If there were still some folks out there who still believe in the "free market" dogma that has trashed our economy and workers for the last 30 years, the AIG bailout should have been the last straw ("AIG's Bailout Costs U.S. $85B," Sept. 17). There are some folks who are still believers; they are mostly C-suite employees, the CEO-CFO-CMO types who went to the right schools, partied with the right folks and now leave the companies they have ruined with severance packages that would make Midas blush.

The brashness continues as taxpayers have watched the value of everything they own decline or evaporate under the misguided policies of Greenspan, Bush and Cheney, all big fans of tax cuts for the rich and bailouts by the poor.

Beware of both candidates in this election -- when you are as good at stealing money as the current cast of characters on Wall Street have become, it is easy to make new friends. John McCain appears to be the most locked in to the status quo. Consider his association with former Sen. Phil Gramm, who pushed through the single-largest mistake in the overturning of the Glass-Steagall Act, which was passed in 1933 and helped create the conditions that led to the largest expansion of our economy -- up to its repeal in 1999 by the current calls of wingnuts in Washington.

To borrow from the movie "Soylent Green": Government is not evil, government is people, it is people! Do your job as a citizen, pay attention and vote for tougher laws, fairer markets and accountability for all who caused this misery today.

JOE STAFURA
South Side

Haitian suffering

Haiti has been hit by one hurricane after another ("Haiti Suffers Anew After 4th Storm in Month," Sept. 11). The poorest country in this hemisphere is currently drowning, but the media cannot manage to cover the devastation. The public is distracted. The president and Congress cannot be bothered.

Haiti's bridges and roads are washed out. Massive deforestation has mountains sliding down on people who are trapped in flooded land. The dead cannot be counted, as thousands starve with no food, water, dry clothing, shelter or medical care.

It is a national shame that President Clinton did not raise a hand to rescue Rwanda and that President Bush let people in New Orleans drown and survivors wait for days to get food and shelter.

In sharp contrast is our dedication to Israel. It has approximately the same number of human beings and the same land mass by square miles. Would we let Israelis drown? Would we allow them to sink in mud, starve and die without an extensive, fully funded rescue effort?

Where are the religious and political leaders who should be in President Bush's office requesting helicopters, emergency bridges and water/land vehicles from our military? This type of equipment is required to rescue stranded people and to deliver the food, water and shelter that only a military operation can provide.

When American politicians tout the greatness of the United States, the evidence of failure, such as our abandonment of Haiti, makes a mockery of the claim.

CARLANA RHOTEN
East Liberty

Extraordinary Ellis

As a 2007 graduate and "lifer" at The Ellis School and classmate of Alexa Chu ("Living the All-Girls Life," Sept. 6 Saturday Diary), I can attest to the extraordinary value of my Ellis experience, both academic and social. A talented faculty with nearly 80 percent holding advanced degrees, small classes and a challenging curriculum are the cornerstones of the excellent education that I received.

Importantly, I value Ellis' commitment to single-sex education from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, which fosters a singular and supportive environment for girls and young women to develop self-confidence and maturity. I will always treasure the close friendships with fellow students and faculty that are the hallmark of the "Ellis community."

KATE McLEAN
Shadyside

The writer is a sophomore at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio.

Empty Obama

When I think of Barack Obama, I am reminded of a quote from Pittsburgh-born writer Gertrude Stein: "There is no there there."

JIM CANNON
Mt. Lebanon

Privacy for all

In response to Anna Marie O'Brien's letter "Privacy for Them" (Sept. 13): It should also be a private matter for anyone with a difficult decision about what to do when they find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy -- whether it be two teenagers with roaring hormones in the back seat of daddy's car or a woman raped by a stranger or, worse yet, by a "father figure." This is also a private matter for the individuals involved, not the government.

D.J. BRUNEAU
Murrysville

Check the software

Allegheny County's touchscreen voting machines are entirely dependent on the software they run. There is no voter verified paper ballot for backup and audits. The vote on our touchscreen voting machines can be hacked in a few seconds with equipment no more exotic than a Palm PDA and a magnet. Hence the physical security of these machines is a primary concern.

Also of concern is the question of whether the voting machines arrived here with the proper software. It has been about two years since these machines arrived from a factory in the Philippines. It is time to check the software to verify that it is indeed the authentic software certified by our Pennsylvania secretary of state. Public observation of this software audit gives the audit its validity.

For the third time in four months, Allegheny County Council called for our board of elections to meet to design and implement such an audit of our voting software. Please, board of elections, meet and publicly verify our voting software!

RICHARD KING
Squirrel Hill

The writer is a member of VoteAllegheny.org.

This is our diocese

Regarding "Episcopalians Weigh Options as Secession Vote Draws Near" (Sept. 4): The vote to take place Oct. 4 at the Diocesan Convention, regardless of how it is worded, is a vote by a very few individuals to remove many thousands of individuals from the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is an integral unit of the national church and will remain so. Those departing plan on being part of another branch of the global Anglican Communion, at least temporarily, located in South America. That's their choice.

If the local Democratic and/or Republican organizations voted to leave their national parties, they would no longer be Republicans or Democrats. How can these people think that they can continue to be the Episcopal Diocese?

Those thousands who are not part of the vote, i.e., delegates to the convention, had better make sure that they are heard.

I'm a continuing Episcopalian.

ROBERT GUY DILTS
Shadyside

When we received a copy of the New Testament with our Sunday paper almost two weeks ago, I was neither pleased nor displeased; while I suppose I should have a theoretical objection to the newspaper providing a distribution network for the purposes of proselytizing, it was inoffensive and nondenominational.

The "paid advertising supplement" for "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," which was included with last Sunday's paper, is quite another matter. This is far-right propaganda of the worst kind. Would you accept advertisements from Stormfront? From the Aryan Nation? From Hustler? If not, then why this?

