Bogus Boeing
The decline of Boeing lays bare that companies cannot regulate themselves (“Boeing jet windshield in crack on landing,” March 20).
Without a watchful eye, the free market harms consumers. Boeing was once a great American company; now it’s a disgrace — a business that compromised on safety in an effort to make a quick buck.
In doing so, Boeing has rendered “Made in America” a synonym for shoddy work and cutting corners.
Regulations can be burdensome; sometimes, they can be nothing more than theater. But the conservative belief that an unbridled free market is inherently positive and that corporations can self-police must be debunked — Boeing is yet another reason why.
Daniel Dolgicer, Manhattan
Cows of the future
In the latest episode of “ridiculous things we can do to animals,” researchers genetically modified a cow to produce human insulin in her milk (“Holy cow! Milk could be answer for diabetics,” March 20).
We like dairy products, but most dairy farming involves all kinds of cruelty and suffering. Plus we have alternatives to cow milk that produce delicious dairy-free ice creams, pizzas and so on.
Maybe these people can spend their energy on outreach about healthy habits for those with diabetes and other ways to help, instead of messing with animals.
James Scotto, Yorktown Heights
COVID memories
I remember the early days of COVID differently than Glenn Harlan Reynolds (“Making Amends for COVID Mistakes,” PostOpinion, March 19).
I recall that it was not just immune-compromised people, but also healthy, young people dying on respirators. I was grateful to Dr. Anthony Fauci and others for recommending we wear masks, social distance and shut down bars and restaurants.
I agree that remote schooling and isolation had negative consequences, but those were our options then. Now we have vaccinations, at-home COVID tests and treatments. Fewer people are dying from COVID, so we don’t need social distancing and lockdowns.
I don’t know where Reynolds got his information about masks not being useful, but his contention that “the government response to COVID was probably more destructive than the virus itself” is nonsense, in my opinion.
Reena Fettner, Queens
Photoshop botch
Back when portrait photography was done with film, negatives were very often retouched (“OK, let’s get real,” March 20).
The prints themselves could also be retouched. As far as I know, the media was never outraged that any portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, her mother, her sister or any other member of the royal family had been professionally altered.
I don’t see a principled difference between the art of portrait photography then and now, so I find the constant attention given to whether pictures of the royal family were “digitally altered” inexplicable, especially when it’s meant to sound some kind of alarm.
Dierdre Burgman, Manhattan
Get Burned, Bern
In response to The Post’s article on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ legislative proposal to shorten the work week (“Bernie is for 32-hr work week,” March 15): There are a lot of people who would like to see Sen. Sanders cut his work week down to zero hours.
Thomas McDonough, Vero Beach, Fla.
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