The Rupert Murdoch hacking scandal; Amazon wants sales taxes put to a vote; should the rate for charitable tax deductions be changed?

Good bad news

Re “Phone hacking scandal widens,” July 12

I could not be more pleased at the damage inflicted on Rupert Murdoch’s global misinformation machine. I regret the harm done to the victims of Murdoch’s stooges, but I’m pleased the perpetrators have been caught and will probably pay a heavy price.

I hope the left in Britain and the United States will take advantage of Murdoch’s weakened state as an opportunity to inflict even more damage on him. As an expat American, I especially hope the left in my country will exploit every opportunity to use these and any further charges that may emerge against Murdoch’s stooges at Fox News.

Murdoch and Fox News deserve any degree of harm they suffer as a result of these charges, and the world will be a better place when their influence is diminished.

Mark C. Eades

Shanghai

Murdoch and his flunkies are “shocked, shocked” at the sleazy tactics employed by his media employees when, for the last 40 years, he has pushed sleaze.

Only a couple of years ago, Murdoch’s gossip-garbage peddlers at the New York Post were caught receiving money under the table for mentioning restaurants and clubs in their columns, and one writer was charged with trying to blackmail prominent L.A. Democrat Ron Burkle for cash to not slander him.

Murdoch’s epitaph might be “Rosebud,” except he lacks William Randolph Hearst’s culture and refinement.

Ashak M. Rawji

Hollywood

It is obvious the mainstream media would like to wipe Murdoch and his “fair and balanced” Fox News off the face of the journalistic Earth, but people here really do not care. They are more interested in Caylee Anthony, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Harry Potter than the so-called explosive phone-hacking scandal being reported as the biggest sin in journalism since Clifford Irving confessed to the Howard Hughes autobiography hoax.

Raul De Cardenas

Los Angeles

It’s Amazon vs. California

Re “Amazon seeks a vote on sales tax,” July 12

Amazon’s bid to ask California voters to overturn a state law requiring it to collect sales tax may be met with some pretty stiff opposition.

Though I am an avid fan of Amazon shopping, I believe the company is in for a surprising fight. Californians are only too aware of the dire straits we are in.

I am also a public school educator and feel that the sales taxes Amazon doesn’t collect are desperately needed by schools. Government costs money. Services cost money.

In an age in which technology has so quickly changed commerce, our laws have not caught up. It’s time they do.

Janis Patten

Huntington Beach

Amazon is the last bastion for consumers to buy what they will without getting taxed. I’m not buying the “be fair to small business” argument. (We’re not going to talk about Wal-Mart; that company is healthy enough.)

I run a small business and pay enough taxes to choke a horse. Can’t there be someplace you don’t face government greed?

Laurie Stevens

Northridge

Where does charity begin?

Re “Giving the gift of shared sacrifice,” Opinion, July 8

Allan Luks suggests that nonprofit charities should accept reductions in income tax deductions for charitable contributions as an act of “leadership” that “would embarrass and provoke” corporations. But what message would this send to those who have faithfully supported these charities?

Taking away this tax deduction would have no effect on misers with six-figure salaries who donate almost nothing. Instead, it would be in effect a tax increase on the most generous Americans. And for what purpose? To pay down a debt from banking industry bailouts and wars.

Stephen P. Mills

Glendale

Luks seems to have an erroneous idea of the basic purpose of charities. A true charity does not exist to make a profit. It exists to help people who need help, and I believe that most of them do a much better job of that than government.

To suggest they accept fewer tax breaks is tantamount to suggesting that Big Brother should decide who gets help.

Thomas F. Brands

Los Angeles

Luks says charitable agencies could experience a loss of up to $3 billion if the rules for tax deductions were changed, and the “loss should be accepted by charities as the cost of leadership needed by the country now.”

Of course we need spending cuts as well as more revenue, but let’s get our priorities straight. Cut corporate welfare, not charitable welfare.

William C. Eidenmuller III

Hermosa Beach

Climate crisis

Re “Oil and water,” Opinion, July 7

Naomi Klein’s discussion of climate change’s repercussions in Montana leaves unaddressed the concept of “disaster capitalism,” her crucial contribution to contemporary economic analysis.

As climate change’s catastrophic effects become more widespread, our already crumbling infrastructure will no longer be up to the challenge of an adequate response; the inevitable result will be more human misery, which will in turn trigger ever-more-egregious corporate behavior.

We can expect more lenient enforcement of existing environmental laws in the wake of climate crises.

Disaster capitalism was bad enough already. With climate change added to the mix, it’s a poisonous recipe for humanity.

Warren Senders

Medford, Mass.

Royal blood

Re “Royal couple visit skid row,” July 11

As the royals of the visiting British aristocracy are lionized, may we in the “colonies” recall that what first separated us from the royals was the affirmation that “all men are created equal,” which means they are as common as we — or we are all of royal blood, which seems to be the better point of view.

W. Lee Truman

Camarillo

History lessons

Re “Gay rights bill goes to governor,” July 6

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-San Bernardino) says that as a Christian, he is “deeply offended” that history books in California schools would be required to include the contributions of gays, lesbians and transgendered Americans.

As an American, I am deeply offended that Donnelly seeks to inject religious beliefs into a political issue that should not be guided by his faith. American history is replete with examples of attempts to suppress the contributions of minorities who do not fit into the skewed version promulgated by white males.

Donnelly was elected to represent all of his constituents, not just those who agree with his religious beliefs. The next time he speaks on an issue pertinent to our pluralistic society, he should check his religion at the door.

Peter Johnson

Los Angeles

Bear facts

Re “A quiet hike, then terror,” July 8

Is this type of horrible tragedy, in which a grizzly fatally mauled a Torrance man hiking on a Yellowstone trail, avoidable? Not completely. We run a significant risk whenever we enter the wooded areas the grizzly calls home.

According to Kerry Gunther, a National Park Service bear specialist, the bears of Yellowstone have been lingering recently in the park’s lower elevations, where most visitors spend their time. Did the Park Service make any extra effort to post this information for hikers?

Of course, the trails are closed. Let’s hope the bears have time to hustle back to higher ground, for their safety and ours.

Philip DiGiacomo

Pacific Palisades