Canoga Park Retiring to teaching Re “Program encourages retirees to become teachers” (June 9): Before Gov. Schwarzenegger recruits retirees for teaching positions, he should first work for the passage of federal legislation to assure that public-school teachers can collect Social Security. As the law is now written, teachers and professional support staff who have paid into Social Security from other jobs receive reduced or no benefits. This also includes benefits from a deceased spouse. – Venida Korda Re “Program encourages retirees to become teachers” (June 9): This article makes no mention of the fact that California is a windfall-offset state and that until Congress remedies this injustice, recruits for this program may be surprised to find that their Social Security payments would be severely restricted if they come under the State Teachers Retirement System pension plan. Second, since the article doesn’t mention an age for retirement, the term is applied rather vaguely. Not many people are able to retire at age 50. Anyone 60 or older may be in for a shock when facing today’s students in the classroom, especially middle school and high school teenagers. Teachers in today’s public schools are more concerned with survival – in terms of dealing with incompetent administrators and bureaucracies and disruptive and sometimes violent teenagers – than idealism. – Abraham Hoffman Van Nuys Bratton’s re-election Re “Gun attacks on cops up” (June 8): If Chief Bratton is wondering why cop shootings are up, he should think about the fact that every time cops try to do their job with any kind of authority, they are investigated and publicly chastised by the media and their own department. Our police officers put their lives on the line every day, and I think it’s about time they get community support and not constant criticism. Chief Bratton should support his team and quit worrying about his re-election. – Donna DeHart Mission Hills A primer? Was your featured article “Face Time” in the June 7 edition of U intended as a primer on how to raise a Paris Hilton? At age 9, the only thing little girls should be doing with cucumbers, candy kisses and cupcakes is eating them. I can hardly wait for your next feature: “Young wretched excess leads to adult success.” – Myrna Barth Encino Pouncing on Paris Good thing this isn’t Salem, Mass., back in the day. Paris Hilton would have been burned at the stake. I think I write with a little more insight about a Los Angeles County jail than most others; I’ve been there. Paris didn’t sleep or eat much for three or four days. You begin to slip into this world of questionable sanity. You either get strong and make it, or fall into the land of no return. A little harsh for driving on a suspended license, don’t you think? As for early release, there is a revolving door for many inmates with worse offenses than Paris could ever dream of committing. – Daniel Houy Burbank Porn addiction Re “Exposed: Porn in the Valley” (June 3-10): No, that was no “expos .” If it was true journalism, it would have exposed porn as being highly addictive in the same way as alcohol and drugs. It would have mentioned that pornography debases humanity to the level of an animal, robbing men and women alike of their self-esteem. It would have gone on to say that pornography is destructive, destroying marriages when a woman finds it is impossible to live up to unrealistic fantasies, that it is degrading to women as they become objects to satisfy the lusts of those addicted to porn. Pornography is also dangerous. Like any other addiction, it takes more and more to satisfy and can lead to serious crimes of abuse as porn addicts seek to satisfy their sexual urges. – Estela Luizzi Glendale 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! read more