Letters to the Editor
MarieA
Published Letters: 264 Editor's Choice: 19
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Teach your children well
[Read the article: It's gift-giving time, and I'm cranky about gift cards and pushy kids]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There are few more ardent capitalists than I, but my children are not the acquisitive little monsters Cary describes (and that I know full well exist). They appreciate bounty but they have learned to discriminate among that bounty.
My children do provide me with wish lists for Xmas and every year the list is smaller. This year the lists were so barren I had to exclaim, Is this it?
Yes, they said, they wanted nothing else. They were content.
But they graciously accept whatever is given them, whether it is gift cards, hair brushes or ill-fitting clothes.
So, Cary, in betwixt and between your verbose meanderings, your point regarding what we've taught our children is well taken.
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Mr. Tennis, you clearly haven't dealt with government agencies before
[Read the article: Somebody sent child protective services to my house!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Children's protective service agencies, as others have noted, have great power to act autonomously. They frequently act on anonymous complaints, the idea behind this being that people don't want to be identified in case of retaliation. This is a double-edged sword, of course, since many anonymous callers submit spurious claims.
The fact that no investigation appears to be ongoing is good news, but you probably have a legal right to notification that no further investigation is warranted. A call to the investigator is warranted here and, if that doesn't satisfy you, talk to her manager.
But Cary is way off base suggesting that LW spend time investigating the investigators. Yes, it's good to have a working knowledge of the agency, but if you roll in there asking about credentials and things like that, you're only going to piss them off. Knowing whether the employees are qualified are not is irrelevant to whether they have authority to investigate or not.
If the case were to go further, those credentials might be relevant, but not at this point. If the investigation proceeds, LW should definitely hire an attorney. Until then, hang tight.
Frankly, I am quite surprised that the investigator told LW that the complaint originated with someone at her church. This seems to me a breech of the confidentiality assured to those reporting suspicions. To me, this is a signal in and of itself that the investigator did not necessarily take these complaints as valid.
It's scary and infuriating to be questioned like this, but it is not uncommon. Experienced investigators know how to sniff out real problems and if you get someone on a vendetta, you can usually calm them down by going up the command chain, at which point you might need an attorney.
Try to behave normally and everything will probably be all right.
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Yeah, Jesus ...
[Read the article: TV Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This was the best Kathy Griffin yet. The beauty of Kathy Griffin is that she can't get the Big Head over being a celebrity because she had the Big Head before she became a celebrity.
I loved the "Suck it, Jesus" controversy and her take on it and the way she wrapped it up at the end. That was a nice touch.
I've really watched Kathy Griffin grow as a performer over the years and that's nice to see. A lot of people get to a certain point and then coast along. I like it that Kathy's still working on her craft.
I'm glad she's taking the credit for herself, not Jesus (who just rides on people's coattails from what I can see).
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How unfortunate that Mr. Paulson doesn't trust the marketplace
[Read the article: Complexity requires government action, says Hank Paulson]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is infuriating but not uncommon for business people to have little understanding of the market. What is even more infuriating is that Mr. Paulson also doesn't understand government.
Complexity is precisely where the government falters (although, truth be told, the government often takes simple things and makes them complicated).
The mortgage situation is the very essence of a self-correcting problem, one exacerbated by government's insistence that the road to prosperity is owning a home. Owning a home is an expensive proposition and not necessarily in everyone's best interest.
It is unfortunate that some people will be hurt in this situation, although the number of subprime mortgagees who failed to read even the rudimentary points of their contracts is appalling. There are no doubt ways to help them that don't involve the strong arm of government. Surely all these mortgage companies don't want to deal with massive ever-devaluing properties.
I have seen some significant economic busts in my life and life has gone on, just as it will when the dust settles on this so-called crisis. Government intervention is only going to prolong the agony.
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The church reaction just tickles my funny bone
[Read the article: A moral "Compass"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As soon as my 15-year-old heard this was an "atheist" movie, she ran right out and got the first "Golden Compass" book; now she's reading the 2nd in the series.
She didn't want to wait for the movie.
The Church et al has been getting its panties in a twist for hundreds of years (more, really) and my own kid has gotten sick of it in her lifetime what with the Tinky Winky debacle and the Harry Potter hysteria and being told at age 9 that she was destined for Hell.
All this wailing and teeth-gnashing over works that are clearly fiction (much like religious texts) just looks silly.
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This is not normal
[Read the article: How to explain my husband to my kids?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Your husband needs professional help. Period. There is no way on God's green Earth that having too much cafe or "2 beers" (really?) makes him depressed. More likely he drinks too much caffeine or has the beers because he's depressed and he's self-medicating.
In any case, you present no evidence that he is trying to help himself or behave better. Good for you for not walking on eggshells any more, but he needs help.
If he won't go, you go.
No kidding.
Your life will be significantly improved.