Actions Speak Louder...

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US News does a good job covering an issue. Too many people don't take the time to read a newspaper, no less a magazine today. It always helps to provide names of people involved in this mess besides an organization. There is no way an American can change or react to Washington unless we know specifically who is part of the problem/activity. These problems just don't happen by themselves. There are people running organizations, and senators/congressman voting for them influenced by lobbyists.
On the housing crises, who in Congress and the Senate on both sides of the aisle voted for or against regulation/deregulation. Do I sound like a CHANGE VOTER - you bet I am. Thanks for the opportunity to write.

Carol Troy of NY 9:37AM October 11, 2008

Whenever I feel the ineffable need for an apoplectic fit welling up within, I know all I need do is look up the latest from Mr. Barone and voilà—my blood pressure rockets skyward. In the present instance [“The Battle of the Party Themes” Sept 15-22], I hadn’t gotten past the first paragraph when the precursors for stroke were already roiling within. The foaming at the mouth began with his insistence that George Bush’s legacy, though damaged by “Katrina and the 2005-06 meltdown in Iraq” might still be “redeemed in history by the success of the surge and the rapid response to Gustav.” I have more faith in historical perspective than this. Mr. Barone would have us believe that a couple of putatively positive marks could wipe away two terms brimming with failing grades. And keep in mind that this idea of a “surge,” which so many conservatives tout as an example of this president’s greatness, was a policy that he opposed mightily for years (recall the dissing of the testimony of Shinseki?) and is only part of the reason for the de-escalation of violence in Iraq, adopted only when things became so untenable that in desperation he grasped at the idea. And can a successful response to Gustav really blot out the catastrophic negligence of his (and others’) response to Katrina? Not to mention that there are a host of other issues that mark this president as one of the worst in our history. Anyone recall the illegal wiretapping of US citizens? torturing terrorist suspects in defiance of the Geneva Conventions, US law, the Constitution and 230 years American practice and principle? his various other eviscerations of the Rule of Law? the Iraqis and Americans who died or were maimed in an ill-advised, ill-planned, and illegal war? No, Mr. Barone, it will take much more than two barely passing grades to wipe out 7 years of devastating failure. But thank you. Nothing like a cleansing bout of apoplexy to restore one’s perspective.

Thomas W. Muther, Jr. of KS 9:27AM October 05, 2008

My family sat and watched the last debates and even text in who we thought was the best of the two. Then sat up for 2 hours till the final count was in just to learn the next morning that what we had watched as to the winning count of text messages was not what we had seen but was totaly different. So why waste our time watching just to find what we had seen wasnt what we had seen. I get so tired of the news agencys telling me I am to stupid to understand what politicians are saying and that I cant understand plain English as they speak it. That seems to be what they are implying when they tell us the lies they tell after an event takes place that we have seen and heard ourselves. Or is America really as stupid as they think we are. Sometimes I belive we are, simply because we are responsible for the high wages the news media recieves to tell us what we should think instead of what we do think.

Mitch Ray of OK 1:58PM October 01, 2008