Opinion Voices

Letters to the Editor: Despite GOP's attacks, there is no real communist movement in the U.S.

'MAGA and the GOP are so bent on returning to a time gone by that it's no surprise that they would say communists want to "completely destroy the traditional American way of life,"' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Laws requiring isolation fencing around pools would save young lives

'A brief lapse in supervision should never result in the death of a child,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Readers share who and what they celebrated on July Fourth

'I chose to honor a true symbol of America's greatness: the Statue of Liberty, which greeted my grandparents when they first laid eyes on her at the beginning of the last century,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: No, immigrants entering the U.S. illegally aren't an 'invasion'

'For there to be a hostile occupation, territory of a nation or state must actually be placed under the authority of a militant foreign force. In no way can it be logically accepted that civilians who enter the United States illegally constitute an invading army,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: The global reading crisis that started with smartphones

Kids who read for pleasure experience 'vastly improved mental health,' according to a new report.

Contributor: Why won't Trump just tell us what the Iran war cost?

The administration owes Americans a serious accounting of what has been lost and what future spending is supposed to fix.

Contributor: The troubling takeaway when experts game out election threats

An experiment invited notables to respond in real time to hypothetical election threats such as federal seizure of uncounted ballots. Don't assume safeguards will protect American voting.

Letters to the Editor: Removing education and job training for inmates makes no one safer

'What do we want then [when inmates rejoin society]? People who've gotten some education and job training, or people who've been languishing in cells and learning how to be better crooks?,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Abcarian: Thanks to social media, tanning makes an unfortunate comeback among teen girls

Years of warnings from skin and cancer doctors seem to fly right over the heads of the TikTok generation.

Contributor: Can we get rid of small talk, please?

Conversations should be like clothes and come in different sizes.

Letters to the Editor: EPA's shelving of microplastics testing is 'a failure to do the bare minimum'

'Monitoring alone won't fix the microplastics crisis, but we can't fix what we aren't tracking,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: I'm approaching 100. Life has its challenges now, but it's not so bad

'I know I am fortunate. I walk without help, but use a cane for outdoor safety. I renewed my driver's license when I was 95 and still drive — my license expires when I am 101,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: Argue about American values. What could be more American?

Do more than read and hear the Declaration of Independence. We should talk about what it means.

Contributor: Despite the justices, Congress can end birthright citizenship

Ending birth tourism would respect the intention of the 14th Amendment.

Contributor: Alcohol should be marginalized like smoking

Drinking causes 1 in every 20 deaths worldwide. Perversely, because its harms are so widespread and longstanding and well known, many people accept them.

Letters to the Editor: It's true that some progressive policies have failed, but they galvanize voters

'Political strategists have long understood that bold, tangible-sounding pledges energize a base far more effectively than nuanced policy papers,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Let's apply Justice Thomas' birthright citizenship argument to the 2nd Amendment

'Does [Justice Clarence] Thomas believe that authors of the 2nd Amendment only had single-shot muskets in mind — you know, the true meaning of the 2nd Amendment only being found in the context of the times?,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: I fly the American flag because no single political faction owns patriotism

'As a former Superior Court judge, I swore to support and defend the constitutions of the United States and California against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is a precept all should embrace and celebrate, flag or no flag,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: New affordable housing is great, but it won't make a dent in the overall crisis

To the editor: It's gratifying to see a front-page article announcing new affordable housing ("Downtown L.A.

Letters to the Editor: Supreme Court is making decisions that fly in the face of democracy

'Is the unitary executive theory a cryptic, euphemistic term for the word "king"? In so many of the important decisions made by this extremist court, the answer appears to be a resounding yes,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: Who should keep sidewalks passable? Denver solved the dilemma

Most cities don't even know which sidewalks need fixing. Two cities show how to do better.

Calmes: The Supreme Court failed the test posed by Trump

The conservative justices seem willfully obtuse about this executive's autocratic impulses.

Contributor: Bloody brawl of humans, dogs and a bear threatens Californians' fragile detente

After the most recent bear encounter in Mammoth Lakes, fear and misunderstanding are again taking over.

Contributor: American upheaval: How the past 25 years divided a nation

Republicans called the 1990s a "holiday from history" — but after 9/11, history roared back.

Granderson: How to be better stewards of the nation into our fourth century

The abandoned infrastructure of the cotton boom, the auto industry and mining shows us what not to do as data centers are debated and built.

