Mexico’s president in the U.S.; L.A.’s school parcel tax; the Republican race for California governor

Unwelcome message

Re “Calderon urges assault rifle ban,” May 21

I never would have believed it: The president of Mexico, standing on our congressional floor, impugning our immigration laws and policies.

This from a president whose country has a far more draconian immigration policy than ours. This from the leader of country whose caste system drives its poor to our nation, so its can use us as its welfare system.

All this, in front of Obama administration officials, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a Democrat legislature that gave Calderon a standing ovation.

I simply never would have believed it.

Matt Skefich

Goleta, Calif.

It’s shameful that in 2010, a country in North America has such a harsh illegal immigration policy on its southern border, where it makes it a crime to be there illegally and punishes illegal immigrants with jail time, fines and deportation. The U.S.? Nope. Mexico!

When the president of Mexico changes his harsh policy and tactics aimed illegal immigrants from Central America on his southern border, then he can come to our country and lecture us on how to run our southern border.

Joseph Gold

Redondo Beach

Both sides of the parcel tax

Re “L.A. schools tax is a bargain,” Column, May 19

Steve Lopez fails to mention the fact that Measure E leaves out charter schools. Just like other public schools, charters are also being affected by the persistent budget crisis. Leaving them out of any potential revenue benefit is inequitable.

Lopez makes the point of including the point of view of “a child who attends an L.A. Unified school” in this debate. But why leave out charter students in the Los Angeles Unified School District? Charter parents are some of the most committed in public education, and their voices are being shut out.

There are more than 67,000 charter students in L.A. Unified alone. If districts ask voters to make sacrifices for public education, then every public schoolchild should benefit.

Jed Wallace

Sacramento

The writer is president and chief executive of the California Charter Schools Assn.

Bravo Steve Lopez! On behalf of the “unheralded administrators” of public schools, I thank you for so eloquently explaining the value of the temporary parcel tax to help L.A.’s “legions of impoverished youngsters.”

As school principals, assistant principals and directors, we know how each budget cut harms kids by increasing class sizes while reducing safety, cleanliness, teacher supervision, counseling and instructional programs.

Measure E won’t solve the financial crisis, but it will mitigate its impact.

Judith Perez

Los Angeles

The writer is president of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles.

Although $100 a year doesn’t sound like much, I have several reasons why I oppose this parcel tax.

First, homeowners are not cash cows who have unlimited funds. Most homeowners are regular folk who have to take care of their families and make just enough to make their house payments and put food on the table.

Second, renters benefit from the school system too, and they should be made to help pay for it in the form of a “renter’s tax.”

Third, I support the schools and the teachers, but I don’t trust the district. I want strict oversight. This measure offers little.

Anthony Cvitanich

San Pedro

Elections and what they mean

Re “ GOP is put on notice,” May 20

The Times’ “news analysis” is a remarkable combination of bias and stupidity. Conservative Rand Paul’s win is a victory for Democrats? Sen. Arlen Specter’s loss, along with all the power of his seniority, is a blow to Republicans?

Has marijuana become legal in The Times’ newsroom?

Arthur Hansl

Santa Barbara

I remember my journalism professor saying, “Tell the full story, not just a part of it.” The Times doesn’t point out that Democrat Mark Critz, who won the late John P. Murtha’s House seat in Pennsylvania, appears to be more conservative than most Republicans: He is pro-guns, antiabortion and anti-Obamacare; he served in the National Guard; and he won a district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1.

Now tell us again what the GOP has to learn from Critz’s victory?

Donald Prell

Palm Springs

The Republicans lied us into the Iraq war, deregulated us into a bank bailout that cost billions of dollars and deregulated us into an ecological disaster with their “drill, baby, drill” babble.

While President Obama and the Democrats are trying to clean up the Republicans’ mess, the GOP is fighting them every step of the way.

Now they have the audacity to ask you to reelect them? Put the “no” in November and say “no” to the “party of no.”

Shirley Conley

Gardena

Goldberg’s argument

Re “Time for a new script,” Opinion, May 18

Jonah Goldberg ends up arguing against himself. That’s what can happen when semantics get the better of you. I would suggest that there is a vast difference between script and policy.

What would Goldberg have UC San Diego do? Forbid students from holding racist views and advocating genocide or expressing them in a public forum? Goldberg lampoons freedom of speech and shoots himself in the foot in order to, what, have something to write about?

Censure would possibly be appropriate for faculty or university officers who advocate genocide. But censure a student for saying something in a public forum? Please.

Michael C. Smith

Long Beach

Goldberg is absolutely correct in calling attention to the UC San Diego administration’s failure to censure student Jumanah Imad Albahri.

However, he is absolutely incorrect in attributing the administration’s failure to act to its liberal outlook. This is an insult to liberals in general, especially to those of us who abhor such thinking and speech as much as he. It is an unwarranted distortion of the facts for Goldberg to reduce such matters to conservative versus liberal.

Ruel Mizrachi

Port Hueneme

Not for Meg

Re “Whitman’s lead drops to single digits,” May 20

Although I am a liberal Democrat and will vote for Jerry Brown for governor, I was thrilled to see that Meg Whitman’s lead over Steve Poizner has fallen into single digits.

I have no love for Poizner, but Whitman’s campaign has driven me mad. Her endless TV ads have essentially said nothing. Oh, she has outlined California’s problems, but she doesn’t offer real solutions to those problems. As a prospective governor, she is, in my opinion, a complete cipher.

It’s hard for me to imagine how anybody could vote for someone who has rarely exercised her own privilege to vote.

Joel Rapp

Los Angeles

A cold day?

Re “Scientists urge action on greenhouse gases,” May 20

American scientific research is the envy of the world. Nobel prizes in medicine, physics and other fields are regularly awarded to scientists at our laboratories.

Now these same scientists are telling us that the climate is changing and we’d better do something fast. So let’s get on with it.

Frances Mathews

Fullerton