Reading your piece ["Crude Awakening," Cover Story, Jeffrey C. Billman, June 3] was a slow-motion tragedy in and of itself. What is your fascination with George Bush? I told a buddy shortly after the oil disaster that it would not be long before some whack-job blames the former president. Thank you for fulfilling my prophecy. Are you kidding me? You whining, crying, left-leaning journalists (I use that word lightly with you because you are far from a journalist) need to stop publishing pieces that serve only one purpose: division. It is your goal to divide this country between left and right and you take every chance to slam President Bush. The former president is not responsible for the oil rig explosion; is not responsible for Hurricane Katrina; is not responsible for the current state of the economy; is not responsible for 9/11. Perhaps if you and your left-leaning pals would publish the truth rather than smear, this country might get on the road to unity. I suspect you won't change though; telling the truth is not a good selling point if you want people to read your pieces.
Thomas G. Barnes
Via e-mail
STARVE THE BEAST
Boosting the Treasury via Cap and Trade taxation would serve to enhance the scope and scale of the federal government's foreign policy; e.g., institutional mass murder overseas in unending mercantile wars and occupations [Soapboxer, "About Damn Time," Jeffrey C. Billman, June 10]. That solution is idiotic. Starve the government for peace.
How dumb are some people [Cover Story, "Default Lines," Isaiah Thompson, June 10]? These people moved into a house without walls, a broken water heater, a leaking roof? My God, these are not things that were hidden from them! I don't feel sorry for anyone that stupid, even though Coyle is an ass and should be made to remember these people.
KENSINGTON SLUMLORD
As a former tenant of this landlord, there unfortunately is a lot of truth in that article. However, to be fair, something very important in this scenario was left out.
Most of the tenants in his properties not only don't keep basic standards of cleanliness and upkeep; many literally vandalize his properties. I saw this with my own eyes the first four months I was living in one of them in Philadelphia. Most of this man's tenants are profoundly depressed to a point they are content to live in unimaginable filth, watch TV, get high and have more babies all day long.
I'm not saying he was right; but it's a lot more complicated than what your article let on. This man actually provided AC in his properties which was better than most of my latter landlords; and it's very jading and disillusioning to deal with folks who don't want to help themselves and to be unable to help them for that reason. Just so you understand the other side of the story.
As a former tenant of this landlord, there unfortunately is a lot of truth in that article. However, to be fair, something very important in this scenario was left out.
Most of the tenants in his properties not only don't keep basic standards of cleanliness and upkeep; many literally vandalize his properties. I saw this with my own eyes the first four months I was living in one of them in Philadelphia. Most of this man's tenants are profoundly depressed to a point they are content to live in unimaginable filth, watch TV, get high and have more babies all day long.
I'm not saying he was right; but it's a lot more complicated than what your article let on. This man actually provided AC in his properties which was better than most of my latter landlords; and it's very jading and disillusioning to deal with folks who don't want to help themselves and to be unable to help them for that reason. Just so you understand the other side of the story.