PUBLIC FORUM.

Clean-money elections

Re ``Clean money hits council's nerve'' (July 6):

The article leaves the reader believing that publicly financed, or ``clean money,'' elections represent only a minor change in the election process. In fact, they change entirely the way individuals can qualify, run and win without having a personal fortune or accepting huge contributions from special-interest groups. Voters can judge candidates by their ideas and not the money they raise.

Clean-money elections cost only a minuscule share of the budget of a city or state. They do not require a special tax. Once started, they will soon save huge amounts from the money candidates have been spending to run for office. They do require complete disclosure of campaign contributions and independent expenditures. They will virtually eliminate the effectiveness of lobbyists and the Jack Abramoffs of politics.

-- Martin W. Early

Northridge

Tip of the iceberg 

Re ``Clean money'' (Our Opinions, July 7):

The $9 million possible cost of ``clean money'' campaigning may be disconcerting and appear expensive. But in comparison with current costs, it might be a bargain.

The proposed billion-dollar bond for ``affordable housing'' will be like a pot of gold for candidates looking for campaign contributions. Meanwhile, the bond would make housing for all homeowners less affordable, and merchandise prices in Los Angeles will have to rise to cover increased property taxes on commercial property. Unfortunately, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

-- Victor N. Viereck

Valley Village

Returned art

Re ``Getty OKs returning art works to Greece'' (July 11):

The decision of the Getty Museum could be the death sentence for all museums. Will the Louvre now return the Venus of Milo to Greece, or the Pope return the St. Peter's Square obelisk to Egypt?

Will the heir of the people who had their bust or statue done centuries ago now get the statues of their ancestors? What a can of worms.

-- Giuseppe d'Audria

Sherman Oaks

Arnold's re-election

Re ``Arnold forms Latino group'' (July 11):

After trying an end run around the California Legislature with his special election, Arnold got a sharp ``no, no, no'' from the state's voters. Having done everything he could to hurt the Latino community who rejected him then, he is now trying to garner their vote for his re-election by forming a new coalition of Latino supporters; his only aim, of course, is re-election.

This big-time faker now points to what he calls his accomplishments in office, which any knowledgeable person knows are the result of a robust national economy and absolutely nothing Arnold has done.

-- Philip Wilt

Van Nuys

Better business

Re ``Tax cuts just start of better economy'' (Their Opinions, July 12):

In his analysis of the recent Kosmont-Rose Cost of Doing Business survey placing Los Angeles as 16th-most expensive city in America, Brendan Huffman failed to mention that L.A. previously placed fifth in 2004 and 15th in 2005.

Given this business-positive downward trend, it appears to this reader that when it comes to business-tax reform, someone is actually doing something right on the L.A. City Council; not asleep at the wheel as Huffman's article concludes. By the way, in this year's survey, New York placed third-most-expensive, with San Francisco at eighth-most-expensive. L.A. is currently sandwiched by those two major metropolitan towns; Minneapolis (15) and Indianapolis (17).

-- Bill Haller

Van Nuys

Saving suggestions

Why? Why is there a ``CA REDEM VA TAX'' on almost all bottled and canned drinks we buy except for wine bottles, which by the sheer size of them take up more space in the landfills? (Liquor lobby?) Why is there a 8.25 percent tax on this CA REDEM VA TAX?; is this a form of double taxation?

Why are all almost all state forms and applications printed in multiple languages except the CA state lottery, which it seems everyone understands? Why on the telephone do I have to press 1 for English? Why doesn't the city charge individuals that use the city utility poles in ever-increasing numbers for advertising their product/business/event and also verify that they have a business license? Why doesn't the Daily News have a cost-saving-suggestion program for its many intelligent readers on how the city can be better run and save money?

-- Don Segien

Canoga Park

No overstepping

Re ``Liberal Supreme Court'' (Your Opinions, July 9):

Dana Franck wrongly argues that ``five liberal, activist judges on the Supreme Court ... overstepped their authority'' by hearing a case after Congress had removed their jurisdiction in such cases. In the Hamdan ruling, the majority held that the language of the Detainee Treatment Act omitted such restrictions on those cases already pending, which included the Hamdan case. It was only after making this determination that the court proceeded with a ruling on the petition itself.

The court also left open the possibility that the DTA jurisdictional restrictions may be unconstitutional, but did not render a decision on that question because the court felt the failure of the statute to specifically apply to the Hamdan case eliminated their need to decide on the constitutionality of the DTA.

-- David Holland

Northridge

Cell or drunk driving

Re ``Phoning behind wheel worse than driving drunk, study says'' (June 30):

With what I know about drunk driving, I would be very interested in what those birdbrains at the University of Utah would prefer -- driving in the middle lane between two drivers using cell phones for 100 miles, or driving in the middle lane between two drunk drivers for 20 miles. I think we all know the answer.

That study was a waste of time.

-- Eloy L. Mendoza

Pacoima

Pension plans

Re ``County supervisors face demonstration'' (June 21):

As you noted, many county workers earn over $100,000 a year. Despite this, they still quit, creating a retention issue. This is so long as they are in one of the less-generous pension plans. The workers in the most generous plan, known as Plan A, regardless of pay, don't quit. That is what the actual numbers show.

In the past, there was fear that good pensions would reduce the amount of pay raises -- this year; however, there are ample funds to solve the retention problem permanently by putting all county employees into Plan A, and still guarantee a fair pay raise.

-- Bruce Perelman

Los Angeles

Time to go

The Iraqis are once again engaging in their national pastime: killing each other. Sunni blows up Shiite; Shiites shoot Sunnis; on and on and on. France, Belgium and so on were liberated from the Nazis in World War II. We supposedly ``liberated'' Iraq from Saddam. To no point. Those morons over there keep killing each other again and again, and our troops get killed for it. We need to get out now.

If the Iraqis want to keep on killing each other, fine. They don't deserve to have been liberated, they are the kind of people who are not worth our lives to help. Let them kill each other if they want to, and we stay out of it.

-- Mike Kirwan

Venice

Foisted on readers

I write once again to beg you to take the Mallard Fillmore comic strip off the comic pages and put it on the editorial pages where it belongs. Tinsley's material is clearly, grossly, political in nature and many far more right-leaning papers than you have, to their credit, moved this Republican jingoist to the editorial pages.

Tinsley has a right to say and believe anything he wishes, but to have his, in my opinion, anti-American opinions foisted on unsuspecting readers of the comics is unconscionable. He belongs on the editorial pages.

-- Gary L. Helm

Lancaster