Re “The making of the city’s budget crisis” (May 17): Another day, another article about the mismanagement of our city finances and our officials’ feckless inability to solve the issue. When I was young, I was taught: Take responsibility for your life, live within your means and save for a rainy day. These lessons served me well. Maybe we should resume teaching these lessons to younger generations, and, more importantly, this should be mandatory training for politicians. No one should be sworn into office without a complete understanding of these simple concepts.
— Brian Kaplan, La Jolla