PUBLIC FORUM.

Sizing up `Idol'

Re ``An oracle for 'Idol''' ( U, April 5):

Seth Riggs' comments on Carrie Underwood and Scott Savol were not only offensive but had no relevance whatsoever to music as an art. By calling Underwood a ``chub'' and saying Savol ``needs to lose 100 pounds in a week'' he is simply promoting the fascist beauty standards the entertainment industry has imposed on American society.

If Riggs had given racist or sexist reviews of the contestants, I seriously doubt your newspaper would print them. The media needs to stop encouraging the hatred of people of size.

- Christina Hayward

Los Angeles 

Bigger not better

Re ``A fat and lazy state'' (April 6):

Ever since obesity has been recognized as an epidemic in our society, much action has been taken to encourage the consumption of healthier foods. However, not much has been done to reduce the overwhelming portions that Americans face. Even if a product is considered healthy, too much of it can obviously cause the consumer to gain weight.

When it comes to food, more is not always better. A program that encourages the reduction of meal portions seems necessary in order to put an end to obesity.

- Bryan Bai

North Hollywood

Luck ran out

Re ``No postseason, just postmortem'' (Sports, April 6):

Four years ago, they were the reigning dynasty in the NBA. Now that the ``big fella'' is on the East Coast, they were only left with No. 8. The Los Angeles Lakers won their last two championships due to luck. Robert Horry was in the right place at the right time when he made the three-pointer to beat the Sacramento Kings. The second time was when Derek Fisher drained a jump shot with four-tenths of a second to beat the San Antonio Spurs.

I'm glad the Lakers did not win a fourth championship because they are not a consistently dominating basketball team. Now that the Lakers are eliminated from this season's playoffs, I look forward to the Phoenix Suns winning the championship.

- Jonathan Ming Wang

Canoga Park

Ask Kobe

Re ``No postseason, just postmortem'' (Sports, April 6):

After 11 consecutive playoffs appearances, four trips to the finals in the last five years, and three championships in those five attempts, not only were the Lakers defeated by the Sun 99-125 on Tuesday night, they had officially been eliminated from the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season.

Many fans asked: ``What went wrong?'' Others replied: ``Ask Kobe.''

- Sang-chuan Changlai

Northridge

Show me the money

Re ``Illegals subsidize Social Security'' (April 5):

The stipend we get at the end of working all our lives in part comes from Social Security. We would probably have a lot more we could have contributed had we not had to pay a portion, if not all, of our health insurance, etc. Working here illegally, with illegal ID, is still against the law.

Martinez may have paid $2,000 toward Social Security, and $450 for Medicare, but will never come close to paying for the social services eaten up by them using our emergency rooms as their primary care facilities. By the way, what has our government done with the ``earnings suspense file'' to the tune of $7 billion a year?

- Vonnie Harper

Van Nuys

Start a business

Re ``Illegals subsidize Social Security'' (April 5):

It's a wonder where solutions to problems come from. I was reading ``Illegals subsidize Social Security,'' and I read about Angel Martinez, an illegal alien who came here six years ago. The article states that he makes between $8.50 and $12.75 per hour doing various jobs including picking fruit and washing trucks.

The article goes on to talk about Social Security but I saw something different. Angel should start an employment service for all of the adults that liberals tell us work for minimum wage. Obviously he knows something that they don't.

- Robert Gardner

Sylmar

Who benefits?

Re ``Illegals subsidize Social Security'' (April 5):

The article states that illegals are forced to get fake ID's to get jobs. If a legal American used a fake ID to get a job, it would be grounds for termination and possible criminal prosecution. In some cases, the fake ID's constitute identity theft. Whereas illegals do not get Medicare, they get medical treatment, education, food stamps and social services at taxpayers' expense. Illegals who do cash business such as day laborers, gardeners and many more pay no taxes or Social Security.

Illegals provide labor subsidized by the taxpayers. Only businesses benefit from illegals and usually do not pass the savings to the consumer.

- Walter Hall 

Stevenson Ranch 

Prove it

Re ``Illegals subsidize Social Security'' (April 5):

I challenge the reporter to prove that here in California, standing on all our corners, that these illegals are paying Social Security. How dare you? Sitting in your ivory tower in New York, how would you know?

Almost all illegal aliens in California are paid cash under the table. Thank God for the Minutemen; maybe someone will get the message. Americans want the illegals to go home.

- Richard Detanna

Granada Hills

Preserving yours

Re ``It's Hollywood, stupid'' (April 4):

It's funny that this paper would whine about the developments and building that are going on in downtown L.A., since no one in the Valley wants any part of a growing population, of the homeless, of mass-transit improvements. All you want to do is preserve your suburban, car-oriented, single-family home vacuum.

- Jerard Wright

Los Angeles

Bigger lies

Re ``Clinton was a liar'' (Your Opinions, April 5):

Gillies Brooks ends his short tirade by saying ``Clinton was a liar. Regardless of whatever else he did wrong (a long list), he lost his license to practice law because he lied.''

I would add: Bush is a liar. He lost over 1,500 American lives because he lied. Which is worse?

- Diane Silver

Lancaster

How about Quebec

Re ``Bilingual country'' (Your Opinions, April 6):

``... History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures ...'' I also don't know of any country that has survived two languages, but a portion of Canada has done so for many years - Quebec, Canada.

Also, like it or not, the city of Los Angeles has become a city of many cultures and languages. It just might be possible for a nation to be bilingual and not only to survive, but to thrive, if the politicians and citizens allow it to happen.

- Irving Leemon

Northridge

Officials won't do it

Re ``Civilians to patrol border'' (March 12):

President Bush says illegal immigrants come here to do the jobs American citizens won't do. Well, now American citizens (the Minutemen Project) have to do the job our elected officials won't do.

- Caroline Wyman

Studio City