Blowback archive
Blowback is an online forum for full-length responses to our articles, editorials and Op-Eds. Click here to read more about Blowback.
For Blowbacks published before 2009, click here.
October 15, 2009
Blowback
Dear Richard Riordan
Mayor Richard Riordan, your disappointment in the progress of educational reform in the Los Angeles Unified School District, after all you've done as mayor and secretary of education under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, was palpable in your Oct. 12 Times Op-Ed article, "Course outline for the LAUSD." This lack of progress breaks my heart too.
4:45 PM PDT, October 13, 2009
Blowback
My mother and sister, prisoners of China's Communist Party
China's leaders meant for the celebrations on Oct. 1 to remind the world of their country's growing power and importance. But the 60th anniversary of the communist revolution, which Nina Hachigian wrote about in her Sept. 30 Times Op-Ed article, should also remind us of something else: The Chinese Communist Party is still very much an authoritarian regime whose nature remains quite the same as when Mao Tse-tung brutalized the nation.
4:59 PM PDT, October 1, 2009
Blowback
So many rail agencies, so little service
The Times deserves credit for bringing attention to rail safety with its Sept. 27 article, "Death on the rails in L.A." But the article focused too much on the sensational and not enough on the root causes of Metrolink's safety problems. For example, I agree that the rail crossing in Burbank at the Buena Vista Street and San Fernando Road intersection, which The Times cited as a particularly dangerous crossing, needs to be grade separated. But because plans are already underway to do just that, why pick on that location when, judging by the graphic attached to the article, there are more problematic crossings in Anaheim, Corona and other communities?
September 28, 2009
Blowback
UC's Wall Street management style
So there is a new plan by University of California President Mark Yudof, having been vested with emergency powers by the Board of Regents, to fix the greatest public university system in the world -- with a hammer. The Times' editorial board writes in its Sept. 19 editorial, “UC fee hikes: a two-edged sword,” that it is a good idea to extend the work furloughs for another year (or more?) because faculty and staff would not "leave in droves" if the pay cuts, up to 10%, were continued.
September 21, 2009
Blowback
What ails L.A County foster care -- and what doesn't
I fully agree with Richard Wexler when he writes in his Sept. 16 Times Op-Ed article, “L.A.’s beleaguered foster care kids,” that the recent tragic deaths of two young children at the hands of their caregivers should not lead to a "knee-jerk" reaction to place more children in foster care. But Wexler's characterization of the causes of foster care woes in Los Angeles County are so off the mark that I feel compelled to set the record straight.
September 8, 2009
Blowback
Why 33% renewables by 2020 may be impossible
California legislators are considering a proposal to require 33% of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. In its Aug. 19 editorial, "Sacramento’s power failure," The Times writes that failure to pass the measure would constitute a lack of political will. As chief executive of Southern California Edison, I respectfully believe this issue is more complicated.
September 7, 2009
Blowback
The racism of marijuana prohibition
The Times' Aug. 30 article, "Marijuana’s new high life," does a great job describing the cultural mainstreaming of marijuana. Pot is indeed flourishing in "civilized society" as never before, and the movement to end decades of failed prohibition has picked up unprecedented momentum. But that debate has largely ignored the people most impacted by our current policies -- the rising number of people, particularly young people of color, arrested on marijuana charges each year.
September 1, 2009
Blowback
A one-house Legislature is a recipe for more mischief
The fact that California's dysfunctional government needs an overhaul doesn't make every proposed reform a good one, and one of the worst ideas is the one detailed by Harold Meyerson in his Aug. 21 Times Op-Ed article, "A one-house Legislature." Meyerson wants the Assembly and state Senate to merge into a single body, with each member representing smaller districts. This sounds simple, but the idea of a unicameral Legislature is a seemingly benign reform that would have unintended consequences.
