Mitt Romney’s wins in Michigan and Arizona; L.A. vs. Chicago on the sleaze scale; the cultural divide in Afghanistan

Romney marches on

Re “Romney averts disaster,” Feb. 29

By no measure do Mitt Romney’s primary victories in Michigan and Arizona make him the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

In the 11 contests so far he has averaged about 36% of the votes cast in each state. That means nearly two-thirds of the GOP votes were cast for someone other than Romney — hardly a ringing endorsement. In his home state of Michigan, he outspent all the other candidates by a huge margin yet barely managed to eek out a victory.

We seem to be left, at least for now, with a splintered Republican Party and Democrats united behind President Obama. But then again, Democrats have time and again proved their ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Isaac Hirschbein

La Mesa

We were told that if Romney could not win his “home” state of Michigan, he’d have been in deep trouble. But why should the people of Michigan feel kinship with a man who hasn’t lived there since the 1960s?

Populations are fluid. Most of the folks Romney grew up with have either moved away or passed on, and the current residents of his “home” state probably feel no allegiance to Romney whatsoever.

This home-state premise touted as common sense is really nonsense.

Ed Brand

Valencia

How corrupt is Los Angeles?

Re “L.A. rivals Chicago sleaze,” Column, Feb. 26

Many years ago I moved from my native Chicago, where at election time alderman candidates came calling with chickens in hand.

Recently, I ended a 30-year career with the city of Los Angeles. I can tell you that the difference between Chicago and Los Angeles politics is this: Chicago politicians proudly proffer their chickens, whereas Los Angeles politicians do their chicken-swapping under the table while pretending their politics are clean.

Personally, I prefer Chicago’s brand of unabashed chicken-swapping.

Janet Bogigian

Manhattan Beach

I cannot say I am the least bit surprised by the study put out by a University of Illinois professor and his colleagues concluding that L.A. is the second-most-corrupt region in the country. Steve Lopez touched on a tiny number of publicized examples.

The only difference between the way Los Angeles is run today and Chicago in the Al Capone era is machine guns.

Howard Cohen

North Hills

Good column on the corruption in L.A. However, I looked at the study, and I think Lopez overlooked a key fact.

The federal district court in L.A. encompasses much of Southern California, while New York City is split into two districts. New York-Eastern covers Brooklyn, Queens and parts of Long Island; New York-Southern covers Manhattan and the Bronx.

Combined, this pushes New York and the immediate surrounding region far into the lead for federal corruption convictions between 1976 and 2010: 1,963, compared to L.A.’s 1,275 and Chicago’s 1,531. And this isn’t even counting the Connecticut and New Jersey districts that are reasonably included in the New York City area.

Jacob Kang-Brown

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Foreclosures and moral clarity

Re “Inflated threat of strategic defaults,” Column, Feb. 26

Michael Hiltzik reminds us that mortgages are legal contracts, not divine mandates. He is right in suggesting that mortgage decisions may be based on what is in the best interest of individual families.

After all, corporations and the wealthy have the resources to hire experts to explore and exploit every loophole and advantage — and exploit them they do. The rest of us rely on the expertise of our institutions, and it was precisely the failure of these institutions that caused so much hardship. This is no time for misguided loyalty to institutions that have betrayed us.

John Williams

Burbank

Hiltzik’s message seems to be “What works for the banks should be fine for homeowners too” — that decisions about making good on your obligations should always be based on financial self-interest.

What about all the other homeowners who ultimately pick up the tab for strategic defaulters? What about individual honor and self-respect, qualities that I thought were part of the makeup of our distinctly American culture?

I’d rather see action aimed at the sleazy financial organizations to eliminate the idea that “hey, it’s just business.”

James Peterson

Beaumont

Afghans must make a choice

Re “Afghan uproar belies a cultural divide,” Feb. 26

The Afghans who do not want to live under the Taliban again must step up and fight instead of expecting the U.S. and NATO to do it for them. They, not foreigners, must fight and sacrifice to determine what kind of society Afghanistan will have. Otherwise, any non-Taliban government will be seen by its opponents as one imposed by corrupt foreigners.

No people will maintain the rights and liberties they desire unless they themselves fight for them; if they do not want them enough to die for them, they won’t have them.

Elizabeth Ann Kerr

Ontario

Many Afghans worry that we may leave their country without adequately safeguarding women’s rights. What they are really asking for is for our sons, husbands, fathers and brothers to risk their lives to protect their women from their sons, husbands, fathers and brothers.

Afghans, talk to your sons, husbands, fathers and brothers. Is this too much to ask?

Donna Handy

Santa Barbara

Bus facts

Re “ ‘From heights to ‘hood,’ ” Feb. 27

A Bus Riders Union organizer was quoted as saying that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority could have shifted money from rail, highway and other projects to preserve bus service that will be canceled due to poor productivity and duplication of other service.

However, only funding that is legally designated by Sacramento and Washington as “operations eligible” can be used to operate service. Virtually all of the money provided by the state and federal governments for construction projects is designated as “capital funding” and is not operations eligible.

In other words, that money cannot be shifted to cover the costs of operating service.

This is nothing new; the restrictions on funding have existed since before the Bus Riders Union came onto the scene.

Kymberleigh Richards

Los Angeles

The writer chairs the Metro San Fernando Valley Service Council.

Bad example

Re “Cougar killing puts spotlight on head of state game panel,” Feb. 29

California Fish and Game Commission President Daniel W. Richards, who killed a mountain lion on a legal hunt in Idaho, is not the right person to be in that position. If possible he should be removed now.

Killing a beautiful animal — whether in California or anywhere else — when your job is to preserve it is a despicable act.

Kudos to Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and others for seeking Richards’ resignation.

E.A. Taylor

Santa Barbara