PUBLIC FORUM.

Cost of freedom

Re ``Does wimp factor ail councils?'' (Jan. 29):

Neighborhood council's cannot have their cake and eat it too. If they want the city to give them either power or money, then they have to be burdened with all the bureaucratic red tape that goes along with it. Both money and power corrupt and, therefore, safeguards that are replete with red tape are required to protect both the public treasury and the public trust that accompany money and power.

The solution is for neighborhood councils to be independent of the city and therefore not subject to all the red tape. This gives them freedom to operate much more effectively and will increase their influence. Moreover, it frees them from the fear that if they rattle the cages of city authorities, that they will be accused of biting the hand that feeds them.

-- Jack Allen 

Pacific Palisades 

Napkin thinking

Re ``Mini towns could dot MTA lines'' (Feb. 1):

After 30 years in public office, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky declares: ``Whatever you do now will last for 50 years, so we have to do it right the first time.'' Great! We've got 50 more years of gridlock because of his napkin-drawing, simple-solution governance that's gotten us into this mess.

Albert Einstein forewarned: ``We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.'' We need a bold and independent ``Traffic Commissioner'' to formulate and execute a comprehensive plan that will efficiently mobilize our citizenry into the next half-century. Peter Ueberroth's name stands alone for this no-nonsense job of enormous responsibility.

-- Robert L. Rosebrock

Brentwood

Sheep following sheep

Re ``Exxon's mad dash for cash'' (Feb. 2):

Sounded great, making Exxon the bad guy by reporting that they made $39.5 billion last year. I'm no fan of Exxon, but how about getting the facts straight? Some prankster puts on the Internet that Exxon made $3,750 every three seconds last year. Right so far.

Then to make Exxon look bad, this prankster said that ``the average American worker'' made only 20 cents in that same three seconds. Using the same calculation method, that means that the average worker made $2,096,640 last year. This places me far, far behind the poverty level, no matter how you calculate it. In actual fact, the average worker made less than .004 cents every three seconds.

-- George Jerome

Chatsworth

Endless possibilities

The governor's healthcare plan sounds fantastic, but it's just a start. Taxing the doctors for being doctors is brilliant in and of itself, but why stop there? How about taxing firefighters for every structural fire they extinguish, and add an additional surcharge if lives are saved in the process?

Charge the police for every felony arrest they make, and up the ante for crimes of violence. Fine Boy Scouts for helping little old ladies across the street, and cite shoppers who return their carts to the storage racks. Just think, Guv, the possibilities are endless.

-- Steven Sapkin, M.D.

Woodland Hills

Homeless confusion

Re ``L.A.'s homeless strategy called inadequate'' (Jan. 30):

Why are people so confused about the growing number of homeless in L.A.? It's the best place in the country to be homeless. We provide the best services and the best weather. The elite fail to recognize that faction of the population that has it better on the streets than they do being responsible contributing members of society.

If you want to end ``homelessness,'' cut all funding and people will die on the streets. Problem solved. There is no amount of money, signatures on a petition, or head scratching that will ``solve'' the problem of homelessness. If people want to make a difference, they can take some time out of their busy schedules to drop off food and supplies at a local shelter, treat them like human beings -- and accept them exactly the way they are. You can start with the temporary shelter in Sylmar.

-- Donna Connolly

Sherman Oaks

Value of a life

Re ``Brandy may be charged in crash'' (Jan. 30):

Seems everyone but Brandy Norwood knew to slow down that day on the 405 Freeway, widely known to be one of the most notoriously congested freeways in the country, yet CHP could find no evidence of distraction. Of course, the CHP didn't arrive at the scene for who knows how long. How can anyone be certain whether Norwood was distracted, let's say by making a phone call?

When someone does not contribute the minimum of consideration necessary when driving a car (clearly all the drivers in front of her did) and such negligence leads not only to an accident (chain reaction in this case) but the death of a human being, punishment -- if found guilty -- ought to entail more than a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. It's outrageous what little worth society (for it created the laws) places on human life. I simply fail to see the misdemeanor in such a felony.

-- Michael E. White

Burbank

The 405 defense

So they're thinking of charging Brandy with manslaughter? If they do, I hope her defense lawyer will introduce an obvious fact into evidence: When the 405 Freeway was built, drivers were not expected to go from 65 mph to a virtual standstill on a quarter-second's notice.

Today, traffic on the 405 makes that a daily occurrence. Maybe all the publicity surrounding Brandy will lead to a class-action lawsuit against Caltrans for endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of drivers every day with their overcrowded freeways.

-- Brenda Thomas

Carson

Greedy eagle

Re ``Ambitious eagle crashes power'' (Briefly, Jan. 30):

Wow. What a story. A greedy, materialistic and no doubt egocentric bald eagle (symbol of the United States, remember) found a decapitated carrion head in a garbage dump and crashed into power poles while attempting to fly away with it, killing itself.

How can anyone not see parallels to our country's overall spiritual condition regarding so many issues, too many to mention?

-- Kathryn Durfee

Agoura

Needed time off

Re ``Pay for them now'' (Your Opinions, Feb. 1):

If we believe what we read and hear about cops, from cops, they have the toughest job in the world. You know, long 12-hour shifts, fast food, lots of stress, no sleep, fighting crime all day long, high blood pressure, early deaths, lots of divorces, never getting paid enough, and zero love from the public -- you name it.

So the last thing the good citizens of Los Angeles need is these underpaid, underloved, overworked cops coming in on their day off to work. Officer safety is imperative, as is public safety. Do yourselves and the public a favor, stay home and enjoy your days off like the rest of us. We will all be better off.

-- Mike Mathis 

Canyon Country

Student loan rates

As someone who is financing the majority of his college education, Congress' announcement of a plan to cut the interest rate on student loans to 3.4 percent was music to my ears. Many students of all economic backgrounds invest in their education by taking out student loans. Unfortunately, these same students are severely burdened by loan repayment soon after graduation, preventing them from pursuing certain public-interest careers.

There is still much to be done in making higher education more affordable and that includes increasing the federal Pell grant to $5,100 per semester. Any steps the new Congress can take to relieve the burden of borrowing for higher education are steps in the right direction.

-- Brendon Liner

Northridge