Letters to the editor

Democrats should be ashamed of themselves. They claim to represent the working class, yet they advocate programs that will literally subsidize inflated home values. This serves the dual purpose of rewarding cheaters and punishing those who were responsible. Letting prices fall back to their natural levels before this Ponzi scheme started would help millions instead of the relatively few a bailout would serve. Responsible workers would be more able to afford a home instead of being trapped with escalating rents that make it harder to save for a down payment.

Further, if this legislation passes, how will any level of government justify "affordable housing" programs? While we're busy using tax dollars to keep prices artificially high, we're also supposed to use tax dollars to subsidize the purchase of homes for lower-income people because prices are too high? Are you kidding me?

Dale Ma

Sherman Oaks



The Senate rejected an amendment that would have empowered bankruptcy judges to reduce mortgage payments for homeowners facing foreclosure. The Senate has rejected the most powerful tool available to halt the avalanche of foreclosures. It has turned its back on American families in their darkest hours. Instead, the Senate is preparing to provide billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to buyers of foreclosed properties, ensuring maximum revenues to the predatory lenders that caused this crisis.

Is it any wonder that Congress' approval ratings continue to plummet?

Michael W. Boggs

Los Angeles



Let's get our semantics correct. The people living in homes are occupiers and buyers, not owners. The financial institutions that lent money hold the deeds. Those who made small or no down payments have little or nothing to lose. They pay the equivalent of rent but, unlike renters, receive a tax deduction. Those who scrimped and saved to make a substantial down payment should not be paying taxes to bail out those who chose to take on a risk. It is not fair to burden the frugal with the cost of others' poor judgment.

Don Martin

Santa Ana

Olympic protests: choosing sides

Re "Protest to nowhere," Opinion, April 9

Tim Rutten writes of the futility of an Olympic protest in changing China's behavior toward its citizens. However, I'm equally concerned with America's behavior. Protesting the Olympics isn't about China's behavior, it's about us, Americans standing up in support of human rights. With no expectation or hidden agenda, we should boycott simply because it's the right thing to do.

Pamela F. Winter

Anaheim Hills



It seems proper to protest a country that overthrows and imprisons another nation's ruler, uses its army to occupy that nation and takes the best land for its own people, leaving the natives as the poorest people. The new regime even prohibits the citizens of that country from practicing their own religion. I am talking about the United States' behavior toward Hawaii in the late 19th century. We did apologize, but never gave back the land or independence. China's behavior toward Tibet is no different from our behavior. I wish Americans would be as concerned about their own disgraceful past as they are about the behavior of other countries.

Daniel A. Guthrie

Claremont

Re "Harrying the torch," April 8

It is extremely tempting -- and totally justifiable -- to condemn China for its occupation of Tibet and to advocate a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. For the United States to do this, however, is an abomination in view of its equally intolerable occupation of Iraq. Otherwise, we would have a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The ideal solution would be to put the Olympics temporarily on hold and subject both vessels, meanwhile, to a thorough and relentless scouring.

Gordon Wilson

Laguna Niguel

Second opinions

Re "Hospital plan draws criticism," April 7

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting each time a different outcome. As a healthcare expert with a special interest in ethnic health disparities in general and Latino health specifically, I applaud the engagement of an out-of-the-box hospital partner to redesign and restart Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital.

This type of creative, calculated and measured risk is the breath of fresh air that has been long in coming.

Robert A.

Beltran MD

President

Latino Med Policy

Institute, Los Alamitos



Everything related to the recent King-Harbor negotiations deserves criticism. As someone who has kept a close eye on all the events surrounding King-Harbor for several years, I find many of the L.A. County supervisors' responses rather ludicrous. I would also take issue with Supervisor Don Knabe's request that "people need to hold the criticism until we have all the details," when the Board of Supervisors and its representatives have purposefully kept the public out of the information loop by insisting on closed sessions.

I also wonder if the board has violated the Brown Act, because I don't seem to remember any reportable actions being reported after these closed sessions. One could assume that because the board seems to be pursuing a potential agreement with Pacific Hospital, some reportable action was taken.

Geneviève M.

Clavreul

Pasadena

Disney's magic

Re "Same old song," editorial, April 5

With regard to the current controversy about changes being made in "It's a Small World" at Disneyland, allow me, as the Walt Disney Co.'s longtime chief archivist, to remind those who are complaining that Walt Disney never intended Disneyland to be static. He said that Disneyland is "something that will never be finished. Something I can keep developing, keep adding to. It will be a live, breathing thing that will need change. Not only can I add things, but even the trees will keep growing. The things will get more beautiful each year." He was constantly changing his park, just as he said he would. And those changes did not end with his death.

The Disney Imagineers have continued to follow his dream, frequently adding and changing things in the park to give today's guests the best possible experience. And, sure enough, those trees have kept growing and getting more beautiful every year.

Dave Smith

Burbank



Knowing that my own grandchildren love Disney's California Adventure, I questioned The Times' editorial on California Adventure and the writer's premise: "Why would anyone pay Disneyland prices to go there?" California Adventure is where my grandchildren like to go first when they go to Disneyland. And, I must add, so do I.

Gail Taylor

Fullerton

What are we doing in Iraq?

Re "Proxy war," editorial, April 9

The real reason we are in Iraq is Iran. As you stated, we have had it in for Iran since 1979. Iraq is a base of operations we need to have to operate clandestinely against Iran. That is why the bloodshed will continue in Iraq as long as it serves our military purpose. But of course we can't tell that to Americans.

Raymond Rodriguez

Long Beach



What am I missing? We are told that the "surge" is a success because by adding troops, we've reduced casualties to an acceptable level. Nothing else has changed. I assume acceptable means that the "liberal" media no longer notice, like they didn't notice the lack of evidence before the Iraq invasion. But if the goal is to reduce casualties, wouldn't we do so by just bringing the troops home?

Brooks W. Wilson

Rancho Cucamonga



Re "Petraeus, Democrats square off," April 9

Sen. Barack Obama tried to pin down Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on troop levels by saying, "When you have finite resources, you've got to define your goal tightly and modestly." Since when have tax dollars been a finite resource? Oil is a finite resource, and if we exit Iraq prior to stability, U.S. motorists had better be prepared for infinite gasoline price increases and rationing.

Bob Ginn

Arcadia

Star-crossed idea

Re "New paparazzi rules not needed, L.A. police say," April 9

L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine's motion for an ordinance to protect a handful of out-of-control celebrities is ridiculous. This ordinance would waste valuable resources, having our police officers baby-sit stars who have nothing better to do than cause havoc and chaos on the streets of L.A. If Zine is so concerned for their safety, he should suggest that these actors hire their own security to escort them around L.A.

Monica Harmon

Los Angeles