Inbox

Our Wallets, Ourselves

Your cover story should have been titled, "How the President Could Encourage, Cajole and Bully Congress to Try to Fix the Economy" [May 26]. For each of your economic issues, the President has little, if any, direct or unilateral power. No doubt, every President has secretly shared Theodore Roosevelt's daydream: "If I could only be President and Congress too for just 10 minutes." But without an explanation as to the President's actual powers, your article sets up yet another generation of Americans to be disillusioned when their chosen candidate fails to produce the promised manna that he or she was never constitutionally capable of delivering. Britton Morrell, EATON, COLO.

Somewhere in the national mall, these words need to be chiseled in granite for the children of our children to read, showing that in this year there was a recognition of reality: "The message many Republicans took from Reagan's successes of the '80s and still preach today is that tax cuts pay for themselves. That's nonsense." David C. Hoffmeister, EASTON, PA.

The simple answer to our tax-system chaos is to abolish the IRS and adopt the Fair Tax. If everyone "who stays in America pays for America," there would be no reason to fund bloated federal bureaucracies to pursue tax scofflaws. Every person would pay 23% on every new car, suit, pair of shoes, radio or home. In return, individuals and companies would pay no income tax. With no disincentives to earning more, investment would boom. The stronger dollar would also deflate the price of oil, killing two birds with one stone. John P. Kuchta Jr., VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.

McCain's Health Report

Hey, as long as you're doing pieces on candidates' health-related issues, why don't you do one on the possible effects of Barack Obama's smoking [May 26]? Steven D. Smith, CENTENNIAL, COLO.

A note to the democratic party: you have already alienated many women voters by crowning a man instead of a woman. Please do not compound that problem--and alienate senior citizens too--by implying that because of his age and presumed physical and mental diminution, John McCain is not fit to run. Nelson Marans, SILVER SPRING, MD.

What no one seems willing to mention when discussing McCain's health is that 11% of American males 71 or older have dementia of one kind or another, according to a comprehensive study published late last year. This is not a partisan statistic. If Hillary Clinton or Obama had a decent chance of having a heart attack or stroke in office, would this be something the electorate had a legitimate interest in? Signs and symptoms of dementia include memory loss and difficulty with language and learning new things. As a health professional with years of experience in this area, I call on McCain to undergo testing to verify his cognitive fitness for office. Michael Gilman, YUMA, ARIZ.

The Right Response to Hizballah

It is disingenuous to assert that the U.S. has no influence over the Hizballah takeover in Lebanon [May 26]. In fact, these events are the culmination of inept and inconsistent U.S. policies there, and the situation might still be changed if we assessed facts correctly instead of pandering to the illusions of American special-interest groups. Hizballah is powerful because the U.S. cut and ran from Lebanon when it bombed our airport Marine barracks in the '80s. The U.S. must display respect for the leaders of all other countries and parties, friend or foe, and stop calling our enemies names to please the crowds. The U.S. is losing because, instead of playing to win, we are playing to the ill-informed media audience at home. David P. Vernon, TUCSON, ARIZ.

Portrait of the Artist

Richard Lacayo's on-target homage to the late Robert Rauschenberg mentions the artist's old friendship with John Cage and his romantic relationship with Jasper Johns but not his vital love/hate/play relationships with Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock [May 26]. Leaving out that dynamic part of his life is like leaving the subject's nose off his portrait. Rauschenberg would have loved it. Donald Wigal, NEW YORK CITY

Helping Burma

Thank you for using the names burma, Burmese and Rangoon [May 26]. Those names are precious to all democracy-loving people inside and outside the country. Myanmar, Myanmarese and Yangon are names that belong to the military junta and its followers who have turned Burma upside down in the same way Hitler did with Germany in the '30s and '40s. Kathy May, ANAHEIM, CALIF.

Imagine if, when we bungled the relief efforts so badly after Hurricane Katrina, the Burmese army had stormed ashore in Louisiana to put things right. Whether it's conservatives spilling our young people's blood in Iraq and Afghanistan or liberals spilling their blood in Vietnam and Somalia, it's easy to determine that something must be done when you are not the one putting your life on the line. Steve Thorpe, HUNTINGTON WOODS, MICH.

A Starbucks Grows in Harlem

While Alex Altman's article will one day be considered prophetic for its facts and truth, a wider context might be needed [May 26]. Harlem's gentrification is no different from the gentrification occurring all over New York City. From bodegas turned Starbucks in the East Village to the Disneyfication of Times Square, pushing out the old and ushering in the new has been transforming our neighborhoods. The perpetrators? Real estate developers, the politicians and residents who desire progress in our city and those who can afford to pay the high rents and prices. Sadly, the effect of this progress has been to steal the heart and soul from the world's greatest city--but that heart will beat on. Peter Edelson, NEW YORK CITY

What's wrong with lifting up a community and trying to make it better? I'm as nostalgic as the next guy, but sometimes change can stimulate growth, and in this case, it's change for the better. Carmin Piccirillo, ELMWOOD PARK, N.J.

The Clintonian Revolution

Your article on Obama's debt to the Clintons discredits Obama [May 26]. Whether you like him or not, he deserves the credit for his success, not the Clintons. Let's stop praising the Clintons at any cost and move on. The Clinton era is over. Stephen Nettles, ACWORTH, GA.

Thank you for reminding us of the influence of Bill Clinton. The Democrats have always had a problem with protecting their positions with intellectual rigor. Bill showed them how to do it. Malcolm Mumford, PASADENA, CALIF.

The person who made obama was George W. Bush. Philip Koerner, NEW LONDON, N.H.

The Color of Charity

Your report on the Berkshire hathaway shareholders meeting painted a vivid picture of the scene but omitted a vital detail [May 26]. Yes, Benjamin Moore was selling teddy bears for $5, an item ordinarily promotional. But all proceeds from the toy and other items we sold went to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). In fact, we raised $10,000 at the Omaha meeting and have added that to our considerable ongoing annual support of RMHC. Denis Abrams, PRESIDENT & CEO Benjamin Moore & Co., MONTVALE, N.J.

Everybody Is Eco-Fightin'

Though it may help me "feel effective," reducing my own carbon footprint is a little like a white American in 1963 pledging personally not to discriminate against an African American [May 26]. Now as then, we need tough national laws putting everyone on the same (green) playing field--and international agreements, as well. We must prove not just our individual virtue but also our collective courage and political will. (The Rev.) Fred Small, LITTLETON, MASS.

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