Inbox

(2 of 2)

You can see how noncitizens perceive us as No. 1 by the long lines outside American consulates, as people wait for visas to the U.S. I'll worry about the U.S.'s decline when I see that lines at the Brazilian, Russian, Indian or Chinese consulates are longer than those at the U.S. consulates.

Serge Asensio, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Compromising Positions

As a high school government teacher, I am disturbed by comments made by Joe Walsh, who represents the district I teach in ["A Tale of Two Freshmen," March 14]. His statement--"I came here ready to go to war. The people didn't send me here to compromise"--goes against everything I teach my students about politics. First of all, Walsh won the general election by a mere 290 votes; second, the U.S. was founded on compromise. The last time we utterly failed at it was 1860, which led to the deaths of over 600,000 people.

Thomas James Kuhn, GURNEE, ILL.

Unions or Bust

If, as Mike Murphy suggests, Wisconsin's public unions are "bringing a machine gun to a fistfight," then certainly the billionaire Koch brothers backing Wisconsin's governor are bringing a nuclear missile ["The Real Stakes in Wisconsin," March 14]. Polls show that the majority of Wisconsinites support public-union bargaining rights. Does Murphy not realize that most of us have real heads under these cheese hats?

Florence Whalen, OCONOMOWOC, WIS.

Outsider Art

Thanks for Richard Lacayo's article about self-taught artist Thornton Dial ["Outside the Lines," March 14]. For those interested, there's a great film about Dial that was produced for Alabama Public Television in 2007, Mr. Dial Has Something to Say.

Phil Reedy, REDDING, CALIF.

Why Not Warren?

Re Joe Klein's "Who's Afraid of Reforming Wall Street?" [March 14]: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with Elizabeth Warren as its director, is in the best interest of all of us. I don't understand President Obama's hesitation to appoint Warren to this post. She is qualified, desires the position, is passionate about promoting what is just and will provide him the opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to legal and ethical business practices. He could not wish for a better nominee. He and she are on the defensible side of this issue, and they should welcome a confirmation battle.

Phil Corsello, DENVER

Klein should have added Congress and President Clinton to the list of unindicted co-conspirators for revising the Community Reinvestment Act in 1995, encouraging banks to make these loans.

Mike Hepperlen, CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL.

Criminal Choice

I was extremely disappointed that you dedicated 10 Questions to Mike Tyson [March 14]. This is a man known largely for his crimes, including rape, for which he did jail time.

Manny Teixeira, LEBANON, CONN.

Please recycle this magazine and remove inserts or samples before recycling