Letters to the Editor
MarieA
Published Letters: 264 Editor's Choice: 19
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Unfettered free market? Really?
[Read the article: Criminals of the world, unite and take over]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Throughout this article, Ms. Miller describes criminal activity, which, I suppose one could call an area of "unfettered free market." Certainly, market economics can easily describe this activity but that doesn't mean it is an example of free markets "unfettered."
Russia, a petri dish for Chicago-school economics? I wish. The haphazard deregulation of only certain sectors of the economy and the sweetheart deals that are inherent in a controlled economy are hardly fine examples of the free market.
The violence and corruption Ms. Miller describes are the direct result of regulation (or attempts thereof): oil, diamonds, drugs, prostitution, guns, whatever. If you outlaw lipstick, there's going to be a blackmarket for it with all its attendant problems.
Certainly holding women against their will is and should always be a crime, but should prostitution? Wouldn't it be easier to ferret out real criminal behavior (the use of force and committing fraud) if these products and services were legal and deregulated? Mild-mannered British pot dealers can afford to be mild-mannered because their product is becoming socially acceptable and more and more legally tolerated.
When an item is outlawed or so heavily regulated as to be profitable to sell on the black market, violence and corruption must inevitably follow because, after all, what other recourse is there? Can't turn to the courts to enforce contracts. Have to pay off law enforcement and government officials to move the product. Violence is necessary to acquire and maintain market share.
It is true that, if drugs (for example) were to be legalized worldwide, the criminal gangs would attempt to find new products to market. But it would also make life harder for them, especially when they try to move into "legitimate" business areas. Criminal enterprises get their best toeholds in products and services that are highly regulated--price fixed, protected, sweetheart contracts. These aren't the stuff of free markets either.
This is just another tiresome tirade against free markets by someone who clearly doesn't understand economics very well.
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Bitter about the media
[Read the article: Is it "contradictory" to decry the right's tactics while insisting on their equal application?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Recently, CNN and the evening news on NBC, ABC and CBS all ran "Bitter Battle" stories, allegedly highly the "bitter battle" between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (huh?). While it's hard to get a handle on a lead story on MSNBC since they have so little actual news, the term "bitter battle" was tossed around on their talking heads shows.
Frankly, in my view the media bears more culpability than the Right's propaganda masters. After all, it is the media that serves up this dreck day after day. It is the media that promotes the notion that the dinner-party insults tossed between 2 candidates is "bitter" and that saying so passes for authentic political discourse.
The Right learned how to manipulate the media and apparently it didn't take much manipulating, especially after 9/11 when the media feared being considered "unAmerican" by merely disclosing the ways that politicians are taking a knife to the Constitution. (And,let's be honest here--politicians on both sides of the aisle have a bit of a go at that document since the founding of the country.)
Holding the media accountable would go a long ways toward taking the thunder out of those who want to promote personality-based politics and to cover up their misdeeds.
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The Boy Who Cried Wolf
[Read the article: The "Seas of David" plot "more hype than evidence"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The White House track record is 0 victories so far. Even the Jose Padilla case was seriously twisted to get a conviction.
Anyone with any sense knows that there are people out there who would like to commit mayhem in the United States. But there is not much the government do to stop that.
Violating our civil liberties isn't going to help stop any attacks.
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Get a sports performance coach
[Read the article: I quit being a musician because I couldn't play without drinking]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yeah, yeah, can't play without drinking. Sure, I get that. We've all got something.
But clearly you loved playing, so here's how you get back to that.
You need a sports performance coach. You might only need a couple of sessions. But you have to find a way to get in the zone without external aids. A coach can help you do that.
Then get back on stage, however it takes. Full time, part time, amateur, professional, jam sessions, whatever.
Just do it.
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There is little new under the sun
[Read the article: Media hypocrites love personality politics]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]While the "media age" has meant that the message has been polished up, the objection to wimpy, nerdy, geeky presidential candidates is not a new phenomenon.
Adlai Stevenson was described repeatedly as an "egghead" (the nerd designation of his day). Eisenhower rode his war cred into office, despite being a stiff speaker and not really the most masculine of men.
Alf Landon, although a Republican, wore glasses and was roundly defeated by Franklin Roosevelt, who worked the media like no president before or since.
Even John Adams was soundly rebuked for being short and ugly, compared to the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Today's media has just put a fine shine on personality politics with, in essence, 24 hour commentary (not news).
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As soon as Iraq descends a little further into Hell ...
[Read the article: What will they really do about Iraq?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]upon withdrawing significant numbers of troops, whoever is president is going to be pressured to do "something," which means sending troops back in.
Regardless of who is president, there will be American troop presence in Iraq of some sort for a very long time.
Have you had a look at the Korean DMZ lately?
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The Media's Method
[Read the article: Major revelation: U.S. media deceitfully disseminates government propaganda]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The formula that the media, especially television broadcast
media --which is the sole source of news for many--is hopelessly corrupt.
CNN and MSNBC have provided 24 hour coverage of the Pope's visit done in a fashion that appears to have been designed by the Vatican's own PR department.
There is no substance, no perspective, no depth--merely endless live footage of the pope intoning something or looking at something or shaking hands with "common" people. That plus hours of "expert" discussion about what the Pope is doing and "what it means." Oh and the interviews with people like the students who, while in a huge crowd, got to touch the pope's hand. "How did that make you feel?"
The method of "reportage" is precisely the same as the Iraq War. Just switch out the priests with radio talk shows with generals working for defense contractors.