Letters and Reaction

The Blank Slate State

I just read Brian Doherty's article on the Honduran "Free Cities" or Zonas de Empleo y Desarrollo Económico  reform, the culmination of a 10-year effort to create special legal, economic, administrative, and political jurisdictions ("The Blank Slate State," June). 

While most of the media continues to get this story wrong by innocently hitting copy and paste on widely circulated fictions, Doherty provides original reporting and analysis of this complex story, and he shreds a number of myths in the process. 

For those following the Honduran reform, his piece surpasses by leaps and bounds all previous journalistic efforts on this topic.

Mark Klugmann

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Spending: A Bipartisan Love Story

I agree with Veronique de Rugy's basic premise in "Spending: A Bipartisan Love Story" (June) that it is hard to tell the difference between Republicans and Democrats as far as spending goes. 

But George Bush funded the $800 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. These funds were repaid under the Obama administration and promptly spent. So Bush's total should be credited the $800 billion and Obama's total increased accordingly. 

V. F. Russo

Bellefonte, PA

CORRECTION: Peter Suderman's article "Obamanomics 2.0" (July) incorrectly stated that Alan Krueger had previously served as deputy secretary of the treasury. His title at the Treasury Department was assistant secretary for economic policy.

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"Vis à vis the free cities project, I appreciate your reportage on the issue. The debate in Honduras is not occurring at the level of the common man (many reporters have construed the defeat of the first proposal as a blow against big corps for the little guy), but rather at the level of the elites. Whatever happens will most likely not concern the average Honduran until he or she sees the city actually get built and invested in."

—reason.com commenter "The Immaculate Trouser" in response to "The Blank Slate State" (June)

"The biggest problem is keeping the liberal spenders out of the Statehouse. [Governor Maggie] Hassan put a lot of additional taxes in place when she was in the legislature.…Luckily governors are only elected for two-year terms in New Hampshire, so we can get them out quickly as necessary. (I've lived in NH for 35 years now.)"

—reason.com commenter "Hoofddorp Haarlemmermeer" in response to "The Free State Project Grows Up" (June)

"Thatcher won a battle. The socialists are still winning the war."

—reason.com commenter "WTF" in response to "How Thatcher Defeated Mitterrand" (June)