South Gate Politicians From the Enron School

Re “Fresh Start for Scandal-Plagued City,” Feb. 5: As near as I can tell, the ousted South Gate City Council members must have graduated from the Enron School of Government. You get into a position of power, shamelessly enrich all of your family and friends, raid the coffers of every dime you can divert, then bail out of town, leaving the taxpayers holding the bag.

Instead of asking which came first, the chicken or the egg, maybe we should ask, “Which came first, the capitalist or the politician?”

Ronald Hull

Chino Hills

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I’m heartened to see South Gate hound its political leadership out of office for selling out the community’s interests to cronies or the highest bidder. I find it unfortunate that it’s harder for the national constituency to recognize that the members of the Bush clique are using 9/11 as an excuse to sell out our common interests to their cronies: big oil, international finance, the pharmaceutical companies and the military- industrial complex. I guess some people are better at camouflaging their pursuit of naked self-interest -- or maybe some people are more accustomed to closing their eyes to it.

R. Lawrence Tripp

Los Angeles