Obama's right to take his time

As one wise observer stated following the elections in Iraq, "Elections do not make democracies – democracies make elections."

The notion of superimposing American values on Middle Eastern countries with cultural histories bridging millennia, and labeling indigenous protesters "militants" and "insurgents," resurrects the obsolete principle of manifest destiny. In the interest of protecting our nation and the lives of those engaged in battle, President Barack Obama is on the right track in pursuing a thoughtful and well-conceived plan on how to proceed.

– Joan Walthall, South Lake Tahoe

'Heads should roll' at UCD

Re "UCD center misused funds, audits say" (Page A1, Oct. 8): Henry Kissinger is quoted, "University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small." Never has this been more true than the recent whistleblower revelations at the University of California, Davis.

What amounts to a spat between two supposedly educated, professional women has now spilled out into the public arena and into the courts. True, there is a clear factual basis to support claims of misspent federal grant monies at the CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center. But this matter should never, ever have developed to where it is now. UCD administration officials have shown a clear ineptitude to perform their jobs. Heads should roll.

– Robert N. Austin, Sacramento

We pay more than our share

I don't know how relevant this is to California's perennial budget deficits, but last year, for every dollar we sent in taxes to the federal government, we got back just 76 cents.

This is not a new situation. We have been operating at a tax deficit since 1986. This is not true for every state. Many Southern and Midwestern states receive between $1.40 and $1.50 for each dollar paid in. Our deficit is estimated at about $50 billion.

Are we buying roads and bridges for Arkansas taxpayers?The fact is, with less money coming back to us, there are fewer Californians employed and spending money in California businesses, which employ fewer workers, who pay less in taxes, allowing us less state money for fewer services. You see the pattern.

Bearing this in mind, it seems doubly insulting that recently, the feds refused to aid California's budget problems because we wouldn't pay higher taxes to fix them.

– Clifford Lanxner, Applegate

CSUS chief's new hire rattles

I am extremely offended by, but not surprised by, the appointment of President Alexander Gonzalez's son to a California State University, Sacramento, position that pays $83,940 per year.

Even though nepotism is denied, nepotism is exactly what has occurred. Let's see, now:

• Faculty members and staff are currently furloughed (in reality, a 10 percent pay cut).

• I've been a tenure-track professor at CSUS for the same time the son has been alive (32 years), and currently, as a full professor in the CSUS Chemistry Department, I make considerably less per year than the son (hmm, my two doctorates vs. the son who is "working on" a master's degree).

• When I was hired, there was a nationwide search and approximately 130 candidates who were interviewed for my position, vs. zero for the son.

Every time my trust in the CSU hits a new low, the adminstration comes through with another staggeringly asinine decision.

– James M. Ritchey, Sacramento

No fan of ammo ordinance

Re "City ammo ordinance is on target" (Our Region, Oct. 7): A firearm without ammunition is just a rock. Let's change the Constitution a little more. Newspaper ink is high in carbon content. To protect the children and stop global warming, ink must be banned, and newsprint as well. It clogs landfills. It takes years to decompose.

This is a lazy law written by lazy politicians to look good at re-election time, at the expense of the Constitution. The hypocrisy. Every single one of them raised their right hand and swore to uphold the Constitution of these United States.

– Dean La Chapelle, Elk Grove

Who, exactly, is being elitist?

Re "Spare CSUS a Phoenix takeover" (Letters, Oct. 7): As a faculty member at the University of Phoenix for nearly seven years, I undergo an annual review of my classroom practices, attend frequent unpaid skills training and do something that Professor Joseph A. Palermo and his purely academic ilk can never do: bring real-world experience to working students.

Nearly 1,600 University of Phoenix students graduated a few weeks ago at Arco Arena – students who were turned away by CSU's outdated belief that college students are ages 18 to 22 and do not have to work and go to school.

I do sense some elitism surrounding the issue of delivering higher education in California, but it is not coming from the private accredited universities filling a need that public higher education ignores.

– Gary Giacomo, Roseville