Letters

America first – when it comes to candy

Regarding "Bitter reality: Candy less likely to be 'Made in US'" (April 8): Great job on this story. The number of jobs to be lost by the move of sugar manufacturers to other countries, with Brach's move alone costing 1,100 American jobs, is too large. America must come first, and that means American companies need to be able to buy American sugar at a price lower than other countries.

We ended slavery in this country in the 1800s. Yet the US is willing to move companies to countries like Mexico that pay slave wages. Meanwhile, the same products continue to be sold at the same price. I know we need trade, but certainly we can have it with our companies staying at home.
Steven G. Emery
Rialto, Calif.

Regarding "Invisible-hand business ethics" (Editorial, March 28): I agree with Alan Greenspan, as you quoted him, "... regulation has, over the years, proven only partially successful in dissuading individuals from playing with the rules of accounting." I also believe it has become necessary to do more than just "some rule-tinkering" in order to restore confidence in business and accounting practices. When a road has washed out ahead, we don't merely place a warning sign providing more information about it, but also a physical barrier.

Today's economy has progressed far beyond Adam Smith's "invisible hand of market wisdom." Having "faith in fundamentals" will not help society to fully understand Enron's entities, or Arthur Andersen's audits. Through neglect and deregulation, American capitalism has fallen prey to ever more sophisticated forms of greed. To repair it will be a difficult operation. Even if regulation is only partially successful in curbing the abuses of big-money corporations, it is going to work better than doing nothing.
Gene Barnes
Monterey, Calif.

Regarding "Lesson No. 1: Shed your Indian identity" (Learning, April 2): Thank you for your article on the exhibit "Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience" at the Heard Museum. I am a curator of this exhibit, which shows the cruel treatment Indians received at boarding schools back in the late 1900s. The boarding school story is one of the survival of a people and was a very rewarding project both professionally and personally.

The most rewarding aspect of this project for me has been that Indians consider the exhibit their own – something that had never happened at the Heard Museum before. Attendance by Indian people increased by 106 percent in the first three months after the opening. I am proud to say that every time I went into the gallery there were always Indian people present.
Margaret Archuleta
Long Beach, Calif.

Regarding "No homework, no sports – just a night with family" (March 28): I was amused by the family night spent in Ridgewood, N.J. While it may seem a new concept to today's successful, professional parents, a lot of us remember when family day was a normal and expected part of a Sunday afternoon. It's nice to be reminded of those days in the '60s when no stores opened, kids played outside, and parents took the kids and grandparents out for long drives.

Anne A. DeMallie South Windsor, Conn.

I wanted to congratulate Clay Bennett for receiving this year's Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. I find his work to be thoughtful, insightful, and always interesting.
Daniel Uhlig Atlanta, Ga.

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