‘Pink light’ politics

Re “GOP at a loss? Karl Rove has an 11th-hour plan to win,” Oct. 29

So White House political guru Karl Rove “taps government resources to boost candidates in need” with “pink light” and “disaster aid.” Rove and his staff “will oversee a mobilization of political employees from Cabinet agencies” to get out the Republican vote. And this is the same regime that was missing in action during the shameful Hurricane Katrina disaster? Where were the Cabinet agencies then? Anyone else’s stomach turning?

CAROL SILS

Woodland Hills

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In reading the article on Rove as he campaigns among federal employees, I am struck by two critical questions. From where does he derive the authority, as an unelected political operative, to control the direction of public policy and government spending? He seems to be free to expend federal resources in pursuit of political ends. What happened to the national interest, or is our federal government now simply a political shill?

And second, is his November surprise contained in the voting technology pushed by Republicans? The inability of the media and the voting public to awaken to the truth of programming error, equipment malfunctions and the potential for systematic tampering may be an even greater threat to our democracy than the politicization of the public trust.

CYNTHIA HUDLEY

Los Angeles

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This article shows clearly that the Bush administration does not serve all Americans equally. There are three types of American citizens, depending on their conviction and money. There are the ones who donate money to the GOP and can literally buy favors from “our” government. Then there are the ones who vote for the GOP, to whom every two years all kinds of promises are made and not necessarily kept. And then there is everybody else, for whom this administration absolutely does not care.

Best examples: Need votes in upstate New York? Send disaster relief immediately after a snowstorm. A very Democratic New Orleans after Katrina? Who cares!

LEO TRUTTMANN

Claremont