Cardinal Mahony

Re “Mahony Urges Supervisors Not to Cut Health Care,” Sept. 8: Cardinal Roger Mahony could help see that adequate health care was provided by seeing that the archdiocese paid taxes, and stopped supporting immigration. The cardinal is right when he states that the public health risks we face are serious. He fails to recognize that the policies of his church have a great deal to do with the creation of the very risk he describes. It’s time to get serious about population control, for many reasons as well as public health reasons. And maybe it’s time to review tax exemptions as well.

STEVE CHASE

Claremont

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* Thanks to people like Mahony who insist on providing free medical care to illegal immigrants, Los Angeles County is now facing severe budget cuts for public health services. I don’t see the Catholic Church opening its pocketbook and offering any of its vast wealth to cover these shortages. And yet, in spite of his unrealistic view of how much the taxpayers can afford to pay, he is still putting his nose in politics.

Since he obviously doesn’t believe in separation of church and state (proven by his meddling in politics), let’s remove the tax-exempt status of the Catholic Church. Maybe then we can continue to provide services for those of us who are here legally.

PAT BOSS

Whittier

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* I couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony after reading your article after having visited the Vatican last summer and seeing the enormous amount of wealth contained therein. How about the cardinal calling his boss in Rome and asking for a donation to help save our health programs?

ROBERT C. THOMPSON

Santa Monica