Letters to the Editor
cheerfulray
Published Letters: 158 Editor's Choice: 15
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Yes
[Read the article: No longer the "Right Man"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Gosh, they got it right for once. I do hate conservatives, especially white male American conservatives. Why wouldn't I? They are trying to HURT me. They've made a mess of everything they've touched, from the environment to the economy to the election system to America's honor abroad. Hating them is the only decent response.
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Daycare
[Read the article: Day scare]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Goodness me. More about daycare. My three kids all went to good daycare in Ames, Iowa, where most of the teachers were trained at the Iowa State University Child Development school. The center I used was clean, comfortable, and safe. They started going at about 2 and a half, after in home care a few hours per day every day. The kids are now 27, 23, and 13. The older ones are gainfully employed, socially well adjusted, articulate, and liberal. They have always done well in school, always had friends, and firmly believe in daycare for their own children when they have them. When they were in daycare, I actually thought their social skills were pretty good. They knew how to look adults in the eye and ask for what they wanted. They knew how to share and take turns. They knew how to buddy up and walk in a group down the street. They were not always happy, but they lived an orderly and enjoyable life. They show no attachment problems, and they are enterprising. I think good daycare is great, and I also think that we should never forget that not every mom is a great constant companion for her kids. Some moms are neurotic, unhappy, angry, frustrated, and demanding. Best not to be stuck in the house with her. See Cary for more info on what can happen on that front.
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Bush
[Read the article: Three more years of Bush, a plan for Cheney and the I-word, again]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Isn't it obvious that Bush is tired of being president, and Cheney isn't that happy either? I think they all wanted to win last year because they thought they would get a mandate (cheat themselves into a mandate) and then have it all their way. They forgot to reckon with their own incompetence. It isn't fun to be the boss when you don't know what you are doing, and they never did. They thought being president was about getting all the perks, when actually it's about governing--work! Work! Can you imagine? And Bush hates to actually work--that's obvious. So, yes, we're stuck with them, unless we impeach them. That would be the most practical thing to do at this point. Throw the bums out and get someone who wants to do the job. They could post an ad on Craigslist.
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fair use
[Read the article: Throwing Google at the book]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am a novelist who depends on book sales for income. I have to say that when I first heard about this Google thing, I was fearful and annoyed, but now I don't really see it as that much different from the gray area that surrounds used books and library copies. I meet lots of readers who are on library waiting lists, waiting for my book rather than buying themselves a copy. I also autograph a lot of books that I know have been bought from used bookstores. All through the 19th century, one sold book was equivalent to fifteen "readers" because most people couldn't read, and looked forward to having the book read aloud to them. The fact is, exposure to a book can lead to a purchase, but no exposure to the book leads nowhere. Readers and purchasers are simply different. It's nice to have purchasers, but it's essential to have readers. I think Google users should be allowed to see what's in the book, and that Google should pay licensing fees. I don't believe these notions about the impracticability of finding the copyright owners--there are good faith attempts to do that sort of thing all the time, and there are escrow accounts where money can be stashed, etc. The problems can be worked out. I don't see why anyone would get worked up over an issue that is clearly on the way to being worked out.
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kids in restaurants
[Read the article: Should cafes be kid-free?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As a mother who had "bad" kids, I have to say I sympathize with parents whose kids talk too loudly, climb all over the tables, cry, want to run around all the time, make a mess on and underneath the table, and in general demonstrate to everyone that you, the mom, are screwing up. But it's also important to remember that in any kind of restaurant, unrestrained kids are actually dangerous, because they get underneath the feet of the wait-staff, who can trip over them, step on them, and drop things on them. Like big heavy trays. In every town, there are restaurants that are appropriate for kids like I had. And while you are sitting there, wishing your food was a little more upscale, you can console yourself that in a few years, the kids won't want to be seen with you, anyway. And THEN you can go to the cafe and have a nice quiet meal.
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Not Manjoo
[Read the article: Don't get "Fooled Again"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There was no reason to believe that Farhad Manjoo would ever accept Mark Crispin Miller's persuasive argument that the 2004 election was stolen--Manjoo had already made up his mind by November tenth,2004, when he told us all in no uncertain terms not to believe what seemed evident, that the election in Ohio had been stolen, and that Kenneth Blackwell was the engineer of the theft. Miller has done the legwork--Manjoo has not. I believe Miller, and I think that Manjoo should drop the subject--his input at this point is counterproductive to the revival of actual democracy in America.