Extending the payroll tax cut; a ‘wake-up’ call for Americans; Jonah Goldberg on Joe the Puppeteer

Christmas present?

Re “GOP rejects payroll tax break bills,” Dec. 2

Just in time for Christmas, hardworking taxpayers Bob Cratchit and his family (the downtrodden American public) will be wondering what decisions Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner) will be making about their economic futures.

It will be interesting to watch how this modern-day “Christmas Carol” plays out. Will lawmakers side with the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim and raise taxes on themselves and banker Henry Potter (Wall Street CEOs)? Or will they continue to require that Potter continues his “Wonderful Life” with his historic low taxation entitlement?

Only the Ghost of Christmas Future knows. Stay tuned.

Roy Lehman

Woolwich Township, N.J.

Let sleeping voters lie

Re “Can you smell the coffee?,” Opinion, Nov. 30

Kelly Candaele mistakes a state of animation as a sign of wakefulness. But the admonition to “wake up!” is the same as that used by teachers and parents for ages: Think!

Don’t tell me the populace is awake when they repeatedly listen to pundits and politicians who rob them of their critical judgment and induce them to vote against their own best interests.

This is a country where reason has been replaced by sloganeering. How else can you explain workers voting for candidates whose avowed agenda is to rob them of their right to collective bargaining? Or seniors who support advocates of draconian cuts to their safety nets? Or hunters who put gun rights over protection of nature?

The list goes on, but thinking people can assemble their own.

Larry Mason

Santa Barbara

Candaele is right that many Americans are emotionally awake and howling, but they are howling political platitudes without much knowledge on which to base them. Many are woefully ignorant about the government, although they know about Herman Cain’s alleged mistress.

My wife and I are news junkies; however — naively — we are often surprised that others are not. We should know better than to be surprised that nearly one-third of American adults during President George W. Bush’s two terms could not name his vice president. And Don’t even think of asking citizens about the Dodd-Frank bill or even the Lehman Bros. collapse.

So, with the tea party members shouting their slogans, I wish they would go back to sleep, where they would do less harm than with their noise and misguided votes.

David Eggenschwiler

Los Angeles

Those who pull the strings

Re “Courting Joe the Puppeteer,” Opinion, Nov. 29

The references to Booker T. Washington in Jonah Goldberg’s article are misleading.

True, Washington “preached self-help and entrepreneurialism from the bottom up.” However, his goal was for African Americans at first to be independent, lowly workers in the society. It was not necessarily his goal that these entrepreneurs end up being the innovators of society. W.E.B. Du Bois had greater expectations for the “talented tenth” and the rest of his people.

We also may need to be reminded that Joe the Plumber was not what he claimed to be. Occupy Wall Street protester Joe Therrien does not claim to be other than an educated puppeteer.

Joanne Nagy

Granada Hills

Goldberg might be right about the potential of Democrats alienating white voters by their embrace of Joe the Puppeteer and the values of the Occupy movement.

I say better the street theater of Joe the Puppeteer than the more malignant Wall Street puppeteers who pull the strings of politicians in both parties.

Jervey Tervalon

Altadena

On Laura’s Law

Re “Cedars to cut services in psychiatry,” Dec. 1

The closing of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s psychiatry program places more burden on the largest psychiatric treatment provider in L.A. County — the jails. With fewer psychiatric beds, more people who are severely mentally disabled will deteriorate to the point that they wind up on the street or in jail or prison.

Based on New York state’s highly successful Kendra’s Law, California enacted Laura’s Law in 2002 for people who frequently end up forcefully hospitalized or jailed. In New York, participating individuals were 77% less likely to require hospitalization; 83% fewer were arrested; and 74% fewer ended up homeless.

Laura’s Law was adopted by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 2004 and currently has only one small program. Now, after seven years, we need to expand this successful assisted outpatient treatment program in L.A. County.

Sharon S. Dunas

Los Angeles

The writer is president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Westside L.A.

Wilted flowers

Re “New refrigerated warehouse aims to heat up import market,” Business, Nov. 29

As a California cut-flower grower, I was dismayed to read about the new refrigerated warehouse near L.A. International Airport that will service products from South America.

California growers must abide by a growing list of regulations, including new diesel rules. Growers here struggle to help reduce California’s carbon footprint, and yet officials welcome imported flowers that have many times the carbon footprint of California flowers.

We continue to lose our local growers because of the increased competition from South America plus onerous regulations from several state agencies. And then Rep. Janice Hahn (D-San Pedro) and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa welcome foreign competitors who don’t play by the same rules.

Take a look at the Rose Parade to see how many California-grown flowers you see.

June Van Wingerden

Carpinteria

Too late

Re “Un-Occupying L.A.,” Editorial, Dec. 1

The mayor praised his police chief for his officers’ actions in ending the Occupy L.A. protest.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck failed to disband the protesters before they did hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. The protesters themselves did not leave with an understanding that they had done anything wrong.

To me this whole episode is just another example of how political correctness interferes with common sense and the rule of law.

Ed Kaufman

Wilmington

Real justice

Re “Judge rejects SEC deal with Citi,” Nov. 29

Finally. After years of meaningless settlements with chump-change fines, with financial firms neither admitting nor denying wrongdoing, a federal judge says enough.

Judge Jed Rakoff thinks that we, the public, have a right to know the facts and may decide that a trial must take place. Imagine that: the possibility that at least one example of Wall Street excess and fraud might result in a guilty verdict and meaningful punishment.

I’m not one to camp out in a park, but I’d sure like to occupy a seat in the courtroom and hear the facts presented. Thank you, Judge Rakoff, for representing the people.

Jon Merritt

Los Angeles

Windy ‘secret’

Re “Wild Santa Anas stun region,” Dec. 2

South Pasadena resident Yuen Chung found herself without electricity because of the strong winds, yet she still found a way to read to her young daughters.

Now there is the “secret” to a good education.

Linda Mele Johnson

Long Beach