Handing Out Awards for Mediocrity

Re “An Incredible Self-Delusion,” editorial, Dec. 17: Your comments about handing out awards for mediocrity or expected performance only reflects what goes on in the worlds of business and government. Executives are rewarded with huge bonuses just for doing what they were hired to do, or get bought off when they get fired for not doing it. In government, we have only to look at the recent awarding of the Medal of Freedom to the Three Stooges of Iraq: Paul Bremer, George Tenet and Tommy Franks. We don’t even know how their efforts will play out, and we’re already rewarding them, while it is the regular soldiers and Marines who are still doing the real work.

Andy Pearlman

Marina del Rey