Major Blackout Reveals Eroding Infrastructure

The terrible blackout in the East was described, at least in part, as due to an outdated power grid. This is but one example of the internal corrosion that is occurring in our country. There is less and less money available to maintain our already meager health system, our schools are crying for more financial support, roads are notoriously bad, joblessness is on the increase, money for the arts has diminished to next to nothing -- and much more.

Meanwhile, this administration is pouring billions of dollars weekly into military adventurism all over the world. This is also accompanied by a rise in government secrecy and a slow erosion in our civil liberties. I am appalled by the lack of protest in our somnolent society.

Russell Blinick

Chatsworth

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Three upsides to the blackout: Fortunately, it did not knock out a much larger area; those affected by the heat, misery and inconvenience can more appreciate the sacrifice our fighting men are making in the searing heat of Iraq; and thank God our president didn’t have to interrupt his vacation or his fund-raising forays to work on ways to keep the lights and air-conditioning on in either of the two countries he’s supposedly overseeing.

John H. Corcoran Jr.

Calabasas