On farmworkers, their hours and pay; small-business owners and the economic recovery; and the controversy over U.S. military drones.

Pot and the police

Re “Closing pot stores, one raid at a time,” July 5

This week, The Times reported on an eight-officer Los Angeles Police Department team that uses undercover buys and well-armed raids to make misdemeanor arrests at medical marijuana dispensaries under a city ordinance.

On April 12, The Times reported that the LAPD no longer has the resources to adequately investigate homicides, sending fewer detectives to murder scenes and forcing them to delay witness interviews to scale back on overtime costs.

Plenty of cops for marijuana misdemeanors; not enough for murders. Sounds like the LAPD needs new leadership.

Chris Bray
West Hollywood

The fruits of their labor

Re “Farmworker OT,” Editorial, July 7

Farmworkers are definitely one of the silent contributors to our physical health, gathering the fruits, vegetables and nuts our grocery stores sell.

All Californians depend on them for our health and vitality.

The state should support farmworkers in return through the proposed bill by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter).

Talk about a long workday — in the hot sun.

Give credit where credit is due. Pay farmworkers overtime when they work more than 40 hours per week. If anyone deserves it, they do.

Don’t you agree?

Hugo Mercado Jr.
San Gabriel

Isn’t one likely consequence of SB 1121 that farmworkers currently earning 60 hours of wages a week will early only 40 hours a week in the future, a loss of one-third of their income?

In order to fulfill the balance of the 60 hours worked by them before in an inelastic labor market, one might expect significant improvement in hourly wages, but if, as The Times suggests, the majority of the workforce is made up of illegal immigrants, won’t there simply be a larger influx of this workforce to fill the void?

This bill is not the way to improve the lives of farmworkers.

Budd LaRue
Lompoc

Maybe I’m missing something here, but The Times maintains that by giving illegal immigrants more money, it will discourage illegal immigration.

What tortured logic!

Is there anything The Times won’t say in support of its new “chosen people”?

Keith Pittell
Los Angeles

Jail sheets aren’t the problem

Re “Jails’ ‘suicide safe’ linens fail,” July 5

I have an idea:

How about providing better medical and mental healthcare to inmates to prevent the extreme suffering that precedes suicide attempts?

Wouldn’t that make more sense than putting so much focus on the implements used, such as bed linens?

With the number of people locked up nowadays, many of us must say “there but for the grace of God go I … or my family member or friend .”

Suzanne Wright
Pomona

A recovery at ground level

Re “Economic savior is on the sidelines,” July 4

As a small-business owner with 20 employees, I was interested to read why small businesses have been slow to hire as the economy has recovered. But The Times got it wrong by only discussing taxes and regulations at the end of the article, almost as an afterthought — when, in fact, these should be the headline.

The core reason small businesses are hesitant to hire is the looming fear of higher taxes, higher healthcare costs and increased regulation. Based on our predicted 2011 taxes, we decided not to fill two positions. Because of recent increases in healthcare expenses, our employees are complaining about what amounts to a salary reduction (we pay a portion of healthcare, while they pay the rest). And based on recent regulation in our business, we are spending more and more of our time on non-revenue generating activities.

These are real-world examples. Open your eyes! By the way, I was a moderate Democrat (voted for Bill Clinton) until I became a business owner.

Tim Chin
Thousand Oaks
The writer is president and CEO of Nations Info Corp.

It’s no surprise to me that small business isn’t in the starting lineup in the economic recovery. The government, as usual, has plenty of money to help big corporations, the poor and the unemployed. We self-employed, small company owners get nothing but the hope that all this money will trickle down and up and sideways — eventually toward us — so we can get into the game.

Not losing has become the new winning for us. We cannot be expected to be the driving force behind a recovery as long as we’re neglected like this. In a perfect world, we small-business owners would march on Washington, but we’re a little busy working harder than ever just to stay in business. The only consolation if we shut down and started making signs is that our employees, at least, would qualify for unemployment benefits while we were away protesting.

Brian McCarthy
Van Nuys

The Times correctly notes the relationship of stagnant demand, falling real estate prices and the slow pace of economic recovery. Unfortunately, it also echoes some of the tired myths spewed by banks and small business in their hopes of receiving government largesse.

Though it is true that small business creates the majority of new jobs, small business also accounts for the majority of lost jobs. Half of new businesses fail after four years. The jobs created disappear when the businesses fail.

Priority should be given to jobs created by businesses of all sizes that offer good benefits and good pay. There is no reasonable evidence to favor small business for job creation, and certainly no reason to worship small business as a “savior.”

Tom Dobrzeniecki
Costa Mesa

Drones and the damage done

Re “Military’s drones beset by problems,” July 6

The Times wrote on the imperfections of the drones this government uses to kill people by remote control in Afghanistan and Iraq.

One retired general referred to the losses of the drone aircraft as merely the waste of disposable armaments.

You wrote nothing, however, regarding the slaughter of innocent civilians. Are they disposable too?

There was not a word regarding the boiling anger of the Pakistani people who are subject to these attacks. The term they apply for the use of such robots — against which there is no defense, and whose operators sit comfortably unreachable in Nevada — is usually reserved for the lowest of the low: cowardly.

Would you mind responding to the moral code by which the American military operates? Is it not disposable as well?

Stuart M.Chandler
Los Angeles

Lohan’s act

Re “Lohan sentenced to 90 days in jail, rehab,” July 7

Lindsay Lohan deserves an Academy Award for her performance in court. She has abused the system of justice, and now she must pay.

Her father feels that the court should have given her forced treatment to begin with.

I am so tired of those who blame others for their own mistakes. If you make a mistake, own up to it and pay the price. Place blame where it really belongs.

Ron Mongeau
Castaic