August 31, 2009
Blowback
Crazy 'death panel' claims? Thank Roe vs. Wade
As reported in several articles in The Times, including the Aug. 21 story, " Obama tries to 'cut through the noise' on healthcare," the president has been forced to address claims from those who oppose his healthcare reform proposal on the grounds that it would fund abortions with taxpayer dollars. Even some Roman Catholic bishops, who would normally support universal healthcare (perhaps even a sweeping single-payer plan), are vocally opposing President Obama's plan. Their reason: abortion.
5:30 PM PDT, August 24, 2009
Blowback
How not to contribute to the healthcare discussion
I must confess that I find Tim Rutten's Aug. 19 Op-Ed column, "America the delusional," in which he expresses dismay over the tone of the current healthcare debate, to be quite unintentionally funny. From the very beginning, irony appears to be completely lost on Rutten, as he compares the peaceful Irish countryside with the U.S., which he evidently feels is descending into the depths of radicalism. Apparently he has forgotten about the Irish Republican Army, which was active as recently as 1997.
August 18, 2009
Blowback
Don't buy Gingrich's doomsday healthcare prophecies
In more than three decades practicing medicine, I have been heartened by remarkable discoveries and innovations resulting in new treatments or the prevention of serious disease. But I have also been saddened by the erosion of public trust in medicine as a profession. Indeed, the poor performance of our current healthcare system and the perverse incentives and spiraling costs that impact the practice of medicine have fed this erosion of trust.
August 14, 2009
Blowback
For public schools, one reform matters above all else
In her Aug. 11 Op-Ed article, "Charter and private schools might not make the grade either,” Diane Ravitch argues persuasively that a Los Angeles Board of Education proposal to extend choice will not work because charter schools and private management of schools have not yielded a robust net gain in student achievement. Instead, Ravitch suggests strategies the Los Angeles Unified School District could use to promote improvement.
July 27, 2009
Blowback
Combating a deadly pastime for teens
Three cheers to The Times for its July 19 article, "Los Angeles youths’ nitrous oxide use has adults taking action." Inhalant abuse can and does kill. Too often, abusers underestimate the toxicity of inhalants; they think that computer duster is just "canned air," or that air freshener, spray paint and the myriad other household items in our homes and offices are safe to inhale because we (the parents) do not know to warn our children. Consequently, as The Times' article makes clear, inhaling nitrous oxide now outpaces marijuana use as the drug of choice for Los Angeles middle-school students.
July 24, 2009
Blowback
The sky isn't falling at L.A. community colleges
In its July 21 editorial, "A key test for L.A.’s community colleges,” The Times writes that Los Angeles City College and L.A. Trade-Technical College were recently placed on probation by accreditors for failing to conduct program reviews. As The Times notes, this would mean that the colleges have no way of knowing whether they're doing a good job educating their students
July 21, 2009
Blowback
The 'problem with nurses' is a problem with healthcare
The Times' June 12 expose about the California Board of Registered Nursing oversimplifies the issue. The so-called problem with nurses is really just another aspect of the shortcomings in the overall healthcare system.
July 13, 2009
Blowback
Schwarzenegger's political road show is costing California
California is issuing IOUs. Banks are balking. Taxpayers, vendors and students will be left holding the bag. And our bond rating just got downgraded, which could cost California billions of dollars in the long run.
July 7, 2009
Blowback
S.F. proposal would restore fairness to rental market
The Times sure has plenty of sympathy for San Francisco landlords, arguing in a June 29 editorial that they should bear little -- if any -- responsibility for helping tenants in dire financial straits stay off the streets. In arguing against a proposal before the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors that would temporarily forbid landlords from increasing rent on tenants who have lost their jobs or had their wages reduced significantly, The Times says it's unfair to "turn private landlords into an unwilling agency of social welfare."
June 30, 2009
Blowback
The myth of 'tepid' support for Villaraigosa
The Times' June 20 analysis of its own poll on the L.A. mayor, "Villaraigosa’s future, once bright, looks dimmer now," misses the mark. Voters nationally and throughout California are concerned about the direction of their communities and are reluctant to invest additional funds in government programs at a time when the nation is in recession and their personal budgets are stretched. Against the backdrop of voter opinion outside Los Angeles, the city looks like the proverbial city on a hill, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's ratings would be the envy of chief executives in many jurisdictions.
