Letters

Road rage

Re "2 wheels and an open road," May 19

Glad to know that California Department of Transportation workers cleared away the pesky wildlife from the newly reopened Angeles Crest Highway by "honking the horns on their orange plow trucks to scare away the bighorn sheep, bears and other wild animals that have been calling this part of the Crest home."

It is especially gratifying to know that this will allow for an extended motorcycle ride through the Angeles National Forest, which will not only scare more wildlife and hikers but people in cars and on bicycles. Next time you plan a story on the San Gabriel Mountains, how about sending out a nature or science writer?

John Monsen

Tujunga

This paean to the open road says it all for me.

Years ago, I used to hike in the Angeles Forest, at peace in its tranquil milieu. No more -- the din has chased me out.

Now one cannot escape the whine of these racing, menacing motorcycles, usually ridden in groups that amplify the already grating volume.

Dex Ragatz

South Pasadena

Spillover from the budget mess

Re "All smoke and mirrors; Schwarzenegger missed chance to level with voters," Column, May 21

Kudos to Michael Hiltzik for "telling it like it is."

As a public school teacher for four decades, I can verify that the deterioration of the school system began with the passage of the Jarvis-Gann Initiative and has continued ever since. California's class sizes are among the highest in the nation, and our per pupil expenditure is embarrassingly low.

What is it that Republicans, especially the rich ones, don't understand about the fact that we all have to pay for government services? Let's all share that burden equally.

Kris Evans

Laguna Beach

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Hiltzik cogently outlines a plan to save our state, starting with repudiating Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's lie that Californians are overtaxed, with the rich unfairly targeted.

As he writes, we need to reform our government by eliminating the two-thirds legislative requirement to pass a budget or raise taxes, removing legislative term limits and reversing Proposition 13 -- all contributors to the gridlock we've experienced for so long.

Lois Gordon

Santa Monica

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Thank you for putting Hiltzik's excellent article on the front page above the fold. It should be required reading for all Californians old enough to vote.