This page was last updated on January 27, 2010.
Americans had better wake up; Tony DiRienzo; Beaver County Times; January 27, 2010.
Previous letters from Mr. DiRienzo were entitled “Specter’s outrage is too late,” “Lack of respect is well earned” (Both are no longer on the Times website.), “Don’t know me? Don’t judge me,” and “Class warfare has gone on for years.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Welcome to the U.S. of Oz.
“We live in a country that is run by the Oz trio of the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion.”
[RWC] Leading off with name-calling is always a bad sign. It’s too bad Mr. DiRienzo didn’t follow the advice he gave us in “Don’t know me? Don’t judge me.”
“All our elected representatives are the scarecrows and cowardly lions without the brains to do what is right or the courage to fight for what they honestly believe what is right for America and Americans.
“Corporations are the tinman with no heart, and seemingly in no hurry to find one. Politicians are in the pockets of big oil, big insurance and pharmaceutical companies that charge more to Americans than other people from other countries around the world.”
[RWC] Note Mr. DiRienzo failed to note the sweetheart deal Democrats cut with labor union management that would exempt union members from a healthcare insurance everyone else would have to pay.
As for “pharmaceutical companies that charge more to Americans than other people from other countries around the world,” Mr. DiRienzo failed to note “other countries” have price controls. The companies can agree to the government pricing and make less than the product’s market value, or refuse and make nothing.
“They allow American corporations run by American-educated men and woman to send our jobs overseas and are rewarded by bailouts.”
[RWC] Does Mr. DiRienzo believe government should be able to tell people how to run their businesses? As for bailouts, there should be none. We can’t have a free market when businesses expect to be rescued by the government.
“Now, the Supreme Court gives business carte blanche to buy elections, putting into office who they want by throwing millions of dollars into campaigns so that these politicians they buy will eliminate Social Security, Medicare, health care, pensions, clean air, consumer protection and environmental protection, freedom of speech, censorship and, no longer, free elections.”
[RWC] What a laundry list of BS! Did you catch Mr. DiRienzo arguing we must deny businesses free speech to keep them from “eliminat[ing] … freedom of speech?” Mr. DiRienzo also asserts businesses “will eliminate ... censorship,” but I suspect that was the result of a poorly written sentence.
The Supreme Court decision also affected labor union management, but Mr. DiRienzo fails to note that. I’m sure it was an inadvertent omission - not. Mr. DiRienzo must believe we’re too stupid to sift through the increased info we may or may not get. The Times is run by a corporation but Mr. DiRienzo hasn’t complained.
“Americans, wake up from the coma you are in, get active, get mad. Democracy should work, not just capitalism.”
[RWC] What is capitalism? Simply freedom in the marketplace.
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