SELF-INTERESTED
Re: RiShawn Biddle’s Golden
Apples:
As a libertarian, I fully understand and appreciate Mr. Biddle’s
anger with the unions and teacher’s compensation, but his anger
is poorly aimed and is contrary to a fundamental economic
principle: self-interests.
Mr. Biddle either forgets that self-interest is a universal
principle or he does not take into consideration the very basic
idea that unions’ self interest lies in representing their
members. The teachers unions have a primary fiduciary and ethical
obligation to represent their members’ interests, including
economic interests; teacher’s unions do not represent the
interests of the state or any other parties. As a union paying
teacher (of this I have no choice: New York is not a right to
work state), I want, need and demand that my union fairly
bargains for the greatest compensation it can for me. This is
true for the unions that represent the police and firefighters,
as well any other union. Having a powerful union is in my
self-interest and the union serving me well is in its best
interest. This is a fundamental principle of rational
relationships. So, if the unions are operating to achieve solid
Randian/Objectivist (i.e., self-interested) goals, and that these
goals are accepted as principled goals by both Libertarians and
economic conservatives alike, where lies the responsibility for
the fiscal malfeasance and/or incompetence?
The responsibility lies with our elected officials.
Representatives are elected to serve the public; the profligate
spending against which Mr. Biddle so rightly rails serves no one
but the self-serving curs who suckle at the public teat. The
responsibility for this punishing and unsustainable spending lies
with those who control the purse strings. Mr. Biddle’s barbs are
better aimed at these local and state politicians; they are not
acting in the best interests of their constituents. Corruption
has deep and historical roots, but this does not excuse the
shirking of their responsibility to their offices or the people.
Not all local, state and federal officials are unethical or
spineless, but too few stand up to unions. If the reasons
politicians cave to unreasonable union demands be cowardice,
avarice or other, it matters not. The officials are not carrying
out their duties; their actions are either unprincipled or
unethical. As voters we can let these officials know that the
fault lies not in the unions but in themselves. We are to vote
them out or the ultimate responsibility lies with us; still the
crushing debt lies in waiting for future generations. If we leave
such a legacy, how will the future judge us?
I don’t trust the government for much, but I do trust they will
spend money without responsibility or principle.
— Ira M. Kessel
Rochester, New York
The simple answer is pensions must be funded annually and
responsibly managed, the culprit is not the teacher, or, the
union, it is the state elected officials who “stole” from
teachers by under funding pension systems.
Health/welfare benefits for retirees are a similar issue …
after 20 or 20 or 40 years of service the teacher receives
retiree medical benefits, the burden for the employer is greatly
reduced after the member is eligible for Medicare.
To reward mismanagement by reducing benefits is
unthinkable.
— Peter Goodman
OBAMA THE GREAT
Re: Philip Klein’s Panetta the Spy:
Put on your Alexander the Great thinking cap to understand Obama.
Instead of arrows in Obama’s quiver, you will find words (as most
lawyers believe) contain his real sense of power.
Panetta may be able to create and maintain a breathing,
operational structure within the CIA. However, if what you want
are true creative energies being applied to the intelligence
needs of America, perhaps Obama should have looked elsewhere.
Time will tell, especially if we suffer a crisis where the CIA is
deeply needed to act and respond.
Pay attention to those who screw things up for Obama. See how
fast and when they get kicked under the bus. Action speaks much
louder than words. Isn’t that what your Mother taught you?
Leadership, like diamonds, has many facets. Great leadership
always highlights such. Obama thinks he is great. So did
Alexander.
Unfortunately for those of us still living, we will only
understand this declamatory vison as we live…or die, through the
Obama presidency.
That’s why prayer will become even more popular.
Perhaps we should begin our prayers for Panetta sooner rather
than later, so to speak!
— R. Philips
Corrales, New Mexico
INSULATED BIAS
Re: Doug Bandow’s Is
God a Socialist?:
Well said, Mr. Bandow. At least you ask the right question. The
Church (include them all) enjoys tax-exempt status. This does two
things: it insulates and it biases. It insulates from the
problems that corporations face, including paying the freight for
their conduct, and it biases them in favor of those who
indiscriminately “need.” Although I believe that churches and
their leaders are largely socialistic, I don’t see that much can
be done about it. As I told a particularly lefty priest: I come
to Mass for the Transubstantiation, not political edification. It
seems to me that liberal clerics and liberal politicians share an
aversion to things ten: the politician doesn’t believe in the
Tenth Amendment; the cleric has no truck with the Tenth
Commandment.
— J.C.Eaton
Wisconsin
RATIONAL, ALL TOO RATIONAL
Re: Alex J. Pollock’s Improving
the Financial System for the Next Cycle:
Pollock’s proposals are so rational they have no chance of
adoption in today’s political “Twilight Zone.” Fortunately,
recommendation 6, “Study Financial History” requires no
government mandate for the rest of us. One is tempted to doubt
the current wizards of smart in government would stir themselves
to such exertion if such a mandate existed.
