Debt-ceiling talks in Washington; another look at Proposition 13; where polo got its start

Raising the roof

Re “Deficit talk grows more desperate,” July 13

Until this week, much of the debate about the debt ceiling has been difficult to understand and, quite frankly, a bit tedious to follow.

Now that President Obama has openly suggested that 70 million Social Security and other government checks may not go out on Aug. 3, my guess is that what some in Washington have been calling a game of political chicken will end quickly. No politician, from local dogcatcher to presidential candidate, can afford to be on the wrong side of this proverbial mailbox.

From now until Aug. 2, it’s “game on” for the White House and Congress.

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach

In saying he cannot guarantee that millions of Social Security beneficiaries will get their checks next month, Obama has resorted to scare tactics. The checks will be mailed.

Social Security is for the people who spent years working and contributing, trusting that the government would keep their money in a lock box plus interest. Obama has effectively admitted that there is no lock box and that the Treasury has to borrow to pay benefits — another reason to privatize Social Security.

Tom Kondziella

Diamond Bar

It is laughable that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) are now blaming Obama for not raising the debt ceiling. The Republicans have a majority in the House, so if they want to pass a bill raising the debt ceiling, it will happen without a single Democratic vote.

It is the House Republicans in who are creating an artificial debt-ceiling crisis. They should be held accountable for any catastrophic results if the debt ceiling is not raised.

Steve Stillman

Redondo Beach

Re “Rivalry in GOP affects deficit talks,” July 12

Did I miss something? Did the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy “trickle down”? Ah yes, it makes perfect sense for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to fight to keep those cuts in place while we consider hacking away at Medicare, Social Security and the middle class.

Did big corporations have nothing to do with the current state of the U.S. economy? In that case, yes, Rep. Cantor, let’s give them more handouts. I must have missed the part where the poor, seniors and the middle class committed fraudulent acts that crippled a thriving country.

Ask Cantor if he would like to survive on the same “entitlements” he wishes to bestow on the public.

If you need to solve the debt crisis, go where the money is, Rep. Cantor.

Connie Danese

Los Angeles

Proposition 13, then and now

Re “Speaking the unspeakable,” Column, July 10

I voted against Proposition 13 in 1978 and would do so again today.

Since its passage, streets have deteriorated and schools are worse. Yet well-off property owners have become even more well off. Warren Buffett admits his California beach home is undertaxed.

According to Citizens for Tax Justice, the top 1% of California income earners paid 7.4% of their income in various state taxes in 2008, while those earning $20,000 or less paid 10.2%. We could reverse the worst effects of Proposition 13 by taxing commercial property at the regular assessment rate.

Proposition 13 was a bad idea in 1978, and it’s a bad idea today. As Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa suggests, it needs reform now.

Al Sheahen

Sherman Oaks

Property tax statistics from the Board of Equalization show that business property owners have not received any windfall from Proposition 13.

If a split-roll property tax is approved, readers should visit their favorite restaurant right away, because chances are it won’t stay open long. Huge property tax hikes will occur, especially when assessors return to pre-Proposition 13 assessments based on their opinion of each property’s “highest and best use.” Quickly visit your favorite grocer, mechanic and others too, as their days will be numbered. Don’t forget to wish their employees luck as they look for new jobs.

Today, more than 2.1 million Californians are out of work, businesses are struggling and families are having a tough time keeping up with their bills. Eliminating Proposition 13’s property tax limits would be like throwing them an anvil as they struggle to stay afloat.

Teresa Casazza

Sacramento

The writer is president of the California Taxpayers Assn.

Daring to challenge Proposition 13 is commendable. Being 92, I would not expect any change in my time, but my grandchildren could benefit.

I pay 3 1/2 times what some others with similar home values pay in our 66-unit complex. So I pay 3 1/2 times what they do to support schools.

Many of those who have this advantage would protest a change, preferring that other people pay their share of the expense of running the state.

Don Willock

Encino

False hope

Re “In need of the next big thing,” Opinion, July 8

I cannot imagine a more naive view of our economic prospects than Ronald Brownstein’s.

Though he’s right to credit the tech boom as fueling the prosperity of the 1990s, it was a false prosperity, as inflation-adjusted wages for the middle class largely remained flat. A clearer picture of our situation is the post-World War II boom that faded in the 1970s as foreign manufacturing increased.

Through the 1980s and ‘90s, this decline was disguised by one bubble after another: finance, tech and housing.

Hoping for a new innovation to create another bubble is a pathetic strategy for growth, as the great things we do invent are inevitably made overseas.

Dale Kutzera

Los Angeles

Jobs for vets

Re “Veterans face high unemployment,” July 11

It boggles the mind that companies would attend a job fair for veterans and refuse to accept resumes. Why were these companies allowed to participate at all?

Apparently, the companies had the funds to give away trinkets to promote themselves. Wouldn’t that same money be better spent on hiring veterans who need jobs after giving up their personal time and safety for our country?

Anita C. Singer

Laguna Woods

Origins of polo

Re “Polo a winner for prince,” July 10

I keep reading that Prince William brought the British sport of polo to Southern California. The sport was actually first played in Persia more than 2,500 years ago and was played in Britain until the late 1800s.

Polo was introduced to the U.S. a few years after it was first played in Britain, so the history of the game in both countries is comparable.

A better description is the sport of kings or the very rich, without assigning nationality.

Leslie Muller

Los Angeles

Israel’s dilemma

Re “New Israeli law targets boycott campaigns,” July 12

So the “only democracy in the Middle East” will now penalize those who wage boycott campaigns against its occupation of the Palestinian territories. A nonviolent protest tool used by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and opponents of South African apartheid is too threatening to be tolerated.

What does Israel fear? Deligitimization of the occupation? Financial harm to a rich country? Whatever it is, Israel’s new law shows it is beginning to fear the collapse of its expansionist policies.

Too bad it is less concerned about the collapse of the two-state solution.

Erica Hahn

Monrovia