The waning clout of teachers unions; Democrats’ troubles; Gov.-elect Jerry Brown

Placing the blame

Re “Teachers unions’ clout in question,” Nov. 7

The only people out of step with the realities of education are all you non-teachers. It’s much easier to throw out platitudes (“education reform,” “value-added testing” and so on) than to deal with the real problems.

You can’t get rid of bad teachers because school districts won’t get rid of bad administrators, who put themselves before what’s best for their students, including treating teachers with the respect any human being should be entitled to. This is why you’re stuck with unions — because without unions, teachers are at the mercy of this insanity.

Teachers are the only ones who truly have any standards. But don’t worry, the next generation of adults is getting your message loud and clear. In 20 years, you won’t have any teachers. Problem solved.

David Fritz

Reseda

As a veteran Los Angeles Unified School District teacher, I agree that the union is losing its clout.

There is a political wave demanding reform and teacher accountability, and the union hopes the pendulum will swing back the other direction. But education is continuing to get worse, and the pendulum is a myth.

Union members in other fields are hired because they are expected to perform to the expectations of the profession. If United Teachers Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy doesn’t like the value-added method of evaluation, he needs to propose an alternative.

One bad teacher harms the reputation of too many good teachers.

David Wiseman

Alhambra

A Phi Delta Kappan Gallup Poll this year showed that 71% of Americans have trust and confidence in teachers. That’s the real source of the political “clout” teachers enjoy.

Linda Mele Johnson

Long Beach

When a major metropolitan newspaper runs a front-page story suggesting that the teachers unions have become ponderous behemoths whose time has passed, it brings to mind one obvious question: Does The Times prefer to be pot or kettle?

Brandon Crist

Torrance

Vanishing points

Re “A vanishing coalition,” Nov. 5

The article is very revealing. The majority of those “abandoning” the Democratic Party are whites and seniors. These are the very demographics that are indeed running scared.

I fit into both those categories, and we have been used to calling the shots. Now, most of my friends have the feeling of being left behind as a “new wave” is coming to power. The natural reaction to such huge societal change is to strike back any way possible and generally do nothing to support compromise.

Things do not get better when you just grumble and give up.

Tom Reinberger

Glendora

The Democrats’ coalition will reappear in 2012 once American voters realize that the “tea party” agenda is to privatize Social Security, deplete Medicare and offer more tax cuts to the wealthy. In short, their agenda is the same old GOP philosophy of Reagan and the Bushes: trickle-down economics and no solutions or relief for the middle class.

Also, I want to see how much federal money Sen.-elect Rand Paul declines to accept for the folks in Kentucky. That will be very interesting.

Mike Lockridge

Mission Viejo

Dodging the drones

Re “Obama said to be weighing drone strikes in Yemen,” Nov. 8

What would Americans do if they were told that armed unmanned drones are now flying over this country, controlled by military leaders housed in a foreign nation? Missile strikes can be anticipated at any time.

Answer: We would retaliate within 24 hours. So why are we considering such insane actions to be imposed on any other nation regardless of where it is?

David N. Hartman

Santa Ana

Just what we need: basically another war. We are funding the current attacks on Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan with borrowed money. Who will loan us the money to attack Yemen?

And do we need another Mideast population to hate us? If we start drone attacks on Yemen, we will be adding its citizens to the list of potential terrorists.

Coreen Fields

Carson

Straight talk

Re “Jerry Brown, then and now,” Editorial, Nov. 4

The Times notes Jerry Brown’s “tendency to blurt.” To me, that’s an asset. He’s the antithesis of the carefully managed politician. He’ll say what he wants to say, whether people want to hear it or not.

During the campaign, I was amused by a Meg Whitman ad that characterized Brown as a typical free-spending liberal. Old-timers know he’s never been a big spender. Many words have accurately described Brown through the years, but “typical” isn’t one of them.

I’m confident Brown will infuriate legislators on both sides of the aisle at times. I’m also confident that he’ll try to do what needs to be done, and if he ruffles a few feathers in the process, I’m fine with that.

V.F. Nadsady

Santa Monica

Bad start

Re “GOP deal is sought to ratify nuclear treaty,” Nov. 6

Let me see if I get this: The Republicans ride a wave of reduced spending into Washington, and Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona wants to increase spending on nuclear infrastructure if we are to hope for his vote to ratify the New START treaty.

This treaty makes perfect sense from all sides, yet Republicans are holding it hostage for their own personal agenda to bring home the pork.

If this is any sign of what’s to come for the next two years, this country is in for a whole lot of hurt.

Katie Bresee

Culver City

Shoddy work

Re “Handling of remains is criticized,” Nov. 7

From the beginning, the Mitrice Richardson case has been a disgrace. It was poorly handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department under unrelenting pressure from this poor woman’s family. Eleven months after her early morning release from the Lost Hills/Malibu sheriff’s station, her body was found lying in a hole. And now this?

My God, how is this degradation allowed to continue? Why would sheriff’s deputies not follow the coroner’s instructions not to move Richardson’s remains?

I am so saddened to read this. Who is protecting the memory of Mitrice Richardson?

Kimberly J. Sizemore

Los Angeles

Pot tunnel

Re “Major cross-border drug tunnel found,” Nov. 4

It is amazing the lengths to which people will go to sell marijuana. If it were legalized, the war on drugs and the demand for drug cartels in Mexico would significantly decrease.

Can you imagine if Proposition 19 had passed and all that money actually went into our economy instead of the cartels’ dirty pockets?

But instead, all we can expect for now is more tunnels to be discovered while our economy continues to suffer.

Samantha Holman

Hawthorne

Better idea

Re “CT scans can be a lifesaver for smokers,” Nov. 5

Low-dose CT scans can save lives, but you can save a lot more lives at a far lower cost by not smoking.

Patrick A. Mauer, MD

Los Angeles