PUBLIC FORUM.

Aliens doom LAUSD 

The school takeover plan by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been approved by the L.A. City Council members, and it looks as though it will pass through the Legislature.

However, this proposal ignores the real problem. Until such time as illegal aliens are stopped from flooding our schools, no significant increases in test scores will be achieved. Not only do most not speak English, many of their parents do not speak English.

-- Robert Kunz

Canoga Park

Pachyderms vs. people

Re ``Mayor: City firm on offer'' (Aug. 23):

City Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka said the Engineers and Architects Association and the city were almost $16 million to $20 million apart in their negotiations. Wait a minute. Isn't that less than half of what city officials are willing to spend on two elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo? So lets see, it's OK to spend $40 million for two elephants, but not to spend $20 million for 7,400 city employees?

-- David Hernandez

Valley Village

Stand with L.A.

We taxpayers need to back the city and its stand not to succumb to the strong-arm tactics the unions resort to when they don't get their way. I as a taxpayer think the position by the Engineers and Architects Association is outrageous.

Today's unions remove the competitive element that this great country was founded on, and promote marginal workers that could never hold a job in the competitive, nonunion workplace.

-- Tim Powell

Mission Hills

No strike

The mayor should go one step further than standing up to the union. He should tell them they must go back to work or be fired. That's what President Ronald Reagan did some years ago with the nation's air traffic controllers. No government workers -- and that means city, county and state workers -- should be allowed to strike. They are guaranteed their jobs for life, have good retirement and medical benefits, and get a better deal than most private industry workers.

-- Don Robbins

West Hills

Misrepresentation 

Re ``Expropriating power'' (Your Opinions, Aug. 20):

Boy, did Sid Gold hit the nail on the head when he likened the arrogance of Los Angeles' City Council to that of ``a Latin American country's junta.''

But, what's the surprise here? For years, L.A.'s governing body, along with that of ours here in Burbank, has been more interested in representing the interests of other country's citizens than those of its own.

-- Dink O'Neal

Burbank

Thriftless tenants

Re ``Condo conversions'' (Your Opinions, Aug. 18):

In this letter the writer is complaining about the loss of affordable apartments during the recent wave of condo conversions. But, even though this phenomenon is creating more housing, he is crying to gullible City Council members for a moratorium that would halt the creation of more housing.

While tenants in such affluent communities may not be able to purchase the new or converted units, the buyers vacated housing somewhere, and new units are being built as a result. For how many years must an apartment owner continue subsidizing thriftless tenants?

-- Victor N. Viereck

Valley Village

Bully for Burbank

Re ``Board against LAUSD takeover'' (Aug. 23):

Hurrah for the Burbank school board for voting to oppose the school takeover by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. These backroom deals made without public input are always suspicious.

If the mayor is really so interested in what is going on in the public schools, he should spend a day in one of the lowest-performing schools -- without his caravan, photo opportunities or entourage.

-- Cliff Hall

Chatsworth

What democracy?

The Bush administration is preaching around the world that we need to spread democracy. Democracy is an admirable goal. But, is our current government running as a democracy? Americans currently have fewer rights since ruled by the British. The administration has failed to create an environment that is at all safer than we were since the 9-11 attack five years ago.

By diverting our attention with the war in Iraq and possible warfare elsewhere, the government has undermined the people's rights in this country by using fear tactics. There have been lies and cover-ups beginning with the Florida presidential election.

We send delegates into other countries to make sure that the government does not corrupt elections and mismanage humanitarian issues. Who is overseeing the United States?

-- Cookie Uretsky

Moorpark

Gas and Al Gore

Re ``Gas prices fuel fame of analyst'' (Aug 21):

I agree with Trilby Lundberg that global warming is a ``boogeyman for political opportunism'' and a grab for power.

Al Gore and others are politicizing science, drowning out legitimate criticism and pushing us to spend hundreds of billions of dollars for a nonissue.

Proponents are so far failing to prove their case as written about in Michael Critchton's novel ``State of Fear.'' The burden is on them to show that global warming is indeed harmful, how harmful and to whom.

Climatologists who support this theory should stop trying to get government grants to prove what they claim has already been proven. And they should acknowledge in print that nuclear energy is a solution, since it does not produce greenhouse gases.

-- Bruce K. Bell

Moorpark

Moronic laws

Re ``New laws suffocate California'' (Viewpoint, Aug. 20):

Wow! Forty-seven thousand new laws since 1966. When will our elected officials learn that quantity will never replace quality when it comes to laws? Now the Los Angeles City Council agreed to support Police Chief William Bratton's request for yet another feel-good, moronic law to add two years to a robbery sentence for wearing a disguise. Do the council members or chief really believe robbers will stop wearing ski masks and increase their risk of capture?

-- Rick Owen

Calabasas

The war at home

Re ``Gunmen take over bank, escape'' (Aug. 23):

The article about the three gunmen who robbed a bank and escaped left me in utter dismay. This county is under siege.

Meanwhile, I again noticed from my desk at work a motorcycle cop spending his day pulling over traffic offenders for minor infractions. For God's sake, we need every officer on the street putting an iron boot on the gangs in our midst. This is a war against our communities. When are the authorities going to put an end to gang activity once and for all?

-- Victorio Santollo

Montrose

Faux pas on foie gras

Re ``Capone's city outlaws foie gras'' (Aug. 23):

It is despicable that Chicago's restaurateurs have retaliated against the city's new law prohibiting the serving of foie gras by going out of their way to create new dishes featuring it. Their objection to the ordinance is apparently based on their dislike at being told what they can't serve. They ask, What next? The answer should be veal. No one should partake of foods that are inhumanely grown or harvested.

-- Richard Klinger

Sherman Oaks