Reelection

I honor Rose Bird for the campaign she has conducted for reelection as chief justice of the California Supreme Court. She is wise and her supporter, Judge Bernstein, is so foolish. Achieving a public position is not all there is. It's not worth destroying your own soul and dishonoring yourself. Whether she wins reelection or not I shall always respect her. Her life goes on. We Californians may deprive ourselves of a wonderfully worthy public servant. MARGARET TESCHKE Long Beach

True--on the surface--a politician can be voted out of office or recalled. But, in truth, how many incumbents fail to win reelection after serving two or more terms? BILL M. CHASE Glendale

It's time we reduce political campaigns to only four months! It would reduce the influence of PACs and campaign donations. Another factor is that it would release officials from spending time for fund raising and campaigning for reelection immediately after being elected. R. SELVIN Northridge

First-term Assemblywoman Kathleen Honeycutt (R-Hesperia) Thursday told her Republican colleagues that she will not seek reelection this year because of health reasons. Honeycutt has a continuing rheumatic condition that causes her considerable discomfort.

President Obama's reelection campaign spent $18.7 million in the last quarter building up a robust infrastructure, readying for a tough fight in this year's general election. By the end of the year, the reelection campaign had staff in at least 28 cities, shelling out $290,000 on rent in locales as varied as Los Angeles; Anchorage; Laramie, Wy.; and Fargo, N.D. The most costly real estate was the campaign's cavernous headquarters, which takes up 50,000 square feet on the sixth floor of a high-rise office building overlooking Chicago's skyline.

What a victory for Silver Strand, Hollywood Beach and all citizens of this country who never thought you could challenge big government and win! Last week, the Navy dropped its proposal to fly jets simulating missiles at the residents of our communities. What a victory for common sense. Big thanks to all Beacon members and its founder Vickie Finan. We went from "a small noisy group," as quoted in last week's paper from the same person. All residents should remember the elected officials who supported the Navy's plan to fly jets at our homes, namely Supervisor [John]

Mass-mailings by 100 senators during 1987-88 cost taxpayers more than $52.7 million, the congressional watchdog Common Cause reported today. The 27 senators seeking reelection last year spent $20.1 million of the total, an average of 48 cents per household. The per-household figures compared to an average of 31 cents for the 67 senators who were not campaigning for reelection, and 15 cents for six senators who retired in 1988. "Franked mass-mailings are used for campaign purposes by members of Congress and provide incumbents with an unfair and discriminatory advantage over their challengers," Common Cause President Fred Wertheimer said.

From our side, the Iraqi situation is 60% oil and 40% presidential reelection politics. Nobody should die to keep the price of my gasoline at less than $2 a gallon. If President Bush's bravado gets us into a war, even the late isolationist Sen. Robert A. Taft, who died 37 years ago, will have a stronger shot at the 1992 Republican presidential nomination than Bush. GILBERT S. BAHN Thousand Oaks

Rep. Jan Meyers (R-Kan.) said Tuesday that she would not run for reelection in 1996, ending 12 years in Congress. Meyers, 67, said she wanted to spend more time with her family. She said she also believed members of Congress should serve no more than 10 to 14 years. Meyers is the 16th House member and fourth Republican to say they are leaving next year.