Letters to the Editor

Underestimating on overspending

The task force can “come down hard on UC,” but the
Daily Bruin can’t, publishing another soft story that
could’ve been written by the UC press office (“Task
force comes down hard on UC,” News, April 14).

If UC President Robert Dynes had any honor, he would resign. So
would the regents who’ve allowed the Dynes/Mullinix/Parsky
troika to commit scandalous abuse of public trust and treasure to
slip by without getting too excited even now. Students pay more and
more, university workers are paid less and less, all while wannabe
corporate executives are paid with such breathtaking generosity in
order to recruit and retain these fine people.

The story said “millions of dollars;” it’s
actually $871 million reportedly. That’s almost a billion.
It’s a story about corruption and public theft. It’s
your school, not somebody else’s.

Bert Thomas Bargaining representative Coalition of
University Employees

Solve homeless problem carefully

The $12 billion price tag comes to over $136,000 per person to
house 88,000 homeless people (“L.A.’s homeless deserve
our notice, help,” April 17). Many families live on a quarter
of that in a year, so why not move these folks to a rural area of
the country, buy homes for groups of four, teach them to read and
write at the 12th grade level, get some job training, and become
independent. You could pay for all their utilities, give them money
for food that they can’t provide for themselves, pay their
property taxes, furnish their homes, and do it for less than half
the cost proposed while giving people a hand up instead of a
handout.

Providing free food and housing for folks who have alcohol and
drug issues enables them to continue the destruction until they
kill themselves. People need to feel they are contributing to have
any self esteem at all. Your big ticket of $12 billion will pay
lots of administrators great salaries, and in the end, not really
do much for the people you think you’re helping.

Sally Doyle Erwin, North Carolina