The mail.(Letter to the Editor)

What a great piece by Howard Blake about the Evil Rich Business People ("Confessions of a 'Rich' Businessman," July/August). As one of the ERBP myself, I appreciated hearing the same story from others of my kind. I was reviewing finances for the last six months trying to figure out where all of the money had gone when I decided to take a break and read Mr. Blake's article. My business has been growing as well, and we have seen the same kinds of problems.

Mr. Blake's summary is exactly what I think about when I hear the Democrats spew forth about taxing the rich or how we don't pay our lair share. It's a shame more Americans don't get the true story.

Steve Dye

Altoona, Wisconsin

As a transplanted Easterner I can testify that the Midwest has many great areas for raising a family ("Plain America," July/August).

Our children were never afraid to go to school, and we never worried that they would be mugged in the bathroom, beaten tip in the schoolyard, or robbed of their lunch money. The school administrators, backed by parents and the school board, would never permit such behavior, and the children knew it.

As for higher education, the Midwest also has fine institutions of higher learning, including low-cost state universities. Our son's engineering education at Purdue was as good as any he would find in an elite Eastern university. Indiana University has great programs in areas such as music and business. Other state universities in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota likewise have outstanding programs at a reasonable cost.