Inbox

I’ll Believe It When I See It

Re “Where the Jobs Are” [Jan. 17]: Congress should consider changing the workweek from 40 hours, as established about 100 years ago, to 35 or 36 hours. This would spread available hourly work among more people, and companies could adjust scheduling to avoid overtime payments.

Dale M. Smith, BURLINGTON, N.C.

Money for America’s human and physical infrastructure has traditionally come from the very wealthy through taxes. But after decades of tax reductions for this population, money is no longer available for teachers and firemen, road and bridge workers and hundreds of other jobs. So while the rich ride high, the nation as a whole sinks.

James M. Ridgway Jr., TUCSON, ARIZ.

I really want to believe employment is finally growing again. But I have three degrees and work three jobs to make ends meet. I work with similarly educated people who are restaurant hosts or hostesses, are retail-store managers or are unemployed. I see companies threatening cutbacks and older workers pressured to leave jobs so younger, less costly workers can be hired. I want to believe; I am just not seeing it where I live.

David Coffin, ADA, OHIO

Jobs: The Hard Truths

Thanks to Zachary Karabell for the first realistic analysis I have read regarding the current job situation in this country [“Where the Jobs Aren’t,” Jan. 17]. Of course outsourcing has been responsible for the loss of many jobs. The only way we will get back to an acceptable unemployment rate is to develop new industries at home.

Herman Behrend, COATESVILLE, PA.

Karabell accurately identifies the problem of unemployment as a structural and not a cyclical one and points out our denial and inability to confront it. In addition to maintaining cutting-edge infrastructure and excellent education, the U.S. can compete by granting federal, state and local tax incentives to enterprises in exchange for the creation of good jobs with benefits and the production of quality goods. With this and other policies, we can bring manufacturing jobs back.

Luis Baerga-Duprey, GUAYNABO, P.R.

Reviewer, Reviewed

I suspect I am not the only reader who could not care less about whether Gwyneth Paltrow aspires to be Oprah or what she posts on her personal website or whether I’m good enough for her [“The Paltrow Problem,” Jan. 17]. Mary Pols clearly does care very much about these things, which created rather strange reading. It did not help me much in deciding whether to spend my money on this movie or some other.

Robert Altiero, SARASOTA, FLA.

Is this supposed to be a review? It opens and closes with material relevant to Country Strong to mask what it really amounts to: a personal attack on the actress.

Kerry Fore, OCEANSIDE, CALIF.

We are bombarded daily with the antics of Lindsay, Snooki and the Kardashians. If the talented, gracious, intelligent Paltrow is not America’s Sweetheart, she should be.

Jane Manning, NORRIDGE, ILL.

The Power of Painful Images

My compliments on your efforts to keep the Afghanistan conflict in front of the American public [“The Birds of Hope: With a Black Hawk Medevac Unit in Afghanistan,” Jan. 17]. If more national media outlets followed your lead and put these scenes, so ably presented by James Nachtwey, on daily news programs, the silent majority would again come to life and put an end to this loss of American blood and treasure in a fruitless and wasteful effort.

Bryce Sanders, CLARKSVILLE, TENN.

This piece touched me more than any other TIME essay. Tears flowed down my face. And I continued to stare into the eyes of the Marine who had lost his legs. I could see his pain; I felt it. Sometimes it is easy to forget that our service members are over there fighting for our freedom every day while we enjoy the rewards. Thank you for showing our true heroes.

Bethany Tonguis, DESTIN, FLA.

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