June 29, 2009
Blowback
Higher cigarette taxes: unhealthy and unfair
Nicholas Goldberg's "How and why taxes go up, in smoke” (June 14) reads more like press release from the anti-smoking lobby than an objective question-and-answer backgrounder: Smoking is bad and the state needs more money, therefore hiking the cigarette tax is good. If smokers quit, so much the better. It's a win-win!
June 26, 2009
Blowback
San Francisco D.A.: 'Back on Track' saves money and reduces crime
The Times' article about San Francisco's Back on Track initiative ("San Francisco D.A.’s program trained illegal immigrants for jobs they couldn’t legally hold," June 22) painted an extremely distortedpicture of this nationally recognized program that has reduced crime and saved money.
11:06 AM PDT, June 25, 2009
Blowback
A cheap broadside on the LA Weekly
I hadn't had a chance to open my morning papers last Friday when my cellphone started ringing and I heard my home computer beeping upstairs, letting me know that e-mails were pouring into my in-box. All were from colleagues, readers and friends, and all were ridiculing James Rainey's June 19 column, "LA Weekly’s aggressive slant erodes quality," his take-down attempt of me and my work as the news editor at the LA Weekly.
June 19, 2009
Blowback
What's really blocking Mideast peace
There are two kinds of people in this world -- those who approach contentious situations as seeing the glass half empty, and those who choose to see it as half full. Judging by The Times' editorial Tuesday, "Netanyahu, roadblock to Middle East peace," it is clear that the paper's editorial board practices the former philosophy. The historical significance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's June 14 speech was not grasped in the negative lines of the editorial.
June 16, 2009
Blowback
Tarzana Treatment Centers saved my life
As a former drug addict who has been clean for nearly 17 years thanks to the support provided by the Tarzana Treatment Centers, I was dismayed to read The Times' unflattering June 11 report detailing the comparatively high pay for the company's executives. You wouldn't know from reading the article that Tarzana has turned around the lives of countless drug abusers -- indeed, the center saved my life -- and that its executives have been the driving force behind this success.
June 15, 2009
Blowback
Congestion pricing -- the only thing that works
There are three things to think about in light of Tim Rutten's concerns over congestion pricing on local highways, which he outlined in his June 10 Op-Ed column, "Congestion pricing — a slippery slope to toll roads.”
June 4, 2009
Blowback
Ethiopia's Gibe III dam: a balanced assessment
The Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric dam under construction in Ethiopia is no small piece of infrastructure. It holds the potential to fundamentally alter flow patterns in the Omo River watershed and will cost about $2 billion to build. It will indeed have impacts -- both positive and negative -- on the environment and people living in the watershed.
June 3, 2009
Blowback
LAUSD's summer school cuts mean disaster for kids
The headline for the May 29 Times article was grim enough: "L.A. Unified School District cancels bulk of summer school programs.” On reading these words and the details laid out in the article, I was outraged. Eliminating summer school programs in our state's largest school district is tragic, and the consequences of this decision will be devastating.
May 27, 2009
Blowback
Don't blame voters for California's mess
The Times' May 20 news analysis of the special election results, "California voters exercise their power — and that’s the problem," doesn't put all the blame on voters for the state's impending bankruptcy. Still, more needs to be said in defense of the voters who last week rejected the budget reform propositions.
May 22, 2009
Blowback
Why is Charlotte Allen so mad at atheists?
Charlotte Allen is very, very angry with us atheists -- that's the only conclusion that can be drawn from her furious broadside in The Times on May 17. She can't stand us; we're unpopular; we're a problem. What, exactly, is the greatest crime of modern atheists?
May 8, 2009
Blowback
Sell the Coliseum? No way
In a May 4 Times Op-Ed article, Republican state Sen. Jeff Denham, who represents a district in the Central Valley, plugs his proposed legislation to sell the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and dissolve the commission that manages it. Denham's faulty premise is that selling the Coliseum would be a good way to generate cash for the state. His proposal is a myopic, irresponsible one that chases after potential short-term profits at the expense of long-term benefits for both Los Angeles and the state.
