Do-gooders don’t always do that much good

To the editor:

Richard Mundy's Nov. 27 letter asserts that the "evil Republicans" are keeping the Democrats from getting anything done in Congress. Let me just remind Mr. Mundy that the Democrats have a majority in both the Senate and the House and obviously can pass anything they want. It is their squabbling with one another that is holding them back.

Considering that every poll shows that a large majority of Americans disapprove of the current House and Senate health care bills, those who refuse to support them are actually representing the wishes of their constituents. What a concept.

As to "improving the lives of their fellow Americans," I suggest Mr. Mundy take a good look at the actual consequences of liberal programs before making any moral pronouncements. Stephen Dunbar and Steven Levitt's "Freakonomics" and Mona Charon's "Do-Gooders" would be good places to start if he is at all open to considering the facts.

Sandra Mihail

LAS VEGAS

War plans

To the editor:

When I was in Vietnam, I shook my head as LBJ eschewed his military commanders and counseled on war strategy with Robert McNamara and the whiz kids. Later, I shook my head again as Richard Nixon made strategic plans upon the advice of Henry Kissinger ... again, ignoring his generals on the ground.

The result was that we did the wrong things at the wrong times and it cost us the opportunity to strategically end the Vietnam War on our terms.

Now, our community-activist-in-chief is ready to announce his plan for the Afghan war. I can hardly wait.

Gen. Stanley McCrystal already asked months ago for what he needed to prosecute the war. Rather than trust the experts on the ground, Mr. Obama assembled his own informal civilian think tank.

I'd shake my head again but it's starting to ache.

Ronnie Garner

HENDERSON