An interesting day's worth of letters

As a subscriber to the Daily Herald, I appreciate the forum the paper provides allowing average citizens like me the opportunity to express their opinions through the Fence Post.

I found some of postings in the March 8 edition particularly interesting. The first writer railed against "that dictatorship in Washington" and "bloodsucker pig businesses" for forcing consumers to purchase converter boxes and HDTV's in order to watch "the garbage they show (which) is an insult to humanity." Evidently, he's OK with being insulted by that garbage in 480, but not 1080 dpi.

The second writer criticized "some" for using "explosive buzz words…in describing what they see as a faltering economy and an abusive government."

He's incredulous that anyone would have the audacity to say that we invaded Iraq "for the sake of 'increasing the profits of war mongers and oil barons.'"

Has he ever heard of companies such as Halliburton (Dick Cheney's former employer), Bechtel or Blackwater, and that there are more employees of private military companies in Iraq today than there are American military forces, costing tax-payers many additional billions year after year? Maybe they're driven by patriotism and not profits.

Speaking of oil barons, is he aware of the private meeting Cheney held with representatives of the major oil companies in 2001 prior to 9/11? Documents from that meeting, which were finally released after lawsuits were filed, included a map of Iraq's oil fields. I wonder what the writer thinks they were using that for?

Again speaking of oil barons, I paid $3.25 for a gallon of gas today. Does the writer know the price of gasoline is at its highest level ever (including adjustment for inflation)?

In 2007, Exxon-Mobil earned $39.5 billion in profits, the most ever by any corporation. However, according to him, its "the environmentalists and liberals" who are responsible for the high price of gas.

Back to the faltering economy, particularly in housing.

Agreed, there were many home buyers who knowingly took on the risk of additional debt assuming that they could continue to use their homes as piggy banks.

But let's not forget that many in the banking/mortgage industry were more than willing to push through loan applications for clients with dubious credit records in order to improve their own bottom lines, at least temporarily.

I am affected by this as well. My company is closing our center and thus cutting 30 jobs due to the downturn in the housing industry.

Finally, the third letter came from a gentleman who stated that "90 percent of blacks vote Democratic" and 90 percent of them "are voting for Obama."

He then goes on to decry Chicago, Cook County and Illinois Democratic politicians for "robbing their citizens blind…."

I took logic in college but I must admit that I fail to comprehend the sequence of this syllogism.

Steve Swanson

Batavia