Barry’s council seat is not his to give away Re: “Marian Barry files for Ward 8 reelection,” Nov. 29
I view it as irresponsible on the part of Councilman Marion Barry to plan to retire and hand over his seat to his son in view of his son’s not-so-long-ago drug arrest. It is clear to me that Barry Sr. has his priorities all mixed up.
His son needs rehab, and the citizensof D.C. will definitely not support a known drug offender running our city government.
After Christopher Barry gets his life together, then he canconsider public service. But that will take some time and some proving. Mr. Barry, that council seat is not yours to give. The choice ofwho represents Ward 8 on the District Council belongs to D.C. residents.
Claudette Bethea
Washington
For centuries, rich have put themselves first
Re: “Should the rich be condemned?” Nov. 22
I find it ironic thatMr. Williamswould showcase Thomas Edison as an example of why the rich should not be condemned. Anyone who knows a little bit of black history knows that Edison could not have invented the light bulb without Lewis Latimer, a black man of meager means. They would also know that in his quest for fame and riches, Mr. Edison chose to sue and bully Granville Woods, another black inventor, over the invention of the telegraph.
These and other instances of “entitlement actions” by the rich clearly and succinctly destroy any argument that Mr. Williams dare further present as reasons to give the rich a pass. They also show that as far back as the late 1800s, the rich have shown callous disregard for the common man.
They would much rather destroy another’s man dream and career than contribute to the welfare of the general populace if it interfered with satisfying their collective egos.
As a syndicated columnist and a black man himself, Mr. Williams should have known this before he ever laid pen to paper. It is a lot easier to list inventors and businessmen of ordinary meanswho contributed to the general welfare of society than to take Mr. Williams’ comically bumpy and pathetic road defending the rich.
Mark James
Temple Hills
Gingrich embraced the wrong corporate mogul
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s rise in the polls reflects a fundamental political truism: You can’t beat a someone (Barack Obama) with a no one (most of the GOP presidential candidates).
Gingrich’s recent meeting with Donald Trump may or may not prove helpful to his campaign. Upon leaving Trump’s office, Gingrich said, “I think one of the differences between my party and the other party is we actually go to people who know how to create jobs.”
Really? Many of America’s wealthiest individuals — such as Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Ron Burkle, Eli Broad and Pierre Omidyar — not only employ countless thousands of people, they are also Democrats. Instead of meeting with a showboat like “The Donald,” Gingrich would have been better off meeting with business leaders who really do create jobs, not just media stunts.
Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach, Calif.