Letters to the Editor: Sometimes you need a woman to review art made by and focused on women

'Charles McNulty is an intelligent, insightful critic. But he missed the mark in his piece on "Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous" at the Geffen,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Don't like California's plastic law? Then come help clean up our streets

'You've got to be kidding me — hypocrisy run amok. Really, these states claim their free speech is threatened because California dares to try to make the environment better by limiting single-use plastic?,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: The Supreme Court actually got it right in ruling in favor of Roundup

'This was a rare instance of the current Supreme Court getting it right. It will cut down on frivolous lawsuits that run counter to science. There is no failure to warn argument when there is nothing that merits a warning,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: The free market already benefits the rich. Taxes can balance the scales

'The Rand Corporation reported recently that since the middle 1970s through 2023, $79 trillion in earnings had been moved from the bottom 90% of earners to the top 10%. Neoliberalism functioning at its finest,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Readers sing the praises of underappreciated American heroes

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we asked Los Angeles Times readers to highlight American heroes who don't get enough credit in the history books.

Letters to the Editor: 'Toy Story 5' marketing is sending mixed messages to a young audience

'Initially introduced as a villain that symbolizes concerns surrounding excessive reliance on technology, the character (Lilypad) is simultaneously being used in promotional campaigns and merchandise marketed directly to children,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: If one prominent CEO decided to be more generous, it could make a difference

'If they would then follow through by taking a serious and permanent cut and publicizing that stand against gross income inequality, maybe then the world of executive compensation would take a turn for the better,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Trump isn't making life more affordable, but he is making it scarier

'The footage of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti's killings is already forever seared into my brain. And the cavalier attitude afterward of the trigger-happy ICE agents who shot them signals to us they knew in advance they wouldn't face any consequences,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: Theodore Roosevelt, the 'melting pot' and the meaning of America

Should American identity be defined by race and ethnicity? Or by fealty to a set of ideas?

Contributor: Night shifts are deadly, not just inconvenient

California's workplace safety systems are the perfect proving ground for policies that recognize the hazards of disrupting circadian rhythms.

Contributor: Birthright citizenship should never have been in question

The Supreme Court handed a rare loss to President Trump Tuesday.

Column: Democrats' newest ideas have been failing for centuries

Rent freezes, wealth taxes and price controls have all been tried and tested — and none of them actually work.

Letters to the Editor: Watching the Big Bear eaglets fly would be a better display than fireworks

'May those who have the power to relocate the fireworks celebration allow the lives of these young eaglets to culminate in flight, their birthright. We will watch them soar high above us — our inspiration, our hope,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: The Democratic Party is changing. Both major parties need the wake-up call

'It's about time voters look past billionaire candidates to elect middle-class PhD students, waiters and bartenders to make progress on daily grinds that are safe to ignore,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: The LAFD still hasn't faced accountability for leaving the Lachman fire

'It's always amazing to me how poorly this city, county and state are run. Stupid choices and decisions with no accountability,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: 'The Bear' stars beautifully reflected the tenacity of working women

'Their faces revealed their characters' tsunami of emotions as they dealt with what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles to a successful evening,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: The generosity of Snap's Evan Spiegel and Miranda Kerr lifts up everyone

'Philanthropy of this sort contributes to the well-being of everyone, even for those of us unaffected by such largesse,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Remembering comedian Tom Dreesen, who found humor despite a hard life

'As funny as Dreesen could be — and that was very funny indeed — there were times when his stories were sad, and even frightening,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: 19th century reformers made this country more equal, inclusive and strong

Remember the generations of Americans who decided to honor the founding's accomplishments through improvement rather than veneration.

Contributor: The revolution was a road map, not a destination

As we mark the semiquincentennial, we should celebrate what the founders achieved — and be mindful of what they did not.

Contributor: Mental health care isn't ready for psychedelic side effects

Accelerated FDA approval will invite recklessness. But don't block these important medications. Take steps to prepare.

Contributor: Los Angeles' homelessness strategy needs a next act

Encampments are ugly signposts of the city's crisis, but they were also once a roadmap to help those in need. We need a new plan.

Contributor: The Supreme Court just handed the president even more power

In its ruling of Trump vs. Slaughter on Monday, the justices upended a 90-year-old precedent on firing heads of independent agencies.

Contributor: How the American experiment could last another 250 years

Other empires have stumbled after centuries, but we can learn from their mistakes.

Contributor: The Trump administration continues killing without answers

Legislators have finally begun to recognize the dangers of unchecked executive force.

Op-comic: Americans' hope springs eternal

In the 1970s we thought we just had to get through the energy crisis. In the 1990s it was Y2K looming. The common thread has been that we endured.

Letters to the Editor: L.A.'s focus on adding more apartments is hindering its composting goals

'Instead of looking to boost compost infrastructure, the city should be concentrating on how to collect more green waste,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Abcarian: Waymos are convenient, safe and increasingly obnoxious

The autonomous taxis, now part of the California landscape, can also present unique temptations to teens.

