PUBLIC FORUM.

Blundering MTA 

Re ``MTA could provide 240 more spaces'' (Jan. 18):

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority continues to blunder with Red Line parking. In North Hollywood, the installation of the Orange Line removed an entire parking lot from service. There is no parking at any of the three Orange Line stations east of Van Nuys. Why not enforce the ``MTA patrons only'' parking rule at Universal? Every day, Universal employees and visitors cross directly from the free MTA parking lot to offices and the theme park. Ticketing those abusers would generate revenue to pay for more parking spaces.

Finally, the suggestion to take a bus to public transportation is insulting. The Valley is a suburban community. Close and convenient lines are not available to most homeowners. More Park and Ride lots would do a lot to lower the number of miles driven by Valley residents.

-- Martin Korn

Valley Glen

Funding health care

Re ``Broad vision for care in state'' (Jan. 9):

The governor who promised not to raise taxes wants to tax doctors 2 percent and hospitals 4 percent of their gross revenues. I have a better idea. If the good, caring governor wants his free health plan for all uninsured illegal and legal immigrants, why not a 10 percent fee on the gross income of all actors (including himself), producers, directors and professional sports figures (starting with David Beckham) and real estate developers who earn substantially more than doctors and hospital employees?

-- Harvey M. Piccus

Tarzana

Marijuana policy

Re ``Medical pot dealers protest'' (Jan. 19):

Does the Drug Enforcement Agency really have nothing better to do than attack medical marijuana dispensaries that assist struggling patients like Jorge Ceballos? Has the meth problem been solved? Has the flow of heroin from Afghanistan been shut off?

If some dispensary operators aren't following California law, that can be dealt with through state and local regulation, but the federal government -- wedded to the phony claim that marijuana has no medical value -- doesn't care about that. Indeed, the feds raided several establishments in West Hollywood, where the city has worked diligently to set up a regulatory scheme and where city officials were furious about the raids. Finally, Chief William Bratton of the Los Angeles Police Department needs to educate himself. While no one wants kids smoking marijuana, the ``gateway theory'' has been repeatedly and thoroughly discredited by scientific research.

-- Bruce Mirken

Marijuana Policy Project 

Washington, D.C.

What's not to like?

Re ``Boxer takes Round 2 in Condi fight'' (Viewpoint, Jan. 21):

Just because Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice didn't know airplanes could crash into the World Trade Center buildings, didn't understand that Osama bin Ladin meant it when he said he was going to attack the U.S. or that Iraq, which never threatened the U.S., wasn't going to drop a mushroom cloud on us with weapons that never existed, doesn't mean she should be criticized.

After all, Secretary Rice plays piano fabulously well, can ice-skate beautifully, shops in the best shoe stores during a national crisis and, lastly, has had an oil tanker named after her. If those wonderful qualifications don't meet President George W. Bush's high standards, what else could?

-- Jerold Drucker

Tarzana

A democratic republic

Re ``Not a democracy'' (Your Opinions, Jan. 19):

A writer points out that the literal word ``democracy'' does not exist in the Constitution. However, the Preamble to the Constitution begins with the words, ``We the people.'' That's the ``demo'' side of the democracy. The Preamble concludes with ``do ordain and establish this Constitution,'' thus setting down the rules. That's the ``cracy'' side of the term.

The Constitution is all about the establishment of a representative democracy, a democratic republic ``of the people, by the people and for the people'' -- no matter what explicit term is used.

-- Rick Kellis

Woodland Hills