Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 236 Editor's Choice: 42
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Please update this data
[Read the article: The warped reality of our media stars]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Americans: (a) think the Iraq war was not worth fighting by a 33-66% margin; (b) believe we should withdraw forces "even if that means civil order is not restored there" by a 56-42% margin; (c) oppose the President's "surge" by a 35-65% margin; (d) realize that a victory in the "war on terrorism" does not require victory in Iraq (57-37%); and (e) perhaps most remarkably: believe America is losing the war in Iraq (53-32%) and will lose (51-35%).
In the quote, you have the voting ratios switching back and forth, which is confusing. Please confirm - (a) and (c) are no-yes, the rest are yes-no. If the ratios of polling data actually represent favorable votes on the opinions grouped with the number, you should be consistent in presenting them with the larger number first. Perhaps a quibble, but it would aid comprehension.
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7 years and counting
[Read the article: The hormone-replacement roller coaster]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]... that I've had furious menopausal "symptoms," including, recently, rapid pulse/palpitations, when I historically have had low blood pressure. I only took hormones for a year, as low a dose as possible, and then quit, wanting to lessen my chemical intake to zero. But I accept that this is the normal biological process that women go through, and suffering hot flashes is better than a higher risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
The medical establishment does not have a clue as to what causes these symptoms, or what to do with them, other than a variation on "better living through chemistry." Why should I trust that they have my best interests at heart, when the huge push for "lifestyle drugs" is so pervasive. How great for them - millions of women taking a pill a day for the rest of their lives. Oops, some of them die from side effects; oh well, acceptable losses, eh?
I am from a medical family - my father, sister and uncle were/are doctors. I have had the best care growing up that anyone in the country could have, aside from the President and corporate execs. But when I moved away from my hometown and away from "professional courtesy," I saw that for most people, medicine is actually an economic machine and they - we - are merely fodder for that machine. Thank the congress for governmental regulations that force the drug companies to reveal side effects in their ads, or we would literally be hooked up to the drug fount if they had free rein.
The previous poster, obviously well-meaning and probably a very caring health provider, still works within that system and cannot see that it is rotten from within. The drug companies, the insurance companies, the big clinic cartels will use us til our deaths, until the doctors themselves start to practice healthCARE, not drug vending and start to fight the system that has them in a bind as well.
Oh, and to the obviously male poster who claims the right to look elsewhere when his "loved one" crosses over, he just proves that men think with their lower extremities and good riddance to him.
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This is another diversion
[Read the article: A Gonzales resignation is not enough]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Gonzales is a sacrificial lamb - he spent a month with WH staff preparing for this hearing and all he could offer was "I don't recall?" They fully expected him to get reamed and then the Bush loyalists and media suckups can belittle the Congress for it. This is designed to make the Congress look petty and ineffectual, since, yes, only the President can remove the AG unless he falls on his sword.
Either would be fine for the WH, leaving them at no greater risk of exposure than before. Rove is the actual perpetrator, and so thoroughly protected by "executive privelege" that Bush has no compunction about letting Gonzales twist in the wind.
There are so many actual illegal acts commited by this administration, that expending resources on this diversion seems a waste of time, as much as I abhor the lying and the concept of politicization of the Justice Dept - the fact that millions of official emails have been destroyed is a greater crime all by itself!
Signing statements, wiretapping, FBI crimes, extraordinary rendition, etc, etc, etc. And then there are the stealth crimes, like forcing the schools to allow prayer, allowing vouchers and forcing a conservative agenda into the curriculum in No Child Left Behind. A special prosecutor could work for the next 10 years and not uncover all of them.
There is scant cheese down this tunnel. How about condemning the whole exercise and then get started on the email issue. Let's get on with the real work at hand.
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The hidden losses
[Read the article: "The myth of high-tech outsourcing"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My brother-in-law is outsourcing his programming to the Phillipines, since the bill for his new system would be $1mil here in the states and he's getting it for $350K. ($500K was the estimate from Russian programmers.)
He has a currently successful small business, less than 50 employees, and his buffer will be tapped out with even this moderate expenditure. He's also opening a call center office in the Phillipines, to be able to compete in his market, where most of his competitors are already offshore. With only a small downturn or miscalculation, or a small political upheaval and he is out of luck. Only large corporations can afford to outsource and survive all eventualities.
The question is not only whether wages are going up or not, but how many small businesses are forced to go offshore, just to stay alive, or close down, when only the wealthy can afford to compete.
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No more eating our young
[Read the article: The front-runners get along, almost]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was gratified that the candidates didn't attack each other. I am with Nita; stop trying to create conflict between the candidates with fake "translations." There was a civility in the discourse that we haven't seen in years. Maybe they despise each other in real life, but please, let's distinguish ourselves from the dirty tricks brigade and focus on the issues alone!