BUT THE KIDS!
Re: W. James Antle, III’s The Battle of Burris:

Thank you for Mr. Antle’s “The Battle of Burris.” I find the whole fiasco most amusing.

Governor Blagojevich’s defiant appointment of Burris and Burris’s embarrassing ambition are American politics at its worst. They are the inevitable result of racial politics, playing to the media, and corruption. (Does anybody think that Senate seats have not been sold to the highest bidder time and again? Blagojevich’s greed is not unusual; what is unusual is the height of his arrogance and stupidity, always a deadly combination.)

Each day I eagerly scan the news for more stories of the inane and pathetic doings of our elected and appointed leaders; rarely am I disappointed. The system is falling apart (Blago, Spitzer, the Clintons, the Prophet…) and I, in my mid-sixties, am enjoying every minute of it

It is to laugh.

But then I think of my five grandchildren.

It is to weep.
— James F. Csank 
Seven Hills, Ohio

TO A ‘T’
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s Peter Pettigrew Politics From the Land of Powell:

Jeffrey Lord’s exposition on the chief of staff of the former Secretary of State prompt me to go over to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary for the following definition:

“Main Entry: cow·ard Pronunciation: ˈkau̇(-ə)rd Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French cuard, from cue, coe tail, from Latin cauda Date: 13th century: one who shows disgraceful fear or timidity.”

Fitting of all three (the former CoS to the Secretary, the former Secretary, and the former Press Secretary) to differing extents, I think.
— Reid Bogie
Waterbury, Connecticut

“Oral history”? Mr. Pettigrew is confusing the Bush II administration not with the incoming Saint Obama’s gang, but with The Boy President’s.
— Ira M. Kessel
Rochester, New York

IF IT MOVES, TAX IT
Re: Eric Peters’s Electric Cars and Economics 101:

I remember the EV-1 well. I was selected to test drive one for a week. I was to use it as my personal car, for work errands, etc. There was one small problem. You see I lived in Florida at that time and had a commute of about 35 miles each way to my office. Because of the heat and humidity it was necessary to use the a/c. That limited the car’s range to about 35 miles. That meant I couldn’t use the car for work because I frequently had to drive to appointments, meetings and civic events.

I also couldn’t get home if I did drive it to work. They should have changed the name from EV-1 to Pelosi. That describes it in a nutshell: very expensive and useless. But it did save gas and, if used in my situation, could have provided many opportunities for long walks. And a few million of them might have saved some gas.

But every time Americans do what they are asked to do, like save gas, a new tax arises. Here in North Carolina our fully Democrat state government is considering a mileage tax. Why? Well, because we did as we were asked to do and cut down our driving. This reduced the funds available for mass transit (hidden in a roads fund). So now when we get our vehicles inspected the mileage from the previous year will be recorded and a per-mile tax will be assessed.

For those of you thinking of moving here, everything in North Carolina that moves is taxed and so are most things that don’t, and often twice. This is a state that Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid would feel very comfortable in. Like California, the government gives you a small allowance and takes the rest. I’m leaving.
— Jay Molyneaux
North Carolina

What is the true cost of using oil as a fuel, the price at the pump? Might you also consider the other costs of gasoline?

Ninety billion in subsidies to the oil companies such as no royalties for drilling in U.S. territorial waters? A nine billion dollar a week war in Iraq? Billions spent protecting oil fields in the Persian Gulf, in fact more money spent protecting the oil than the value of the oil imported? The billions in health care costs due to lung disease, and related illnesses? The many billions in cost of CO2 emissions to the environment, and the financial  losses due to extreme climate conditions as a result of excessive carbon emissions?

So if you look at the economics of oil, it really doesn’t make much sense. We could have used the 700 billion we gave to hostile foreign governments in oil exports last year to completely convert our economy to run on renewable energy and  electric cars, and create a sustainable energy future for us and our children.
— Peter Oppewall
Editor, EVtransPortal.com

THE PISCOPO EFFECT
Re: John C. Wohlstetter’s Awaiting Obama: Can “The One” Learn From “The Voice”?:

Sinatra was a man with a wonderful singing voice, and the ability to use it. But I first knew him as a celebrity icon and not a singer, and that celebrity icon came across as an arrogant blowhard who was more likely to be the butt of jokes than the idol of millions.

It took me years to get past that to appreciate his greatness — my music collection has very little Sinatra in it even now — and, I imagine, many others cannot get past it yet.
— Robert Nowall
Cape Coral, Florida

YOU CAN KICK HIM OUT, BUT HE’LL BE BACK
Re: Chris Reed’s Benedict Arnold:

How can we kick this Hollywood clown out of our party? Is there any precedent for doing so? He is a “Republican” by name only.
— Chuck Volker
Liberty Corner, New Jersey

Republicans, this is what happens when you compromise your principles: everyone is angry at you.
— P. Aaron Jones