Letters to the Editor
ShepBob
Published Letters: 7 Editor's Choice: 1
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The Great Depression II
[Read the article: The Great Depression: The sequel]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes, we seem to hear "since the Great Depression" every day, and I'm certain that we are heading for another one.
And how did we escape the last Depression? Why, gearing up our industrial might to fight a war, of course. Of course, today we have outsourced all of the industry, and we are fighting way more war than we can afford already.
We won't get out from under "Depression II" until our economy starts producing things of value again, instead of mega-deals and Big Macs. How about 10 million new jobs for the green economy? Let's put our workers back on line building 50mpg autos domestically, and building wind turbines and solar arrays.
All it is going to take is to wrest the controls of government away from the rich, if we're not too busy watching Fox News and American Idol...
Or you can just throw in the towel and invest in apple farms and soup kettles. If we get into the next depression it is going to take a long time to get out.
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What we need now is a 3PM ad
[Read the article: Yet another "3 a.m." ad released]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The scene: President McCain is in the middle of his daily nap and is awakened to learn that Bush's tax cuts for the rich are still not staving off the next depression. The Presidential bedside clock reads 3:00, but we see a sliver of sunlight peeking through the drawn curtains.
A breathless adviser apologizes for waking the President up an hour early, but...
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I certainly hope that we elect a President who doesn't wait until 3AM to find out what should have been on the agenda for months or years - that's what we have now, and it certainly isn't working...
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Obama Needs Some Details - A Modest Proposal
[Read the article: Looking past Pennsylvania]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I agree that Obama should give some policy details, and I have a modest proposal for the folks in Indiana (my home state):
Comprehensive program for boosting employment, reducing greenhouse gases, and lowering dependence on foreign oil:
Pledge to replace government motor-pool with high mileage vehicles built in America. Provide government subsidies to automakers to build high mileage vehicles in states where they have previously closed plants. Propose personal tax incentives for taxpayers to purchase these same domestic high mileage vehicles. Target: double fleet fuel economy by 100% over four years, while creating 500,000 high wage manufacturing jobs, and dumping half the carbon into the air.
Fund the proposal with the savings on fuel charges to the government, increased income taxes for the higher wage workers, and a windfall profits tax on the oil companies.
Similarly, do the same with domestically produced solar panels on government buildings.
Oh yes, and don't bomb Iran without at least talking to them first!
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Prii Abroad
[Read the article: Who pays the most for gas?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I can't speak for Turkey, but I just returned from Paris, and there were quite a few Prii there. The only American car I saw there was an AMC Pacer. It's probably since the Pacer's era that you would find a typical American car in Paris - they don't make sense there (nor in America, either).
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Why limit ourselves to politicians
[Read the article: Obama Veepstakes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Since we're supposed to be moving away from "the same old system", why not broaden the scope to include academics, business people, and innovators from other fields?
No one has mentioned Howard Dean, a former governor. If you haven't noticed, he's doing pretty well with the 50 State Strategy.
Robert Reich? Jimmy Smits?
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How to help Hillary with her money troubles, without pissing off all the partisans
[Read the article: Hillary enters death-with-dignity phase]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You read in all the postings a great deal of venom and feeling that Barack Obama would have to abandon his 'new ways of thinking' to rescue the old-style pol and pay for the slash and burn tactics of (and huge bills owed to) Mark Penn).
What might go a long way to promote unity and to help with the campaign debts, would be for Barack and Hillary to do a 20 state tour of joint appearances with both candidates' loyalists paying to get in. Hillary vows her love for the nominee, they get the warring factors to sing Kumbaya together, and they split the purse. I suggest focusing on the states where Hillary's strength is pronounced.
This could make the grudges on both sides go away a little, boost the war chest for Obama in the pre-convention period, and retire Hillary's debt and loans.
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Very Funny
[Read the article: McCain Veepstakes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was amused to take your little VP quiz. As a former teacher who has some experience in writing multiple choice tests, I think you have a way to go...
I tried to leave some answers blank, since the questions were pretty silly, but when you forced me to answer them all, I did. I howled with agony to find that I had picked Joe Lieberman. How could this be?
Then I went back and changed one answer - the hair part. What did I find? Apparently, Joe Lieberman's hair part is his most significant attribute! He fell completely off the chart when I changed from left to right. (Ironic, if you consider that my interest in Lieberman happened when he changed from left to right.)
McCain's choice of VP is critical, in case he should get elected. It's pretty easy to envision John stroking out early on, then we have to live with his choice. For the life of me, I cannot think of a single candidate for VP coming from the pack that JM emerged from, or anyone else for that matter. Maybe Cheney would like another go of it...