Quotes of the Day

Paradox of Progress
Re "Made in the USA" [April 22]: The story says the trick for U.S. companies is "to develop new manufacturing techniques ... then use them to produce goods more efficiently on superautomated factory floors." Is it so hard to understand that this equates to worsening the unemployment problem? Policymakers may set "new educational standards" (at higher costs, of course) and the entirety of the labor force may acquire a four-year degree, but if we keep pushing production automation to ever higher levels, the rate of unemployment will just keep rising. Or are we ready to let people work three-hour days so that everyone has a job?
Tony Attanasio,
Mandello Del Lario, Italy

The Iron Lady's Legacy
Re "Why the Iron Lady Endures" [April 22]: While I am not a fan of Margaret Thatcher's ideology and policies, I recognize that she transformed Britain and Europe in more than one way. As such, it felt awkward not to see her photo on the magazine cover — not in the least because, as Catherine Mayer put it, "the lady's not for returning."
Antonios Papandreou,
Larissa, Greece

It's worth noting that the Polish people's Solidarity uprising, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa, was the crucial force behind the liberation of Eastern Europe and the subsequent fall of the Berlin Wall. The movement was bolstered by Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, while Thatcher's role was marginal. It is also worth mentioning her controversial foreign policy: she supported the criminal regime of Chile's Augusto Pinochet and the apartheid government of South Africa — calling Nelson Mandela a "terrorist."
Yvonne Mokdad,
Sundsvall, Sweden

Politics in Pakistan
I must concur with Aryn Baker that many young people in Pakistan are disillusioned about the civil government that just ended a full term ["For Young Pakistanis, Democracy's a Drag," April 22]. They distrust the fake democracy that has led to widespread corruption and cronyism. The influence of the military does not appear to be waning, with generals remaining powerful and covertly assertive. Where lies true democracy then?
Rahman Faroud,
Karachi

The article provides an insight into the mind-set of Pakistan's youth and how they view democracy. However, it fails to identify the core issue that explains the mind-set of the country at large: illiteracy. More than two-thirds of the population lives in rural areas, with a literacy rate of less than 50%. The prevalence of illiteracy in these regions means that a democratic system cannot deliver reform, and no incompetent government will ever be punished in the polls. Education empowers individuals, enables them to differentiate between right and wrong, and above all, gives them the ability to look at the road ahead.
Ali Asghar Hamid,
Karachi

Democracy in Hong Kong
Re "Seeing Red" [April 15]: As a Taiwanese person who often visits Hong Kong, I can understand why people in the former British colony resent the mainlanders. They've descended on Hong Kong in huge numbers since 1997, swarming the great city to infiltrate the job market and businesses, as well as to enjoy essential provisions like health care. So far, the Hong Kong governments have practically been stooges for Beijing. Democracy is just in name, not in substance, and the promise of universal suffrage several years down the line may turn out to be empty.
Han Venn-ti,
Taipei

Animal Instincts
The behaviors described in "The Mystery of Animal Grief" are not necessarily evidence of animals understanding death [April 15]. Research on children in war zones has found that they do not understand death as final: they see it as continued existence in a different form. It is possible that something similar is going on in animals' brains, but since they lack even young humans' cognitive and emotional levels, it's unlikely that they have any deeper grasp of the concept of death.
Michael McManus,
Leeds, England