| Let
the rich get richer
Billionaires are buying the presidential election
through the “Restore Our Future” and “Winning
Our Future” Super Pacs and the help of their
respective spokespersons, Mitt Romney and Newt
Gingrich. They are pumping tens of millions
of dollars into Romney’s and Gingrich’s campaigns
in an attempt to convince the poor and middle
class to vote against their economic self-interests.
Rather than listening to any more debates from
those two, yammering away about their delusional
world views, it would be more entertaining if
we could persuade John Paulson and Sheldon Adelson
— the billionaires behind the Super Pacs — to
engage in a pay-per-view wrestling match. The
millions of dollars generated from the grudge
match would be used to buy air time to counter
their Super Pac ads by reminding folks that
the Republicans brought about the Great Recession
through deregulation of the financial sector,
mounting two costly overseas wars, slashing
taxes on billionaires’ capital gains income
and ultimately causing the multi-trillion dollar
federal budget deficit.
Billionaires don’t care if the economy fails.
If it does, they can pick up the failed businesses
for a fraction of their value and then wait
for the economy to rebound.
Greg Lee
Des Moines
Would you print the same?
After reading a recent column by Tricia Erickson
(“Why Mitt’s Mormonism should be of great concern
to American voters,” Feb. 2), I had one question.
Assume for the moment we have a candidate named
Hassan Rahim. Would you print the same title
(and similar content) if it said, “Why Hassan’s
Islamism should be of great concern to American
voters.”
John Hesling
Oskaloosa
Editor’s note: If it was a thought-provoking
and well-written commentary, the answer would
be yes.
Pursuit of profits
Just when I thought the Occupy Wall Street
movement was fading from our attention, a recent
letter from James Bradley Robinson (“Your View,”
Feb. 9) brings it front and center into our
attention with his disparaging comments. I’m
sure the Occupy movement is quite thankful for
his diligence, and I’m sure he didn’t see it
coming that his attempts to marginalize it would
have precisely the opposite effect.
I will have to give him one thing: Businesses
and corporations do have as their goal the pursuit
of profit — just like a dog is always hungry.
You wouldn’t let a dog loose in your kitchen.
If you did, the pot roast, the steaks and practically
everything else would disappear. No, you’d put
a leash on it. Like we used to do with corporate
America.
When the national cupboard is bare, I’m going
to consider those words of Mr. Robinson’s third
hero, Gordon Gekko, who said, “Greed is good.”
David Thrasher
Des Moines | 
