Schwarzenegger’s report card

Re “An amateur governor and the mess he’s made,” Opinion, Aug. 9

What is Sheila Kuehl’s point when she writes that “there is no room for amateurism in government”?

Ha ha ha ha ha. (Wiping tears from eyes.) Really?! Is that why she left government?

Considering the total mess made by the so-called professional politicians in Sacramento, does professional politico Kuehl think circumstances would be better if we left things to the “pros”?

Let me guess: At least they “care” as they spend more of other people’s money than is coming in.

Michael D. Franco

Orange

Sour grapes or jealousy -- how else can one describe Kuehl’s venomous complaint that Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting too much credit for being a successful governor? Maybe she’s angry because Schwarzenegger is getting credit for things she opposed.

Private sector job creation, not public sector spending, has been the governor’s priority. He has led the charge to bring spending into line with existing revenues. I guess Kuehl doesn’t believe in the notion of living within our means.

And let’s not overlook the citizen-inspired voting reforms that Schwarzenegger championed. Fair apportionment and open primaries -- Propositions 11 and 14 -- will improve California’s political process long after the governor leaves office.

Finally, Kuehl complains about Schwarzenegger brokering a historic, bipartisan water package that brought environmentalists, business and agriculture together to fix the environmentally-damaged Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and create more water for our growing population. Grapes, or any other agricultural product, can’t grow without water -- even sour grapes.

Allan Zaremberg

Sacramento

The writer is president of the California Chamber of Commerce.

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Thank you so much for Kuehl’s spot-on article regarding Schwarzenegger’s multiple failings.

The continued financial destabilization of the California public schools under his watch has been horrific to witness, as an educator and as a parent. As Kuehl points out, his strong “environmental credentials” have been a sham, and overall his financial decisions have been detrimental to the poor and middle class.

We Californians deserve better.

Janice Markham

Eagle Rock

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The long road to a deep hole

Re “Fixing California’s budget for good,” Opinion, Aug. 10

Whether or not one agrees with Schwarzenegger’s ideas, my question is: How did we get here? It should have been easy to plan ahead. The costs now are so great that I find it hard to believe the recession-caused dip in tax revenue is the entire explanation for why we are so deeply in debt.

Who approved these pensions, and who signed them into law? And why aren’t they now being held accountable?

It’s the old story: Politicians make decisions with negative consequences no one sees until they’re out of office, enjoying their own pensions.

Crista Worthy

Los Angeles

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Under Schwarzenegger’s leadership, it has become more difficult for students to attend college. The cost of living climbs, but families who receive assistance have seen their benefits reduced.

And although an immigrant himself, the governor eliminated funding for the Naturalization Service Program, which helped legal immigrants naturalize.

Gov. Schwarzenegger, these are your achievements. You could have proposed a budget that was compassionate and did not pose a threat to California’s future, but instead you played politics.

Joseph Villela

Monterey Park

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Little city, big problems

Re “Bell is only a symptom,” Opinion, Aug. 11

Basically, Ben Boychuk would junk the civil service system and city manager form of government because of one extreme aberration called the city of Bell. Great -- elective officials can pay back their friends and families with jobs, incompetence will reign supreme, and we will have gone backward more than 100 years.

To opine that we have what Boychuk calls an “administrative state” sounds like academic gibberish. As a lawyer who has represented municipalities for 40 years, I can tell you that 99% function properly, with elected officials providing policy direction and competent and trained staff supplying management expertise and advice.

Boychuk has let his book knowledge, naivete and dislike of the public sector overwhelm truth and reason.

Michael H. Miller

Los Angeles

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Re “State weighs pay sanctions,” Aug. 12

I don’t understand: We voters are always told that if government were run more like a business, it would be greatly improved. So Bell does just that -- pays outrageous salaries to top executives, avoids stockholder (voter) outrage by any means possible and keeps financial dealings secret -- and then begins to fold under the weight of its malfeasance.

Doesn’t that sound like almost any financial institution just a few months ago? Why investigate? Just give Bell a bailout package and tell it, severely, not to do this again. What’s sauce for the goose (Wall Street) is sauce for the gander (Bell).

Richard Pilgrim

Imperial Beach

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I am sure you have received many letters thanking you for providing the expensive investigative reporting the country desperately needs. I would like to add mine.

I fear that loss of subscribers and the proliferation of free online news sites are eliminating newspapers, which are a crucial ingredient in a democracy. Reporting on the Bell officials’ pay scandal is just one example of the service newspapers provide.

As Thomas Jefferson wisely said: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Pat Ormsbee

Newport Beach

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This column made his day

Re “Garfield’s band of brothers,” Column, Aug. 10

Thank you, Sandy Banks, for an uplifting story about the warm and enduring friendships of young men who grew up together in East Los Angeles. Here was a group of men with rich and highly diverse backgrounds who were bound together as brothers as they found their way, eventually leading such productive lives.

What a refreshing change from the grim and depressing news we read about every day. It gives one hope that, based on the common humanity we share, we have the potential within us to bring about a better society. These remarkable men set a marvelous example for all of us to emulate.

Harry Kawahara

Altadena