Gov. Deukmejian’s Cuts on Health and School Funds

Chumps that we are, Deukmejian thinks we’ll remember him with great feeling for the paltry sum he’s planning as a tax rebate--a symbol of his ransomed pride.

We’ll remember him all right: when talented teachers leave the profession for lack of competitive pay; when our children have out-of-date or no books to read; when those children who need to learn how to read swell the welfare rolls as adults because we lost our one chance to help them become productive citizens.

And we’ll surely all remember him in the future when we can no longer compete with the rest of the world for jobs and industries because we didn’t invest in that future today.

Like a tenacious and self-centered 2-year-old, Deukmejian has had to prove he could have his way. This at the expense of our children’s educations now and the kind of future they (and we in our old age) will have. I, for one, will remember Deukmejian at election time and do all in my power to replace this short-sighted politician who has graphically shown he’ll gladly brush aside the needs of the people if his ego is at stake.

LAURELLA CROSS

Irvine