Letters to the Editor: Trans teens deserve the right to come out to their parents on their own

'Much of the current issue focuses on "parental rights." How about teens' rights? How about respect for who they are? For their identities, their fears, their hopes, their discomfort and their choices?,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Recent rulings show that the Supreme Court has ditched reason for politics

'The flurry of 6-3 decisions shows how SCOTUS has become a political body, not the judicial one the founders of our Constitution sorely aspired to,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: The rise of Democrats' left wing will hurt democracy

Republicans have now been gifted a fresh crop of candidates they can plaster across campaign ads from Iowa to Texas as a national cautionary tale.

Letters to the Editor: We need an independent audit of the LAFD before handing it more money

'We need an independent Board of Fire Commissioners. We need to review the department's salary structure, hiring practices and employment rules,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: There's an interesting 'Fast and Furious' origin story that dates back to the '70s

'The inspiration back then came from Brock Racing Enterprises, whose Datsun 510s so dominated the 2.5 series of Trans Am racing that it caused Alfa Romeo and BMW to pull their sponsorship out of the series,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Holding much-needed housing relief hostage is a shocking move, even for Trump

'Faced with historically low poll numbers, Trump is falling back on his familiar pattern of trying to rig the system to his benefit in advance of the midterm elections,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: 'The blending of art and architecture elevates both'

'[Pont Neuf] looks and sounds truly spectacular and is a fitting homage to the work of legendary artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who wrapped the same bridge in fabric in 1985,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: School bans aren't enough. Parents need to limit screen time at home too

'Limiting student screen time for six hours a week at school is futile if there are no restrictions at home for the remaining hours,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Granderson: How fearmongering sets policy, from 'marihuana' to solar to A.I.

We forfeited our solar lead and our hemp industry. Should we compete in A.I.?

Contributor: Justices' decisions slam closed the courthouse doors

No one disputes that prison guards egregiously violated Damon Landor's rights. But after Thursday's ruling, he is left with no remedy.

Contributor: From London tennis courts to California, aggressive taxes always disappoint

Evidence of people fleeing their homes to avoid taxes was piling up long before California billionaires began their relocations to Nevada and Florida.

Letters to the Editor: Boyle Heights fire raises concerns about our ability to fight complex fires

'No one is compensating for the days lost and health problems incurred from this week's toxic smoke. It's all a more serious concern with the huge new data centers showing up everywhere,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Alan Greenspan earned bipartisan respect. That shouldn't be overlooked

'A figure who shaped economic policy across four administrations deserves a fuller accounting, an accounting that equally recognizes both the triumphs and the failures without treating either as the entire story,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Contraband drugs, not wait lists, are killing people in our jails

'Medication-assisted treatment is voluntary. CHS offers treatment and services to all patients who choose to participate but cannot force anyone to accept care,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Deadly boat strikes continue, but fentanyl still flows freely into the U.S.

'On the one hand, we have a strategy that allows tons of fentanyl to enter the United States unimpeded and, on the other hand, we have a bully president who flexes his muscles by killing 210 people with little evidence a crime has been committed,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: We shouldn't be wasting valuable talent to appease fragile male egos

'Diversity, equity and inclusion programs do not discriminate against the privileged; they give a fighting chance to those excluded throughout history,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Calmes: Don't let Trump empower Todd Blanche, his modern-day Roy Cohn

Trump has created a small caucus of Republicans who feel they no longer owe him anything. Those lawmakers could block the president's attorney general nominee.

Contributor: A proposed law would let California government escape accountability

AB 1821 would allow any state or local agency to sue members of the public for the simple act of filing a public records request.

Letters to the Editor: Proposed data center disclosure requirements don't go far enough

'It seems entirely reasonable to require these giant energy consumers to provide their own power, and it should be renewable energy so they're not exacerbating the climate crisis,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Hospital executives have endless responsibilities. They deserve their pay

'The executives are dealing 24/7 with supply chain issues, lack of staffing quotas, emergency shutdowns and so on. The executives are worth their salary,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: 'Rage and sorrow' over ICE detaining an ambitious high school graduate

'That this is happening all over our country is almost too much to bear. We keep saying we are better than this, but are we anymore?' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Gen Z adults can go to the movies more thanks to their parents' money

'They aren't yet fully supporting themselves, and it's probably fun to get out of Mom and Dad's living room now and then,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: California lawmakers can regulate 3-D-printed guns without stifling innovation

