Word: kinsleys
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Adversity and Character Re Michael Kinsley?s essay on politicians and personal tragedy: Kinsley, you?ve got to get out more [Sept. 8]. It is human ?nature to take the easy path. Keeping a Down-syndrome baby or refusing preferential treatment in prisoner-of-war conditions is a measure of character. That?s what it takes for me to choose a candidate, facing an uncertain world with insufficient data. Some can say what they?ll do under pressure; others have demonstrated what they did under the intense heat of reality. Troy Hammond, Ashburn, Virginia...
...Thanks to Kinsley?s essay, i now know why I never progressed beyond 15 years as a low-level city official and 55 years in a moderately successful broadcasting career. My father worked hard to make a decent living. He had no alcohol, drug or gambling problems, and he was home every night for a home-cooked meal. My mother stayed home and focused on keeping a good house and raising her two children. My two children are doing well in their chosen work. What chance do I have? Don Riggs, Bellevue, Washington...
...Kinsley says affirmative action was designed only to overcome the inequities of race. But the concept has also been justly used to benefit other disadvantaged groups, such as women and the handicapped. There is still a place for affirmative action if those who benefit are as qualified as other applicants. We must continue to extend the helping hand of compensatory justice to those who deserve it. Harvey Fenigsohn, Worcester, Mass...
...Class Should Not Be Dismissed In his essay on affirmative action, Michael Kinsley argues that class distinction is a social problem we "currently don't have much of" [Aug. 25]. What about so-called legacy college admissions, preferential scholarships, cronyism and hiring practices that often involve far fewer than six degrees of nepotistic separation? I would suggest consulting those at the bottom of the ladder before consigning the problem to the dustbin. Lane R. Garland, Winder...
...Class War Michael Kinsley is right to condemn affirmative action based on social class [Aug. 25]. This proposal is a logical extension of the compassionate but misguided urge to reward human inadequacy and punish achievement so as to achieve an egalitarian leveling of success in life. From childhood we learn to try to behave in ways that will be rewarded and avoid behaviors that will be punished. Class-based affirmative action would perversely ensure that this value system was turned upside down. American greatness was built by honoring the natural order, which rewards competence and punishes failure. Reversing this order...