Letters
What about dedicated family men, such as Romney, Edwards?
I was disappointed that the March 15 article, "How the family factor figures in '08 race," only seemed to focus on the candidates with family problems.
Looking at the top tier in both political parties, each side does have a dedicated family man. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) has been married for 38 years and has five married sons and 10 grandchildren. Former Senator John Edwards (D) of North Carolina is happily married with three children.
The article should have looked at both sides of the argument. If divorce and family scandal are going to be potential problems for the other top-tier candidates, wouldn't we have to acknowledge that Mr. Romney and Mr. Edwards have a significant political asset in their families?
Bradford Smith
Park City, Utah
In response to the March 19 Opinion piece by Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Solomon Ortiz, "How to fuel up the out-of-gas US military machine": This piece about the terrible state of the United States military skirted the main issue.
If the US is going to fight a war, at a minimum all citizens should be asked to help pay for it. That means tax increases.
One of the reasons our military is in such bad shape is that the present administration has undertaken the major additional expense of the war and, at the same time, decided to cut taxes for political expediency. This is a betrayal of our troops in the field.
Dana W. Henderson
Chesterfield, Mo.
Regarding the March 13 article, "States scrutinize minors' security on MySpace": There is really only one bottom line – parents must do their job.
We should put the blame on parents for their ignorance and neglect – not the Internet.
It should not be the responsibility of websites to protect children – although it helps when their administrators do their share. It is parents who need to take responsibility. Parents have become too lax in the disciplining and monitoring of their children's lives.
My computer is password-protected so that my children are unable to get into certain areas unless I override the password. This is not a difficult step to take.
Parents need to take the computers offline unless the machines are in a common area. No computers should be in bedrooms where parents are unable to monitor what's going on.
Laura K. Mohrman
Cedar City, Utah
In response to Janine Wood's March 9 Opinion piece, "No public lectures needed to discipline children": As a parent, I need to be consistent with my teaching in and outside the home. As a consumer and an American, I have the right to talk in public. I don't like to hear people talking in all other languages around me. But I certainly don't make a big deal out of it, as Ms. Wood does about parents talking to their children.
I enjoy talking to my children and will continue to do so. If anyone is offended by my relationship with my children – then that's too bad. There is no difference between my talking to my kids in public and anyone else talking to a friend in public. Maybe the issues that need to be addressed are things such as cellphone use in public.
Shannon Gosser
Perrysville, Ind.
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