'They must protect us from people who wouldn't pass a background check, but can now buy a 3-D printer for $250 and possess a fully operable semi-automatic firearm as deadly as a store-bought weapon,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Killing the jungle primary would alienate young voters. Reform it instead

'The top-two system offers voters a genuine choice in November rather than a coronation for an establishment Democrat,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Poland is 'completely justified' in revoking state honor from Zelensky

'[Stepan] Bandera and UPA sought an independent Ukraine, but the methods they employed and their cooperation with Nazi Germany cannot be whitewashed,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Europe's heat waves are exactly what climate scientists warned us about

'While we wait for serious national action on climate change, U.S. states and cities must do what they can to stop "business as usual" and lower the temperature to avoid even worse effects of extreme warming,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: ICE detention is as bad as it sounds. I've been living it for 2 years

The corporations running facilities have a profit incentive to cut corners at the expense of our safety.

Contributor: Don't blame algae for the Reflecting Pool mess

Harmful algal blooms are a rising problem because of global warming, but on the other hand, we wouldn't have oxygen in the atmosphere if not for algae and cyanobacteria doing their thing 2.5 billion years ago.

Column: Trump's second term is a murky, embarrassing and costly spectacle

The Reflecting Pool fiasco is a microcosm of nearly everything that vexes people about the president.

Letters to the Editor: Trump started a deadly, costly war in Iran. Don't point the blame elsewhere

'President Obama and his team developed a carefully thought-out plan that was accepted and held for 10 years, without the deaths of our valiant troops, the bombing deaths of schoolchildren and the promise of hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Someone needs to teach Trump how algae growth actually works

'Trump correctly states that the Reflecting Pool has been vandalized. Our problem is that he is the vandal,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: If 'behests' are such a problem, look at Trump's gifted luxury jet

'Then there is the taxpayer money Trump used to upgrade the plane. Wouldn't the investigative powers of the federal government be better directed toward this situation?,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: I went to Olvera Street in my youth. There's a reason I don't go now

'I would love to see L.A. and all its wonderful neighborhoods thrive again, but until the drive is easier and the streets feel safer, I'll be staying put,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Readers disagree over the LAPD's killing of a family dog

'Most dog owners are reluctant to acknowledge their pet's propensity for aggressive behavior and, as in this case, refuse to accept the consequences of their inaction,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: 'I want a president who will make us feel joyful again'

'Along with a renewal of respect, dignity and compassion, my hope is that whoever we elect in 2028 will bring a healthy measure of joy. Issues matter and character counts. But so does demeanor,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Mayor Bass shouldn't abdicate blame for massive state grant loss

'Bass' failure to complete these objectives in 3½ years is unacceptable. I hope Councilmember Nithya Raman is watching,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: The pulpit is just one front in the U.S. war against women

The Southern Baptists' move to silence women is not a conflict between church and state. It is a convergence.

Contributor: The looming threats to abortion access in 2026

At the FDA and in the courts, abortion opponents are trying to limit mailed prescriptions. People in states that restrict healthcare rely upon these.

Contributor: The Korean-Mexican bond runs deeper than soccer

In L.A.'s Koreatown, like in the World Cup, these two communities find a surprising affinity.

Contributor: Is Hollywood done catering to diverse audiences?

Despite demographic box office data, the film industry has retreated to the strategy it believed had always worked: casting white leads.

Contributor: 'The Fast and the Furious' took the Asians out of an Asian American story

The movie, released 25 years ago, shined a spotlight on import cars and street racing culture ... sort of.

Letters to the Editor: We should be pushing for all Americans to feel personal agency

'It seems to me that it should be our objective as a nation to push for principles that enable members of every subgroup to seek this feeling, but also to respect the right of members of groups we do not belong to to attain this feeling as well,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: Of all the titles I've held in my life, the best one is 'Dad'

'No corporate corner office or business expense account matches it. Never did. Never will,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Op-comic: Stay close

As her 6-year-old becomes obsessed with minutes and their movements, a mother starts to realize how quickly the years are passing.

Letters to the Editor: The LAX people mover fix needs to be applied to SoFi Stadium

'With a stadium that has a capacity of 70,000, it should be a city priority to establish an efficient transport link between the Inglewood Metro and SoFi,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Letters to the Editor: The Whiteman Airport is an 'irreplaceable' asset for the community

'In addition to being a home to the Los Angeles County Fire Department's air operations unit, Whiteman Airport is in a strategic location for rapid aerial response during emergencies in foothill communities as well as the San Fernando Valley,' writes an L.A. Times reader.

Contributor: The 'hapless dad' trope is tired and counterproductive

As in 'The Breadwinner,' popular media still tells men that showing up at home is optional. We've known better for decades.

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