LETTERS

Re “White House ousts GM leader,” March 30

The last time I checked, personnel actions within a private corporation were governed by a board of directors and shareholders. As a General Motors shareholder, I do not appreciate the president dictating the dismissal of GM chief Rick Wagoner.

This is a private matter. Just as we have separation of church and state in this country, we also need to honor the tradition of the separation of public and private entities. This is just one more step toward nationalization.

Steven Siry

Los Angeles

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Re “Plea for carmaker bailout backfires,” March 29

It’s sad watching our major automakers slip into history with a tin cup in their hands. Over time, these giant automakers built up costly executive hierarchies and frittered away their competitive advantage to foreign brands that ate their lunch in the U.S. marketplace.

Because we taxpayers are stuck in the default position as lenders of last resort, we should clamor to “cut ‘em back or cut ‘em off” and force reevaluation of such layered executive sweeteners as bonuses, hiring inducements and golden parachutes.

Roger A. Wells

Manhattan Beach