Editor, The New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
To the Editor:
One of your front-page headlines today reads "Lobbyists Swarm the Treasury for a Helping of the Bailout Pie" [1] (Nov. 12).
This fact must be told, but it's regrettable that it is news. Suppose a thief disguised as humanitarian shows up in Times Square and announces that he's got billions of dollars to give to people who "need" it. Surely no one would be surprised when a throng of "needy" worthies - a throng larger than that venue sees on New Year's Eve - immediately assembles, driven by the greedy and destructive itch to get something for nothing.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Don Boudreaux is the Chairman of the Department of Economics at George Mason University and a Business & Media Institute adviser.