Letters to the Editor
mattwa33186
Published Letters: 395 Editor's Choice: 41
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This is what defense attorneys get paid for
[Read the article: Scooter Libby responds]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I just hope the judge doesn't buy it.
His lawyers don't seem to understand (or the hope the judge doesn't) that protecting someone who commited treason is an act of treason itself, even if that someone happens to be the Vice President (my personal front runner).
I especially liked the part about him having difficulty finding gainful employment because of all the negative publicity. I'm reasonably certain that there is a Haliburton sub-contractor out there keeping an executive chair and mid 6 figure salary warm for him.
He needs to do the 3 years, I'd vote for more but 3 years will have to do, and he needs to do them at Leavenworth. We have to at least show the next guy that protecting his boss will cost more than they can pay him.
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Redistributing wealth upward = BAD
[Read the article: John Edwards is confused about gas prices]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First, Edwards is absolutely right about the monopolistic practices of oil companies. Even independent refiners are part of the problem - Valero has extremely short customer and supplier lists and is basically at the mercy of oil producers and gasoline retailers with regards to how much they can actually refine.
Second, and I'll say it again, high prices that result in higher profits for the producers are gouging. Europe has high prices because of taxes, taxes that go to build roads and pay for universal health care. Our high prices fund obscene performance bonuses and private jets. Allowing producers and retailers to set prices for a utility is stupid, because it leads to this exact situation.
As a previous poster said one obvious solution is rationing, but with a twist. Everybody gets a set amount of gas, say 30 gallons a week. Government sets the prices, pads them with a lot of taxes. So lets say the base price of a gallon of gas comes to $2.50 a gallon. We then have to buy our ration cards, with the price per gallon determined by income and vehicle - a janitor with a Prius might pay the base $2.50 a gallon, while a doctor with a Hummer might pay $7 or even $10 a gallon, with all of the additional money being a tax used to fund research and development of alternative fuels.
Yes, this is somewhat Socialist and that bothers me, but this is a desperate situation. But the advantages are that it is for the most part a progressive usage tax - the doctor could knock a huge chunk off his gas bill by trading in his Humvee for an Escape hybrid. And it puts the oil companies in a position where if they want a chunk of all that money they have to start working on alternatives. And we need that as much as we need the alternatives themselves.
You may have noticed that every lot that can profitably support a fueling center already has a gas station on it. The pipelines, rail cars, depots, and fuel trucks are mostly owned by oil companies. If we came up with the perfect fuel tomorrow it would require the biggest imminent domain case in the history of the world to be able to distribute it effectively, unless we create a situation where the oil companies have to get on board.
And finally, getting rid of current tax breaks wouln't impact the price of a gallon of gas for long if the monopolistic practices were stopped. In a truly competitive market, sooner or later somebody is going to trade margin for revenue and the rest will follow.
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I rarely agree with Cary
[Read the article: My girlfriend's stepfather is a real a-hole ... and a dying man]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]But this one nailed it.
1. Dying or not, step-father to the woman you love or not, he owes you nothing. Not courtesy, not respect, nothing. No one does. You are just some guy, possibly another in a long line and the sequel to a no-account piece of crap he had to tolerate for 4 years. He isn't being overtly hostile to you. He's ignoring you, which is his right.
2. Dying or not, unmitigated prick or not, you do owe him courtesy and respect. You are standing in his house. Don't be an asshole.
3. Stop fixating on his health. Treat him like you would any other guy in his position - said position being owner of the house you are visiting and step-father to the girl you are bedding.
4. Maybe he just doesn't like you because he has determined (correctly) that you are a sniveling, approval seeking little jerk who thinks everybody owes him something.
5. As Cary said, the world is full of people who don't like you. Based on the letter you wrote, I don't like you. Are you going to cry to Dear Abby over that? Deal with it. Be a man. Show him the respect he deserves as owner of the above mentioned roles in your life because he has earned it and for no other reason. Maybe if you start doing that instead of whining about how he treats you he will start to see you as someone worthy of his respect.