Abuse of disabled parking placards; paying for family planning; Mitt Romney’s tax rate

Parking priorities

Re “A peculiar parking pattern,” Column, Jan. 25

My husband and I know a number of people who have kept their disabled placards long after they needed them. One such man we know plays tennis.

About six years ago, my husband had a serious foot injury. During that time we realized how difficult it was to find disabled parking spaces. Were all those disabled parking places being used by people who truly needed them?

My husband is a retired physician, and patients would sometimes ask him for placards that they didn’t need. He would refuse, but I’m sure many physicians didn’t, especially for good patients and friends.

There should be an enforcement system that penalizes both drivers and physicians when these cards are abused.

Elizabeth Sussman

Studio City

Steve Lopez spots numerous apparently able-bodied people using disabled placards to park for free. I don’t doubt this is a problem, but its solution lies more with logic rather than law enforcement.

The purpose of providing disabled spots should be to allow people with physical disabilities to park close to their destinations, not to save them money (being disabled doesn’t mean being poor). Just make all meters require payment, even for disabled drivers, and return disabled spaces to their intended purpose.

Lon M. Burns

Manhattan Beach

Contraception controversy

Re “In defense of family planning,” Editorial, Jan. 22

President Obama overreaches by requiring institutions affiliated with religious organizations, such as Roman Catholic hospitals and universities, to provide contraceptive benefits at no cost to their members. That violates religious liberty. By what authority does he impose his moral judgment on those who don’t seek it?

Nothing is free about this. Someone is going to pay for it, and chances are that those who don’t require such services are the ones who will pay.

The president should concentrate on our economy, more jobs, less dependence on foreign oil and keeping our country safe. These should require his full-time attention.

Rosemary Klem

Glendale

As a Roman Catholic, I commend Obama’s requirement that Catholic hospitals and other religious institutions include contraceptive benefits for their members.

It appears that Catholic bishops want freedom of conscience for their institutions while denying the freedom of conscience of individual members

who may choose to use contraception.

Doris Isolini Nelson

Los Angeles

Taxes, yes, and charity too

Re “A fortune enhanced by U.S. tax code,” Jan. 25

There is one bit of information in the article that is significantly more telling about the candidates than their effective tax rates.

Although I think there is something very wrong with a system in which someone making in excess of $20 million pays taxes at a lower effective rate than a middle-income wage earner, it’s hard to fault Mitt Romney for taking advantage of the current tax code. However, charitable contributions are the one area where people give as much or as little as they want.

The Obamas and the Romneys both gave 14% of their income to charity, while Newt Gingrich gave a miserly 2.6%. This shows how much Gingrich cares about the less-fortunate members of our society.

Ed Schoch

Westchester

“I pay all the taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more. I don’t think you want someone as the candidate for president who pays more taxes than he owes.” — Mitt Romney, 2012

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” —John F. Kennedy, 1961

Ray Miller

Los Angeles

As a retired schoolteacher, I had no idea how wealthy I was until I read that I was in a higher income tax bracket than Romney. Lucky me!

Marlin Sobbota

Arcadia

Fish story

Re “Chemical-free nonsense,” Opinion, Jan. 22

Deborah Blum’s article is a breath of fresh air in a fog created by health food faddists. Only a dolt would be opposed to “chemicals” per se or advertise “chemical-free” bread or honey.

It reminds me of the downtown L.A. restaurant I visited recently that listed “organic” salmon on the menu. When I asked, no one seemed to know what that meant. Is farm-raised salmon “organic” if it isn’t fed chemicals? How about wild salmon? Maybe or maybe not. You never know what they eat.

Vegan, anyone?

Fred Evans

Porter Ranch

Lab tragedy

Re “Report faults professor and UCLA in death,” Jan. 21

The original exhaustive investigation into the lab accident that took UCLA researcher Sheri Sangji’s life found “no willful violations.” It included numerous interviews and extensive document review by a seasoned Cal/OSHA investigator.

When a different investigator issued a separate report two years ago, he set out to reach a different, more sinister conclusion, one that directly contradicted the findings of his predecessor. His decision to recommend criminal charges is a surprising and substantial leap beyond a civil finding of “no willful violations.”

Any accident resulting in the tragic loss of life always carries intense pressure to assign blame. But sometimes, as in this case, it is a horrible accident, not a crime.

If the L.A. County district attorney’s goal is accountability and prevention, then UCLA’s actions — more rigorous lab inspections, enhanced training and creating a Center for Laboratory Safety — already speak for themselves.

Kevin S. Reed

Los Angeles

The writer is vice chancellor for legal affairs at UCLA.

Latino voters

Re “Fight is on for Florida Latino vote,” Jan. 26

The GOP presidential candidates would do well to not reduce the Latino community to a single-issue constituency. Among Latinos who vote, other issues such as job creation and access to high-quality education are also major concerns.

Latino workers are highly represented in the construction industry, which has seen massive layoffs in recent years. Also, Latinos are a young demographic, which makes access to a high-quality education another significant concern.

I believe the positions of these candidates and President Obama on both these issues will have a significant impact on the Latino vote.

Anthony Balderrama

Altadena

Poet’s corner

Re “Nature’s oracle,” Opinion, Jan. 20

It was wonderful to see the appreciation of poet Robinson Jeffers and his continuing relevance to our understanding of man’s relationship with the natural world. As a teacher of environmental law at

Whittier Law School, I regularly refer to Jeffers as articulating a vision of humans as part of, rather than separate from, ecological systems.

In “November Surf” (1932), Jeffers stated his ideal for a more balanced California: “The cities

gone down, the people fewer and the hawks more numerous.”

Students need to learn not only how to speak and write persuasively but also how to apply these skills toward a goal such as the future landscape, which Jeffers captured so well.

Peter L. Reich

Los Angeles