PUBLIC FORUM.

City Hall logic

Re ``Taggers using L.A.'s public murals, ruining years of work'' (Jan. 7):

More craziness at City Hall. With our city fathers' blessings, talented artists beautify once graffiti-laden surfaces on city property. Yet, when the taggers return to mar the beautiful murals, the artists are told that these are their murals and city officials cannot provide resources to help them erase the garbage sprayed over their art. The insanity of this reasoning boggles the mind.

-- Bob Triggs

Granada Hills

Not even close

Re ``Union calls for action by its teachers'' (Jan. 6):

I see that the teachers union members are turning up their noses at an overly generous pay raise the school district is offering them. I cannot understand how someone can complain who -- based on current wages, current benefits, future pension benefits and actual number of hours spent in the classroom -- is probably making around $200 per hour.

I am sure that the union is going to respond that teachers work on a yearly and not hourly salary, but in the private sector almost everyone must work about 2,000 hours a year (2,080 minus brief vacations and a few paid holidays) to earn full-time pay, and teachers do not even come close to that.

-- Don Burdette

Oakhurst

Still a Republican

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez should not make the assumption that Republicans are breaking ranks with their Republican legislators. I, as a Republican, support all the fiscally responsible actions of Tom McClintock and the other Republican legislators. They are listening to their voters when they vote against spending more money than the state takes in. They are listening to their voters when they vote against offering free health care to illegal immigrant children.

-- Cheryl Sullivan

Winnetka

Southland windstorms

We, along with many thousands of others, suffered a power outage during the recent windstorms. The 14-hour outage brought into vivid clarity how utterly dependent we are on electricity. The gas heater didn't work because it has an electric motor. No lights, no coffee, no TV, no e-mail. Too dark to read the newspaper, and the house phones didn't work.

This was a wake-up call showing us just how unprepared we would be in case of a natural disaster and loss of crucial utility services. My thanks to the work crews at the Department of Water and Power -- and to the lady who took my call for repair. She was thoughtful, patient and helpful even though she was responding to a deluge of calls. I'm buying a generator.

-- Dave Hadley

West Los Angeles 

Earmark bill

During Republican control of Congress, billions of dollars were thrown away every year on questionable pet projects. True to the Democrats' word, the passage of the new spending earmark bill reflects the nation's desire for a return to honesty and accountability in government, and it's like a breath of fresh air.

``Pay as you go'' -- which some Republicans are complaining will lead to tax increases -- is a sensible replacement for the ``Spend without asking where the money will come from'' policy of the current administration.

-- Jennifer Rabuchin

Burbank

Army SNAFU 

Re ``Army sorry for urging dead to re-enlist'' (Jan. 6):

It's a sad footnote to our handling of the Iraqi war when the Pentagon can't even keep track of who died and who is still alive to stock our ever-dwindling reserve for cannon fodder.

-- Richard M. Ruby

Woodland Hills

Saddam's crimes

Re ``Where was outcry during Saddam's crimes?'' (Jan. 3):

Contrary to what Bridget Johnson implies, Amnesty International documented, in horrific detail, the many atrocious human-rights violations perpetrated in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, including those against the Kurds in 1988 and against the Shiites and Kurds after the first Gulf War.

One of Amnesty International's main criticisms of Hussein's rushed execution is that it denies the right of his countless victims to a full accounting of the crimes against them. AI spoke out against Hussein's trial because, no matter his past deeds, he retained his fundamental human rights. Anyone accused of a crime, no matter how heinous, deserves a fair hearing. No one deserves to be put to death. Yes, AI sought greater justice for Hussein than he afforded to those who suffered under him. The actions of a murderous dictator should have no bearing on the international community's standard of morality.

-- Beth Ann Toupin

Amnesty International USA 

Iraq Country Specialist

Not pickets, carpet

Re ``Toys `R' US agrees to award baby prize'' (Jan. 8):

What an unsettling turn of events that together are a touchstone of the impending and constant march to the ultimate doom and demise of America as we now know it. Who woulda thunk it? Toys `R' Us runs a promotion -- picture an American flag waving and a slice of apple pie, with ``America the Beautiful'' playing in the background -- with a $25,000 prize for the first baby born in the new year. The only problem is, the company can't find a couple whose baby qualifies because the parents are not in the United States legally.

We are not looking at some pocket of immigrants but at the carpet of American society. How sad. I feel bad for Toys `R' Us, and I feel bad for the United States.

-- Sandy Beckler

Granada Hills

Stand tall or cave in

Re ``Congress in hands of Dems today'' (Jan. 4):

Love 'em or hate 'em, one thing is true about the outgoing Republican congressional majority members: They pushed their agenda, popular or not. They prevailed in reversing the policies and programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, Kennedy's New Frontier and Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society.

The new Democratic majority, leaders and committee chairmen have a powerful opportunity to stand on constitutional principles, advocate a progressive agenda, push for an immediate redeployment of troops in Iraq and create an environment that tolerates no more corruption and ethics scandals on Capital Hill. Or they can back off and cave in. In a short time we will know their priorities.

-- Chuck Levin

Los Angeles

Sympathy for Betty

My heart goes out to frail, 88-year-old Betty Ford, enduring the dragged-out funerals for her husband.

Much of the money the government spent would have been better used to help the poor. So much waste.

-- Roberta Weiss

Northridge

Shooting victim

I have lived in my home in Van Nuys since 1968 and hear gunfire now and then during the year, but more often on New Year's Eve. I awoke on Jan. 1, went outside to get the newspaper, happened to look at my car -- a 2006 Dodge Charger Daytona -- and, lo and behold, my car had been hit by a falling bullet.

These people who use firearms in an erratic way must be completely lacking in any kind of brainpower. You fire a gun into the air, and that bullet will come down somewhere in the nearby area. What goes up, comes down. The bullet hit my car about six inches above the hood ornament. Thanks to some ignorant person, I now must pay good money to repair this blemish to my car.

-- Jeanne D. Johnson

Van Nuys

Local basketball teams

On paper, the Los Angeles Clippers look like they should have a much better record than their current sub-500 standing. Meanwhile, the Lakers continue to be one of the NBA's best teams despite the loss of Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom and Chris Mihm to injuries. At first this seemed inexplicable. But now I blame global warming.

-- Adam Platts

Northridge