Quotes of the Day

Depression Hurts
The end of what prosperity [Oct. 13]? For more than 20 years, working- and middle-class Americans have seen their jobs go overseas, wages diminish and savings disappear; they've had retirement funds stolen by companies going bankrupt or merging, and health care made unavailable as a result of cost. Suggesting that borrowing to live is the cause of the Wall Street collapse when the 400 richest people in the U.S. have as much money as several million average citizens shows ignorance of the greed and avarice controlling this country.
Paul A. Heller,
Washington, Mich., U.S.

The Frugal Life
I commend Nancy Gibbs for using her column to state what we are unlikely to hear from any elected official: that thrift is an important virtue and that our failure to practice it has helped bring on the current economic collapse [Oct. 13]. Those who lived through the Great Depression endured a scare that prompted them to scrimp and save, something the current generation does not do. Now Americans generally believe they are entitled to whatever they want without regard to whether they can afford it. The list of what we have come to consider necessities would stun those from most other parts of the world.
Oren Spiegler,
Upper St. Clair, Pa., U.S.

The Public Mistrust
Re Michael Grunwald's piece on how Washington failed us: I'm neither Republican nor Democrat, and I am disgusted with both [Oct. 13]. Both presidential candidates want to blame Wall Street, and there is surely some merit to that. But the heart of the problem rests with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, two quasi-government corporations. Despite several attempts by legislators to call attention to the impending crisis, others preached the soundness of these institutions. This is not a failure of the free-market system; it is the failure of big government and its manipulations.
Jim Vance,
Birmingham, Ala., U.S.

The Maverick vs. the Cool One
Joe Klein's piece on Obama's skills in crisis management shows how blind he is [Oct. 13]. McCain is angry at what the Democrats and the Wall Street executives have done to deceive the American people. I pray that the American people will listen to McCain's anger and endorse what he will do as President: freeze spending and cut pork-barrel and other unnecessary spending. These steps are essential for the American people.
John Talerico,
Middletown, N.J., U.S.

We have had the cowboy. We don't need the maverick sheriff with his "have gun, will travel" foreign policy. Our problems cannot be solved in a quick-draw contest. It is time for all Americans to accept personal responsibility for our part in what is happening to our country. We must vote and then pay attention to what our elected officials do. We all need to become better crisis managers of our own personal lives and finances, and of the natural resources of our world.
Linda Bracken,
Wagoner, Okla., U.S.

The New Face of Tuberculosis
Your poignant, powerfully illustrated piece on tuberculosis reminded me of pictures from history books about the 1918 Spanish-flu outbreak [Oct. 13]. Why is the world still ignoring this deadly disease? Thank you, TIME, for reminding us that TB should be a greater medical priority than advances in cosmetic surgery. I hope the pharmaceutical industry can engineer new drugs against this killer.
Aniee Sarkissian,
Glendale, Calif., U.S.

Newman's Own Legend
I enjoyed reading Robert Redford's tribute to Paul Newman but was disappointed that Redford felt the need to interject so much about himself [Oct. 13]. He should have kept the focus entirely on his exceptional and talented friend.
Mary Knaus LeCluyse,
Leawood, Kans., U.S.