I couldn’t help but note the following passage regarding loss
reserves: “Unfortunately, in this country the SEC went in just
the opposite direction from what the Spanish regulators did. It
actively opposed building large loan loss reserves, because it
regarded them as undesirable “earnings management,” which would
understate profits in good times, while providing a cushion for
bad years. The result was to overstate profits in the bubble and
to have insufficient cushion in the bust.” It is unavoidably true
that the accumulation of prudent loss reserves disappoints the
taxing authorities, which the cynic in me finds a more sincere
explanation of SEC policy than any notions of regulatory
purity.
— Bud Hammons
PRESIDENTIAL MISADVENTURES=HILARIOUS
Re: Readers’ letters under “Quin’s Lament” in Reader Mail’s
Abandon Ship:
There is no surprise that as socialists have taken over the U.S.
Government, all of the Marxist Socialist Media (MSM) such as the
New York Times, the L.A. Times, the
Washington Post, all newspapers in small cities that
have imposed a communist socialist persona on all of the news,
are going broke. Traditional Americans have put up with this
excrement for too many years, and are now dumping their
subscriptions to all of this media as fast as they can. Moreover,
Marxists, many of whom do not have any employment, as well as
Marxists at Universities and in Government must now view their
jobs with heightened awareness, as we working people are going to
see that they all go bankrupt. In contrast to Obama’s
inclination, we want to fire all the incompetents, we want people
who pay no taxes and who Obama would provide with welfare checks,
to now have to pay taxes, whereas those of us who have been
paying taxes should get a reduction. WE are not going to stand
for this brainless moron’s prescriptions for the U.S. Let him try
and he will soon be laughed off of the stage from the entire
world.
— Patricia A. Helvenston, Ph.D.
TASTE OF THEIR OWN
MEDICINE
Re: Ralph R. Reiland’s The Times’ Gas Pains:
It’s time to impose a progressive tax on those who tax others.
Make it a weekly tax, with a 3-minute a.m. filing window.
— David Govett
Davis, California
JEFFREY LORD AS POLITICAL
ANTIDEPRESSANT
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s The Importance of Jack Kemp:
Still suffering from severe political depression since November,
I have focused on work and family and consciously avoided all
things MSM and most things alternative, such as TAS, NRO, and
even regular visits to Drudge. However, each week I find it
possible to take a short foray into these once familiar sites and
once again I feel the need to say “Don’t let Jeffrey Lord get
away.” Great stuff, ALL the time. Thank you Mr. Lord for another
enjoyable read in regard to Jack Kemp. May God bless him and hear
our prayers for him and our country.
— Roger Ross
I think Reagan made a big mistake when he didn’t put Jack Kemp on
the ticket.
— Charlie Pitale
NOT COOL
Re: Peter Hannaford’s
Henny Penny Post-Poland:
Regarding Peter Hannaford’s article, he says that the National
Climate Data Center now admits that “2008 will turn out to be our
coldest year since 1997.” However, looking at their
website, I read the following in their report on 2008:
“The year 2008 is on track to be one of the ten warmest years on
record for the globe, based on the combined average of worldwide
land and ocean surface temperatures, according to a preliminary
analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville,
N.C. For November alone, the month is fourth warmest all-time
globally, for the combined land and ocean surface temperature.
The early assessment is based on records dating back to 1880.”
So, where do they say what Mr Hannaford (and some others, I
believe) is attributing to them? Don’t get me wrong, I’m inclined
to believe that 2008 has indeed been a colder year. But where
does the NCDC admit this?
— Peter Kenny
Editor’s note: Mr. Kenny might consult this
USA Today report
from January 8, which begins: “The USA’s 2008 annual temperature
of 53 degrees was the coolest since 1997, federal climate
scientists announced Thursday.”
THANKS FOR NOTHING
Condoleezza says we’ll thank Bush? OK, thanks for:
9/11
Osama’s freedom
Cheney’s treason
Surpluses’ evaporation
Rove’s contempt
Katrina’s anarchy
Rumsfeld’s miserliness
Gonzales’s torture
Powell’s lies
Iran’s nukes
Iraq’s occupation
Enron’s fall
Madoff’s ripoffs
SEC’s napping
Palin’s idiocy
Republicans’ hypocrisy
50+ scandals
…and finally…
Democrats’ victory!
— J. Andrew Smith
Bloomfield, New Jersey
REGARDING THE CHILDREN
Some children are cherished,
Some used as shields.
These are the realities
Fanaticism yields.
Do we blame the defenders
Who fight for their young
And champion the militants
Who safeguard no one?
Let reason prevail
Put emotions aside.
In whom do the hopes
Of the children reside?
— Mimi Evans Winship
