PUBLIC FORUM.

We're all special

Re ``Battling the ideologues'' (Viewpoint, April 3):

Jill Stewart admires the Honorable Gov. Schwarzenegger because he governs as a moderate. Balderdash. Stewart said we should have ``some light and a lot less heat'' so that ``we can discuss reforms that make sense.'' Nice straw man, Jill.

Maybe the fine governor should not have stooped to an ideologue's level when referring to the dedicated, productive, taxpaying California citizens such as nurses and school teachers as ``special interest groups'' in his disparaging, boorish style. Here's a little news for the ``Governator'': All California citizens are one big special interest group, even those who have chosen to combine for collective bargaining purposes.

- Robert Loveridge

North Hollywood

Learning the language

Re ``Learning a new language harder than it sounds'' (Their Opinions, April 4):

I've never heard anybody say that learning a new language is easy. Of course it's not. But most people who come here for a new life do it. No nation on Earth is as accommodating to immigrants as the U.S. In any other country, this poor woman would surely have been deported for wanting to live, work and raise children in a place without knowing the language. Here she can stay by simply availing herself of one of countless English as a second language programs, many of them free.

But I am not surprised when I see that the writer of this article comes from the education community, which has maintained for several decades now that nothing, especially language, should be hard.

- Sylvia Alloway 

Granada Hills

Bilingual country

Re ``What is Spanish for 'big ratings'?'' (Business, April 5):

Now cable companies are pandering to the largely illegal invasion of our country with Spanish language channels.

Former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm on how to destroy America: ``Turn America into a bilingual country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual.'' A dire warning that may be coming too late.

- John Lynch

Studio City

The pope's courage

His Holiness Pope John Paul II will be remembered as one of the most courageous spiritual leaders of our time. He demonstrated this courage as much in his illness as he did through his leadership, his writings and his pronouncements. In the one ecumenical movement, he constantly affirmed as irreversible the deep involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in ecumenism.

He opened a dialogue with other religious traditions, and addressed constantly issues of social justice and moral and ethical values. As a Jewish American, I recognize the importance he gave to the acceptance of Jews and Israel all over the world and the pastoral care in which he identified with the people of Israel and all Jews abroad.

- Brian J. Goldenfeld

Woodland Hills

Actions, not words

Re ``Church facing new challenges'' (April 4):

Tucson, Ariz., Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas was quoted as saying the major challenge facing the church was ``to articulate the message of faith in a way that's actually influential and convincing to people.''

Actions influence and convince people more than words do. The continuing sex abuse scandals within the church must be dealt with instead of being swept under the rug. Church leaders must behave in a manner consistent with the message they preach. Surely, ``Do as I say, not as I do'' is not the message the church wants spread.

- Sue Antico

Canyon Country

At least one job

Re ``Civilians to patrol border'' (March 31):

I feel comforted in the fact that this group of people took time out of their lives to do what the government says they will do, which is patrolling the borders. This is what we citizens will have to do in all parts of governing, take care of ourselves. What a shame this has to be done ourselves after we pay taxes for work never done.

We read in the paper of more and more hospitals closing and we know why they cannot afford to stay in business, and that is just one thing. We see more citizens who are homeless because they can't find a job. So bless those people who are doing at least one job that those politicians said they will do, someday.

- Joan Olear

Burbank

No hint of ideas

Anyone who watched the so-called debate between the mayoral candidates should now be able to fully understand why 72 percent of Los Angeles voters didn't bother to vote in the primary and probably won't bother to vote in May.

The incumbent spent his portion of the debate slinging mud and dodging direct queries and innuendos about pay-to-play and other impropriety allegations involving his administration. While the challenger refused and/or failed to answer with specific replies and candor almost every question directed to him. Neither put forth even a hint of a vision, an idea or a concept that would result in correcting any of the current problems in the city.

- Richard W. Bergmann

Sherman Oaks

Low turnout

Everyone keeps wondering why voters stay away from the polls on election day. The No. 1 reason is that the candidates are useless politicians who haven't worked at a ``real'' job in their lives. The public doesn't have much of a say in how the government is run, and getting to the polling places is a real adventure.

This last election was my third polling place in five years and each year it gets further from my residence. What happened with using school auditoriums, church meeting rooms and the such, instead of private homes? Also, early voting is a really smart way to get people out to vote. When they have the chance of getting to vote over a three- or four-day period I think more would find the time to get out and vote.

- Toni O'Brien

North Hills

Family feud

The Schindler-Schiavo feud had all the class of a Jerry Springer episode.

In the immortal Bard's tragedy of that most famous of family feuds, ``Romeo and Juliet,'' the prince rightly lays blame at the feet of both families who created and escalated the animosity and inflamed the rest of the population to take bitterly opposing sides. As the prince chastises at the end: ``All are punished.''

- Wendy Fischer

Toluca Lake

About power

Re ``Voucher enthusiast'' (Your Opinions, April 4):

Vouchers do not have to ``destroy public schools.'' My own proposal is to take half of the money from vouchers and give it to the parents, and give the other half to the public school that the child would have attended. That way the parents get some of their tax money back and the schools have more dollars per pupil.

But vouchers are more about who has the power in education (parents or teachers), and it appears to me that the education establishment cares more about its power than about its students. The real issue here is the children who are being terribly served by the current public school system. While the rich can easily afford elite prep schools, and middle-class folks can scrape up enough for private schools, the poor people of this city have no choice.

- John Green

Northridge

Pit bulls

Re ``Surgeon: Pit bull's bites unprecedented'' (March 25):

How many more people must be killed or mauled by pit bulls and Rottweilers before they are thrown into the wild to fend for themselves with wild dogs, hyenas and other wild animals? Enough is enough.

- Aprim K. Abraham

North Hills