Adventures at the DMV; ‘Mission accomplished?’ in Iraq; greed and the American financial system

Just phone it in

Re “ California furlough days worsen pain for DMV customers,” Aug. 20

This year, the DMV required that I make an in-person appearance to renew my license. Yes, I dreaded the visit, and I found the automated system for making an appointment to be unusable. However, I figured devoting l5 minutes to waiting on the phone to make an appointment with a real live person was far preferable to just showing up, and I am happy to report it was a wise investment of my time and energy.

The office had several openings compatible with my schedule and the deadline, and the person on the phone as well as those behind the counter was friendly. What surprised me was that apparently some of those who wait in the long lines do not seem to know that much of the aggravation can be avoided with a phone call. Once again I was reminded: The system works if you know how to use it.

Ruth Kramer Ziony

Los Feliz

Making sense of the Iraq war

Re “Mission accomplished?” Editorial, Aug. 22

Your editorial was the perfect example of how editorials should be written: facts listed, cause-and-effect clearly outlined, followed by a logical conclusion. It would be difficult to find fault with the writer even if you did not agree with him or her.

The amazing result, however, is that many otherwise reasonable people will argue the facts as presented. They are the reactionary right wing who do not want to face any truth if it does not support their fantasy.

The only way to get through to them is to do as other countries are now proposing: a full investigation into the actions of President George W. Bush and his administration to determine whether war crimes were committed, as many of us believe they were.

Mary Ross

Cambria, Calif.

Bush has said there were no major terrorist attacks after 9/11 “on my watch” as implicit justification for the Iraq war.

In fact, no conceivable terrorist attack except a nuclear one could approach the $750 billion direct cost and untold trillions and human suffering in indirect costs caused by the war itself.

Iraq is still unstable,

Al Qaeda emboldened and strengthened, and regional strategic balances are up for grabs, as you noted.

Is it not terrifyingly possible that a war that was meant in part to prevent a nuclear Armageddon — which our government has described as our greatest terrorist threat — may have set in motion precisely the upheaval needed for it to occur?

Rich Locasso

Huntington Beach

The Times is correct in its overall assessment of the Iraq war, but it understates the damage it has caused to Iraq and to our country. In particular, I think it minimizes the effect of that $750 billion on the current economic crisis and the colossal damage to Iraq’s infrastructure and environment.

I believe it also understates the degree to which the war has turned the people of the Middle East against us, increasing the threat of terrorism and seriously compromising our ability to complete our original mission in Afghanistan and meet the much more serious challenge posed by Iran.

As we try to make the best of a bad situation, we should be wary of the alternative narrative being patched together by conservative pundits and certain Republican candidates, in which “our troops brought democracy to a grateful nation in spite of opposition by weak-kneed Democrats,” etc.

If that narrative takes hold and the Republicans (especially the neocon variety) take back our government, we can expect more of these adventures: “shock and awe” and easy victories, followed by “mission accomplished,” followed by disastrous reality.

Alan Pierpoint

Arcadia

Your headline’s question is answered in the summary of your editorial: “It removed Hussein.”

My question is where would we be today if he were still around? The horrific trend line was nuclear ambitions (curtailed by Israel), war (with Iran), invasion (of Kuwait), slaughter (of his own people) and, most important, the increasing ineffectiveness of international sanctions.

Saddam Hussein reminds me of the early days of a fellow named Hitler. Fortunately, Hussein was removed in time, at much less cost. However, the mission could have been accomplished at even less cost by a more capable administration.

Murray Lasoff

Simi Valley

The thoughtful analysis of your editorial, with the war’s hasty “closet philosophy” buildup predicated on faulty evidence, provided a great overview of a tragic mistake that reverberates today.

It seemed to me that a sustained “be afraid, be afraid” theme promulgated for political effect by certain media sources kept the cauldron burning, vis-a-vis the “war on terror” hypothesis.

The editorial was spot-on in concluding: “too costly for too little return.”

Frank R. Wynne

Los Alamitos

The editorial’s final paragraph is dead wrong.

The only way to build a viable Iraq in today’s world is the implementation of accountable self-governance. Starting with our spearheading the country’s first free elections, the U.S. has tirelessly championed the exercise of an open and free society.

Like abolition, Iraq’s political evolution may take far longer than anticipated. However, America planted the seeds of political reform, and Iraq’s future success will draw heavily on our example and inspiration.

John Van den Akker

Hermosa Beach

What drives the economy

Re “Can’t stop the greed,” Opinion, Aug. 22

Finally, somebody had the courage to tell the truth about what keeps our economy in the ditch. It’s the tax structure, stupid!

Preaching abstinence from greed will never work as long as we live with the Reagan/Bush tax structures, which reward boundless money-grubbing for sport by Wall Street bankers and hedge funds. All of their winnings are losses for the real economy and the public.

To get out of the Depression, FDR made the marginal tax rates right — proved when capital flowed into the real economy rather than into wealth transfer industries as it does now.

John Schoenberg

Redondo Beach

Neal Gabler wrote an excellent discourse on why we need to add back the tax brackets that Ronald Reagan removed. However, he is only half right as to it being the solution to our problems. If we do not bring back protective tariffs, we will never bring back manufacturing jobs and will continue our descent toward a Third World society and economy.

Larry Severson

Fountain Valley

Gabler fires another salvo in the class war but completely misses his mark. The only thing he got right was the greed factor. Two items are behind all bipartisan economic collapses: leverage and greed. How did Reagan confront this greed? During the S&L crisis, the Justice Department threw many banking folks in jail for gaming the system.

You may not be able to legislate unbridled greed out of the system, but you can sure prosecute it.

Rick Minerd

San Diego

I can’t lay claim to any positions in public policy similar to Gabler’s other than to say I lived through these times and remember this era from a different perspective. I remember the Jimmy Carter days of soaring inflation and the warnings that it was only going to get worse.

Reagan, in my opinion, saved this nation.

Democrats love to portray our current problems as a result of Republican malfeasance and a “runaway” Wall Street.

I have come to the conclusion that it was government meddling that was the true cause, and the resulting financial calamities were merely the symptoms.

William Brion

San Clemente

Feeling his oats in city of Bell

Re “Rizzo’s horse had come in,” Aug. 22

Ex-Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo’s chicanery was so egregious, so typical of the “ greed is good” times that our country has succumbed to, that there are probably four or five scriptwriters churning out pages skewering this guy.

Hope they don’t miss the subtext: a bewildered Rizzo, who thought he was doing no wrong.

Danny de Vito is a lock for playing Rizzo, or there ain’t no justice.

Leslie Gargan

West Hollywood