Tuesday’s primary election results; Homeboy Industries’ money troubles; illegal immigration

Election says it all

Re “Voters shake things up for both parties,” May 19

After months of pundits in newspapers and on TV telling us how the “tea partyers” were going to flex their muscles and take back the Senate and the House and throw out all of the Democrats, the first big “test” Tuesday proved the opposite.

Yes, they could boast about their one victory in Kentucky with Rand Paul’s GOP primary win, but Kentucky has already proved itself to be a conservative state. The election was really about throwing out the corrupt or do-nothing politicians who only get elected to get reelected.

It’s time for President Obama to speak clearly to the American people and stop being afraid of offending anybody for having a liberal and fair agenda for the middle class.

Steve Binder

Oxnard

The most important election result Tuesday was the one few people noticed: The Democrats easily held on to the late John Murtha’s House seat in conservative western Pennsylvania.

There will be no revolution come November.

Ralph S. Brax

Lancaster

A key aspect of the primary election drubbing of five-term senator and newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter is the extent to which it is a repudiation of liberal, big-government Specter supporters, including Vice President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell. They invested heavily in a Specter win, yet they were told by voters to go pound salt.

The rejection of Specter’s opportunism may signal a new day in national politics. Hallelujah!

Oren M. Spiegler

Upper Saint Clair, Penn.

What about Mexico?

Re “Immigration tops agenda for Mexico,” May 19

The Times writes about Mexican President Felipe Calderon: “He is likely to urge a far-reaching overhaul of the U.S. immigration system to give the estimated 11 million people living illegally in the United States a chance to gain legal status, officials said.” Why would the president of any country advocate legislation that would essentially get rid of

11 million of his own native people?

The problem of illegal immigration is Mexico’s. People would not leave their families and homes and risk their lives crossing a desert for backbreaking, low-wage jobs if they had any hope of supporting themselves at home. Calderon is reduced to supporting illegal immigrants, whose billions in remittances are the only thing keeping his failed country from sinking.

Calderon might better focus on the recent Amnesty International report of gross human rights violations against migrants crossing Mexico’s southern border, including robbery, kidnapping, rape and murder, sometimes done by public officials.

James Willis

Oxnard

Re “ACLU seeks to block Arizona law,” May 18

Excuse me, but doesn’t ACLU stand for American Civil Liberties Union? I thought the people whose civil liberties are being jeopardized were illegal immigrants, not Americans.

Did I miss something somewhere? Why is the ACLU involved?

Barbara Hardesty

Los Angeles

We can all help Homeboy

Re “Homeboy: What price hope?” Opinion, May 15

Reading Tim Rutten’s column about Father Gregory Boyle and his employees has made me view them as almost biblical figures. These young people have turned their lives around. Many in L.A. have certainly been supportive, but what the members of Homeboy Industries have accomplished has been through their own efforts, hard work and energy.

Here we have something that actually works. Lives have been saved and the community is safer and healthier through the dedication of Boyle and his staff. They know how to do it.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the various segments of the private and the public sectors decided to pull together just this once to keep Homeboy Industries alive? Really, I mean all of us.

Who knows? If we can accomplish this, maybe we can do it again for others at a time when the needs of so many in our city and county are unprecedented.

Harriet Glickman

Sherman Oaks

As part of Rutten’s campaign to raise money for Homeboy Industries, I’d like to offer a challenge to prospective donors.

I will match the funds of every billionaire who donates to the present campaign, $1 for every $10,000.

Rabbi David Stein

Culver City

Many thanks to Rutten for sticking with Homeboy Industries. Most of us can’t donate the sums needed right now, but here’s what we can do solo, with family or with friends:

Eat a tasty meal at Homegirl Café

Buy delicious bakery goods to take home, and buy Homeboy coffee mugs.

Buy Boyle’s book, “Tattoos On the Heart,” for which all proceeds go to Homeboy Industries.

I can vouch for all that. Maybe the millionaires among us can do the rest. Homeboy Industries is worth saving.

Damiana Chavez

Los Angeles

The mail must go through

Re “A 21st century Postal Service,” Opinion, May 13

Meldon Wolfgang’s analysis of the U.S. Postal Service’s “business model” omits the primary cause of its current budget deficit.

The Postal Service is required by law to pre-fund retiree health benefit costs at an extremely high rate. Wolfgang fails to mention that although the Postal Service lost $11.7 billion between 2007 and 2010, it also paid $12.4 billion for future retiree health benefit costs.

Although it is true that mail volume has declined, discontinuing Saturday delivery is not a smart business strategy in a shrinking market. The Postal Service’s competitors would love to deliver packages on Saturday.

The Postal Service is a constitutionally mandated government service necessary for keeping our citizens connected. What we really need are innovative ways to capture revenue in a market that may have changed forever.

With sound fiscal strategies, the Postal Service will continue to be the most trusted government agency, and without taxpayer subsidies.

Stephen Kelley

Los Angeles

The writer is former president of Branch 2207 of the National Assn. of Letter Carriers.

Has the Postal Service ever asked customers what we might want, particularly residential customers?

I would be delighted with three-day-a-week residential delivery and a lot less junk mail. Send me a survey, USPS. I’ll return it.

Marc Stevens

Los Angeles

New tools for schools

Re “Education by court order,” Editorial, May 14

This editorial highlights the ineffectiveness of California school districts in determining the needs of the students and acting accordingly.

The decision by the court shows the wisdom of our “checks and balances” system and will force the school districts to improve procedures to better reflect the needs of the students and society at large. If teacher contracts are dated, they need to be modified. Perhaps district budgeting strategies need to be modified.

What scares me the most is the underlying problem: Parents and schools have failed to motivate students by getting across the fact that education is a benchmark for success in the future.

Is laying off teachers, tenured or otherwise, our only option, or are we cutting off our nose to spite our face?

Jonathan Galper

Walnut

Let me get this right:

In the same editorial in which you lament the fact that so many teachers are being laid off at three middle schools because they are the newest hires, you decry that the students at those schools and at similar schools “are perennially the most likely to be taught by the least-qualified teachers” due to their teachers being the newest hires.

Just want to make sure I understand what point you try to make. Perhaps your editorial writers should go back to school.

Richard Wagoner

Rancho Palos Verdes

Not so fast

Re “Beck, liberal hero?” Opinion, May 13

The last sentence of Meghan Daum’s column states that Glenn Beck “was the honor student of the week.”

He may have made an honorable statement, but to my mind, he was never an honor student.

Martin Rich

Encino