Bush not Lay-ed

I found Samantha Hinrichs? column in the Feb. 20th Hornet to be quite entertaining. While it has become old hat to try to link President Bush to the Enron scandal, because he had the temerity to consult professionals who actually worked in the industry before formulating his national energy policy, I found Ms. Hinrichs? California twist to be refreshingly paranoid. The tenacity with which Bush critics have pursued this issue is admirable, especially considering the absurdity of the allegation that Enron President Ken Lay had “undue influence” over a White House that has not lifted a finger to help save his company or provide him any personal political cover.

Also, in her seventh paragraph, she wrote, “Basically, the government loses power over its corporations.” While it does not surprise me that someone might believe that corporations should belong to the federal government, anyone under the impression that they actually do has a serious beef with her high school civics teacher. If Hinrichs believes this, then her gripe with George W. Bush is a little less absurd. President Bush, however, believes in free enterprise. That is why he has never supported government control of energy markets and that is why he has never used his administration to assist Enron or Lay, despite their pleas for help.

Matthew Brooks

Senior English major

Hole in the Ground

After reading Matt Wagar?s column, “Sacramento: Try a Real City” in last week?s Forum, I agree with his notion that Sacramento has a bad traffic problem. However, to say that people have moved from the Bay Area to Sacramento because of “economic disparity” is mostly incorrect. Companies like Hewlett Packard and NEC have moved employees up here because it is so expensive to live in the Bay Area. They don?t view this as an imprisonment, they see it as a chance to get away from the murderous cost of living and the cramped cities of the South and East Bay. So I challenge him to move down there, live for a few years and see how he feels; but he should make sure he gets a job before moving out of this “hole in the ground.”

Mark Neuburger

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