Laying off Beverly Hills’ greeter; unions and collective bargaining; Congress takes a break

Too rich for Rodeo

Re “Tough times in Beverly Hills as official greeter gets pink slip,” Business, Feb. 19

As a businessman, over the years I have experienced some tough times. Whenever that took place, I made a point of hiring someone whose mission it was to increase the visibility of my product.

What sense does it make that Gregg Donovan, whose only job was to do just that for Rodeo Drive, was let go “because of budget problems”? His $42,000 annual salary (augmented by benefits and other costs) represents less than a brace of the fancier bags sold across the street at the Louis Vuitton store.

Although Donovan does not know me and could not have known that I was on my way to the Grill on the Alley when I walked by him, he never failed to say, “Enjoy your lunch at the Grill.” How much is that worth? Priceless.

Benoit Gateau-Cumin

Beverly Hills

The union way in America

Re “A tipping point for labor in America,” Opinion, Feb. 19

I used to be anti-union, but time and study have led me to realize that we owe our middle class to unions. Jobs and benefits in the private sector, though it may not be acknowledged, have been positively affected by organized labor’s achievements. Without unions, I fear we could quickly slip into being a Third World country of only the rich and the poor.

Before anyone calls for removing collective bargaining rights, look over your shoulder. Your salary and benefits could be at risk next.

Sandra Smith

Yorba Linda

That it is necessary for public employee unions to be stripped of their collective bargaining rights is unfortunate, but it appears to be the only option to rein in future debt from massive pension liabilities. What is upsetting is that Wall Street, corporations and misguided government programs, which all contributed significantly to our debt, are not similarly targeted.

Once America is healthy, if it ever is, the natural forces that created unions will bring them back. But the exploitation, unethical and corrupt behavior of the ruling forces will remain, siphoning wealth to the wealthy, decimating the middle class and leading us to the next great financial upheaval.

Rich Locasso

Huntington Beach

Tim Rutten repeats a frequently heard error when he refers to efforts in Wisconsin to strip public employees of their collective bargaining “rights.”

There is no such thing, anymore than I have a right to hold a driver’s license in California or that I lost my right to smoke in a bar in this state. Collective bargaining is a privilege for public employees that was conferred by statute and can just as easily be revoked. And I fervently hope that someday that privilege will also be revoked in the Golden State.

Mike Lucas

Arcadia

Americans used to cheer Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement’s attempt to form an independent trade union in Poland.

We should never abandon our ideals for the sake of expediency.

Keith Ensminger

Merced, Calif.

What the voters have to say

Re “Congress heads home to hear voters,” Feb. 20, and “Odds grow for federal shutdown,” Feb. 19

I find it interesting that Republicans, who are constantly telling us they are acting “for the American people,” can actually favor shutting down the government in pursuit of political dogmatism. A shutdown would disrupt the lives of millions of us “American people” who can’t afford to buy their own members of Congress.

How much does a member of Congress cost? I’d love to have one of my own so I could feel competitive with the entities that are now running the country.

Alix Fargo

La Cañada Flintridge

Values — now there is a topic Republicans like to talk about. So let’s take a look at the budget priorities of the GOP.

We recall how they stood strong for extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. For the rest of

us, Republicans have

proposed elimination of funding for public broadcasting, family planning, AmeriCorps and regulation of greenhouse gases. It’s a different story for funding the Pentagon and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the GOP would give them more money.

The evidence is clear: Republicans value rich people and wars, but don’t care about humanity.

Arlen Grossman

Monterey

Eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood would deny affordable preventative health screenings and family planning services to millions of low-income women. The result: an increase in unwanted pregnancies, emergency room visits and healthcare costs.

We know that the GOP has an aggressive agenda to control women’s wombs, so it makes sense that destroying Planned Parenthood is much more important than providing low-income women with affordable healthcare. But I am shocked that Republicans are willfully choosing to increase healthcare costs and probably add to the deficit. I guess ideology trumps everything after all.

Lara Park

Goleta, Calif.

Defense cuts

Re “Too deferential to Defense,” Editorial, Feb. 18

Congress must do everything it can to rein in defense spending. But giving a 30-year, $100-billion monopoly to Pratt & Whitney for an engine program that’s billions of dollars over budget is no way to control costs.

Eliminating the GE/Rolls-Royce engine — a “near model” program, according to the Senate’s defense appropriations subcommittee — would forgo significant long-term savings in the name of short-term budget goals. The independent Government Accountability Office concluded that a competitive procurement process for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) engine could yield a 21% savings, equivalent to $20 billion. This is much-needed cost control for the massive JSF program.

With the JSF expected to make up 90% of our fighter fleet, supporting competition to produce the best-performing engines for the best prices is what taxpayers and our military pilots need.

George McLaren

Indianapolis

The writer is spokesman for GE/Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team.

No makeover

Re “Bankruptcy didn’t set them straight,” Business, Feb. 20

I wonder why people like Stephen and Lisa Furry don’t feel like they have to play by the rules like the rest of us? They both seem to exhibit a strange, childlike behavior when it comes to responsibility and decision making. It seems that they have grown accustomed to others paying their bills.

The Times should use the Money Makeover column to help people who truly need help through no fault of their own.

Going on vacation instead of paying the mortgage? Some of these Money Makeover stories should be moved to the comics page.

Larry Baker

Irvine

Times change

Re “Renters wonder, why buy?” Business, Feb. 19

The rent-or-buy choice is of course a personal one based on wants, needs and timing. It used to be that a couple started out in a small apartment, had a baby and then bought a house. If there is one thing we should have learned by now, it is that nothing is as it once was and everything changes.

I personally have owned since my early 30s and enjoy the feeling of ownership, but things change. Currently in my late 60s and a partial owner in a duplex that is on the market, I don’t see myself owning again after the sale unless I win the lottery or meet some nice gal who has.

I digress a bit, but you get the picture of wants, needs and timing.

Bill Spitalnick

Newport Beach