GOP Convention

* There are thousands of protesters in Philadelphia. There will be even more here in L.A. when the Democrats come to town. I would like to know how all those people can be out there protesting when most people are working. If I were a cynic, I might think they were not working because they are drawing welfare checks. Nah, evidently all these people are independently wealthy and don’t have to work.

AUBREY PILGRIM

Long Beach

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Apparently this is the era of protesters. Let’s call it as it is. They are plain and simple disrupters. They damage private and public property, snarl traffic, divert police from their main duties and have no concern for the rights of others. They protest, wanting the whole world to adhere to their cause. They protest almost every conceivable subject.

Some protesters actually believe that they have the right to riot for their cause. If they have the time to protest and make banners and signs to carry, then they have the time to write a letter to their elected representative and the cost of a stamp. I say ban all protests and sit-ins or at least call it as it is, a bunch of disrupters or better yet, dysfunctional mobs.

R.T. TOZER

Santa Barbara

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As I watch the infomercial that is the Republican convention, anticipating a similar event in L.A., it amazes me that a profit-driven industry spends the time it does covering an event that produces no news whatsoever.

A modest proposal: Cancel all convention coverage altogether and distribute the air time, free of charge, among all of the parties to divvy up between their candidates as they see fit. At the same time, refuse all paid political advertising. In one fell swoop you’ve eliminated most of the cost of political campaigns, thus the need for the incessant fund-raising, thus much of the hold the wealthy have over politicians of all stripes.

JAMES REPKA

Laguna Beach

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Television stations showing the least coverage of the Republican and Democratic conventions will have the highest ratings. Video rentals will go way up. These conventions are boring and meaningless. What a waste of time and money!

LINDA REED

Costa Mesa

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George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have a long way to go to convince this former Reagan Democrat that they are different from the spiteful conservative Republicans currently ruling the Congress. They decry the Clinton/Gore politics of “personal destruction” and strive to paint themselves as compassionate and inclusive simply because they are willing to actually listen (!) to people whom the Democrats have already been listening to all these years. Apparently they assume we are mindless enough to forget that their “compassionate” party viciously tried to destroy Bill Clinton for seven years. Fat chance.

BOB LOZA

Burbank

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I would much prefer the president of the United States be accused of lacking “gravitas” than be completely unacquainted with “veritas,” as are Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

WAYNE JOHNSON

Oak Park