Letters to the Editor

Readers write about why the federal government is so large, Susan Boyle, and why lotteries should be illegal.

Expanded government is not Obama's doing

In regard to the April 26 article, "What's behind Obama's big shift": President Obama's expansion of government is far overshadowed by former President George W. Bush's record: torture, detention of prisoners without trial, the outing of a CIA agent, lies about the threat posed by Iraq, preemptive strikes without good reason, expanded wiretapping and internal spying under Homeland Security, tax cuts for the rich at a time of greatly increased military spending, the takeover of education under No Child Left Behind, and so much more.

To say that Mr. Obama is "overseeing the boldest expansion of government in a generation" is ludicrous and insulting.

Thomas Gault
Whittier, Calif.

Why Susan Boyle resonates so much

Regarding the April 21 article, "The Susan Boyle phenomenon: redefining beauty, grace, and success?": I believe that our obsession with Susan Boyle has more to do with our hope (which I happen to believe is true) that each of us has a "pearl of great price," some great gift, hidden beneath our everyday surface, and seldom noticed or appreciated.

Ms. Boyle's willingness to show her pearl of great price lends each of us hope that someday, someone might see our own gifts for the treasures that they really are.

Rev. Ann Markle
Crossville, Tenn.

Make lotteries illegal

Regarding the April 28 Opinion piece, "Legalized gambling only fuels economic crisis": To take your excellent piece on recriminalizing gambling in America one step further, let's eliminate the lottery as well.

State governments purport to be moral and ethical arbitrators of our collective consciences regarding issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and such. These august bodies are the cheerleaders and enablers of state-sanctioned lotteries, casinos, and other gambling venues, all in the name of the mighty buck.

How legislators can justify this hypocrisy is beyond rational thinking. We know these types of gambling unfairly impact the poorest among us, yet these elected officials keep justifying more and more of these ill-gotten gains.

Marcus E. Spector
Lakeland, Fla.

The Monitor welcomes your letters. All submissions are subject to editing. Letters must include your full name; your city, state, and country; and your telephone number. Any letter accepted may appear on our website, www.CSMonitor.com. E-mail letters to oped@csps.com. Or mail letters to Readers Write, 210 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.

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