The Governor’s Effort to Handle the Deficit

Re “Davis Budget of ‘Hard Choices’ Spreads the Pain,” Jan. 11: Gov. Gray Davis announced that among his remedies for our budget crisis are reductions in the Medi-Cal program. In our new reality of “share the pain,” I was surprised I did not see any announcement of a reduction in the $125 per diem our legislators “need.” I guess “share the pain” goes only so far.

Dennis Burgess

Reseda

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I am pleased that Davis is taking a position of leadership to guide us out of the budget problem; he handled the position of leadership he assumed to guide us out of the energy crisis so well.

Jim Wilbur

Lake Arrowhead

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I bet Davis wishes he had struck a better deal with the Indian casino industry. He screamed about the energy companies gouging California. However, he backed nontaxpaying Indian casinos. California could surely use some of that revenue. The Native American “tribes” and their financial backers just quietly pay their “tax,” spelled “campaign contributions.” Come to think of it, the governor didn’t strike such a good deal with the energy companies, either.

James M. Becker

Moorpark

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Perhaps we could put a small plug into the state budget deficit if someone would crack down on motorists driving with expired license plates and collect the funds due. In addition to the normal registration fees and vehicle license fees due, there are additional funds due in the form of penalties for late renewal.

Sharon L. Warzocha

Valencia