PUBLIC FORUM.

Apathy at the polls

The low primary turnout was an omen on 6-6-06 of a rejection of politics in California. None of the candidates got the major issues right, which in California deal with energy, economy and the ramifications from illegal immigration, energy innovation with ethanol, which can be grown with Californians in agriculture profiting as well as the rest of us with lower fuel costs.

Someone needs to fight raises in interest rates, which hurt California consumers, as well as billions spent dealing with the immigration issue in medical and social services and in the schools. The job shuffle in Sacramento also showed that new candidates could not contest incumbents from other statewide jobs. Perhaps it is easier to let people vote by cell phones like they do on ``American Idol'' to get some voter interest generated.

-- Leigh Datzker

Woodland Hills

California dreamin'

The way musical chairs for state offices is played makes me sick. I received at least 10 calls a day from candidates running for this or that office. I have had to turn off the phone and unplug the machine. I thought term limits meant just that but the politicians found a way around that.

The best way to stop the merry-go-round is to vote them all out of office. Support new candidates. But that will never happen because, as we all know, special interests and money control the government. Too bad, it was a nice dream.

-- Maxine Flam

North Hollywood

Clean it up

To those who illegally posted campaign signs: You couldn't be an example to us by following the law and not violating Municipal Ordinance 28.04 (no posting fliers/signs), but may I ask you to please come and take them down after the election on Wednesday? Thank you.

-- Tim Page 

North Hills

Mansion location

Re ``Mansionization laws proposed'' (June 6):

So Councilman Tom LaBonge is concerned about mansions being built on small lots. What a hypocrite. Has he ever taken the time to look at NoHo? Not only are all of the single-family homes being replaced with condos, but the size and scope of the condo buildings are so large that they dwarf the other buildings left standing.

Again I repeat, shame on you Tom LaBonge. I guess it's OK to build in NoHo, but not in the upscale Hollywood Hills.

-- Marty Klein 

North Hollywood

Where's the threat?

Re ``Marriage amendment push is revived'' (June 6):

When Sen. (Wayne) Allard, R-Colo., proclaims with a straight face that ``marriage is under attack all across the country'' because of the recognition by some states of gay and lesbian marriages, I can only wonder what he's been smoking lately and where can I get some.

How is gays and lesbians marrying an attack on marriage? The logic escapes me, not that logic matters any more when the government gets involved. In a world filled with hate and ugliness, beautiful things like love between two people should be recognized and celebrated. The government has no right to try to regulate or criminalize love. George Orwell must be having a good laugh about us in the U.S. right about now.

-- Brett Stone

Valley Village

Inconsistency

The Constitution, which says nothing specific on the subject, should be strictly construed and not left open to interpretation by liberal judges who would allow gay marriage. However, the Bible, which also says nothing specific on the subject, should be liberally construed by right-wing religious extremists to prohibit gay marriage.

Inconsistent? Hypocritical? So what else is new?

-- Marshall Barth

Encino

Finding the innocent

Several U.S. Marines are being accused of killing unarmed civilians. Their guilt or innocence is yet to be determined. Here are some facts to consider: Someone had to dig the hole to place the bomb that blew up the USMC truck. People in the area knew of the bomb and were willing to let Marines die. The bomb was remotely detonated, which means that the individual who detonated the bomb had to be close by to see where the convoy was in proximity to the bomb. Person or persons let this individual use their house for that purpose.

The terrorists could not exist one hour without the complicity of the Iraqi people. It's hard to find innocent Iraqi civilians in this instance.

-- Lawrence A. Calabro

Northridge

Historical immigration

Re ``Guessing on immigration'' (June 5):

Fortunately, we at least have 20/20 hindsight statistics to use as a guide for how many immigrants we might want in the future. For example, between 1881 and 1890, when the nation was lightly populated, we had an 1800s decades-high gross of 5,246,618 immigrant arrivals. In contrast, between 1950 and 1960, we ``admitted'' a total of only 2,764,666 nationally -- yet our then Southland economy performed admirably. There were plenty of jobs available, there was plenty of housing and, last but not least, there were a lot fewer traffic jams.

We should be reversing our total numbers course back toward the '50s era, not making our aggregate immigration numbers of the entire decade of the 1880s an annual (or even semiannual) event.

-- Harvey Pearson

Los Feliz

Inflexible desire

Re ``School regenerates immigrants' pride'' (June 6):

That the Academia Semillias del Pueblo in El Sereno was funded by a grant from the Raza Development Fund should come as no surprise to anyone au courant of recent attitudes engendered by many in the Hispanic community. But what is more than mildly shocking is the reason for the school's inception: Marcos Aguilar attributed the great number of mostly Latino dropouts at Garfield High School, where he taught, to the ``denial of culturally relevant programs and to the inflexible desire to Americanize first-generation students.''

What Aguilar and those of his ilk need to ultimately come to terms with and get used to is that Los Estados Unidos is not Mexico, and that El Norte has a culture, history and expectations particular to itself.

-- Stephen Pettine

Canoga Park

Luxury on luxury

Re ``How happiness at work unleashes creativity'' (Business, June 5):

I was amused by the article until I thought about how many occupations don't have the luxury of color, dogs, environment enhancements, etc. Do all the coal mine workers have environment enhancements, beyond what the plush office workers think nothing about, such as air- conditioning, clean air, safety and emergency kits?

Do the National Guard reservists serving in the Middle East have access to all the comforts of home? Why is it we cater to the whims of the least discomforted and ignore those who have vital issues? Why are we not looking at real hazardous occupations and improving them rather than taking the easy route and piling luxury on top of luxury?

-- Lorraine Mabbett

West Hills

Voting is not enough

If you think the trash fee hike in order to hire more cops is something, just wait till the L.A. City Council implements the Walking, Talking and Breathing Fee in order to provide additional pay, benefits and retirement for city employees. If you don't want to pay these fees, then walk, talk and breathe outside of the city.

Or maybe, instead of just complaining about the actions of our elected ``officious-als,'' vote these imbeciles out of office. Better yet, initiate and sign recall petitions against these populous, pompous, self-serving public leeches and elect those who will represent the noncivil service population also.

-- David Silverman 

Chatsworth