May 4, 2009
Blowback
The Californians Prop. 1E would harm
Five years ago, Californians voted to provide funding for the most basic mental health services by passing Proposition 63, which placed an additional 1% tax on personal income of more than $1 million. But as The Times reported in its April 20 article, "Propositions 1D, 1E ask voters to think again,” state legislators want a good chunk of that money back. Proposition 1E would raid the funds raised by Proposition 63 to the tune of $460 million over the next two years to help balance the state's books.
April 28, 2009
Blowback
The 'tea parties' had a serious message -- were you listening?
Judging by his April 24 Times Op-Ed article, "The GOP: divorced from reality," alleged comedian Bill Maher is confused about the message of the April 15 "tea party" protests. In saying demonstrators were merely sore losers reacting to an election that didn't go in their favor, Maher ignores the clear statements made by the overwhelming majority of the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans who took to the streets earlier this month: Enough bailouts. Enough debt. Enough taxes.
April 23, 2009
Blowback
How Villaraigosa can achieve 'shared sacrifice'
To bridge the city's looming budget gap, as The Times has reported, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is asking city unions to trim payroll costs by 10% through furloughs, postponed raises and increased employee benefit contributions.
April 15, 2009
Blowback
Lancaster's Section 8 decision
In the April 10 article, "Lancaster proposes limiting Section 8 housing,” Larry Gross, executive director of an L.A.-based tenant rights group, is quoted asserting that Lancaster is "putting up a sign on the borders of Lancaster saying that poor people are not welcome here."
April 7, 2009
Blowback
Obama punts on marijuana policy
I suppose President Obama deserves some credit for addressing national marijuana policy during his recent online town hall. But instead of seriously answering the thousands of questions submitted by Americans on overhauling our failed drug laws, he joked about the issue. In doing so, Obama passed on an unparalleled opportunity to offer food for thought on how the White House might be willing to rethink our disastrous marijuana policy. "I don't know what this says about the online audience," Obama joked. "This was a fairly popular question; we want to make sure that it was answered. The answer is no, I don't think that's a good strategy to grow our economy."
April 6, 2009
Blowback
Making the public and private sectors partners in healthcare reform
It's a question to which seemingly no one has the correct answer: What's the right model for healthcare reform in America? As The Times' March 27 editorial, "," explains, although negotiations between insurers, consumer groups and lawmakers have shown signs of progress lately -- namely, insurers offered to stop basing policyholders' premiums on medical history -- there are still several non-trivial details to work out. Should the government require everyone who can afford coverage to buy insurance, a provision the industry seeks? Should there be a public insurance plan open to everyone?
April 3, 2009
Blowback
Elect the police chief
I was disappointed to read the March 31 editorial, "LAPD’s chief and term limits," in which The Times dismisses as "cynical and corrupt" our idea to give the citizens of Los Angeles the power to directly elect their own police chief. In a city that allows its residents to have a direct say in their city attorney and controller, it makes sense to open up the head of the city's largest and most visible agency to the same level of scrutiny.
3:20 PM PDT, March 31, 2009
Blowback
Science and the Spector prosecution
The Times' March 29 editorial, "Spector — and expert witnesses — on trial," in which you raise questions about the credibility of expert witnesses retained by criminal defendants, and particularly Phil Spector, is disturbing not only because its timing suggests an intention to influence public opinion while the Spector jury is deliberating, but more importantly because it betrays a misunderstanding of the real workings of the justice system. It also inexplicably ignores the findings reached by the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's most prestigious scientific organization, in a study of the dismal quality of work produced by crime labs throughout the United States -- a study on which The Times reported in February.
