To the editor: Jonah Goldberg’s column on Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposal on price gouging ought to be learn in lessons in all places as the right instance of utilizing statistics to lie concerning the impact of presidency actions on inflation.
First, his selection of “closely regulated” industries is weird. Notably odd is the declare that vehicles have turn out to be “extra reasonably priced” as a result of they’re a “much less regulated” commodity. On the contrary, quite a few guidelines for every part from seat belts to gas consumption have been carried out since 1968.
He blames excessive housing prices on regulation, however zoning and constructing codes have existed for an amazing many many years. These laws didn’t cease the housing market from crashing through the 2008 monetary disaster, which was introduced on by greed within the non-public sector.
Moreover, evaluating “nationwide healthcare expenditures” in 1970, earlier than most of the present therapies for illnesses even existed and the inhabitants was a lot youthful, is solely disingenuous.
If statistics are to be the premise of Goldberg’s column, maybe he can clarify why company CEOs on common make a whole bunch of occasions what their typical employees obtain in the present day, versus lower than 30 occasions the everyday wage in 1970.
Stephanie Scher, Pasadena
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To the editor: There are, I imagine, two conflicting wishes on the a part of the general public relating to funding something by the federal government.
First, everybody desires the funding to be the minimal essential to do the job. The second and way more emotionally charged is that not a single penny of presidency cash ought to be allowed to be stolen or mismanaged in any means.
This second want results in administrative overkill, the place each time somebody finds a brand new strategy to bilk the system or some hapless bureaucrat makes a mistake, many extra guidelines are put into place to make sure that it received’t occur once more.
It will be great if we might provide you with results-based legal guidelines that enable streamlining of all the federal government inefficiencies, however till then I’d remind Goldberg and others that authorities was designed to be inefficient on this nation, the entire level of separation of powers.
Michael Lampel, Granada Hills
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To the editor: Goldberg’s column is an correct dialogue of the theoretical and sensible issues with governmental worth controls. And it fully misses the mark.
Harris’ claims are based on proof of extreme, non-competitive focus ratios within the grocery enterprise which were recognized by the Nationwide Grocers Assn., the Federal Commerce Fee and the U.S. Division of Agriculture.
Whether or not deeper analysis exhibits this to be correct stays to be seen, however the financial precept underlying her marketing campaign rhetoric is sound. Figuring out it demonstrates her public prosecutor’s perspective and expertise.
Thomas Mone, Los Angeles
