Politicians playing ‘chicken’ with nation’s future Re: “Get ready for game of chicken over debt ceiling,” April 19
It should be astonishing that members of both major parties appear set to play a massive game of “chicken” with America’s fiscal future, the consequences of which could be little short of catastrophic.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to be surprised by the brinkmanship on Capitol Hill any more. But by the time both parties quit preening and posturing for the evening news and actually start trying to solve the problem, it may be too late.
Before the prima donnas on Capitol Hill decide to further run up the tab for generations yet to be born, consider this: If you laid out 14.3 trillion one-dollar bills, end to end, you could follow Earth’s entire orbit around the sun twice — with enough dollar bills left over to last from Jan. 1 until May 17. But Congress still wants to borrow more money!
When will it end? And will that “it” ultimately mean the borrowing, or the fate of the entire country?
Trevor White
Silver Spring
Mayor Gray sticks up for D.C. residents
Re: “D.C. pols are home fools for Julius Hobson Sr.,” April 19
It is just too easy for Harry Jaffe to call Mayor Vincent Gray a fool and I, for one, find it offensive. Jaffe sits in his comfortable chair taking jabs at various people in his columns without really contributing any new ideas.
Jaffe makes the wrong assumptions on what Julius Hobson Sr. would think. I give Hobson a lot more credit. He was an activist, not a columnist. He may have disagreed with the mayor, but he would never have disparaged him. He would have also come up with some ideas of his own and tried to convince people to go along with him.
Gray has the guts to stand up for the people of D.C., which is more than some of our previous mayors have done. Congress is attacking all of us, pretending that the 600,000 people living here are invisible. Apparently that doesn’t bother Jaffe, but it is offensive to most D.C. residents who feel strongly that since the members of Congress weren’t elected by us, they shouldn’t control our destiny.
Peter Rosenstein
Washington
Public more aware of greyhound racing cruelty
Re: “Controversial greyhound races in steep decline,” April 19
The public’s increased awareness of the cruelty inherent in greyhound racing has contributed to its catastrophic decline. Wagers on dog racing currently represent less than 1 percent of all bets made in the United States annually.
Dog racing has always been a losing game for the greyhounds, who endure lives of nearly endless confinement in small cages and suffer and die from broken limbs, paralysis and cardiac arrest. Viewed as short-term investments, the greyhounds are valued only as long as they generate a profit.
Caryn Wood
Board of directors,
GREY2K USA
Gilbert, Ariz.
