Letters to the Editor
Rowyna
Published Letters: 105 Editor's Choice: 36
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no one listened
[Read the article: Not taking it to the streets]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I too marched against the invasion of Iraq before we actually invaded. I did not bother to attend any subsequent rallys (at least, no rally about the Iraq war). What would be the point? Perhaps it is my own perssimism, but if the government could not be bothered to listen to the voices of millions across the globe that day, or the many many opinion articles and polls, what is the likelyhood they will listen to another protest? The media will be there, and talk of the small numbers, and paint the protesters as some sort of freakish sideshow... strange hippies from a bygone era, or college kids who don't know what they're talking about (I guess I would fall into the later category). No one who makes any decisions listens. They are so far removed from the actual opinion of the American people.
I honestly believe that many of our policymakers do not believe themselves to be "representatives" of the people at all. They think themselves more intellegent and better informed than the unwashed masses. They think they know best. Just let those strong masculine men take care of it all, and don't you worry your pretty little head, America.
I'll vote at the election, but perhaps MOST important in this age of rampant capitalism, I'll vote with my wallet (what a funny phrase. Did 'vote with your wallet' exist in the 50s? something tells me it probably didn't). Because $$ is the only thing the "leaders" of America listen to or care about anymore.
And I'll voice my disatisfaction into the strange new protest machine known as the internet. Maybe I can't be at the washington rally (since I live in australia...) but I can throw my voice and support into cyberspace. Maybe someone there will actually listen. Doubt it.
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why buy an inferior computer for more?
[Read the article: Once and for all, proof that Macs are cheaper than PCs]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Why on earth would I buy an 80G 512MB crummy processor computer for MORE than another computer that has twice as good specs? Because I can sell it for more in a year? Thats ridiculous.
Not only would I keep my computer for more than a year (realistically, probably somewhere around 3-4 years, and many people buying a computer for home use who are older than Gen X would very likely be keeping their computer for somwhere in the neighborhood of 5-6 years...), but for the time I did have that computer, I would be using a machine that was TWICE as good for $100 less.
I can't quite understand how the resale value stacks up against the better specs of a PC for the same price. Even if you ARE only going to keep your computer for a year - isn't it worth the $300 loss in resale to have gotten a better machine to be using during that year in the first place?
Macs have some advantages over PCs, but price simply is NOT one of them. Not if you're going to keep your computer for longer than a year. Afterall, I can't imagine the market for a 5 year old mac is all that great (even if it is better than the market for a 5 year old PC).
The unintended point of this article seems to be that if you want a REAL bargain, buy a 1 year old PC off ebay. You'll get the same specs as a mac, but for around $300 instead of $800. Sure you can't sell it, but hey, you paid $500 less in the first place!