Letters to the Editor
masaccio
Published Letters: 222 Editor's Choice: 16
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Pointlessly theoretical, are we?
[Read the article: Greed on aisle 6]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Steve Kelner thinks "you should pay for executive performance". Is he suggesting that they would not do as good a job as they do if they didn't get the big bucks? Hardly.
And pay comes in many forms. What is the value of the perks of power? What is the value of the right to control the lives of others? What is the value of being a real player in the world?
Politicians work for relatively little, compared to CEOs, and they don't complain, because they recognize the value of the trappings of power. So do CEOs.
Businessmen take the money because they can arrange things so they get the money. They take it because they want to show off to their colleagues and competitors. Whatever. Why try to figure it out?
They would work for whatever they were offered, so long as it came with the corner office, and paid enough for them to send the kids to college. And if they wouldn't, there are plenty just as good who would.
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The National Interest
[Read the article: Surge of anger]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]According to several letter writers, the "political reality" is that democrats cannot use the power of the purse to stop this atrocity. They argue that the republicans will call them spineless and other bad names.
If that is true, if the democrats are so threatened that they cannot do what the overwhelming majority of citizens demand, what purpose are they serving? I expect the party to stand up to this guy in whatever way is necessary to protect our national interests. If we lose senators and representatives, well, loss of a majority is a cheaper price than loss the lives of our military and the citizens of Iraq.
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What was the deal anyway?
[Read the article: Maybe Bush didn't back down on wiretaps]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How are we supposed to evaluate the promises made by the Attorney General? The orders are not public, and apparently no one has actually seen them. The AG and this administration have no credibility. The timing is suspicious.
I hope Senators Leahy, Feingold and Schumer are looking out for the public, which is, as always, left in the dark. If not, our only hope is another whistleblower.
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POOR, POOR SCOOTER
[Read the article: Scooter's tragic innocence]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]All over the media we see how badly Scooter has been treated by the administration that seemed to love him so. The NYT did a puff piece explaining how Scooter is really nice, the WSJ excoriated Patrick Fitzgerald, and now we get to hear it from a close friend in Salon.
Is there anyone in this administration who is responsible for anything?
Is there any piece of mummery that the press, including Salon, will not print?
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Good day for this column
[Read the article: The sorrows of fame]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is a great day for this column: the new web site, parisexposed, has a new bunch of trashy stuff about her into which we can dumpster-dive.
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Today's news
[Read the article: The view from Tehran]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Christiane Amanpour reports today on an interview with a "senior Iranian government official" in Iran that plenty of Iranians believe that their country should normalize relations with the US.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/21/btsc.iran.amanpour/index.html
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Capital vs. Labor
[Read the article: Time for regime change for American workers]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The key problem is that the companies have money, by the ton. The NYT reports today that hedge funds and private equity funds have over $1 TRILLION under management, but we should not worry, they can be regulated with voluntary guidelines just fine, nothing to see here.
The NYT reported earlier that the trillion dollars in the mortgage-backed securitites industry have been used to purchase securities in tranches, each supposedly with a different risk profile, and that the tranches have been sold and resold,so that no one knows who is at risk, including perhaps huge numbers of people through pension and 401(k) plans, but that this is of no concern either.
With these vast sums of money looking for high returns, money spent supressing labor unions has a huge return. Workers are not fairly paid, but Capital and the rich people are. Capital and the rich people that have it make sure of that.
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Dynasty and Boomerism
[Read the article: The speech Hillary should give]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have had it with dynasties, either by blood or marriage. But equally important, I have had it with baby boomers after only two presidents from my generation. Enough. Enough. Let's recognize that we Boomers had our chances, and we failed. Newt Gingrich, boomer and chickenhawk,and his twins in the party of corruption ruined the Democratic Party's best chance, and George Bush proved once and for all that the Republican boomers are not fit to govern.
Give someone young a chance. They have a bigger stake in getting it right.
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Speculation
[Read the article: Stock market mayhem: "Look out below!"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I speculate that the problem is the vast amount of money washing in and out of markets, including the stock market, that is being used to speculate and not for actual purposeful investment. The rise of hedge funds and buy-out funds is based on the incredible amount of money hiding there. The NYT says maybe a couple of trillion just looking for a huge return.
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Who is attacking this guy?
[Read the article: Porn free]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't see anyone attacking this guy. People think, naturally enough, that it is odd for gay people to claim allegiance to the homophobic Reopublican party. People think, naturally enough, that it is funny that gay-bashers like Coulter again and again find themselves embracing gay people. My, my, some of us do have thin skins.
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Congress has no shame
[Read the article: Alberto Gonzales must go]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Joe Conason says:
"If senators retain any pride in their office and take their constitutional oath seriously, they will not confirm another appointment sent up to them by this attorney general."
I don't see any sign that our Senators and Congressmen have any sense of shame. My Senators, both Republicans, put party above the Constitution at every turn, including, of course, voting to ban discussion of the situation in Iraq. Neither do they engage in any discussion with their constituents. They do not even reply to correspondence. If we have to rely on them for change, we are doomed.