Jay Leno’s next move; America’s can- and can’t-do list; illegal immigrants and the economy

The Leno watch

Re “Leno is in talks to return to late night,” Jan. 8

The sooner NBC gets Jay Leno back on at 11:30 p.m., the sooner I will watch it again.

Fred Sconfienza
Scottsdale, Ariz.

I would like it known that I am available to take over the late-night 11:30 slot.

My terms are as follows:

* Salary of $100,000 annually. Consider the savings, NBC Chief Executive Jeff Zucker.

* Clothing allowance of $1,000. This would be twice my current yearly outlay.

* Do not, under any circumstances, hire Cher’s makeup artist to do my face.

* Remove the yellow ones from my nightly bowl of M&Ms. Yellow is the color of death. NBC has enough problems as it is.

I’m tanned, fit and ready. Please have NBC’s people contact my people.

Jeff Yolles
Santa Barbara

Re “A maverick’s quick fixes come undone at NBC,” Jan. 9

Blaming Jeff Zucker for the Leno debacle is scapegoating.

Most of us lack the desire and the discipline to step back and think of long-term goals and the strategies to reach them. We have developed an aversion to thinking and replaced it with an unquenchable thirst for having.

Zucker is merely another person who became wrapped up in ratings and quick profits at the expense of value. This is a game that has consumed most of us.

Compared with the people on Wall Street who took this opportunistic window to the bank (specifically, their bank) at the expense of Main Street, Zucker doesn’t even make it onto the radar of bad guys.

Foolish and too much of a short-term guy, yes. Evil? No.

Mark Goulston
Santa Monica

It wasn’t enough that the NBC-Jay Leno story appeared above the fold on the front page of The Times on Friday, placed opposite a story about someone named Obama and his concerns about security. The next day there were no less than three stories about the NBC-Leno thing in three sections of the paper, each one saying the same thing.

I know you are struggling, and the “Company Town” idea is a potentially useful marketing ploy, but this is getting ridiculous.

Is Leno worth all that space when our economy is in tatters and the foxes are being rewarded for raiding the henhouse?

Allen Levy
Culver City
The writer is an assistant professor of communication studies at Chapman University.

What else we can’t do

Re “America’s can’t-do list,” Opinion, Jan. 7

Orville Schell does a great service categorizing the places where America measures up to the rest of the world and where it falls short. However, I expected to see healthcare at the top of the “in need of drastic intervention” list.

What we need now is to use his helpful list to set priorities and integrate among them. This is the hard part.

For example, as potential in biotechnology increases, it raises ethical issues and presents better options for healthcare.

Still, Schell’s list is a helpful starting point.

Jay Slosar
Irvine

In his balanced, informed and sobering Op-Ed, Schell presents a bleak outlook for America’s future.

Missing from his lists, however, were some categories such as science, which -- although recently threatened with budget cutbacks and overzealous regulation -- is still preeminent in the United States; and medicine/healthcare, which is the most advanced yet most expensive, least efficient and most unfair among the developed countries.

Schell’s “aspects of U.S. life that are still vigorous and filled with potential” embraced the quintessential American qualities of innovation, entrepreneurship and generosity. Notably, there was only one government entity listed: the military.

Jonathan Kaunitz
Los Angeles
The writer is a professor of medicine at UCLA.

The truth is difficult for most Americans to grasp, because we are propagandized by our politicians and media into believing that we are absolutely the best.

I would like to add public health as an area of American life that also needs drastic intervention. In spite of our excellent science, many developing countries have better mortality and morbidity statistics. And with this recession, public health is taking another major hit.

Karen Munoz
Irvine

Not ready for another amnesty

Re “UCLA study says legalizing workers would aid economy,” Jan. 7

If you look at who conducted this study -- a professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at UCLA -- the bias is obvious.

Comprehensive immigration reform should only aim to enforce the laws we already have in place. The 1986 amnesty was a blunder because there was no reliable system in place to verify the status of any potential employee. Now we have exponentially increased the population of illegal immigrants -- along with the growth of gangs, graffiti, the cost of education and welfare, and a loss of jobs from the lower middle class on down.

Let us not repeat our mistakes. What we need to do is slow things down and take away the incentives to take from America and not give.

After we see some improvements, we can increase the quotas for legal immigration from our neighbors to the south.

Dale O’Brien
Sylmar

Colliding with the future

Re “The physics we don’t know,” Opinion, Jan. 5

Steve Giddings wrote a beautiful and informative article on one of the most exciting adventures in human history, the Large Hadron Collider.

I wonder how many people cared enough to read it? Our cultural level of not just scientific ignorance but indifference scares me.

Tell me again how the California educational system is producing 21st century competitors in the world’s scientific, technical and manufacturing marketplace, capable of growing our economy again.

When Congress called off construction of the Superconducting Super Collider in Texas, citing its high cost, we as a nation knowingly relinquished our leadership to Europe. This exciting adventure could have been here in the United States.

Stanley A. White
San Clemente
The writer is president of the Orange County Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society.

A whale of a tale

Re “Whaling fight highlights two key donors,” Jan. 7

What a jolt to wake up to such a compelling story -- environmentalists against whalers, greed in conflict with altruism, David and Goliath.

Please keep this story afloat.

Patty Dryden
Los Angeles

I suggest that the fastest way to end whaling by Japan is for the environmental community to start a boycott of its products.

Even a small hit to Nissan, Toyota and other manufacturers would get their attention. It would be safer and easier than challenging Japanese ships at sea. Besides, American automakers would certainly benefit from it.

David Jallo
Pearblossom, Calif.

Wordsmith

Re “Dan Naddor, 1956 - 2009,” Obituary, Jan. 7

Though Dan Naddor and I never met, I felt we were kindred spirits. Whenever I saw his name at the top of a crossword puzzle, I knew I was in for a treat. Oh, he was very clever!

Naddor’s wife was correct that he was well known in the crossword community. She may have been referring to his fellow crossword puzzle constructors, but he was well known to all of us at home as well. In fact, I think I learned the word “cruciverbalist” -- which means crossword puzzle enthusiast -- from one of his puzzles. That is a word I’ll never forget.

Note to Rich Norris, editor of The Times crossword puzzle: Please use Naddor’s 20 remaining puzzles wisely.

Leslie Gregg
Redondo Beach

The Gumby guy

Re “Art Clokey, 1921 - 2010,” Obituary, Jan. 9

Farewell to our childhood friend Art Clokey. I fondly remember and will miss Davey, Goliath, Gumby and his pony pal Pokey too!

Clokey’s imagination entertained us with kindness, thoughtfulness and humor. Thank you for brightening up my childhood. You made a difference.

Scott Tucker
San Gabriel