March 31, 2009
Blowback
Protecting California's marine ecosystems
As an author of the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), I was disappointed to read recreational fisherman Dick Giuliani's March 25 opinion piece, in which he argued that the fishing reserves proposed under the act would be disastrous for the state. I'd like to clear up a number of misconceptions and share why I believe the process of selecting marine protection areas as outlined by the MLPA is critical to our future.
March 27, 2009
Blowback
Different assisted-suicide groups, one goal
The recent arrests of four members of the Final Exit Network in Georgia have drawn more national attention to the issue of assisted suicide. According to The Times' March 23 editorial, "Sense and suicide," the organization has been involved in about 200 deaths across the country. This group has advised, consulted and even allegedly had its counselors facilitate suicides using helium tanks and plastic bags. Investigations in many of the cases have led authorities to question just how involved officials of the Final Exit Network were in the deaths of its members.
March 25, 2009
Blowback
The full story on AnsaldoBreda's L.A. rail-car proposal
At a time when unemployment is over 10% and Angelenos are facing the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression, Tim Rutten's column on AnsaldoBreda Inc.'s proposal to bring thousands of jobs to Los Angeles, keep public money in the region and kick off a "green" corridor does the public a great disservice.
March 25, 2009
Blowback
The Marine Life Protection Act mess
I have followed from its inception the ongoing Marine Life Protection Act process that was the subject of a March 20 article by Louis Sahagun. I have heard repeatedly from MLPA advocates that we are amicable groups seeking the same goals of preservation of the resource. Let me assure you all, in no uncertain terms, this is not an amicable process. This is an adversarial process in which we seek to maintain our rights to fish in California waters, while the MLPA backers seek to eliminate as much productive fishing area as they can under the fallacious argument that it would protect the resource. They have also stated that the economic impact of closures is speculative, but I submit the following thoughts.
March 20, 2009
Blowback
Electronic medical records will increase costs
Noam N. Levey's interesting and well-written article March 15 on the future of electronic medical records made some important points. EMRs have several potential advantages over the current system. But the expectation that they will reduce costs in an outpatient setting like a doctor's office is far-fetched.
March 16, 2009
Blowback
Chas Freeman dispute about more than just Israel
Pity the poor readers whose exposure to the Chas Freeman appointment brouhaha was limited to The Times’ March 12 editorial. Not only would they be under the mistaken notion that the entire controversy was a proxy fight between those who "believe that Israel should be immune from criticism" and those more enlightened. They'd also have no inkling whatsoever that many of Freeman's critics took issue with what the would-be National Intelligence Council chairman has said about two far less liberal countries with nary a kibbutz between them: Saudi Arabia and China.
March 13, 2009
Blowback
Jim Bellows' mistake
The Times’ March 7 obituary on Jim Bellows skips what Bellows himself called the biggest mistake of his career, made when he was a features editor at the Los Angeles Times. It leaves out a dark moment in the history of The Times at a juncture where it connects to a shameful period in American politics.
March 4, 2009
Blowback
Why Antonio will run for governor
Now that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has won reelection, he will immediately take steps, at least behind the scenes, to run for governor of California. Those who hope otherwise have little understanding of the man or California politics.
March 1, 2009
Blowback
Where was The Times this election?
Does The Times (and all local media, for that matter) really believe in the democratic process? Los Angeles has the highest-paid City Council members in the nation. If you read The Times and other news outlets, all but a single Los Angeles City Council race is over before election day. In reality, eight City Council seats are up for election Tuesday, and six are contested. But according to The Times' Feb. 21 endorsement of Ron Galperin for District 5, only that race is "in serious question" (the editorial page isn't endorsing in other council races).
February 18, 2009
Blowback
What Israeli identity crisis?
The Times' Feb. 14 editorial, "Israel’s identity crisis," is unfair to Israel. In particular, the editorial's questioning of Israel's ability "to be both a Jewish state and a democratic state" is patently absurd. The suggestion that these objectives are mutually exclusive simply has no basis in reality.
February 5, 2009
Blowback
Think Latinos are ambivalent about immigration?
