The American Spectator

p> HOV NEGATIVE br> Re: Judd Magilnick’s Bobos in Priuses : /p>

I quite agree with Mr. Magilnick that our wonderful elites have this cute habit of exempting themselves from their own social engineering.

On such exemption I have personally experienced for years is quotas — oops, affirmative action. It is white male shlubs without influence or connections, who get shafted in college admissions, jobs, and promotions. The rich white men, of both parties, are of course not affected at all. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen some smirking, self-satisfied rich white man sound off about the glory of quotas, and how racist you are if you don’t like them. You want to stop quotas — find a way to make the elite experience them.

p>Crime? The next time a judge lets some psycho loose on society, pass a law that the psycho gets to live on probation at home with the judge and his family. Rich liberals denounce the rich? Have them give half of their money to the poor. Perhaps John Kerry would like to convert four of his five mansions into homeless shelters. br> — John Lockwood br> Washington, D.C. /p>

Everyone knows that folks in Europe are just plain smarter than us Americans.

Europe’s answer to the hybrid has long been the diesel car. At an engineering conference in Austria, our host explained that diesel drivers pay less at the pump but that they have to pay a higher yearly registration tax. As a result, the diesel cars are put in the hands of people who have to drive lots of miles, and this was so sensibly European.