National security should be Obama’s first priority The first job of any president is to provide for the safety and security of the citizens of the United States — not to provide health care, regulate markets, or even provide jobs. If the president cannot keep his citizens safe, all of the aforementioned policies will be for nothing. While many of his fellow passengers had to discard their water bottles, suspected Christmas Day bomber Umar Abdulmutallab was allowed on a plane with explosives in his underwear. Suspected Times Square terrorist Faisal Shahzad was thwarted because his detonator did not work. Worse, he was able to buy a plane ticket in cash despite being on the “Do not fly” list. His plane was minutes from taking off when someone realized he should not have been allowed to board. These attacks on the homeland failed, not because of intelligence gathering, but out of sheer luck. Obama needs to get his priorities straight. Michael Soh
=”text-align:>
Government doesn’t want the law to be simple Re: “Guilty! No matter the intent,” editorial, May 9 The five recommendations to clarify, codify, and simplify overly burdensome laws are laudable, but Congress has no desire to act responsibly. Ayn Rand could not have stated it more eloquently. On page 436 of “Atlas Shrugged,” Dr. Floyd Ferris asks Hank Rearden: ” Who wants a nation of law abiding citizens? … just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed, nor enforced, nor objectively interpreted — and you create a nation of law-breakers — and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Rearden, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.” The government wants to make so many laws that no one can obey them all, so everyone becomes a lawbreaker. Then the government has power over you. Jeff Underwood
=”text-align:>
Using race to disguise envy Re: “The motto of mad men,” May 9 As a 16-year-old girl, I do not appreciate what Mr. Sirota wrote. I don’t believe in judging people according to their melanin factor. I don’t belong to any other “race” than the human race. So it upsets me when he goes out there separating “minorities” from “rich white males.” Who says there are no rich minorities? It is people like Sirota who cause dissension between people of different skin tones by throwing in the race factor when what he’s really mad about is fellow Americans who end up with higher paying jobs than others. Rachel Miller
=”text-align:>
