PUBLIC FORUM.

Poor protection

Re ``Probers find U.S. disgrace in Katrina's wake'' (Feb. 13):

The Bush administration failed to competently protect the American public from 9-11, despite having been warned; thousands of innocent Americans died. The administration failed to competently protect our soldiers in Iraq, neglecting to provide our troops with adequate life-saving body armor, botching the planning and execution of the occupation, and ignoring advice from the prudent; thousands of American soldiers have been killed or wounded.

Last year, the Bush White House failed to competently protect an American city from Katrina, despite ample warning; more than 1,400 poor and vulnerable Americans died. And yet most Americans still trust Bush to protect us from terrorists? What would it take for the majority to wise up? A nuclear attack?

- Myrna Hill

Sylmar

Fed is backup

Re ``Probers find U.S. disgrace in Katrina's wake'' (Feb. 13):

The New Orleans population was warned several days in advance of Katrina. Most residents took proper precautions. Only those in low-lying areas who sat and waited for someone to tell them what to do suffered drowning and destruction. They could have walked to higher ground and found friends or relatives in areas farther inland until the hurricane was over.

What did the local New Orleans government do to manage the problem? Where was the Louisiana state government's input? The federal government is not responsible for local disasters. Individuals and local governments are responsible first and foremost. The federal government is only a backup. Stop blaming President George W. Bush. Blame the locals.

- Jean Nepsund

Westlake Village

Financial terrorist

Re ``Millions in Katrina aid wasted, audits show'' (Feb.14):

The Government Accountability Office's report that up to 900,000 out of 2.5 million applicants had used false names, addresses and invalid Social Security numbers to obtain $2,000 debit cards is truly a disgusting and disturbing revelation of so many greedy, morally corrupt citizens and of the gross incompetence of the Federal Emergency Management Agency employees responsible for this program.

Now, in addition to fighting Islamic terrorists worldwide, we have 900,000 local financial terrorists to deal with.

- Everett P. Harrington

Glendale

Forest for sale

Re ``Forest acreage on sale?'' (Feb. 11):

Selling of real estate by the federal government is a healthy act. In Western states, government owns more than half the land mass. What can government do with it? Government owns so much that its personnel cannot manage the land. Environmentalists charge that the land will be developed if sold, as if private ownership equates to destruction. But look around you. Everywhere property is held in private hands. Is it ruined?

Counties derive property tax from private holdings. The federal government pays no property tax.

While politicians talk a good game, their commitment to prudence always fails when it benefits them. The charge that private property results in overlogging and ruinous development can be made because most readers don't know any better.

- Mike Graves

Burbank

Burdensome new law

Re ``Dangerous dogs set for hearing'' (Feb. 10):

So the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors wants a burdensome new law requiring pit bulls and rottweilers to be spayed/neutered. I was a TV repairman in thousands of homes with all types of dogs. I was only ever menaced and bitten by Yorkshire terriers and Chihuahuas.

Spaying or neutering specific dog breeds, in belief this will help prevent attacks, is ludicrous. Qualified dog ownership and owner education are the answers. Also, teaching children and adults how to react to an approaching loose dog would prevent 99 percent of bites, in my opinion. But, as usual, the government wants more unenforceable ``feel-good'' laws. If the supervisors must impose some law, let's have one requiring dog-owner proficiency and licensing.

- Charles L. Murray

Santa Clarita 

Rampart redux 

Re ``Rampart redux: Official bungling keeps costing taxpayers millions'' (Editorial, Feb. 13):

``Rampart redux'' is about the most accurate synopsis of the problems, both internal and political, facing the Los Angeles Police Department that I've seen in public print by any media outlet of significance.

The only thing missing is that it all started from city politicians' lowering of the LAPD's hiring standards. That continues to be the core cause that erupts now and then and is mislabeled as ``police corruption.'' The Rampart scandal wouldn't have occurred had Rafael Perez been faced with the prior LAPD recruiting and hiring standards.

- Richard M. Holbrook

Simi Valley

Budget line item

Re ``White House tries to redirect blame, explain slow notification'' (Feb. 14):

For me, the biggest revelation to arise from the hunting incident was that a medical detail, complete with ambulance, accompanies Vice President Dick Cheney wherever he goes. That's how stable his health is. Guess who is paying the bill?

While senior citizens in our country are struggling to decipher the new Medicare plans and, in many cases, going without their medicines, the vice president has his own personal service. Maybe in his efforts to cut corners, President George W. Bush could eliminate that from his proposed budget.

- Susan Kent

West Hills

Misplaced coverage

Re ``Cheney's image also wounded'' (Feb. 15):

It amazes me how very much coverage has been afforded this serial incompetent's inability to discriminate between a large man and a small bird before firing a single lethal weapon in aimless panic.

Where was such analysis, ad nauseam, when Dick Cheney and his ilk failed to discriminate between one Saudi Arabian and 20 million Iraqis before haplessly firing so very many more weapons?

- Dom Stasi

Studio City

Ted would know

I couldn't believe that people in the White House took a whole day to report about the hunting accident involving Harry Whittington and Vice President Cheney. Was this a cover-up? Were they vying for time to get their story straight?

Imagine, getting help for the victim before attending to the media. Outrageous! Congress should order a full-scale investigation, and Sen. Ted Kennedy should lead it. He has considerable experience in these matters.

- Robert Villar

Sherman Oaks

What might have been

Re ``Cheney's image also wounded'' (Feb. 15):

Gee, I guess it's a good thing that Dick Cheney got those five deferments from military service. Can you imagine what the friendly fire toll in Vietnam might have been if he'd been over there?

- Marcy Rothenberg

Porter Ranch

Right-turn arrows

Re ``All the news that's fit to spoof'' (Viewpoint, Feb. 12):

Steve Young's aside about protests that drivers turning left get signals while drivers turning right get nothing may be a joke, but the reality is that right-turn arrows are just as badly needed at those intersections as left-turn arrows. When left-turn arrows allow drivers to turn unimpeded, those turning right in the opposite direction should also be able to proceed unimpeded, instead of each one having to stop and look back to see if the left-turn arrow is still on.

- Thomas E. Locke

North Hollywood

Rail in L.A.

Thank goodness that the three authors of ``Rail wrong way'' (Viewpoint, Feb. 7) were not in charge of planning the New York subway at the beginning of the 20th century, or that system would never have been built.

- Francine Oschin

Encino