Brown repays debt to union

Re "Brown fumbles federal funds for K-12 schools" (Editorials, Nov. 28): It should be no surprise what is going on in Gov. Jerry Brown's office.

The $49 million that Brown blew away is all about the California Teachers Association's ownership of our governor.

– Ron Whitehorn, Carmichael

Increase vocational education

Re "Craziness governs school aid" (Dan Walters, Nov. 27): Only about 33 percent of the jobs in California require a full four-year degree.

It has always made me wonder why the push by politicians, the media and school administrators to get everybody to four-year colleges.

The many engineers, architects and designers would be unemployed if they didn't have folks with vocational skills to turn their plans into a reality.

In addition, people who choose the vocational path can get good paying jobs, get into the workforce years earlier, and don't run up the massive student loans.

– Don Perera, Rocklin

Administrators are overpaid

Much hand-wringing has been done about the lack of funding for education due to budget cuts and the need to raise student fees, lay off teachers and reduce classes.

But what about the huge rise in administrative salaries? How much of the education budget goes toward these half-million-dollar salaries?

When my father was a university professor, he served as a dean at his California State University campus. It was a rotating deanship, and the appointed professors received no raise. They were paid their paltry professor's salary. Sometime in the last 30 years, however, schools began hiring "professional" administrators for huge salaries.

Part of our current problem may be the funneling of education money toward administrative salaries.

As a college professor, I share in the anger. The administrators are the 1 percent; we are the 99 percent. Our universities now mirror Wall Street perfectly.

– Lindy Tillement, Rio Linda

Don't shorten school year

Our nation has one of the highest global investments in public schools, but has lost its leadership in academics, including science, math and reading comprehension. The net result is job losses to global education leaders.

It is ridiculous for California's legislators to consider cutting school days rather than administrators, clerks, busing and sports spending.

Teachers are paid 52 percent above their equivalent nontechnical degreed private-sector equals.

Increase the teacher burden for health care. As in the private sector, delay retirement pensions until age 65. Parochial schools have proved that ending busing, Taj Mahal facilities and layers of administration allows academic excellence for half the cost of educating a public-school child.

– Joseph J. Neff, Corning

Rangers drive costly rigs

Re "Cuts could affect wildlife" (Page A1, Nov. 28): The Department of Fish and Game has had many vehicles that are unnecessarily large and fuel-inefficient. Such vehicles should be replaced with smaller vehicles, especially when used just for commuting.

While a biologist with that agency, I was able to perform my duties using smaller vehicles than was the agency norm. I tried to use larger vehicles only as needed. Many employees wanted larger and more powerful vehicles than were needed.

It also has been common for some managers and especially enforcement personnel to drive state vehicles to and from home. This practice should be reevaluated.

– Frank Gray, Antelope

Poachers applaud vehicle cuts

Conservation groups are right to express concern over the state's plan to eliminate hundreds of vehicles from the Department of Fish & Game fleet. These cuts are counterproductive.

As the article states, many of the vehicles are specialized trucks, boats and aircraft that allow Fish & Game to effectively protect the state's environment. I hope the Department of General Services gives the appeal to keep the specialized equipment the attention it deserves.

These cuts work against the efforts of biologists and wardens across the state charged with protecting wildlife and public resources. This news must give comfort to poachers and polluters.

– David Miller, president, California Association of Professional Scientists

Let death row inmate live

Re "Killer's wish for death a legal puzzle" (Capitol & California, Nov. 26): Jerry Stanley's request for death after 28 years on death row illustrates the foolishness of the death penalty in this state.

Proponents of the death penalty will say he deserves to die.

I disagree. He will suffer more by being left to spend 20 more years in prison, while he waits to die naturally.

He was imprisoned 28 years ago after receiving the death penalty for killing his second and fourth wives.

He now has admitted killing his third wife, disclosing where her body was hidden, in the hope that this would expedite his execution.

The most effective way to deal with murderers like him is not to keep them in jail as extremely expensive appeals go on, but to sentence them to life in prison without benefit of parole and stop the madness of having 718 inmates on death row.

– Eugene Elzufon, Sacramento

Capitalists need a conscience

Re "Judge rejects deal cut by SEC" (Page A1, Nov. 29): Unfortunately, dozens of corporations have benefited from these deals made by the Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies.

These corporate barons have seized other people's wealth. The proposed SEC settlement is equivalent to requiring a convenience store robber to pay a small fine, make no admission of wrongdoing, and keep the gun for the next robbery.

It has no deterrent effect and is certain to cause more of the same behavior. These capitalists and their crony politicians think they are possessed with great abilities and intelligence that the rest of us don't have. They are wrong. They lack a conscience.

– Marvin H. Philo, Sacramento

Banks should repay favor

Many Americans are at risk of losing their homes because the banks are not helping them. Many families have had their homes foreclosed because banks won't refinance or process loan modifications on their mortgages. People owe more on their homes than what their homes are worth. To avoid foreclosure, people attempt to initiate a short sale, but banks decline the offers.

I know this firsthand because this happened to my family and we ended up losing our home.

Banks have been bailed out. Banks should bail out the homeowners by reducing home mortgages to market value.

– Sierra Tafoya-Perry, Yuba City

A perspective on 'oppression'

Re "Syria tortured and killed children, U.N. says" (Page A6, Nov. 29): The story says a 2-year-old girl reportedly was shot to death so she wouldn't grow up to be a demonstrator in Syria. On the front page, UC Davis students are crying over a little pepper spray.

Never mind. It must just be me.

– Richard Johnson, Sacramento

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