PUBLIC FORUM.

Getting away with it 

Re ``America first'' (Our Opinions, Dec. 28):

Gerald Ford always defended his act of pardoning Richard Nixon by saying that a trial of Nixon would have distracted him from his presidential duties. So why didn't he condemn the Congress when it impeached Bill Clinton? Certainly Clinton was far more distracted from his presidential duties with a trial of himself than Ford ever would have been by a trial of Nixon.

It has been said that Nixon's resignation proved that no one, not even the president, is above the law. Unfortunately, Ford's pardoning of Nixon proved otherwise. It has also been said that Ford ``healed'' the wounds of the nation after the traumas of Vietnam and Watergate. On the contrary, Americans were cynical about the government after LBJ and Nixon and Ford's act of allowing Nixon to ``get away with it'' made us even more so.

-- Michael Neu

Woodland Hills

Above the law

Re ``America first'' (Our Opinions, Dec. 28):

Gerald Ford made it clear that criminal presidents such as Richard M. Nixon and George W. Bush are above the law. A truth and reality. Is that a democracy?

-- Bob A. Greene

West Hollywood 

Canoga station

Re ``Busway's parking bonanza'' (Dec. 28):

Rachel Uranga wrote an excellent article which is very needed. As Mayor Villaraigosa said, ``This is a new commitment to public transportation.'' I ride the Orange Line very often. When the Orange Line started, the commuters living west of Topanga Boulevard did not want to go all the way to the Winnetka parking lot. So they just drove.

If there is more information published about this, more people will park and ride at Canoga Park station, which is a state-of-the-art parking place. How about giving all those people who park at Canoga station free tickets for a period of one week? Then many commuters will try the Orange Line, love it and ride it from then on.

-- InSoon Lee

West Hills

Such magnitude

Re ``Fault lies with the doggone owners'' (Their Opinions, Dec. 28):

Mark Phillips writes at length about self-centered dog owners allowing their dogs to poop on his lawn. Want to stop that problem? Put up a nice fence around your property. Have you tried to explain to your friends and visitors that you do not have facilities to take care of their dogs and you have to many valuables to allow them to roam free?

-- Ron Roth

Northridge

Paying twice

The recent ``feel good'' ordinance of L.A. City Council busybodies, requiring higher wages or medical insurance for hotel workers at Century Boulevard hotels, ignores human nature and will not achieve their goal of broader medical insurance coverage.

Given the choice of medical insurance or a bigger paycheck, the employees will choose the money and not the insurance, unless they have an immediate need for medical service. The rest will take the larger paycheck and when medical care becomes necessary seek it at free clinics and public health care facilities. The result -- businesses and the taxpaying public pay twice, first for higher hotel costs and second for the public health care services.

-- Glenn W. Holby

North Hollywood

LAPD perspective

Re ``City Hall secrecy'' (Dec. 28):

Officer Fuller is not the one making a mountain out of a molehill; the Daily News is. To put things into perspective, the LAPD has 9,000 sworn officers and 500 are in the military reserve. Sadly, some of these officers are still overseas fighting the war and missed the holidays with their families so we could enjoy ours.

Two weeks ago, seven Los Angeles police officers received the Career Service Award for their bravery, which included rescuing passengers from a train crash, saving people from a burning building and reviving a lifeless child. These and many more LAPD officers bring pride and honor to this city, and the Daily News is not being fair in its reporting.

-- Monica Harmon

Los Angeles