To the editor: I am familiar with the concept of “deus ex machina” from ancient Greek tragedy, where a god would appear onstage to resolve an otherwise apparently intractable problem. However, to apply this concept to “multibillion-dollar reserves” in the district budget puts a real strain on my imagination (“The price of LAUSD union peace will be $1.2 billion a year. Next up is paying for it,” April 15). I just hope that there is some of this still available when we get the bill for the World Cup and Olympics.

Kevin Minihan, Westchester

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To the editor: Government employees should not be allowed to unionize. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt was opposed to government-employee unionization because the taxpayer, who must ultimately pick up the tab, is not represented in the pay negotiations. You ask whether the district can pay up, but it’s taxpayers who ultimately will.

Ron Stenlake, Los Angeles