.A. style 

Re ``Downtown Park gets go-ahead'' (March 21):

I couldn't help but notice something missing from your article on our ``new'' park. While you were busy describing the planned ``smaller Los Angeles version of New York's Central Park,'' you failed to mention the original L.A. landmark that is nearly four times larger than its New York counterpart. Ever heard of Griffith Park?

Just once I'd like to see the local media cease portraying nearly every loft, park, restaurant, transit project and urban development as some sort of pale, pathetic imitation of New York style. We have our own style and millions of people are attracted to it. Get over it.

- Nick Santangelo

Los Angeles

National debt

With no fanfare, President Bush signed legislation pushing the ceiling on the national debt to nearly $9 trillion. The measure allows the government to borrow an additional $781 billion and prevent a first-ever default on Treasury notes.

It also lets the government pay for the war in Iraq without raising taxes. The debt limit increase was the fourth of Bush's presidency, totalling $3 trillion in deficit spending. We spend $3 billion a month on the war in Iraq. Why isn't anyone talking about this?

- Suzanne Lewis

Valley Village

Simple thank-you

Re ``Latino business boom'' (March 16):

I read (twice) the article about the success of Hispanic businesses. Gabriel Barajas says ``I had a hunger wanting to succeed, knowing that in Mexico we could not have done this,'' and ``In other countries you can't open up business like this.''

And, and ... and nothing. I was waiting to read something like ``... and we want to thank America for giving us the opportunity to succeed on doing something we couldn't do in Mexico.'' Just a simple thank-you, America. Just a simple thank-you.

- Dante F. Rochetti

West Hills

Good ol' days

During the past 55 years we spent hundreds of billions of dollars fighting communism. It is ironic that now we are borrowing trillions from China to finance an invasion & occupation of the most unstable nation in the Middle East. We'll be indentured to the largest of communist nations for decades.

And there's no end in sight to this deficit spending. I miss the good old days of Nixon or Reagan.

- Stan Gordon

Encino

Deep intolerance

Re David Horsey's anti-religion cartoon: Antitheists typically accuse believers of three things - ignorance, intolerance and violence. In his cartoon, Horsey displays his considerable ignorance of what religion truly is and does and expresses a deep intolerance of religious people. (Where is the uproar about ``hate speech?'')

No, he does not promote violence, but he does push his ``enlightened'' point of view that the world would be much better off if more people rejected God the way he does. In other words, he seeks converts. And he accuses the faithful of hypocrisy.

- Sylvia Alloway

Granada Hills

Both have rights

Re ``Gross cartoon'' (Your Opinions, March 23):

Some of the great privileges we all enjoy in this country are freedom of speech and a right to express oneself (within the boundaries of the law). Why do people like Francis E. Lawlor get so upset at cartoons that poke fun at religion? Lawlor's right to convey his feelings is the same right cartoonist possess to make political comics that they know are going to offend some groups.

To remark how any cartoon ``negates the great thoughts of prophets, seers, poets, musicians, artist, and statesmen'' is just straight up ridiculous. As for our Founding Fathers, I doubt this would anger them seeing how they insisted on including this freedom as well as other amendments when creating our Constitution.

- Kyle Laurent

Newhall

Big answer

Re ``Bigger question'' (Your Opinions, March 16):

Wilma Bennett's ``Who or what created the intelligent designer?'' I had similar questions at one time. Then I read the Bible. Cover to cover. I found that my questions about God were answered in God's own word.

Now to ask good people like Wilma a question: Do you really want an answer to your questions? If so, are you willing to spend time reading the Word and praying to find the answers? If you say ``yes,'' not only will your questions be answered, but you will have a new life.

- Thomas Clement

West Hills

No substitute

Re ``Conclusions'' (Your Opinions, March 15):

Howard Doll claims that the Genesis flood is a perfectly viable explanation of the fossil record. Hardly. How does a 40-day flood produce strata layers in which fossils show life forms getting ever more primitive, the deeper (older) the layers?

According to the Genesis story, God drowned every living thing he made except for Noah's family and the passengers on the ark. Why then do we not find any human fossils? Mythology is entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking, but it is not a substitute for science.

- Ernst F. Ghermann

Winnetka

Bush and Democrats

Emperor Bush has shown his true colors again. He had no idea going into his private war, and now no idea of getting out. Of course he'll have the war going as long as he is in office. Halliburton et al. would have it no other way, and I'm sure they have a big say in the White House.

And the problem is - the Democrats have no one on the horizon who has the courage or intelligence to put a stop to the son of a Bush dictator. As a four-year war veteran, I can only weep.

- Frank Barron

Van Nuys