ASUCLA needs to open its eyes
Have you ever seen the long line outside of Taco Bell at lunch?
Take a look sometime this week and you will see how much support
this campaign had.
Next time the ASUCLA Board of Directors makes a decision for all
the students, they should first see whether the students really
want that decision.
Ajay Kaneria Third-year chemical engineering
student
Prop. 64 will only help corporations
I would like to address The Bruin’s editorial endorsement
of Proposition 64 (“Prop. 64 will reduce unwarranted
lawsuits,” 10/21). Your brief editorial outlined the
proposition in a positive way, but neglected to mention all the
problems that would come with its passage.
This measure would take away the rights of consumer groups or
individuals to sue companies that break animal cruelty laws or
pollution laws (or any law) unless they suffered personally.
This would stunt efforts to sue animal abusers, polluters, false
advertisers and other law-breaking corporations.
A look at the list of contributors to the proposition shows big
corporations, some of which have been sued for unfair business
practices in the past, such as Blue Cross. Car dealerships, which
have been prosecuted under the existing law for unfair
bait-and-switch tactics, have donated over $4 million through the
Motor Car Dealer Association.
A look at the list of those opposed to the proposition shows
groups like California Consumer Health Care Council, Defenders of
Wildlife, the United Farm Workers and other similar groups. If you
care about protecting innocent animals, the environment, and duped
consumers from large and heartless corporations who have donated
$13 million to the cause of protecting themselves, I urge you to
vote no on Proposition 64.
Jara Gatti Fifth-year Germanic languages
student
Social Security calls for Bush-style reform
I very much appreciated Nicholas Louw’s thoughtful piece
on the ownership society (“Bush plans to create culture of
ownership,” 10/21).
The importance of the Social Security savings accounts Bush
promotes cannot be understated. The Social Security system is
projected to collapse by 2042, years before most reading this
letter will retire.
Experts, including Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan
Greenspan, agree no amount of budget balancing or increased payroll
taxation will be able to fill the gap in Social Security without
doing severe damage to our economy. Yet this is what we hear John
Kerry saying he will do.
In reality, he doesn’t have a plan to save Social
Security. Social Security savings accounts are the only hope our
generation has of getting back out anything close to what we will
pay in over the years to come.
Kevin Williams Graduate student, microbiology,
immunology and molecular genetics