Letters to the Editor
John A. Bailo
Published Letters: 33
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Self-Destruction
[Read the article: How will it all end?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The only result of this Democratic campaign will be self-destruction of the Democratic Party.
While much attention has been heaped on us Republicans and our "spirited debate" between Moderate and Conservative, there are many hiden fractional currents within the Democratic Party that have gone unelucidated.
For example, have you ever wondered (using my Andy Rooney voice now) why, in this election, there has been no really Liberal Candidate? There is no Nader, or Green Party guy. And Edwards talked Lib, but everyone knows he's mainstream. You'd think that with all the confidence in the Dems that they will be the Bush replacement, that there would be willing to take risks and elect a very Liberal guy.
The answer is: they are. His name is Barrack Obama. Obama holds views that are significantly left leaning, much more so than Clinton. Clinton is a Consensus, 1950s style Democrat. Strong on Defense, Soft on Society. Obama wants to leave Iraq. The image is painted to two moderate liberals. That ain't the case. Obama represents the Left Wing of the Democrat Party. Hillary represents the Right. There is nothing Liberal about Hillary. She would rule with an Iron Hand. Obama would share the wealth.
The difference this year is that both sides are aching to break free and really say what's on their minds. The back and forth in the polls and primaries show that Obama has, more than Mondale, or Kerry, or Gore, galvanized the far left Democrats so that are willing to stay in their Party this year! Even the Crazies are willing to subsume themselves and come out for Obama.
I don't see why these Two Democrat Parties are not explored more. What I see is a two parties, each holding their own election, with their own leader. They can't be merged...they have nothing in common. They want different things.
In my opinion, this is a 3 party race: McCain vs. Clinton vs. Obama.
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90's Leftovers
[Read the article: A mistake that should last a lifetime]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I remember people used to go on all the time about the "Sixties Leftovers" -- the guys who kept at it long after the Summer of Love was over. Long hair, jeans; meanwhile the country had moved on to aerobics and condos.
Now we still have these people marching around like nothing changed since that first Moby album. Piercings, tats. Give it up, geezers. The dream is over...Kurt Cobain is still dead. Move into the 21st century!
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The Smart Get Smarter
[Read the article: America closes the book on intelligence]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't think intellectualism went away, I just think the Bell Curve widened. In the same way that a few people got really, really rich and a bunch of people got really poor, and then the "broad based" middle class fractured into tens of income groups -- so too with intellect.
There are people in this world right now who are horribly smart...smarter than ever. I mean, if there were a nuclear war, would I be able to etch and fabricate a CPU? Nope, and I went to Princeton. Yet, there are people who can do that, and make it better every year.
Jeopardy. There are intellectual equivalents of the Ice Age-born Great Irish Elk on that show today. Way back, a champion would win for a few days...now there are people who win for weeks! No one can catch them. It's evolution at work.
And look, what's wrong with it? If we allow a society where the top 3 percent of people can own 84% of the material things, then the top 3 percent smartest people maybe own 84% of all knowledge. Maybe the same for the top 3 percent of spiritual people...
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Tammany Alive And Well...Thank Goodness
[Read the article: NYC voting snafu may work in Obama's favor]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In a pure, abstract world, where everything is composed of Platonic Solids, you would want each and every eligible voter to vote and each and every vote to be counted accurately.
In this, the Real World, as a major state trying to get its share of power, finding that it chose the "wrong horse" and wanting to erase those betting slips and find a new one in it's vest pocket showing that all along, New Yorkers "knew" Obama was the best choice....Yes. suddenly Obama can be declared the winner of the NY primary.
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Knowing the Patient
[Read the article: Wal-Mart can be good for your health]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The real element missing is the history -- the old time doctor would "know" the patient. This avoided let a snap judgement or single test determine a treatment. If I know you have asthma, then I wouldn't prescribe a certain drug for flu.
I like WalMart and I like the retail clinic idea if we can marry computer histories and full scale medical records with clinic visits. This let's the system be the history and knowledge of the patient. (Jiffy Lube and The Tire Factory do this well for cars).
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As Long As Elton John Can...
[Read the article: From "Sicko" to Iraq-o]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Of those movies the only one I saw is "Sicko". Among the many obvious problems with that movie are: if that guy loved his fingers so much, why didn't he want to spend the money to save them (he certainly thought the rest of us should pay for them).
The reason Hollywood hates the current administration is that it has no use for them. Under the Clinton's, there was free flowing access to power (and money) from Washington to LA. Now that the well has dried up, the glitterati lost their sinecure. They continue to hope...to hope that one day, the world will again be safe for Elton John to hang large pictures of near naked 8 year olds in his living room.
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Who Will Be The Geraldine (aka Footnote)?
[Read the article: The dude vote]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"No other woman has ever gotten anywhere near this far in the nominating process."
Well, one woman did...Geraldine Ferraro, Vice Presidential Candidate running with Walter Mondale. (In fact, if Obama's people were a little nastier, the could have fired back with a nice GF quip in response to Bill Clinton's Jesse Jackson comment.)
Surprisingly, almost no one mentions her in conjunction with Hillary, who, so far, has not made history in any way (other than, so far, "former woman front runner for the Democratic nomination").
The real race now is for the Geraldine Ferraro award, as in, who gets to be the footnote.