From the Los Angeles Times

Letters to the editor

April 28, 2008

Tied up in traffic

Re "U.S. offers funds for toll lanes," April 24

L.A. City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said it's "time to try something new" by charging a special fee to drive alone in the already privileged carpool lane. How about trying something that worked 30 years ago, before this preferential-treatment nonsense got started: Open all lanes on all public-funded freeways to all motorists?

If we're really serious about trying something new, how about electing politicians who have a vision beyond the next election?

Robert L. Rosebrock

Brentwood

Transportation economists have understood for almost 50 years that the only systemic solution to congestion is a congestion tolling scheme. I travel if the benefit the trip affords me exceeds the price I must pay for the trip. When I get on the freeway at rush hour, I delay other people, and I foul the air. These costs are real, but I ignore them because I do not pay them. If the costs I impose on others are forced inside my decision to travel in the form of an electronic toll, then I will not take the trip unless the benefits to me exceed the full private and social costs of doing so.

Forcing us to pay the costs we impose on others when we travel on congested facilities increases efficiency and fairness, and provides an ideal source of revenue for maintaining and expanding infrastructure. It is past time for public authorities to take this important step.

James E. Moore II

Director, Transportation

Engineering Program

USC, Los Angeles

Congestion pricing and toll lanes in Southern California are evil ideas that apparently will not die. The federal government will buy 60 high-volume buses that would use the toll lanes so the Metropolitan Transportation Authority can free up funds to create toll lanes with congestion-pricing tiers. Was the MTA already planning on buying 60 high-volume buses to use toll lanes that do not currently exist?

No matter what anybody says about congestion pricing and toll roads, they are built and operated on the backs of working-class people who have no defense against the power elites. It would be hideously stupid ivory-tower thinking to expect the working class to have any control over work hours. This is nothing more than class or institutional discrimination. At a time when energy costs are in such a runaway inflationary mode that they are causing shortages of affordable food worldwide, bringing up something like this is unconscionable -- assuming one has a conscience.

Nels Norene

Camarillo

The carpool-lane system has always been absurd and is likely to become more so with the proposed fee-for-use lanes. We all should know that carpool lanes are misnamed because they are not used only by carpoolers. Two workers in a vehicle are not carpooling. The system is mainly a governmental pretense at doing something about traffic congestion.

Charging anyone using special lanes at rush hour regardless of occupancy will merely give advantages to those who can pay and exclude those who cannot, selling convenience to the affluent. So, the poor get poorer and slower, and the rich get their own lanes. So it goes, as usual.

Samuel Gould

Los Angeles

The Democrats' family argument

Re "My winning strategy," Opinion, April 24

The Democratic race is still close; pollsters have proved themselves wrong time and again, and I doubt they have it right when they say that most Democrats think Barack Obama is the winner. But the real 800-pound gorilla in the room will always be Florida and Michigan. No matter how you try to spin it, Obama will never be perceived as a legitimate candidate in a contest this close if those voters don't get a say.

The same people who are such sticklers for the rules that keep Florida and Michigan out seem perfectly happy to bend them when it comes to the role of the superdelegates. Their candidate is weak and growing weaker every day as they try to cling to the rules that are convenient for their side. If Hillary Clinton wins Indiana, they better wake up to the fact that she is the real nominee.

Jean Anker

Granada Hills

My fear is that Clinton and her husband are taking their playbook from the Republican Party -- winning at any cost, even if it means manipulating her nomination, just as George W. Bush did in 2000. For those of us who went through that debacle, this sickening repeat is almost too much to bear. I lay the blame at the feet of Democratic Party chief Howard Dean, who has sent mixed messages that have only divided the party. We don't need vague; we need direction. Nancy Pelosi, take a stand!

Charlotte

Hildebrand

Los Angeles

As a Democrat, I will vote for whichever Democratic candidate survives the primary contests. The Op-Ed page's purpose is to allow qualified people to express opinions that may help the public in forming opinions and acting on those. I protest this Rosa Brooks column. Except for her vocabulary, it is infantile.

She has every right to campaign for her candidate, but to do so as she has is despicable. Her attack on Clinton rates lower on the scale of opinionated discussion than the most unacceptable statements made by Clinton about Obama and by Obama about Clinton.

Robert Willard

Los Angeles

History repeats?

Re "Petraeus move ensures future for Bush war policy," April 24

Despite the numbers indicating that the majority of Americans are against continuing this costly and futile Iraq war, retired Army Col. Conrad Crane says, Gen. David H. Petraeus "won't shape any recommendations based on political winds. He will make his recommendations based on the reality on the ground." "Political winds" means the will of the people. Reality on the ground means President Bush's fantasy. Does anyone remember Gen. William Westmoreland?

Carol Lopilato

Redondo Beach

A remedy for health services

Re "New blood," Opinion, April 24

Robert Tranquada is qualified to comment on the crisis at Los Angeles County Health Services Department. He has worked in the department as a caregiver and administrator and knows firsthand why the county personnel and budget systems are not responsive to the requirements of a modern medical facility.

As he explains, the only solution to this crisis is to remove the Health Services Department from county administrative control and place it in an independent health authority.

This was also the recommendation of Liston A. Witherill, the department's founding director. He pointed out that other major jurisdictions, such as New York, divorced their healthcare system from city control and established successful independent hospital corporations.

It may be difficult for the Board of Supervisors to collectively realize that it must completely divest itself from the healthcare field, but until it does, there will be no end to the county's continual health services crises.

Robert Banning

Pasadena

Is the Syria case another dud?

Re "U.S. opens dossier on Syrian facility," April 25

I am monumentally opposed to Syria obtaining nukes. However, as I recall, the last time the Bush administration put forth evidence to support the existence of weapons of mass destruction, the evidence itself resulted in the mass destruction of America's credibility and, in particular, the credibility of our intelligence system. It would be an extremely naive person who would not ask the question: Why should we believe the Bush administration now?

This is not a partisan issue. World peace hangs in the balance. Furthermore, why is this being magnified now? If the facility existed and was destroyed, then there is no threat. I understand that we knew about this quite some time ago, but it becomes news now?

If enough was known to bomb it, enough was known to make an accusation to the world and catch the parties red-handed.

But then again, the last time we made such an accusation, we were caught red-faced.

Joel Gossman

Los Angeles

The right course

Re "Ship of shame," editorial, April 24

Your editorial is a masterpiece of inspiration and encouragement. Obviously the Chinese government has yet to learn key virtues from its ancestors -- wisdom and benevolence. As Confucius said of rulers: "Moral disciplines do not simply stand alone. He who keeps them will have neighbors."

The courageous acts by South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia to stop the entry of Chinese weapons into Zimbabwe is proof that collaboration between stakeholders can prevent potential regional conflicts and crises.

United we stand, divided we fall. Simple and sound.

Joe S. Wang

Los Angeles