Letters

Jun 30th 2005
From The Economist print edition

Trade and Central America

SIR – You give tepid support to the economic benefits of the Central American Free Trade Agreement on the ground that the combined output of the six Central American countries (including the Dominican Republic) is only $85 billion (“The CAFTA conundrum”, June 18th). Yet these six nations constitute our second-largest export market in Latin America (behind Mexico), buying $15 billion-worth a year from us, on a par with France. As important, the accord encourages transparency, respect for property and the rule of law. This will promote outside investment and give a welcome boost to the six economies, while strengthening governments close to our shores. In my view, CAFTA is entitled to substantial applause on its own merits.

Carla Hills

Former United States Trade

Representative

Washington, DC

SIR – A few weeks ago you published an article examining the United States' relationship with Latin America (“Trouble in the ‘backyard'”, April 30th). Immediately below the title, a rubric stated indignantly, “Just stop calling it that”. However, in your recent leader on CAFTA you lament the possibility that Congress may reject a free-trade agreement “in its own back garden”. The slight difference in terminology aside, apparently The Economist finds it difficult to break bad old habits too.

Anthony Clare

Baghdad, Iraq

Meritocracy and education

SIR – Lexington offered us his thoughts on class in America (June 11th). But while it is true that attendance at elite American universities is farther out of reach for lower-income students, it is certainly not the case that a college education is farther out of reach. College attendance continues to rise and is currently at record levels. If anything, the greatest advances in access have been to the benefit of lower-income and under-prepared students as there has been a proliferation of high quality two-year junior and community colleges that cater to such students. Often, attendance at these schools is a stepping stone to more traditional four-year universities. I'm sure most parents would wish their children an education at Harvard, but the vast majority of the college-educated in America receive their education outside of the Ivy League—and they are the individuals most responsible for America's economic success.

A.J. Kreider

Miami

SIR – People buy their school quality with their house price and wealthy communities will always have more resources to expend on the education of their children. Such towns have more stay-at-home parents who volunteer in schools and more opportunities for holidays that enrich their children than are available to poorer communities. Until there is substantial redistribution of wealth from rich to poor school-districts, the gap will only grow wider.

David McCormick

Acton, Massachusetts

Olympic history

SIR – You describe next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne as “the biggest event in its history” (“Murder and market forces”, June 18th). As a Commonwealth citizen, I'm glad that you hold the games in such esteem, but am slightly puzzled as to how they managed to eclipse the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Angela Gilham

London

Oh, what a lovely war

SIR – Just as probable an explanation for declining public support in America for military involvement in Iraq might be the very success that George Bush's administration has had in preventing another attack by Islamic terrorists on American soil (“That not-winning feeling”, June 18th). As the memories of September 11th 2001 fade, so does tolerance for American casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ivaylo Ivanov

Salt Lake City

SIR – Americans will indeed accept heavy casualties to prevent another September 11th. However, Iraq had nothing to do with those atrocities.

Ilya Shlyakhter

Princeton, New Jersey

SIR – Let's face it—the United States initiated an abominable war in a country they knew little or next to nothing about. The egregious situation that is Iraq was created by insensitivity toward, and lack of understanding of, Middle Eastern culture. It is only common sense to know that this is no way to introduce democracy.

Rhona Kelly

Roberts Creek, Canada

SIR – America must be careful not to let Iraq turn into another Vietnam and so help regenerate the lowliest scum of the human race that brought about the worst cultural period in American history. Hippie clothing (those long, trashy skirts) and peace signs are already making a comeback. God, please let it stay at that before I have enough and move to Europe.

Alan Raye

Jacksonville, Florida

Online copyright issues

SIR – You misrepresent the music industry's view of the OECD's report on digital music, and in doing so you make the report seem more groundbreaking and more adverse to the music industry than it actually is (“Twist and shout”, June 11th). We actually think the report is a mixture of good and bad that, among other things, recognises the success of legitimate digital music services and the need to deal with the huge problem of internet piracy. However, the report has flaws too. Its doubts on the extent of the link between illegal file sharing and falling music sales run against practically all other independent research. Moreover, its assessment of file sharing has a gaping omission. No one, least of all the music industry, disagrees that file sharing is a new and innovative technology. Record companies are working to use it legally and commercially to get music to consumers. But the OECD has missed a simple and critical point—namely, that the vast bulk of the file sharing that happens today is unlawful and infringes copyright.

John Kennedy

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

London

Egg on our face

SIR – You say that Leonardo da Vinci didn't use the customary egg tempura when he painted the “Last Supper” (“When modern art shows its age”, June 11th). “Tempura” is a Japanese dish of deep-fried vegetables and shellfish. “Tempera” is the method of painting with pigments dispersed in an emulsion miscible with water, typically egg yolk. The penultimate vowel makes all the geographical, cultural and artistic difference.

Dan Barker

Oxford, Oxfordshire

Trouble and strife

SIR – I find your report that it costs 5,000 pesos ($93) to hire an assassin in the Philippines to be an exaggeration (“Watch what you write”, June 18th). My wife assures me that she can have me put away by any number of likely lads whenever she wishes for an absolute maximum of 2,000 pesos.

Tom Young

Manila

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