The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Audacious Elitism

4.15.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 5 of 5)

Thank God for Reagan's tax-cut -- I wasn't working-for-nothing anymore.

Yet, more than the actual dollars, it's the principle! Having the pandering Congress or unelected, faceless bureaucrats (with the biggest unions in the U.S., of course) think they can spend/waste/blow my money better than I? Redistribute my (would be) "wealth?" That sucks, pal.

Perhaps you might seek some serious counseling -- that's sick too.
-- Jack Frost

I don't know why, but for some reason, Mr. Dorell's dyspepsia about America reminds me of some people I know, who are recently retired from the gated communities of the Academy. They have excellent pensions and live more or less unhappily off them. These funds are run by the very same people who are in the "greed" business Mr. Dorell so despises. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these greedy people also belonged to "kooky" religious cults like the Roman Catholic Church or even broad based Protestant churches. They might even hunt too! Really, they aren't too much different than the mechanic who works on Mr. Dorell's car or the owner of the diner down the road where he has his morning coffee, or the neighborhood bar where he enjoys a drink (and if he abstains, perhaps he should reconsider; it would help his disposition!); not to mention the owners of the many small businesses in Evanston who employ the people that keep his city and it's environs livable.

His letter was perfectly timed. He sounds like Obama telling all those swells in San Francisco about his marvelous adventure in the hinterlands of Pennsylvania during his campaign to bring "hope" and "change" to America.
-- Bob Keiser
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania

Why do the rich care about taxes? Self-interest is one good reason. A 90 percent tax rate was once not unheard of in this proud land. Another reason is principle. Albert Camus said as long as one man is a slave, no man is free. A burdensome taxation rate is a form of slavery. People like Norquist and Buckley are principled human beings; principled human beings understand that no right comes without a corresponding responsibility.

As for America not being great, just as "God does not play dice with the universe," fate does not favor the United States of America. It was not destiny but Americans who have made America great -- not perfect, but the greatest and morally upstanding nation ever. Unlike numerous other nations, including many of our allies, we do not white wash our flawed history; we examine it deeply and allow for all to speak out in praise and lamentation. Despite the ongoing PC censorship, Americans enjoy free speech, including Mr. Dorrell's right to berate our proud traditions.

Greed is not good. It is not good when perpetrated by individuals or by government. Mr. Norquist and company are not greedy; they want to keep and give away what they have earned. Both as an aggregate and per capita, Americans give more to charity than any other nation. Improper taxation and unfair redistribution of income saps Americans of capital to invest, denying the creative process of wealth accumulation for all, while decreasing disposable income that can be turned over to charities, which in turn, more effectively than any government agencies, impact people of need.

America needs our Jeremiahs, not only to right us when we do go off track, but also to sound a shrill whistle to remind us of what we do so well.
-- Ira M. Kessel
Rochester, New York

HAPPY HEART
Re: Andrew Cline's The Long Weekend:

I truly enjoyed Andrew Cline's take on Obama's probable elitist reaction to all the plebes who are chastising his offensive remarks about small town Americans.

Small towns are where the heart of the country still exists even if some have fallen on hard times.

Thanks for the chuckle, Mr. Cline, and may God save us from those who think they know more about life than the folks who actually make the country run. I must be a rube for mentioning "God" -- excuse my bitterness, Senator O.
-- Deborah Durkee
Marietta, Georgia

Ah, yes
What inordinate stress
The oblige of the noblesse.

And, yet
For awhile, I must say nyet
Until the Presidency I get

Else end
The plans that I intend
To put these rednecks on the mend

So, yes
While stress is quite a mess
Noblesse oblige noblesse
-- Mike Showalter
Austin, Texas

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Education, John McCain, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Business, Sports, Religion, Abortion, Global Warming, Constitution, Law, Military, Iran, NATO, North Korea, Fascism, Energy, Oil, Unions