Who wants peace?
Re "Expectations dim for Netanyahu's U.S. trip," May 17
The canard that the U.S. or Israel must make a hoped-for "bold move" to further motivate the Palestinians to come to the table to negotiate for their state is another example of either misguided optimism or downright malice toward the Jewish state.
The statement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his trip to the U.S., is "going to have to give Obama something to work with if he wants America to help" is particularly vexing. How about the Palestinians having to give something to convince the Israelis and President Obama of their peaceful intentions?
The Palestinian Authority's "unity" pact with Hamas, whose goal it is to destroy Israel, doesn't feel like that "bold move."
Irving S. White
Los Angeles
That's some pay package
Re "Official to get lucrative pay deal," May 14
I am outraged that state social services chief William Lightbourne's salary is set higher than Gov. Jerry Brown's, and it will be paid at a time when the state has to reduce the benefits for recipients of the programs Lightbourne will oversee.
Because the state is also shifting the responsibility of some of these programs to local authorities, Lightbourne will probably be paid more for doing less. Still, California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley, the author of this bloated salary package, has the nerve to defend this insanity.
I guess if the needy can't afford gas or bread, they can always sit home and eat Twinkies.
Angela Black
Long Beach
Lightbourne will be paid about $343,000 annually. That compares with the average annual CEO salary of $11.4 million for companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index in 2010.
The fact that Brown's salary is less than $200,000 only goes to show how unimportant we think government service is.
You get what you pay for. Maybe that's why all levels of government are in such a fiscal mess.
Robert J. Banning
Pasadena
How many more times can we read that a bureaucrat gets a huge salary so we can retain top talent while services to the needy get cut? And California wants to raise my taxes to close the deficit? It feels as if public exposure of salaries in the newspaper is the only tool taxpayers have.
This is not a case of envy; we're facing a huge deficit. This is like Rome is crumbling while our leaders have a toga party.
Jennifer Childs
Los Angeles
Schwarzenegger and child