At the height of his hubris, Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform -- an anti-immigrant organization designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center -- decided that he is better qualified than Latino civil rights leaders to speak to Latino views. What's next, David Duke writing about African American views on affirmative action?
February 3, 2009
Blowback
The power of unions
The fact that unions raise wages, standards and safety in workplaces is obvious and indisputable -- but perhaps not to Jon Healey, who recently wrote the lengthy Jan. 26 Opinion L.A. blog post, "" Sure, unions are not the cure-all for our economic woes, but that does not mean that the right organize into a union isn't worth fighting for if we are going to pursue a recovery for America's families, especially for the 30 million low-wage workers in this country who make less than $10 per hour and have few or no benefits.
January 28, 2009
Blowback
LAPD Chief Parker: a product of his time
It is truly sad that in his otherwise insightful Jan. 21 Op-Ed column about the progress of the Los Angeles Police Department, Tim Rutten needlessly labels iconic former Chief William H. Parker as a racist. Like many things in life, history is open to interpretation. Rewriting history, however, is a different pursuit entirely. It is from this standpoint that I take great exception with Rutten's claim that Parker, who was LAPD chief from 1950-66, "stands exposed as the racist he was."
January 23, 2009
Blowback
Leave firefighting to the pros
If stay-and-defend is the best idea California's fire chiefs can come up with to do a better job containing the state's wildfires, my frustration is exceeded only by my concern for the state's residents. Stay-and-defend -- outlined in several Times news articles, most recently in the Jan. 13 story, "Southern California fire chiefs debate stay-and-defend program " -- should make people run and hide.
January 21, 2009
Blowback
Fix probation to fix prisons
California's corrections system is in a state of disarray and is in dire need of reform. As The Times described in a Jan. 5 editorial, the state is awaiting a decision from a panel of federal judges that will decide whether to release more than 50,000 criminals into our communities to ease prison overcrowding. Evidently, California is failing to rehabilitate criminals and adding to a cyclical problem facing our prison system that returns more than 70% of released convicts back to state prison.
January 19, 2009
Blowback
Playing local politics with Gaza
Is Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa right to publicly express his fervent support for Israel's military campaign against Hamas? Tim Rutten, who defends Villaraigosa in his Jan. 14 Times Op-Ed column, thinks so. But there is one major reason, among many, why Villaraigosa and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca are wrong to take sides on the latest crisis in the Gaza Strip. Put aside the human rights of Palestinians, even though the U.S. government's hypocrisy on this issue has never been more blatant and clear to the rest of the world. Put aside the reality that the Palestinian issue remains a fulcrum in U.S.-Muslim world relations, as evidenced by the anti-American outrage we're witnessing in places such as Kabul.
January 15, 2009
Blowback
Food allergies are nothing to laugh about
Questions remain about the causes and recent increases in the number of children and adults with food allergies. The fact that such allergies are very common in the United States, Canada, Europe and other industrialized countries around the world, however, is undeniable. Contrary to what Times columnist Joel Stein wrote in his Jan. 9 Op-Ed column, "Nut allergies — a Yuppie invention," anaphylaxis is not brought on by the need for attention by "a parent who needs to feel special." Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can be caused by exposure to minuscule quantities of nuts or other food allergens and may even cause death.
January 9, 2009
Blowback
Let Billy the elephant into his new home
I traveled to the Los Angeles Zoo last week to observe Billy the Asian elephant and explore the Pachyderm Forest -- a state-of-the-art habitat being built for Billy and other endangered Asian elephants. I wanted to see for myself the project that had caused so much ink to be spilled on the pages of The Times, including columnist Hector Tobar's Dec. 9 piece, "Zoo without elephants would be a loss for the children of L.A.,” and my friend Daphne Sheldrick's Jan. 5 Op-Ed article, "L.A. Zoo should free Billy the elephant.”
January 2, 2009
Blowback
Don't blame the signal placements
In a Dec. 26 article about signal gaps and the Chatsworth collision, the locations of the signals are clear from your map, yet your "experts" draw the wrong conclusions.
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
E-mail
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
StumbleUpon