Convention Stirs Political Passions

Re “Old Leaders Draw Stark Contrasts With the GOP,” July 27: I find the incredible expense of the Democratic National Convention to be appalling. The amount of money spent to nominate a shoo-in candidate at a time when so many programs are being cut and/or eliminated makes the whole thing a serious joke.

However, after hearing our former presidents speak with such passion, bringing forward the real issues of trust and integrity in our administration, I had to stop and think about the power of the convention and the media. If it takes this much money, energy and security to wake up the American public to the travesty of the Bush administration, more power to them.

Politicians say what we want to hear before they are elected. It takes an American to say what we do not want to hear after.

Denise Gee

San Clemente

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Bill and Hillary Clinton both continue to amaze me. First Hillary Clinton advocates correcting the sorry condition of the medical care system by electing as our vice president a malpractice attorney made rich by attacking doctors.

Then Bill Clinton attacks the current administration for giving him a big tax cut. Bill, if you’re really upset, just give it back. I can’t believe we continue to take these people seriously.

Fritz Westerhout

Newport Beach

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After his speech at the Democratic National Convention, all I can say is, let’s repeal the 22nd Amendment and elect Bill Clinton president!

Jimmy Gow

Torrance

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It’s a done deal that Sen. John Kerry and President Bush will be the presidential nominees. Why not have the convention delegates stay home, vote by e-mail and save those horrendous citizen-paid-for security expenditures?

Alfred Lorona

Whittier

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In his speech Monday night, Clinton told me something I didn’t know.

I knew that Bush was stealing our Social Security to fund tax cuts for the rich. But I didn’t know Bush was borrowing money from the Chinese to fund tax cuts for the rich. Who would have ever thought America would see the day when the greatest democracy was funded by borrowing money from the Communists?

Marc Perkel

San Francisco

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On Monday, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected a plea by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Lawyers Guild to extend the boundaries of the so-called free-speech zone outside the hall of the Democratic National Convention.

While the rejection of so reasonable a plea is troubling in itself, when did we as Americans begin to so blithely accept the concept of a free-speech zone? I’ve always thought that the entire country was a free-speech zone. Did someone change the Bill of Rights while we were asleep?

Dom Stasi

Studio City