Limiting public comment time at L.A. Board of Supervisors meetings; President Obama’s State of the Union speech; a Marine’s trial over killings in Iraq

Sounding off

Re “Saving time, or stifling voices?,” Jan. 21

Finally, the circus-like atmosphere of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ weekly meetings is being properly scrutinized. If the supervisors don’t like the current situation, why don’t they quit?

A real solution wouldn’t be to restrict how often citizens could speak, but for the board to discuss only public policy issues and provide sufficient time for meeting attendees to air their views. If the supervisors are so put out about the time allotted to citizen opinion, then why not cut out the regular awards shows or just hand out the citations after the regular business session is concluded?

To do otherwise is just perpetuating another bureaucratic farce.

Lawrence M. Kates

Los Angeles

L.A. County SupervisorMark Ridley-Thomassays that the public can always reach board members through their websites or other means. Ridley-Thomas apparently fails to grasp the essential right of the citizenry to have a public forum for addressing public officials that can be observed and reported.

Emails and the like are easily lost, forgotten or ignored. Reducing public commentary at board meetings is egregiously un-American.

Ed Greenman

Los Angeles

State of the Union thoughts

Re “Of money and politics,” Jan. 25

I agree with your subheadline’s characterization of what the president said in his State of the Union address: “Obama says all must pay ‘fair share’ of taxes.”

I’d like him to start by collecting taxes from the nearly half of Americans who pay no federal income tax. And how about all those Americans who don’t file tax reports? And how about all those who earn most of their money “under the table” and report very low income?

Once he addresses this issue, I might listen to him about the “rich” paying their fair share. Right now, the “rich” are the only group of taxpayers paying their “fair share.”

And when did it become anathema in this country to achieve the American dream by becoming rich?

Rosemary Hagerott

Sierra Madre

Isn’t it time that the State of the Union address be renamed?

Especially in an election year, it should be referred to as the president’s infomercial. This year, Obama used it to kick off his reelection campaign.

Where else can a sitting president get more free advertising and exposure, which helps to offset the recent coverage of the other party?

Richard Whorton

Valley Village

It has been said that men such as Obama must be “twice as good” as the George W. Bushes of the world to succeed at the same job.

So, as president, Obama listed his administration’s accomplishments: preventing a second Great Depression while saving the auto industry, ending the Iraq war while getting Osama bin Laden, passing healthcare reform while reining in Wall Street. Two words came to mind: Mission accomplished.

Obama’s reelection is uncertain, but in only three years he has already proved himself to be twice the president his predecessor was in eight.

Eugene Sison

San Dimas

One deadly day in Iraq

Re “Marine avoids jail in killings,” Jan. 25

So Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich leads his Marines in killing 24 unarmed civilians, literally ordering them to “shoot first and ask questions later,” and personally shoots five Iraqi men who were standing outside their car. He told his comrades to say to anyone who asked about the incident that the men were running away from a bomb that had killed another Marine, according to testimony.

And after a six-year prosecution with damning testimony from his own men, his punishment is that he may get demoted to private. That’s it. No jail time; not even a fine.

I guess shooting women, children and a baby in cold blood doesn’t count as murder, as long as the victims were Iraqi. What’s a few dozen more when we’ve triggered the deaths of so many tens of thousands?

Douglas Schwartz

Los Angeles

It’s fitting that Wuterich not be sent to prison. What should be offered to him is psychological counseling for what he has been through.

There is a fine line between combatants and civilians in places where we send soldiers. This has to be recognized.

Virginia Prcic

Westlake Village

Yes, I agree with Wuterich in his statement to the relatives of all those dead people: “Words cannot express my sorrow for the loss of your loved ones.”

Except I didn’t kill them all.

Kurt Sipolski

Palm Desert

Another view of fair taxation

Re “How the wealthy get tax breaks,” Business, Jan. 24

If a criminal stole 35% of my money last week and 15% this week, would The Times write that the criminal’s actions this week helped to increase my wealth? If not, then how does The Times justify writing that “wealthy people grow even wealthier with the help of the tax code”?

Because the article wasn’t about subsidies given to the rich but instead about the wealthy keeping a larger share of their own money, one must conclude that The Times believes the money belongs to the government, which then favors the wealthy by letting them have a disproportionate amount of said government’s money.

How about mentioning the earned income tax credit, which “refunds” unpaid taxes to the poor — taxes paid by others (likely the wealthy)? That would be honest journalism.

Anthony Maenza

Oceanside

Keeping Mit Romney’s income tax rate no higher than 15% is necessary to help him create jobs, according to some economics experts. It doesn’t seem to be working.

Perhaps if we lowered the tax rate to zero for Romney and his rich friends, they would start creating some jobs.

Al Barrett

Santa Monica

Life and death

Re “Love, disease and a killing,” Column, Jan. 22

I understand and identify with Sandy Garfinkel, who killed his terminally ill wife.

My husband of more than 57 years died at age 84. For more than 20 years I watched his decline from a brilliant college professor to a helpless man needing to be fed. Countless times he said to me, “The sooner the better,” or, “You’ll be better off when I am gone.” That was no life for him or for our family.

Fortunately, I was able to afford caregivers, 43 in all, and mental help for myself, which made it tolerable for us. Far too many are unable to get this kind of support.

I understand the concern about taking a life, even a failing one, but I strongly support the right of families and doctors to provide for assisted suicide. A life is not being prolonged, only an existence.

Barbara A. Samuels

Woodland Hills

Food fight

Re “McDonald’s plan divides a health-oriented town,” Jan. 22

Kudos to the Loma Linda City Council for voting to approve construction of a new McDonald’s restaurant a block from City Hall in spite of noisy and threatening opposition from the Healthy Loma Linda Coalition. The approval process for building permits is not to be used to control citizens’ diets.

Mayor Rhodes Rigsby, a medical doctor, is right: It is the duty of local government to maintain public health and safety and to preserve the individual rights of Loma Linda’s residents.

David Igler

Loma Linda