Tax-Break Complaint Just GOP Sour Grapes

* Kenneth Khachigian complains on April 11 that tax breaks for producers to keep movies being made in California amount to “welfare for the rich.”

Gee, I wonder why Khachigian and the rest of the right wing oppose help for Hollywood but embrace virtually every other pro-business tax break. Could it be the Republicans are only pro-right-wing business?

Their support for tax breaks for the National Rifle Assn., the oil industry, the health-care industry and any other groups that donate to Republicans is legendary.

JAMES CORBETT

San Clemente

* The column by Kenneth Khachigian was off-base.

The film industry has been one of the most critical in California since early in this century.

Industry leaders are requesting tax relief so that production in California will be the most cost-effective way of doing business. Otherwise they will take their business elsewhere.

How they conduct their internal business affairs should not be his concern. Khachigian has chosen not to lecture CEOs in other industries to limit their salaries or perks that they and their upper management enjoy.

Clearly what annoys Khachigian is that Hollywood gives large political donations to Democrats. From his perspective it was this financial support that triggered the avalanche that hit the California Republican Party last November.

The Republicans, running a solid conservative Republican without blemish of scandal, received only 38% of the vote in the 1998 governor’s race.

Khachigian realizes that the only way to win major elections in the future without alienating the conservative base is to go negative. He has a lot of experience utilizing this strategy.

Therefore he has to smear Hollywood. He has to paint tax reduction, a central Republican theme, in a negative light for this “bad” industry.

GEORGE CASEN

Honolulu

* Defying reason, Ken Khachigian uses class conflict as his weapon of choice in denouncing the lifestyle perks of the “A-list” movie stars.

This criticism, like a Shaq free throw, misses the mark. How ironic that a free-market capitalist like Khachigian would deny them what the open market is apparently willing to pay.

If Khachigian ever takes to task such Republican big-budget icons as Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood or GOP alpha male Ah-nold, then I’ll start listening.

DAVID PEREZ

Fountain Valley