Political Junkets -- and Just Plain Junk

Re “Legislators Sign Up for Maui Meeting,” Nov. 13: Why do 20 or more of our legislators feel it is OK, in these troubling times for the state, to head out to Maui paid for by the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn. and other campaign donations? It might be perfectly legal, but it isn’t right. They should be in Sacramento, where they are needed, with a new governor who will have been inaugurated just a week before. If they need to go on a junket at others’ expense, let them at least stay in one of California’s own resort facilities and pay their campaign dollars back into our economy. Or is the snorkeling not good enough for them at home?

Jean Ovrum

Santa Monica

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Steve Lopez (Nov. 12) would complain if he were hanged with a new rope. His whiny piece on our new governor, claiming hypocrisy because he is, in good faith, exploring ways to handle the budget crisis, including loans, is just what we don’t need -- a half-witted attempt to discredit the man who, by all accounts, has already moved to bring all under his tent to solve our problems. Maybe Lopez would like to offer some solutions of his own, rather than just sit by and snipe, but then, what would he get paid for?

Paul D. Fillman

Redlands

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After his promises to “end the crazy deficit spending” and “ensure the California government lives within its means,” the best solution Arnold Schwarzenegger and his staff have come up with is borrowing another $20 billion.

Uh, is it too late to trade the new borrow-and-spend Republicans for the good old-fashioned tax-and-spend Democrats?

Kevin Plambeck

Thousand Oaks