You are not serving the common good by giving the imprint of respectability to homegrown fascism. Sometimes, an advertisement is not just an advertisement. I'd be less offended to see pornography in my Sunday paper.

J. ADAM JOHNS
Bethel Park

The DVD "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" was distributed with my Sunday Post-Gazette this week. Why?

The Clarion Fund is the source of the DVD. Although nominally a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, it is clearly attempting to influence the American electorate by fomenting fear -- the Republican Party's only effective weapon after eight years of incompetence and misrule. It is most ironic that Republicans consider Islamic terrorism a winning issue, since this administration has been a positive boon to the recruiting efforts of Muslim terrorist groups.

Where is the Post-Gazette's article about this ad-buy? If you are going to lend your distribution channels to propagandists for money, the least you can do as a news organization is to give us the details on the origin of the DVD. Specifically, how much did the entire campaign cost? Which outlets refused the ad? What contributors paid the bills? And finally, who commissioned the project? And if these questions cannot be clearly answered, then you should report that too. Because if you distributed a DVD from ultimately unknown sources with questionable motives, the least you can do is to let your customers know that you did it.

If I don't see an investigative article prominently displayed in your newspaper by this Sunday, the next letter to the editor I send will be my cancellation.

JOSEPH FRIDY
Plum

It is not sexist to discuss Gov. Sarah Palin's work/life balance, exactly because she pretends that no balance is required -- which is the worst thing that could happen for working mothers.

The story is that Gov. Palin went back to work three days after she gave birth. Does she believe in paid maternity leave, or any maternity leave for that matter? The story is that she works as governor, while still cooking mac-and-cheese for her children. Does she support flexible working schedules?

These questions should not be forbidden. It should be asked of both male and female candidates, as it was asked of Barack Obama. From the beginning, the Obamas discussed their choices -- Michelle took a leave from her job, her mother helps and Barack makes regular visits while on the campaign trail.

The goal of working mothers, and fathers, is to do what is best for their families. Despite the mythology, I believe Gov. Palin has help -- whether from her husband, friends, hired help, relatives or some other arrangement. My husband and I chose each of those options at some point in the past five years with regard to our son -- day care, nanny, grandmother help and part-time work. Finally, my husband decided to stay home with my son so I could go back to work full time.

Mothers and fathers make choices. Don't pretend we don't. Don't pretend Gov. Palin doesn't. Don't pretend those choices are easy.

KRYSIA VILA-ROGER
Avalon

The element of surprise does get your attention. When Sen. John McCain selected Gov. Sarah Palin for his running mate as vice president, it certainly got our attention.

No. 1: She is a woman

No. 2: She is attractive

No. 3: She was very articulate when she delivered her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention (period).

Sen. John McCain described Sen. Barack Obama's campaign as celebrity status, comparing him to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. What is he saying now, since according to the media, Gov. Palin has stolen some of Sen. Obama's celebrity status?

A better question that I would like to have answered is, who is running for president on the Republican ticket ... Gov. Sarah Palin or Sen. John McCain?

ESTHER WALLER
Hazelwood

If you would agree that a person empowered and required to administer the laws and affairs of a nation is the definition of executive, I fail to see how PTA or for that matter 21 months of governing a sparsely populated state in the frozen waste of Alaska qualifies Gov. Sarah Palin. Yet she claims more experience than the one-term U.S. senator who seeks our votes. At least he is articulate, intelligent, without scandal and has impressed most with his rhetoric when challenged by detractors who question his choice of a place to worship, his ethnicity and the other ridiculous examples that have been introduced.

We would do well to consider that the consensus choice for the all-time best president is Lincoln and he was the least experienced, and the most experienced, James Buchanan, is neck and neck with George W. as the worst.

Mr. Obama has allied himself with a very experienced No. 2 man and seems to offer more hope and has given specifics as to how he plans to proceed. We must remember we were saddled with five years of a do-nothing Republican majority Congress and for eight with their president, and all agree that change must come. I just haven't heard specifics from Mr. McCain, only sweeping scare tactics of threatened tax increases. Does he not see the deficit that George Bush and Dick Cheney have gotten us into? We can't just keep printing money -- our dollar is in terrible shape on the world exchange, as is.

MARY DONAHUE QUINN
Collier

Who are these powerful wheeler-dealers who would remove by stealth our Tango Cafe, the Squirrel Hill Theater and other unique mom-and-pop stores, e.g. Pizza Amier ("$50 Million Poli Project Will Reshape Squirrel Hill," July 19)? Do you realize that in the Tango Cafe, you could take Spanish lessons while you munched on spinach or corn empanadas or inimitable Argentine pastries served by a smiling Liliana or her sweet mother? This has been a friendly place.

And the Squirrel Hill movie theater? Who are these important personages who decide in private coteries with compliant politicians to make a killing on real estate and invest, not in the community but in the interests of their own greed? And where are the representatives of "we the people," when our treasures are snatched away without our knowledge or consent? Remember that phrase "the consent of the governed" is from our Declaration of Independence. The building of a hotel and franchised retail stores on the ground floor are a gross insult to the tranquility and Gemeinschaft of this close-knit neighborhood and its environs.

Remember, the people of Squirrel Hill and surrounding Pittsburgh areas resent this kind of high-handed treatment by "smart" investors and their political friends to steal our unique cultural and restful assets for their own selfish interests. We, the community, are a "sleeping giant." Beware.

BEVERLY L. DARWIN
Squirrel Hill

We welcome your letters. Please include your name, address and phone number, and send to Letters to the Editor, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222. E-mail letters to letters@post-gazette.com or fax to 412-263-2014. Letters should be 250 words or less, original and exclusive to the Post-Gazette. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity and accuracy and will be verified before being published.